But if accountants are low on available time and drowning in admin, becoming a trusted advisor may seem like a pipe dream. 2024 also heralds a number of legislative changes which accountants need to be prepared for, something that also requires dedicated time set aside for. This is where adoption of accounting tools and technology can be utilised to an accountant’s advantage, ensuring they become more efficient, compliant and ultimately changing their role for the better.

Transform into the trusted accountant

When advice is offered effectively, this can set you apart from other firms. Accountants can no longer get away with simply processing admin on time; they need to focus on strengthening their position of authority and become the trusted advisor for clients.

With many accountants reporting increased burnout, deliberately calling in sick during anticipated busy periods and considering changing careers altogether, positive action needs to be taken. Balancing time spent and change management with clients are viewed as essential and necessary to boost an accountant’s wellbeing. New technological advances, such as AI and intelligent accounting software, can also allow you to use your time more efficiently with less stress and support you in delivering insightful results for clients.

Becoming a strategic business advisor will likely be much more rewarding than heavy admin tasks. By removing the dread of drowning under your workload and adopting a deeper mutual interest in  securing your clients’ successes, it will create a sense of fulfilment and improve your wellbeing. It’s important to take on the challenge of repositioning your role, in order to reap the benefits for yourself and for your clients.

Focus on the client relationship

Developing strong relationships with clients is crucial to facilitate trust. When you are processing large amounts of manual data entry and admin without an automation tool to assist you, it’s easy to see how client contact can fall onto the backburner. It’s important for positive growth that strengthening client relationships stays at the forefront of your mind.

If you spend more of your working life helping clients and providing them with meaningful advice, relationships will undoubtedly form. Imagine having the time to proactively speak to your clients about how they can use their data effectively, instead of spending hours processing this data manually; it will undoubtedly enhance your value and secure your position as the chosen accountant.

By focusing on positive relationships with clients, this will develop into word of mouth recognition for your services.

Take the time to build your clients success, share your insights of businesses and the industry to put clients at ease with your advice. This will, in turn, continue to expand your business and shape meaningful client relationships for many years to come.

Free up valuable time with tech adoption

For this transitional change to really happen, time is a non-negotiable. The best way to ease up working time is to automate your accounting and bookkeeping processes, allowing tech to take on the manual tasks so you don’t have to.

Technology, like AI, is a powerful tool that can enhance efficiency and accuracy in many accounting processes. It can help to remove manual processes by augmenting the capabilities of accountants, automating admin tasks and freeing up time for those crucial client relationships.

Accounting no longer needs to be solely focused on processing data and numbers; it can be fulfilling and increase the value you bring.

The bottom line

Whether you are supporting a small business or providing reassurance to clients of larger firms, becoming a reliable and trusted accountant will change the way you feel about your role, and how others view your services. Digital transformation is the obvious first step towards freeing up time and breaking the negative cycle of admin overload.