The advisory work you’re giving away

CAS is supposed to be the future of accounting, but how do you actually evolve your firm to include advisory-based services? Tony Proctor, EA, firm principal of Proctor & Assocs., shares why you’re probably already offering advisory services and how to start charging for them. He also delivers some big takeaways on capacity building with AI and how to develop your team throughout the process.

—Interview by Lauren Ward, edited by Bianca Prieto

You talk about the demand for client advisory and accounting services (CAS) and how most accountants already informally serve in this role (without charging). What do you recommend as a good starting point for suggesting higher-priced additional services to existing clients?

I think the first step is realizing that we’re already doing advisory work, just without a technical name, structure or price attached to it. It’s always the “quick questions,” right? Like, “Can I afford to hire?” or “What should I be doing differently before year-end?”

These aren’t just casual questions. They’re advisory questions. And many firms answer them for free in the middle of bookkeeping review, tax prep or a quick phone call.

A good starting point is paying attention to the questions you keep answering over and over again. If the same kinds of issues keep showing up across your client roster, that’s usually a sign that there’s a service there. The opportunity is often already in the room, but we just have to stop treating it like a side conversation. From there, start simple. Don’t overbuild it. Pick one clear and consistent problem your clients need help solving, create a structured offer around it and position it as a natural next step.

In your experience, where do small firms typically see better returns: expanding services for existing clients or adding new ones to the roster? 

In many cases, expanding services with existing clients tends to produce a better return. The trust is already established, the client understands how the firm operates and the firm already has key insight into the client’s business. That familiarity makes it easier to identify additional needs and introduce higher-value services without the friction of bringing on someone new. 

New clients are still important for growth, of course. But they usually come with marketing costs, onboarding time and a learning curve while everyone gets familiar with each other’s systems and expectations. 

When firms take a closer look at their clients, they often discover that some clients are ready for deeper conversations around cash flow, profitability or planning; they just haven’t been invited into those conversations yet.

You've implemented AI tools into your firm that have saved your team time thanks to automated routine workflows. How have you adjusted team roles once they had greater capacity? 

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it replaces people. In our firm, we haven’t replaced people; we’ve redirected their energy. Instead of spending most of our time pushing transactions through a system, our team can spend more time reviewing the numbers, identifying patterns and helping clients better understand what’s happening in their business.

Some of that capacity also shows up on the firm’s operational side. We’ve been able to allocate more time to documenting processes, improving workflows and tightening client communication routines, which are often rushed when everyone is buried in production work.

In our daily work, our team moves from just processing information to interpreting it. We’re helping translate the story behind the numbers and what those numbers mean for the client’s next decision.

I often say AI shouldn’t replace the accountant; it should remove the noise so the accountant can actually think. And when that happens, the value of the work becomes much clearer to both the firm and the client.

Do you think differently about professional development for your team due to AI and a greater focus on CAS? 

Yes, because the skills that matter most are shifting. 

Technical knowledge will always be important in the accounting space. But as automation and AI handle more of the routine work, the real value increasingly comes from interpretation, communication and business awareness.

If a system can generate a report in seconds, the real question becomes: Can someone explain what that report means and what the business owner should do next?

That’s where professional development is evolving for many firms. We’re still enhancing technical skills, but we’re also focusing more on areas like financial storytelling, client communication and helping the team build stronger business instincts.

CAS work especially requires that shift. Advisory conversations aren’t just about presenting numbers anymore; I think they’re about helping clients connect those numbers to decisions on hiring, pricing, growth and cash flow.

In many ways, AI is pushing the profession closer to the role it was always meant to play: helping business owners see clearly, think strategically and move forward with confidence.

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The Net Gains is curated and written by Lauren Ward and edited by Bianca Prieto.