Perhaps it’s something your parents told you as a kid at mealtime, but the same idea applies for accountants that are thinking about making positive changes in their work. be it tech or otherwise.
At this time of year when most accountants are at least remotely considering what improvements they can make to their professional lives, thinking about it all at once can be daunting as well as counterproductive. Adding to the pressure is, of course, looking around at some of your colleagues or reading all of the reports and social posts about using new platforms, pricing methods, adding value services, or even ditching clients.
I get it. It’s a lot, but it doesn’t have to be. Realistically, it’s all about how you look at what you want to accomplish most, your biggest pain points, and then planning the move.
So, here’s what I’m thinking: for those of you truly feeling overwhelmed at what moves you want to make to improve your work life, take my advice and start small. Really take the time to look at what is causing you the most pain or the biggest blocker. If technology can help, then great, let’s start there. If not, maybe it’s a conversation or aspect of your workflow that needs an adjustment.
For example, your entire firm isn’t going to fully offer advisory (tax planning, cash flow forecasting, business planning, etc.) to every single client. Not out of the gate, if you have not set up pricing models, trained, or have the right tools yet.
But, I am willing to bet you have at least one, if not a few, clients in your book of business that you know even right now that you could start having these conversations with. And, let’s face it, “advisory” is just an oft-used and at times confusing term to basically say, “have client conversations with intent.” At least, that’s what’s at the core.
When it comes to technology, heck yes it can feel overwhelming. What do I change first? What tools are best for the job? Where the @*$! do I even start?? I hear you. I see you. Again, small bites.
Look at that big pain point and reach out to your community or even look in your own practice. There’s enough knowledge and information for you to reach out and get a demo of something that could even be a game-changer for your practice.
Even with AI. There’s so much talk and information floating out there about what it can potentially do and what it is doing to cause the uninformed to crawl into a corner. Don’t let it be you; it doesn’t need to be.
GPT tools, in particular, are your proverbial ball of clay, and yes, there’s an equal amount of video, blogs, and the like out there to give you a nudge. At this stage with AI’s evolution in the accounting space, sure, there are some hard rules there. But in general, don’t be afraid to fail.
These AI tools require data and also some degree of failure. This is how it learns: through data and queries. The better the data and the more specific and thought-out the queries are, the more it will be able to do for you as your “Assisted Intelligence” tool.
I know none of the above is technical or even offers anything more than encouragement. But I feel strongly that this is what is needed most right now.
The whole world of accounting as you came to know it, and perhaps have known it for decades, quite simply is not the same. We get it; nothing stays, change is scary, and the reaction is to try to hold on or go backwards. That, again, does not have to be you.
By making incremental changes, taking those small bites, you will find it all easier to swallow and even grow.