A small accounting firm in a converted storefront, two accountants at desks, a client across from one with a folder of receipts, morning light through the blinds

Every client answered within the hour. Every missing document chased before the deadline.

A small crew of AI agents takes the office work off your firm: the reply to every client and prospect who writes in, the follow-up on every organizer, receipt, and signature that hasn't come back, and the filing dates, extension deadlines, engagement renewals, and unpaid invoices nobody should have to carry in their head. All of it in your firm's voice, none of it sent until you say so, and busy season stops eating your evenings.

Built for CPA, bookkeeping, and tax firms of one to fifteen people. Runs alongside QuickBooks, Xero, Drake, Lacerte, Canopy, and the tools you already use.

Book a free 45-minute assessment

Why this exists

Most small accounting firms run on a partner or two, a few staff, and an admin who does everything else. The partner does the work, signs the returns, and answers the inbox. From January to April the inbox fills with clients asking where their return is, clients who still haven't sent the 1099, prospects asking if you're taking new clients, a bank asking for a comfort letter, and the same question about the same form forty times. Through the rest of the year it's the extension deadlines, the quarterly estimates, the monthly close that waits on a bank statement, and the engagement letters that need renewing. Very few firms have the help the work needs: someone on the inbox, someone chasing documents, someone watching the dates and the receivables. The reason is the math, almost never effort. That kind of help is a salary, and the hours it would save are the hours you bill.

A client's return sits for two weeks because one K-1 never arrived and nobody chased it. A prospect who asked in February about switching firms hears back in May. An extension deadline is met at 11 p.m. because the document request went out late. An invoice from April is still open in July because nobody wanted to make the call during busy season. A client leaves in January because they never heard from you after April. None of it is hard. There's just too much of it, and all of it waits for the partner.

At some point we stopped thinking the answer was “find the overhead for one more admin” and started thinking there had to be a better way for a small firm to support itself through busy season and after it. That's what Second Unit is.

It isn't for every firm. If you have an office manager, a client-service coordinator, and a billing clerk, you don't need this. If you don't, and the same two people are doing the returns and running the office, we built this for you.

The return that sat two weeks for one K-1 cost you the client the following January. A note on day three would have done it. Nobody had the hour in March.

The same crew we run our own business on

Second Unit is built and run by Noettic Labs, a Los Angeles studio that builds with AI to solve real business problems. We build products that do real work, and we install crews that do it inside your business: the quotes, the follow-ups, the renewals, the records, the reports, the paperwork that keeps a company moving and keeps its best people from doing any of it.

The crew on this page is the system we use to run our own business. We sat down with the people doing the best work with agents, kept what held up under a real week, and wrote it into the job cards and rules every crew ships with. An install is that system, set up on your business, by hand, on a call.

Second Unit is one of several products from Noettic Labs. See what else we've built.

What we built for you

Job CardClient Desk
One Job
Job
Draft a reply to every client and prospect email within the hour, in the firm’s voice, answer the questions your FAQ covers, and route the ones a CPA must see.
Reads
The general inbox, the website form, your FAQ and fee schedule, your client list and engagement terms, your calendar.
Writes
A draft reply, a client record, a task for the right person.
Never
Sends. Gives tax or accounting advice. Quotes a fee that isn’t on your schedule. States a number from a return or a filing.
Reports to
Your Second Unit Lead, in the daily status.
Checked by
You, before anything goes out.

Second Unit is a service. There's no software for you to learn. We install a small crew of AI agents in your own accounts, one job each, and train each one on how your firm works: your voice, your services, your fee schedule, your rules. A client desk that drafts a reply to every client and prospect email within the hour, answers the forty questions your FAQ already answers, and routes anything technical to a CPA. A document follow-up agent that chases every missing organizer, statement, K-1, and signature on a schedule until it lands, with the secure upload link each time, and tells you every Monday which returns are blocked and why. A deadline and billing tracker that holds every filing date, extension, estimate, engagement renewal, and invoice in one record and drafts the note before it's late. The crew works alongside QuickBooks, Xero, Drake, Lacerte, Canopy, TaxDome, or whatever you already run; that stays your system of record. Between them they take hours of office work off every week, and you approve every one before it goes out.

