Last week, Piers, Oli, and I packed our bags, and braved the Alternative Accountancy Summit in the UK.
Three days of talking audits, software, and the future of accounting. Sounds thrilling, right? But you know what? It actually was.
If you couldn’t make it, let me give you a quick nought to sixty on what we learned. It was a lot, so hold on tight.
We picked up on some major recurring trends in accountancy firms:
Accountants expect great support. The stereotype of accountancy firms being sleepy is a 2005 conversation. Things have changed and firms are fed up with sluggish responses and half-baked support. They want suppliers who actually listen and act fast. Doesn’t seem unreasonable.
Onshoring is the new offshoring. Many firms are moving away from shipping work overseas. Instead, they’re looking at technology to cut labour costs. They feel more in control.
AI? Everyone’s talking about AI, but no one really knows what to do with it yet. The consensus? It’s going to change everything but no-one knows how. Watch this space.
Lots of Audit Toolbar clients dropped in to say “hi” which gave us a chance to do a bit of market research. What was it about us that made them feel all warm and fuzzy? There were two groups.
The Productivity Paulas. This group wants to get things done fast. They love how the Audit Toolbar removes time-wasting tasks and makes audits faster and less painful.
The Quality Quentins. They’re all about compliance, consistency, and making sure everything is done to the highest standard, without having to do it themselves.
And a small sidebar. Everyone loved that The Audit Toolbar runs in Excel. That’s a massive plus. No complex integrations, no IT department meltdowns. Just plug and play.
Here’s a juicy one. Accountancy firms are starting to be snapped up by private equity funds. The play? Buy, scale, flip! Typically within five years.
It’s aggressive and it’s happening. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if your firm isn’t thinking about how this might impact the industry, it’s time to start.
TL;DR
As we hit the bar on the last evening, we took a moment to toast a great few days. We met incredible people, had productive conversations, generated over 50 new good leads, and got even clearer on what firms really need. The Audit Toolbar is hitting the sweet spot between speed and quality. Exactly what we intended and exactly what auditors are craving.
And the industry? It’s evolving fast, with major shifts in tech, client expectations, and ownership structures.
If you’re not including this stuff in your plans, you may want to start.
Want to chat more about what we learned or discuss how The Audit Toolbar fits into all this? You know where to find us.
Regards,
Christiaan
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