It's March 14th. The phone is ringing off the hook with new-client tax-prep requests. You're in the middle of a $4,800 corporate return and can't break off. That voicemail is one of the 18 you'll never get to before April 15. Each one was a $600 return.
The industry average: a service business misses $50,000 a year in revenue from calls that went to voicemail. BIA Advisory put the number on it. Every owner who's ever looked at three missed calls already knew. Your competitor down the road answers their phone — or their answering service does, or their AI does. The caller picks whoever picks up. That's the whole game.
Sophia knows the difference between a 1040EZ and a Schedule C. She qualifies the return complexity, quotes from your tier sheet, captures last year's AGI for engagement letters, and books the drop-off or video consult in your calendar.
Plain English. No menus. No 'press 1 for service.'
She works 168 hours a week. She charges from $5 an hour.
Same role. Different operator.
| Part-time employee | DIY voicemail/IVR | Sophia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $1,440/mo | $0 | $1,597/mo |
| Hours covered | 20 hrs/wk | 168 hrs/wk* | 168 hrs/wk |
| Effective rate | $18/hr | (*voicemail counts as 'covered') | From $5/hr |
| Sick days · turnover | Quit twice last year | Loses every after-hours call | Never |
+47%
tax-season calls captured
+31%
year-round bookkeeping conversions
12 hr/wk
owner time back
Average across JOOLT operators in their first 90 days.
From $5/hour. Flat tiers, no per-call surprises.
Pay-As-You-Win
$99
+ $35/booking
Starter
$497
/month
Pro ⭐
$1,597
/month
Scale
$3,997
/month
Enterprise
$9,997+
/month
Built for HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, dental, vets, med-spas, real estate, legal, accounting, cleaning, landscape, restaurants, retail, gyms, salons — and pre-trained on the 50 questions your customers ask.
See your industryTraditional answering services take a message. Sophia actually does the job — she answers in your business name, knows your hours and prices, books the appointment to your calendar, and sends the confirmation text. No callback queue. No missed handoff. The job is closed before you get back to your truck.
Most owners are live in 10 minutes. We forward your existing business line — no number change, no carrier ticket. You keep your number; Sophia just picks up when you can't.
From your tier sheet, yes. Simple 1040 = $X. 1040 + Schedule A = $Y. 1040 + Schedule C = $Z. Multi-state, K-1s, or business returns get an 'after-we-see-your-docs' answer. She never under-quotes a complex return.
Yes. She texts existing clients about Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4 estimated payments 14 days before due, extension reminders 21 days before April 15, and year-end planning offers in October-November. Existing-client engagement goes up ~25% in the first season.
Yes. Any call mentioning an IRS notice, audit, or CP-letter is tagged urgent and routed to the preparer who filed the return (or to the partner if you set that rule). She captures the notice type + tax year so you can pull the file before calling back.
Sophia is live in 10 minutes. Every call answered. Every job booked. From $5/hour.