A once-a-year call
Tax preparation is an odd business for phone numbers. Most clients call once a year, in a rush, between late January and mid-April. By then many can't find the business card from last spring. If they can't reach you quickly, they go to the chain office on the corner.
A number that spells TAX or CPA fixes that. It can be recalled without the card, and it tells a new client what you do before they dial.
Where to put it
- Your window and sign. Tax season is walk-in season for many preparers.
- The folder or envelope you hand back with the finished return. It is the one thing clients keep.
- Flyers and local radio in January, when people start thinking about refunds.
Year-round clients
Bookkeeping and payroll clients call all year. For them a word like BOOKS is a good fit, and it separates that side of the practice from seasonal tax work.
Calls and texts
Calls ring the phone you already use, and missed calls go to your normal voicemail. That matters in April, when you are with a client and can't pick up. Texts arrive as email, which is a tidy way to collect a client's name and callback number. Three-letter words such as TAX and CPA are much easier to find locally than REFUND or TAXES.
Which of these words you can get
The shorter the word, the more numbers can spell it. Toll-free is one national pool, so a word that is taken in your area code can still be free there.
| Word | Letters | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| TAX | 3 | Easy to find. Up to 10,000 local numbers per area code can spell it. |
| CPA | 3 | Easy to find. Up to 10,000 local numbers per area code can spell it. |
| BOOKS | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
| REFUND | 6 | Rare. Up to 10 per area code. Toll-free is the best bet. |
| TAXES | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
Why accountants pick a number that spells something
The same three things every business gets, in the words your customers use.
Keep your phone
Calls forward to the line you already answer. Nothing to install.
Live in a minute
Pay and the number is active. Put it on the sign tonight.
$9 a month
100 minutes included, then 5¢ a minute. Toll-free adds $3. Cancel any time.