“AI will not replace accountants, but accountants who do not use AI risk missing important opportunities. It’s about reinforcement, not replacement, to take your role to a new level.”
As AI is increasingly used in businesses, accounting and bookkeeping professionals face a number of challenges and decisions surrounding AI technology.
These technological advances have already had a positive impact on many companies. However, navigating these new waters and making the most impactful decisions around AI adoption can be difficult.
In this new era, AI users can make significant progress in saving time and improving customer relationships.
Automate your routine
One of the main advantages of AI is its ability to automate everyday tasks. This means that specialists have more time to engage more closely with their customers personally. In accounting, for example, AI can handle transaction categorization and invoice processing. This speeds up operations and also reduces the likelihood of errors in areas where human oversight is important but time-consuming. Such process improvements can help you position yourself as an efficiency leader and thus achieve better customer service.
Embrace change
The shift towards AI in accounting is being driven by the need to move beyond day-to-day manual tasks and focus on more strategic and advisory roles. Generative AI – a type of AI that can create new content such as images, text or music based on existing data – goes one step further. By not only automating tasks but also generating new insights, GenAI’s results can lead to more informed decision making.
In order to stand out as a manager, you not only have to keep up with the times, but also show your colleagues and employees the way into the future. By integrating AI into your practice, you can improve your operational efficiency and strengthen your contribution to your clients’ success. This path to a more insightful, proactive, and customer-focused practice isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential.
Improve customer relationships
AI can enhance the human touch in accounting. Tools like Sage Copilot, a GenAI-powered productivity assistant, illustrate this by providing real-time, actionable insights that can improve your customer interactions. This type of AI acts as a trusted assistant, handling administrative and repetitive tasks in real-time while recommending opportunities to generate savings and drive business improvements that you can then work on with your customers.
By tackling the more data-intensive tasks with AI, the strategic advice tailored to each customer’s individual needs that only you can provide strengthens your customer relationships and becomes your unique selling proposition (USP).
A roadmap for adoption
As an accountant or accountant, following a practical roadmap can help integrate AI into your accounting practice. To build trust both internally and with your customers, it’s important to understand everything from the “what” to the “how.” A step-by-step guide can help you determine the best ways to implement AI tools, from automated data entry systems to advanced predictive analytics. Learn how to:
- Discover and adopt AI tools and capabilities. Learn how to use AI solutions like AP automation, automatic categorization, automated data entry, bank feed rules, and tax determination engines to reduce manual processing time, increase accuracy, and free up more time for customer interaction.
- Let Sage Copilot do the work. Strengthen your role as a true strategic partner to your clients by freeing up time to focus on your practice. Use a new generative AI-powered assistant that handles your to-do list, automates tasks, and recommends ways to connect with customers, make decisions, and drive improvements.
- Educate your team. Promote a comprehensive understanding of new AI tools within your team through workshops, webinars and training. Focus on improving client communication, problem solving, and developing teamwork skills to maximize the benefits of AI in your practice.
- Prioritize security and privacy. Choose AI solutions with strong security protocols to protect sensitive data. Make sure your tools comply with the latest data protection regulations and communicate security measures to your customers to build trust.
- Advise customers on the benefits of AI. Educate customers about the efficiencies and insights AI provides, and showcase real-world examples and successes to encourage adoption. Highlight how AI can save time, reduce errors, and improve business operations.
- Monitor and adjust strategies. Continually evaluate the effectiveness of AI tools in your practice and client businesses. Proactively adjust your strategies to optimize tool functionality. This ensures that they deliver the expected benefits.
Continuous innovation
The potential of AI extends beyond its current applications. The advancement of AI technology promises continued accounting innovations such as real-time data processing and advanced forecasting that are accessible anytime, anywhere. These developments will enable you to provide continued value through more frequent and accurate insights into your clients’ financial health, upending the traditional accounting cycle.
Final thoughts
As our eBook shows, integrating AI not only increases operational efficiency – it also helps you position yourself as a strategic advisor essential to your customers’ success. Transitioning into a more strategic role can significantly enrich your professional life, reduce stress and burnout, and make your work more impactful and valuable.
Download our eBook today to learn more about using AI in your practice and begin transforming yourself into a more human-centered, technology-driven business.
