How fast should accountants respond to new enquiries?

Why response time matters for accountants

Clients don’t just compare your firm to other accountancy practices anymore. They benchmark you against every other service they use, from online shopping to instant banking apps. Expectations for speed and convenience are higher than ever.

A delayed reply doesn’t just risk losing a lead. It also creates the wrong impression. Slow responses suggest low urgency, limited capacity, or a lack of care. Fast responses show reliability, attentiveness, and professionalism from the first interaction.

Studies consistently prove this point:

• Leads contacted within five minutes are up to 100 times more likely to convert than those contacted after 30 minutes.
• 78% of clients choose the first company that replies to their enquiry.

In other words, speed doesn’t just impress, it converts.

How fast firms are responding to new enquiries

Our research found that:

Smaller practices are winning on speed

Sole traders and small practices consistently outperform when it comes to response times.

• Sole traders: 100% say they respond within an hour. With fewer handovers and direct access, speed is easier to maintain.
• Small (1 to 49 employees): typically reply within 1 to 4 hours.
• Mid-sized (50 to 249 employees): response times lengthen, averaging 4 to 8 hours.
• Large (250+ employees): more likely to take 4 to 24 hours due to complex intake processes and internal silos.

This highlights a paradox. Larger firms may have more resources, but their size often slows them down. For prospects, that delay can be the difference between choosing you and going elsewhere.

A great example of overcoming this challenge comes from RSM, one of the UK’s leading accountancy firms. In our recent case study, they share how partnering with Moneypenny helped them improve enquiry handling, boost client responsiveness, and ensure every prospect receives a consistent, high-quality experience.

Does the first point of contact shape client experience?

Response speed isn’t just about how quickly a practice replies. It’s also about who replies. Our report found that:

The real cost of slow responses

When response times slip, the financial impact can be significant:

• Prospects often move on to a competitor who replies faster.
• Poor first impressions can undermine long-term trust.
• Lost leads mean wasted marketing spend and missed revenue opportunities.

The report also highlights that client experience is a core driver of growth. Firms that fail to respond promptly risk losing new business and damaging their reputation in a sector where word of mouth and referrals remain powerful.

Best practice for faster enquiry handling

The most successful companies treat the first response as a strategic priority, not just admin. Best practices include:

1. Set clear SLAs: define maximum response times for all new enquiries and make them non-negotiable.
2. Use technology to triage enquiries: routing tools and integrated CRMs ensure messages go straight to the right person.
3. Train your first responders: make sure whoever answers enquiries has the knowledge and authority to handle them effectively.
4. Monitor performance: regularly track response times and take corrective action if they slip.
5. Offer multiple channels: clients should be able to reach you by phone, live chat, or online forms, with all enquiries captured consistently.

The role of outsourced reception, call answering and AI

For many accountancy practices, the biggest challenge is balancing excellent client service with the realities of a busy workload. Teams are already stretched, and pausing to handle every new call or message in real time often isn’t practical.

That is where outsourced telephone answering and client communication support make a difference. By partnering with a trusted provider, accountants can ensure every enquiry, whether via phone, live chat, or an AI voice agent, is answered quickly, professionally, and with the warmth and expertise clients expect, even when the office is closed.

Outsourced call answering services and AI-powered voice agents can act as an extension of your in-house team, ensuring every call or message is captured promptly and routed to the right person. This approach helps firms stay responsive, reduce missed opportunities, and deliver a consistent, professional experience for every prospective client around the clock.

The bottom line: fast responses win clients

The quicker you respond, the more likely you are to secure new business. While many practices still take hours or even days to follow up, the leaders in 2025 treat response time as a competitive advantage.

In a market where clients have more choice than ever, speed isn’t optional. It is the key to standing out, building trust, and winning new work.

How Moneypenny supports accountants

At Moneypenny, we help accountancy firms manage client communications seamlessly. Our Telephone Answering, Live Chat, and AI Voice Agent solutions ensure you never miss a call, a message, or a chance to impress.

With trained receptionists acting as an extension of your team, we make sure prospects always get a fast, friendly, and knowledgeable response no matter when they contact you. That means more enquiries converted into clients, more trust with existing ones, and more opportunities to grow. Call us on 0333 202 1005 to find out more.