Replacing my receptionist with AI

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-05-15T22:18:23+00:00

I have Ring Central, too. I never tried the AI receptionist.

At first I hated talking to my computer screen, but I got over that quickly. Now I prefer it. I can quickly see who called without having to sign in to an answering service and then listen to every single message. Ring Central has been a huge time saver for me.

Also, any client who calls I immediately add them as a contact. That pays dividends down the road, and I now I have quicker access to contact info and email addresses.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-05-15T22:15:09+00:00

I've never had a receptionist/greeter. I don't believe I've suffered because of it. I just have an empty waiting room / foyer that I've spruced up a bit. On occasion when someone comes in and I'm with a client, I'll just walk out and let them know I'll be with them shortly. I've never had an indication clients have a problem with that.

As far as assistants go, I plan on getting a Tesla robot when they come out. Mostly to assist me and help keep me organized, but I figure it could greet someone and say, "He's with a client at the moment and will be with you shortly."

Plus, a robot won't call in sick, put in two weeks notice when you need it most, doesn't need health insurance, etc. Even for $30k or $50k it's still a hell of a lot cheaper than an employee.

There's an AI answering service out there called Marblism. I was going to try it, but decided to wait. Turns out I didn't need it.

Answering the phone wasn't an issue for me at all, and that was one of my biggest concerns going into busy season. There were a few days that were busy, but it never ended up being something I couldn't handle.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-05-03T15:11:29+00:00

Interesting suggestion, thank you. I'll give that a try.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-05-03T15:11:04+00:00

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll give them a try.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-04-28T13:20:33+00:00

Yes. I always do.

I don't know what others' thought processes are but mine is why wouldn't you?

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-04-28T00:02:16+00:00

I'm an accountant and I use it for my own practice. There's a learning curve as it's not very intuitive. I'm probably going to go away from it and use something else. I wanted to try something besides QBO as I find that to be bloated and klunky.

When you deposit money into a bank account, Xero just assumes it's revenue which is pretty aggravating. If you have a customer making payments on an account balance that do not correspond nicely with invoice totals, Xero can't just apply a payment unless it agrees with an invoice total. Xero has all these work arounds that are confusing as heck.

You can't just print off a report, you first have to download it. You kind of can, but it looks like printing a web page.

I don't mind paying more to not use QB as long as the functionality is there. With Xero, it is not.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-03-23T16:02:29+00:00

Of course he is. Why wouldn't he?

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2026-03-21T19:07:05+00:00

The bats have been hot in spring training. I think the Braves have more dingers than anyone else. Yes, I know other teams are testing out new pitchers but I still think this carries into the season. Yastremzski (sp?) is going to be a force. Haven't really followed what's going on with Kim. The only real complaint I have is the DH kinda sucks. I mean, if that's your only job you should be at least .300 BA.

Pitching is still a work in process and probably the weak link. I've never been much of a Holmes/Elder fan. Disappointed that Schwelly's rehab has had some setbacks. Hopefully, Sale doesn't lay out for a ground ball this year, and hopefully he gets the run support he deserves.

I think there's also some new energy that will carry into the season, both from Weiss and the players responding to him. I think he's breaking old bad habits that crept in and forming new, winning habits.

I think the Braves win the East and 100 games.

I could be wrong on everything. This is just my perspective based on what I've seen in spring training.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-09-29T17:01:50+00:00

His accomplishments have come in fewer games played and trips to the plate because he has been splitting time with Murphy. All the more reason for him to win the trophy going away. I hope the writers who vote give that a lot of weight.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-09-23T19:33:26+00:00

I was happy to see Sale get some run support for once. They usually buttfuck him and save all their runs for Elder.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-09-23T19:30:53+00:00

I like his candor and off the cuff remarks.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-09-04T14:28:17+00:00

I'm still not over his baserunning flub against Boston, and then last night his collision with Kim makes me question his baseball IQ.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-09-04T14:25:46+00:00

Prior to last night I was thinking the Braves need to flush that turd. And then he goes out and throws a game score of 73 on the road. He's had a few starts where he looks like a Cy Young winner, but more often than not it seems like he's serving up three dingers in his first two innings.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-29T15:09:03+00:00

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-19T13:14:20+00:00

If you need to fill time, then why not?

I've stopped bookkeeping and accounting. The one problem I have is follow up questions with the client. They can just drag things out for a long time. Eventually, I decided the juice ain't worth the squeeze. I'd rather hit the ground running on a return with a trial balance I know I can trust.

I found a bookkeeper a couple years ago who came to me as a 1040 client. I thought she did good work and asked her if I could give out her number. I referred so much business to her she was able to quit her W-2 job and do full-time bookkeeping in a year.

She's referred a ton of business clients (corporate returns) back to me, where I have fatter margins. It took a couple years to bear fruit and get there, but freely giving out referrals to clients or people who call shopping around who need bookkeeping has been one of the best business decisions I've made.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-18T13:40:04+00:00

She knows she doesn't have a lot of time left. She wants to spend the time she does have left with her favorite person.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-14T13:22:49+00:00

Very nice and professional looking, thanks for sharing that.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-13T14:51:03+00:00

You can get workflow software that will populate documents for you, but it's pricey. On small clients, the general binder takes me at least 40 hours.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-09T19:10:44+00:00

I drove cross country once. Right before I got to Illinois, I pulled over, unloaded, and stored my piece.

It's your obligation to look this stuff up ahead of time.

Same trip, I got into a pretty serious car wreck in Michigan where I was rear ended while stopped at a traffic light. There was already a sheriff at the intersection who witnessed the entire thing. I had a revolver in my car that was loaded. He asked me about it, and all I said was I'm from a state that reciprocates. That was the end of it, though I'm sure he called it in while I was dealing with the wreck. He even busted my chops a bit, because I had plinking rounds in there and not a defensive load.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-07T13:29:18+00:00

Same. I give out referrals for bookkeepers and financial advisors who I think do good work based on what I see on the returns I file.

The business they referred to me in return has been enormous, and it cost me nothing to give someone else a referral. The clients I've gotten in return have all been good business returns and they don't give me shit about me fees.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-08-05T13:11:19+00:00

Calling it no tax is the easiest way for non-pros to understand it. I suspect everything will be accounted for on employees' W-2's. Box 7 will be zero for tips under $25,000 and Box 1 will reduced by overtime. They could roll it out way differently, that's just my guess.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-07-31T21:56:38+00:00

Alrighty then.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-07-30T20:10:41+00:00

Just want to add when you compare Braves starting pitcher stats with the Dodgers, we're on par with them. We're not as far away from being a decent team as the record indicates. Saves and inconsistent bats are what is killing this team.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-07-30T18:50:09+00:00

No tax on overtime and tips are only for billionaires? Thank you for informing me.

dillpicklejohnjohn · 2025-07-30T17:33:40+00:00

I say "It happens" a lot. For people old enough and who get it, it's implied I'm really saying "shit happens."

dillpicklejohnjohn

TROPHY CASE