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AI is reshaping client advisory in expert firms across accountancy, tax, HR & payroll, and insurance brokerage by streamlining operations, enhancing client service and redefining the value firms can offer. Yet for many, the pace of change is creating a fundamental problem: the potential is clear, but the path forward is not.
Despite growing curiosity and recognition that they need to embrace AI, some firms are struggling to move forward at pace, meaning they sit on the periphery. At the same time, attitudes towards AI continue to vary. Uncertainty remains around how AI and the advisor are meant to coexist, but the picture is growing clearer. In the future, the value of professional services firms will lie not in processing information, but in applying judgement, adding context, and building trust. It is not simply about removing mundane tasks, but about delivering better quality work for clients.
In an always-on, always-connected environment, Ravical's new report on how to approach advisory in the age of AI shows how AI will unlock new levels of professionalism and enable advisors to offer broader, proactive and more strategic advice. The study focuses on UK accountancy, yet the trends we see echo across other professional services sectors such as legal, HR, and insurance brokerage. Everywhere, AI is transforming how clients engage with experts.
This is the future Ravical is building: a shared space where advisors and clients work side by side with AI.
What did we find?
Some of the standout data points from our research are:
- The biggest challenge for accountants today is meeting rising client expectations.
- 54% of accounting firms have had to review or correct ChatGPT-generated advice they have received from clients.
- Two-thirds of clients now turn to ChatGPT before their accountant.
- The biggest barrier to upskilling accounting teams is resistance to change.
- The top new responsibility of accountants is to work with clients to adopt AI in a safe and effective way.
What’s next?
Knowledge alone is no longer the differentiator; the real value lies in how accountants work with AI to apply judgement, context and social skills for their clients. The future of accounting lies in the capabilities this technology can offer. This leaves the accounting profession in the midst of a fundamental transition as we wave goodbye to the advisor as the sole source of financial information and expertise.
Download the full Accounting in the age of AI report to explore the findings in more detail, and get in touch with our team to discuss how Ravical can help your organisation adapt and thrive in the post-knowledge economy.
