Preece “asked to join us on the town hall meetings so he can address questions, comments and concerns directly with accounting professionals,” Woodard wrote in an email.

An Intuit spokesperson described QuickBooks Live this way:  "We are conducting several tests over the next several months to learn how we can connect small businesses to an accounting professional that offers monthly bookkeeping services as part of their QuickBooks subscription."

The name echoes TurboTax Live, which has emerged this tax season in a revamped form. It enables consumers with questions about return preparation to ask questions of a tax professional by connecting within the tax application. Taxpayers connect through a one-way video link with professionals.

Woodard is an author and consultant to the tax and accounting profession. His group hosts the annual "Scaling New Heights" conference, which it describes as a "training conference for accountants, bookkeepers and other small business advisors."