A word about AI, because in an accounting firm the line matters. These agents stay on the business side of the practice. They answer the email, chase the document, and remind you of the date. They never give tax or accounting advice, never state a number from a return, never touch a filing, and never see client financial data you haven't put in front of them on purpose. Every draft is read by a person at the firm before it leaves. The accounting stays with the accountants.

The name comes from film. On a set, the second unit shoots everything that doesn't need the director: the establishing shots, the inserts, the driving scenes. The director keeps the scenes that need them. Same deal here. The agents take the replies, the chasing, and the dates. You keep the clients, the returns, and the work.

An accounting firm workroom at night during busy season, desks covered with files and tax organizers, one accountant under a desk lamp
March 10, every return in progress. Every client with a missing document has a nudge drafted, in your voice, with exactly what's missing and the secure upload link. You read, edit, and send between returns. The blocked list gets shorter every day.

Three jobs, one firm

Draft · not sent
ToTom Baxter, Baxter PlumbingSubjectRe: Switching accountants, taking new clients?

Tom, thanks for reaching out, and yes, we're taking new business clients this year. A plumbing company with a few employees and a truck or two is right in the middle of what we do.

To give you a real answer on fees, I'd like a short call. Two quick questions first: are you an S corp or an LLC, and do you have bookkeeping in place or would you want us to handle that too?

I have Tuesday at 11 or Wednesday at 3 open. Reply with the one that works. Our fee schedule for small-business returns and monthly bookkeeping is attached so there are no surprises.

Best,
Linda Park, CPA, Park & Associates

Client Desk

Every email from a client, a prospect, a bank, or a client's attorney gets a drafted reply within the hour, in your voice, from your rules: what you answer from the FAQ, what gets a call, what goes to a CPA, what the fee schedule says. It knows the forty questions you answer every March and answers them the same way every time. It never gives advice and never states a number from a return. Prospects who hear back the same hour sign.

Reads: the inbox, the form, your FAQ, your fee schedule, your calendar. Writes: a draft, a client record, a task. Never: sends, advises, quotes a fee off the schedule, states a number from a return.

This morning, in your drafts

Tom, two statements and you’re done · secure link, Q4 only
The Nguyens, the K-1 · what it looks like, where it comes from
Harbor Dental, two signatures · e-sign link, five minutes
Mr. Castillo, the 1098 · how to download it from the lender
Ridgeline, the December summary · secure link, filing on the 20th
1 return unblocked, moved to review
Five returns read, five nudges drafted, one unblocked, nothing waiting on you.
Document Follow-up

Every engagement goes into a checklist from the day the organizer goes out: what you need, what's arrived, what's missing. The agent chases every gap on your schedule, day 3, day 7, day 12, in your voice, with exactly what's missing and the secure upload link each time, and tells you every Monday which returns are blocked and which deadlines are at risk. Returns stalled on one document are where busy season goes wrong, and the fix is a note that gets sent on day three.

Reads: the organizer checklist, the upload folder, the deadlines. Writes: a status per engagement, a draft per gap. Never: opens a document it wasn’t asked to, states a number, sends.
Draft · 45 days out
ToDr. Anita Shah, Harbor DentalSubjectYour engagement for next year, and this year’s recap

Dear Dr. Shah,

Ahead of the new year, a note on the business side. Your engagement with us renews on January 1, and I've attached the renewal letter for next year's bookkeeping, payroll, and the partnership return, at the same scope.

This year we closed your books every month by the 10th, filed the 1065 on March 4, and handled the two payroll notices in June. If anything about the practice is changing next year, a new location or a new partner, let's talk before January so the scope fits.

You can sign the letter through the link below, or reply and we'll set a time.

Warm regards,
Linda

Deadline and Billing Tracker

Every filing date, extension deadline, quarterly estimate, payroll date, engagement renewal, and invoice goes into one record. The agent checks the dates every morning and drafts the note before it's late: the reminder to you 14, 7, and 2 days before any deadline, the estimate reminder to the client 10 days out, the engagement renewal 45 days out with the recap, the invoice reminder at 15, 30, and 45 days, and the thank-you when it's paid. You stop finding out from the client, the IRS notice, or the bookkeeper.

