Can Tech Help You Build Better Relationships, Improve Retention and Generate More Cross-Serve Activity in Significantly Less Time Than You Are Spending Today?

As time becomes more scarce and expectations run high, the right technology gives accounting and legal professionals the space to become more present, proactive, and effective.

When clients think about their experience with your professional services firm, what comes to mind?

Do they see trusted accounting and legal advisors who are responsive, proactive, and easy to work with? Or do they think of companies like Comcast, Xfinity, Spirit Airlines, or Wells Fargo?

These brands are notorious for frustrating customer experiences: long hold times, confusing processes, hidden fees, and interactions that feel anything but personal. To succeed in today’s economy, firms can’t afford to treat client service as an afterthought.

Accounting and legal firms know that trust, transparency, and proactive communication are essential to strong client relationships. But the “seller/doer” model creates a natural tension that can leave clients wanting for a more proactive relationship from their professionals. 

Time Is the Scarcest Resource

Time is one of the most limited resources for accounting and legal professionals—and the demands on it keep growing.

Professionals are expected to deliver more billable work, keep up with constant regulatory changes, and nurture strong client relationships all at the same time. While the workload increases, client expectations do, too.

Clients expect advisors who understand their business, anticipate issues, and communicate challenges before problems arise. They want to feel like a priority, even when they’re one of many clients.

Meeting those expectations isn’t a question of effort or intent. It’s a capacity problem faced by many firms and their professionals.

The Growing Gap Between Expectations and Capacity

Accounting and legal work have never been simple. Clients operate across industries, jurisdictions, and business models. Advisory opportunities are expanding, not shrinking. And relationship management often falls to the same professionals responsible for executing the work.

That leaves little room for monitoring industry news, tracking client milestones, following regulatory shifts, engaging with clients on LinkedIn, or keeping up with developments that could affect each client’s business.

The result is a disconnect between the level of service professionals want to provide and what their schedule actually allows.

Traditional Tech Tools Aren’t Saving Time

Most technology used by accounting and legal firms is designed to support execution: managing documents, tracking time, logging interactions, or organizing workflows.

While necessary, these tools are largely reactive. They provide support after something has happened or once a task is already defined.

What they don’t do well is help professionals stay aware of what’s changing around their clients right now or in the near future—and when it’s worth paying attention.

Without that visibility, opportunities to add value often go unnoticed until a meeting, a deadline, or a client question brings them to the surface. 

A Shift Toward Awareness-Driven Technology

Thanks to AI, a new generation of technology is changing how professional services firms think about client service.

Instead of asking professionals to check more systems or manually track information, these tools thoughtfully automate awareness and proactive communication. They quietly monitor relevant signals—such as regulatory changes, business activity, and industry developments—and connect them to the right clients.

When something meaningful happens, professionals are alerted in context, with enough information to act quickly and thoughtfully.

These tools save significant time with better results. They make proactive service and communication more realistic. 

Technology Can Support the Human Side of Work

AI tools have become controversial across industries, and for good reason. Instead of replacing professionals, the right tools should support their relationships and experience. 

The best tools work in the background, helping professionals stay informed and prepared while preserving the personal connection clients value most. When technology works this way, it strengthens trust between clients, professionals, and firms.

As time becomes more scarce and expectations run high, the right technology gives professionals the space to become more present, proactive, and effective.

Keep these considerations in mind when evaluating technology for your accounting or legal firm. Your clients—and your schedule—will thank you.