Discussing advisory capacity, technology evolution, and what's changing in professional services
Ravical CEO Joris Van Der Gucht recently joined Tom Herbert on the No Accounting for Tech podcast to discuss the current technology landscape in professional services and what Ravical is building for accountancy firms.
Van Der Gucht shares a pattern visible across the market: while firms have invested heavily in automating compliance workflows over the past two decades, the capacity to scale advisory services remained constrained. The discussion examines how recent developments in AI might address challenges that previous technology generations weren't designed to solve.
Knowledge work in professional services often follows recognisable patterns. Whether advising on hiring requirements, capital raising, or tax optimization, much of what happens around SME clients fits established frameworks. Previous technology generations improved processing speed and task efficiency, making compliance work faster. However, these solutions focused primarily on efficiency gains rather than enabling new service capabilities or systematically identifying client opportunities.
The conversation touches on where competitive advantage lies for firms in an environment where information access has become increasingly ubiquitous. Van Der Gucht: Debates around billable hours versus value-based pricing, differentiation strategies, and becoming the trusted advisor aren't new: similar conversations happened a decade ago.
"The biggest differentiator of the industry has and will be the advisor that has the relation with the client. That is what we are the best in as human beings. With Ravical we want to do everything to support that expert, to give them the tools to be able to 100% client-facing, to be with their clients."
Professional services firms often possess strong advisory expertise and solid client relationships, but may lack infrastructure to coordinate that expertise effectively across multiple offices, service lines, and client contexts. This coordination challenge becomes more pronounced as firms grow or integrate acquisitions.
Van Der Gucht also reflects on the pace of technology development today compared to a decade ago, noting that product development cycles have accelerated significantly.
Listen to the full episode Why ‘AI orchestrator’ might be the next job title in practice on AccountingWeb to hear Herbert and Van Der Gucht discuss questions around accuracy and verification in AI systems, the role of human oversight, how professional skillsets may evolve, and what the next phase of technology development could mean for software interfaces and service delivery models.