Reads: the calendar, the engagement letters, the billing record. Writes: the record, a reminder, a draft. Never: changes a date, a fee, or a scope, files anything, sends.

Want a different agent first, or the whole crew at once? Onboarding Desk, Notice Desk, Review Desk, and Marketing are all on the menu. Ask on the call.

Meet the crew

Each agent is set up for one job, the way you'd train a new admin in week one: the instructions for that job, the rules it works inside, the skills it needs, and nothing else. Your client desk knows your FAQ and your fee schedule. Your follow-up agent knows every missing document. Your tracker knows every date.

Start with one. Add the next when you're ready. The Second Unit Lead comes with any setup and ties them together.

Needs youThe reply to Tom Baxter about switching accountants
ApproveNot now
Done today17 tasks · 4 agents
Daily status sent, one thing waiting on youSecond Unit Lead
Drafted 17 client replies, 3 routed to a CPAClient Desk
22 returns blocked on documents, nudges draftedDocument Follow-up
Harbor Dental engagement renews in 45 days, letter draftedDeadline and Billing Tracker
  1. Second Unit LeadIncluded with any setup

    Your first agent. Runs the daily status, keeps your queue to one request at a time, and walks you through changes to the other agents so you never need us for a small tweak.

  2. Client DeskLaunch agent

    Drafts a reply to every client and prospect email within the hour, answers the questions your FAQ covers, and routes anything technical to a CPA.

  3. Document Follow-upLaunch agent

    Chases every missing organizer, statement, K-1, and signature on your schedule with the secure upload link, and reports every Monday which returns are blocked.

  4. Deadline and Billing TrackerLaunch agent

    Keeps every filing date, extension, estimate, engagement renewal, and invoice in one record and drafts the note before it’s late.

  5. Onboarding DeskOn the menu

    The welcome note to every new client, the engagement letter from your template, the document checklist, and the portal setup instructions.

  6. Notice DeskOn the menu

    The acknowledgment when a client forwards an IRS or state notice, the log, the request for what you need to respond, and the reminder of the response date.

  7. Review DeskOn the menu

    The review request the week after a return is filed, a drafted reply to every review, and the hard ones routed to you.

  8. MarketingOn the menu

    The quarterly client newsletter, the year-end planning note, and the plain-English explainer for the question you answer most, from your own words.

Once you say yes: what you get in the first week

Nothing is left for you to figure out. This is what we set up, and when.

  1. Day 1Installed and Running.

    Your Second Unit Lead and your Client Desk are set up on your own accounts, interviewed on your voice, your services, your FAQ, and your fee schedule, and one real client email is answered before we end the call.

  2. Day 2The Inbox Stops Waiting on the Partner.

    Every new email has a drafted reply within about an hour, with the answer from your FAQ or the two questions that get it to a CPA. Your admin reads, edits if they like, and sends.

  3. Day 3First Check-in.

    We read the week's drafts together, note what you changed, and tighten the rules so the next ones need less of your hand.

  4. Day 7Your First Number.

    How many drafts went out untouched. It's the one figure we track from here, and it tells you whether this is giving you back your evenings in March.

Installing in February? Your Document Follow-up starts with every organizer already out, and your Client Desk handles the forty questions from day one.

How it works

  1. Assessment.

    A free 45-minute call. We find the tasks that are eating your firm's week and match them to the agent that can take them over.

  2. Install.

    Everything works from day one, and you don't set up a thing alone. We help you sign up for Grok Bot, and for Notion if you don't have it yet, both on your own accounts. Then, in one screen share, we install the agents, connect your email and calendar from your side, and run the interview that teaches them your voice, your services, your FAQ, and your fee schedule. We walk you through the whole thing and check every piece before we hand them off to you.

    Runs on
  3. Two Weeks of Tuning.

    We read the drafts with you every few days and tighten the agent until most go out with no edits. Then a monthly check-in, and the next agent setup when you want it.

