In this third article of our series on how AI is changing the face of accounting, we will look at how we are implementing AI here at Attivo Partners, and how our own adoption has influenced how we work with clients as they implement their own AI-powered systems and processes.
From individual experimentation to strategic implementation
Our own AI journey began much like any other – with individual experimentation. As applications became public, our people began trying AI notetakers for meeting notes and ChatGPT for writing communications and spreadsheet analysis. This individual experimentation led to the creation of a dedicated Technology & Innovation group, marking our transition to intentional accounting-specific AI solutions.
Two key AI-implementation results perfectly illustrate AI’s positive influence. AI-powered flux analysis, through our partnership with Aleph, now creates reports in minutes that might previously have taken two or three hours, allowing us and our clients to analyze the source of cost fluctuations in real time. Similarly, AI is transforming the essential nuts and bolts of accountancy work like auditing and bookkeeping, delivering instant value, increasing time spent on more high-impact work. Both of these successes are multi-dimensional and connect directly to broader efficiency gains.
For Attivo, these gains have had a direct impact on operations, not only on how we work with existing clients but on an enhanced business proposition for prospective clients. AI has already proven to be a genuine driver of business growth.
That doesn’t mean we are simply implementing AI products that sound like they do what we want them to do. We apply four strict criteria to our selection process:
- Deliverable and demonstrable time savings – does it actually deliver promised efficiency gains?
- Product quality – does it really enhance work quality for both Attivo and clients?
- Strategic focus – does it align with business objectives and does it enable focus on higher-value financial and competitive analysis?
- Security and trust – does the tool have appropriate privacy levels for client data?
As Attivo CFO Steve Nathan also notes, one of the major differences between using traditional software licensing and selecting an AI equivalent product is cost. “One of the major changes AI has brought about is product affordability, but however cost effective an AI alternative may be, if we’ve tested a tool and found we can’t trust its data output we won’t use it.”
While efficiency, data gathering, and data analysis are of paramount importance to how we select and use AI, quality control and benchmarking are also key. If testing reveals unreliable data, tools are rejected regardless of other benefits. Similarly, tools must meet the standard where we are comfortable sharing results directly with clients.
Benchmarking enables strategic advantage. AI allows us to gather and swiftly analyze data that helps clients to make better informed decisions, not just about the software or AI applications they use, but also on strategic operations decisions that are impacting their competitors. Better information, better analysis, better choices, better results.
Our strategic partnership with Aleph has been a key driver of our own AI adoption and understanding. The partnership enables comparison of market data using metrics like marketing spend, salaries, and hosting costs as a percentage of revenue. This two-way partnership leverages Attivo’s data-driven approach while benefiting from Aleph’s technical expertise, creating exponential learning opportunities and tools that improve our clients’ ability to allocate resources more effectively through comprehensive benchmarking.
While the accounting world undergoes 25 years of change in 12 months, Attivo’s strategic AI playbook proves that rapid transformation and careful implementation can coexist. The firms that thrive will be those that evolve thoughtfully, not just quickly.
