As accountancy practices plan for 2026, one priority stands out: client experience now plays a major role in commercial performance. The latest Accountancy Client Experience Report shows the profession working hard to balance new business ambitions with rising service expectations and day to day operational pressure.
Across almost every stage of the client journey, one challenge keeps resurfacing: slow and inconsistent responses to enquiries. This is exactly where high quality telephone answering support can transform performance, protect reputation, and unlock growth.
Explore the data behind accountants client priorities, response times and service expectations, with insights you can benchmark your own practice against.
Accountancy firm growth priorities for 2026 and faster enquiry handling
For 39% of accountancy businesses, winning new clients is the top goal heading into 2026. After a period of uncertainty, the focus on growth is returning, supported by teams also wanting to nurture existing relationships. A further 25% aim to grow revenue from current clients while 22% are prioritising talent attraction and retention. These organisations clearly see the long term value in expanding their portfolio while protecting established relationships. Yet slow enquiry response time, highlighted by 24% of respondents, remains the biggest barrier to a strong client experience.
With client expectations rising, delays directly undermine growth plans. Prospective clients often contact several accountants at once and choose the one that responds first, in the clearest and most reassuring way. The good news is that this challenge is entirely solvable. Services like Moneypenny’s Lead Management solution remove the delay and ensure new enquiries are captured, qualified and followed up quickly, without relying on already stretched internal teams.
How call answering first impressions shape accountancy client conversion and trust
Only 15% of practices respond to new enquiries within the first hour. Almost one in three take between four and twenty four hours, and 11 percent either take longer than a day or do not know their typical response times.
When research shows that most clients choose the first provider to respond, speed becomes a clear commercial advantage. It is not only about how fast you reply, though. The report also shows that who answers the phone and how consistent that first interaction feels are just as important. Many accountancy teams still route calls to whoever happens to be available at the time. Partners pick up some calls, admin staff answer others, and some enquiries are directed to marketing or automated systems. Only 26% use a dedicated client service team, which leads to an uneven and sometimes confusing first impression.
Moneypenny helps practices fix this by providing dedicated, finance trained receptionists who answer quickly, professionally and in a way that reflects the tone of the business. Every call is handled with the same level of care, which builds trust from the first conversation and prevents valuable enquiries from being lost.
Managing multi channel client communication for accountants without losing the personal touch
Clients now communicate across more platforms than ever. The report shows accountancy providers using phone, email, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, SMS, social media and client portals. While this gives clients more choice and flexibility, it creates significant complexity behind the scenes. Common challenges include high message volumes, delays in responding, an inconsistent tone of voice and the struggle to maintain personalised communication across every touchpoint. Larger practices can find it difficult to coordinate responses across different departments, while smaller teams often lack the resource to manage the volume at all. Without a structured system for tracking and routing conversations, many teams slip into a reactive mode, responding when they can rather than in a way that feels timely and joined up to the client.
Moneypenny’s Telephone Answering, Outsourced Switchboard support and Microsoft Teams integration create a more reliable communication backbone. Calls are answered instantly, routed accurately and logged, while internal teams experience fewer interruptions and clients receive a smoother, more consistent service every time they get in touch.
Improving client retention and loyalty for accountancy firms through better call handling
Although winning new business remains a priority, 61% of practices aim to balance new client acquisition with retention. The reasons clients leave are often preventable. The report highlights poor responsiveness, inconsistent service and a lack of proactive communication as major drivers of churn. These issues are operational rather than technical or pricing related, which means they can be improved quickly with the right processes and support in place. Professional call handling strengthens retention by ensuring clients always reach someone promptly and receive clear, reliable communication. When people feel listened to and supported, loyalty grows and they are more likely to stay with their accountant through changes in their business or personal circumstances. The report shows that 44% of accountancy providers keep clients for four to six years, and 31% retain them for at least seven years. Small improvements in day to day client experience can therefore translate into meaningful long term value.
How accountants use AI and outsourced call answering to scale client support
More than half of practices are investing in AI powered tools, upgrading communication platforms or improving internal training. Smaller organisations often move more cautiously due to budget constraints but still want to elevate client experience and stay competitive. Outsourced call answering is highlighted in the report as one of the simplest ways to improve responsiveness and service consistency without significant internal investment. It scales easily as enquiry volumes change, provides immediate improvement and eases pressure on already busy internal teams.
Moneypenny’s AI Voice Agent provides practices with the best combination of real people and smart technology. Together, these solutions allow accountants to provide an always-on, always consistent client experience while freeing their teams to focus on higher value advisory work.
See real examples of how accountants are adopting AI, from call handling and workflow automation through to smarter client communication.
The path to 2026 for growth focused accountancy firms
The Accountancy Client Experience Report closes with one clear message: client experience now sits at the centre of sustainable growth. It is no longer a nice to have, but a core part of how successful practices differentiate themselves.
Accountancy practices that respond quickly, make strong first impressions and maintain consistent communication win more new clients and keep them for longer. Professional call handling supports all of this by reducing missed opportunities, improving response times and building confidence in every interaction. Organisations that prioritise these improvements now will enter 2026 stronger, more resilient and better positioned for long term success, with client experience embedded at the heart of how they work.
Frequently asked questions about accountants client experience and call handling
Why are fast response times so important for UK accountancy practices?
Prospective clients often contact several providers at once and tend to choose the one that responds first with a clear, confident answer. Faster response times help accountants win more new business, while prompt handling of existing client queries protects satisfaction and loyalty.
How can accountants improve client experience without hiring more staff or receptionists?
Outsourcing call handling to a specialist such as Moneypenny is a cost effective way to improve responsiveness and consistency without adding headcount. A dedicated receptionist team can triage, qualify and route calls so that in house staff can focus on higher value work.
What role does AI play in improving accountants client communication?
AI tools such as Moneypenny’s AI Voice Agent can handle routine enquiries, capture information and provide simple updates around the clock. When combined with experienced receptionists, this creates a blended model that feels human and personal while still being efficient and scalable.