  4. Most firms are running within a week of the assessment.

Everything that comes with a crew

One price, once. Beside each piece is what the same work costs when you buy it as a person's time. Rough US figures, so you can see what you're getting.

We start four new businesses a month.By hand, on a call, so each one gets the tune-up it needs.
What's in the BoxThe Three-Agent Crew
  1. The Assessment45 minutes with us to find the tasks eating your week and the agent for each.
    $250
  2. Install DayOne screen share. Agents installed in your own accounts, email and calendar connected from your side.
    about $1,200
  3. The InterviewYour voice, your prices, your rules, written into every agent before it drafts a word.
    about $600
  4. Three Launch AgentsClient Desk, Document Follow-up, Deadline and Billing Tracker. The same three jobs as hires.
    $5,000 to $12,500 a month
  5. Your Second Unit LeadDaily status, one request at a time, and the walkthrough for every small change.
    included
  6. Two Weeks of TuningWe read the drafts with you on days 3, 7, 10, and 14, and tighten the rules each time.
    about $1,000
  7. Job Cards and Rules, Yours to KeepEvery agent's instructions on paper, in your Notion, so the crew stays with you.
    about $500
Bought as people and consultants, the first month aloneabout $8,500 to $16,000
Your crew, once$2,500 to $6,000
Then about $50 a month in software, paid to Grok Bot and Notion.
The Tune-up Guarantee.

If most of your drafts aren't going out untouched by the end of the two-week tune-up, we keep tuning at no charge until they are.

What it costs

Priced to the size of your firm, and settled on the assessment call, not before. A solo CPA sits at the low end of each range. A firm of fifteen sits at the high end.

Setup, per agentRange
One Agent, Set Up and Tuned
The assessment, the install, the interview, and two weeks of tuning.		$1,000 to $2,500
The Three Launch Agents Together
Client Desk, Document Follow-up, Deadline and Billing Tracker.		$2,500 to $6,000
The Whole Crew
All eight agents, installed a week apart so each gets its tuning.		$6,500 to $16,000

Then Pick One of Two Paths

Ongoing Care

$100 to $750 a month per agent, scaled the same way. A monthly check-in, tuning as your firm changes, support when something's off, and the next agent when you want it. Ninety days minimum, then month to month with 30 days' notice.

Setup Only

No monthly fee. Your Second Unit Lead agent walks you through changes to the other agents yourself, and when you'd rather we did it, we're on call by the hour.

The assessment call is free, and there's nothing to decide until it's done. You pay for your own software: about $30 a month for Grok Bot and about $10 a month per seat for Notion, paid to them, not to us.

What the Same Help Costs as People

Rough US figures for hiring the equivalent, so you can see what you're getting. These are estimates.

If You Hired People$60,000 to $150,000a year
  • Client-service coordinator$42,000 to $55,000 / yr
  • Administrative assistant$40,000 to $52,000 / yr
  • Office manager$50,000 to $68,000 / yr
  • Seasonal admin, January to April$6,000 to $10,000 / season
  • Billing and collections, part-time$1,500 to $2,800 / mo

Before payroll taxes, before benefits, and before they've learned how you like things done.

Your Second Unit Crew$2,500 to $6,000once, the three launch agents$6,500 to $16,000once, the whole crew
  • Works every day, busy season and extension season included
  • Trained on your voice, your FAQ, your fee schedule
  • About $50 a month in software, paid to Grok Bot and Notion
  • Ongoing care from $100 a month per agent, or setup only with support on call
  • Yours to keep. If we part ways, the crew stays with you

Three agents for about one month of one salary.

What the agents won't do

What changes

The prospect who wrote in February has a reply in your drafts within the hour, with the fee schedule attached. Every return blocked on a document gets a nudge on day three, and the blocked list gets shorter every morning in March. The engagement renewal goes out in November with the recap, and January stops being the month clients leave.

You still write the important emails. You just stop writing all of them.

Book a free 45-minute assessment Not ready? Read what the agents won't do and see exactly what they read, write, and never touch.
A CPA at the door of his small office talking with a small-business owner holding a folder
Every blocked return is a client someone has to nudge.