For professional service firms
Insights
Practical thinking on AI for professional service firms, with no hype and no jargon.
What works, what to do first, and how to keep it earning.
What should a small CPA firm's AI policy say?
Which AI tools are approved, what client data goes into each, who checks the work, how clients are told and billed, and who keeps the policy current.
Read the postCan AI improve my CPA firm's realization rate?
Yes. AI lifts realization by getting jobs done inside their budgeted hours, so less chargeable time is written off. Here's what doing it properly takes.
What two data protection specialists told us about AI and client data
Neil Aremband and Ethan Oak on putting data first, giving every risk an owner and where client data goes, and the order a firm needs to bring AI in.
What an accountant who runs his firm on AI told us about the next shock
David Carr of Carr Accounting Studio on why AI speeds up a bad process, why a firm should own its knowledge, and the order to bring AI in.
What a data-led sales consultant told us about AI in sales
Jane Haack of IGNAITE Consulting on data before AI, writing your own messages, and the order a firm needs to bring AI into how it wins work.
What a marketing leader told us about AI and the numbers that matter
Charlie Barrett of cbc. on vanity metrics, and why a firm should judge AI by its recovery rate, fee income and gross profit.
What a leadership specialist told us about the people side of AI
Jo Reynolds of Leadership Lens Studio on why teams hold back from AI, and what a firm's leaders need to do to get the team behind it.
What a fractional CMO told us about AI and the capacity it frees up
Patrick Lynch of broden.ai on tying AI to a firm's goals, and why the hours AI frees only become fee income when there is chargeable work to fill them.
What a data specialist told us firms miss before AI
Louisa Stewart of Blue Ninja on missing fields, data a firm can't reach and why its data has to be organised and complete before any AI.
What a data security specialist told us about AI and the client data it touches
Carl Jackett of Rivello on where client data goes once AI uses it, and the tangible and intangible benefits of getting AI right.
What a customer success leader told us about AI and keeping clients
Victoria Hamblin of Elevate CS on onboarding, keeping clients updated and why AI has to improve the client's experience as well as save time.
What a commercial lawyer told us about AI, headcount and the billable hour
Alexandra Geelan of Hemisphere Consultants on AI mandates with no time attached, who carries the risk, the billable hour and the order to bring AI in.
Nothing left unchecked: an accountant's view of AI and client privacy
Raman Boparai FCCA of Vestra Accountants on checking every AI output and keeping client data private, and the order a firm needs to bring AI in.
How do I measure the time AI actually saves my firm?
Record each task's hours before AI goes in, measure the same tasks after with the review time counted, then track what the freed hours turn into.
Getting AI governance in order before anyone asks for it
Laura Pappi and Hilary Roberts of Veritas Fox on writing down what your AI does, the uses that count as high risk and the rules still to come.
Where should a CPA firm start with AI?
A CPA firm should start with AI by getting ready for it: check the foundations, map every task, cost every solution, then follow a roadmap.
Do I need an AI consultant for my CPA firm, and what does one cost?
You need one if nobody in your firm has the hours to take AI through the whole process properly. Here's what that work involves and what consultants charge.
Do I need client consent under Section 7216 before putting tax returns into ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot?
Usually yes: a return in ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot is a 7216 disclosure. Here's what the consent must say, and why consent alone won't make AI safe.
How to implement AI in a service business: a practical, step-by-step approach
A grounded guide to implementing AI in a service business: get the foundations ready, put one solution live at a time, and treat each one like a named worker with an owner, an activity log and a monthly review.
AI vendor lock-in: why your business should own the system, not rent the model
Model prices climb, rules tighten, and capacity gets pulled. The way to future-proof your business is to own the system, so any AI can be swapped in.
AI strategy for a small business: the six layers to get right before you spend a pound on tools
Most small-business AI projects stall because nobody mapped the foundations first. Here are the six layers to get right, in order, before you pay for a single tool.
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What is working with AI inside professional service firms, written from the buyer’s side.
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