{"id":4569,"date":"2018-06-08T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T09:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=4569"},"modified":"2026-01-29T11:32:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T11:32:38","slug":"practice-can-stay-competitive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/practice-can-stay-competitive\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways your accountancy practice can stay competitive"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t7 ways your accountancy practice can stay competitive\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2018-06-08T10:00:20+01:00\">8 June, 2018<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"7 ways your accountancy practice can stay competitive\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/practice-can-stay-competitive\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/keirthomasbryant\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair.jpg 760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Keir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sage-block-classic-wrapper mb-m\">\n\n<p>\u201cIt used to be that my accountant was down the street or across town. Today, people want an accountant who can really serve their business needs and they\u2019ll go all the way across the country\u00a0\u2013 and in some cases to another country. The playing field has been levelled and competition is everywhere.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Jennifer Warawa, former accountant and Sage\u2019s EVP of Partners, Accountants and Alliances.<\/p>\n<p>Research recently carried out for The Practice of Now 2018 report has revealed that 67% of accountants worldwide feel the profession is more competitive than ever. According to the same research, over a third (40%) of accountants feel more uncertain about their prospects compared to a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>So, what can be done to stay competitive? Well, put simply you need to ensure you stand out from the rest and that comes down to focusing intensely on the three key areas that should already drilled into every manager within an accountancy firm:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>improving the client experience<\/li>\n<li>increasing practice offerings<\/li>\n<li>making better use of technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are seven suggestions that might spur thought around these areas, or even drive outright changes within your practice.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-4fe84541-454d-4b8a-84d5-1907e1e1250c\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-4fe84541-454d-4b8a-84d5-1907e1e1250c\"\n\t>Download The Practice of Now 2018 report<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2><strong>1. Stay in touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe next generation of business leaders are looking for a relationship they can see as an extension to their management team,\u201d said Bobby Lane, speaking to Sage Advice from his office at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blickrothenberg.com\/\">Blick Rothenberg<\/a>, where he\u2019s a partner. \u201cThey want to be able to work with a practice that can solve their problems, explain what is going on in their business and support them on their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And those who have grown their practices from small acorns will have experienced that moment when this kind of personal touch is no longer feasible \u2013 or certainly much more difficult. A formal client management system becomes the only sane way forward, perhaps with assigned client managers.<\/p>\n<p>But none of this means the personal touch has to disappear. Those working within a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/grow-your-practice\/\">growing practice<\/a> just need to remember to be sincere as much as possible \u2013 and to be aware that communications technology has a habit of removing sincerity.<\/p>\n<p>For example, when sending out client communication letters, always ensure they\u2019re signed personally by the client manager, or accountant who carried out the work.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>&#8220;The next generation of business leaders are looking for a relationship they can see as an extension to their management team&#8221; &#8211; Bobby Lane<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The same can apply to direct mailings. It might take 30 minutes to hand-sign hundreds of maybe even thousands of letters but, in a subtle way that matters, your customers will really appreciate seeing that small snippet of humanity that is your signature.<\/p>\n<p>Signing letters or similar is ordinarily characterised as a marketing trick but I invite you here to consider marketing as a fringe benefit. What should be driving your actions is a desire for client satisfaction, and the aspiration to put the client at the heart of your business by providing a consistent and authentic human connection.<\/p>\n<p>Email or phone call? Consider the total amount of work involved. If you\u2019re emailing a client about something, perhaps a new compliance requirement, and anticipate having to respond to several follow-up emails, why not set aside 10 minutes to call them and explain it in person? OK, so the client might then go on to explain a new problem they\u2019re having \u2013 but that\u2019s only more business for you.<\/p>\n<p>In short, take any opportunity you can to provide a human touch for your clients \u2013 and don\u2019t assume this kind of thing is necessarily time consuming. While it\u2019s certainly not as efficient as some forms of electronic communication, it also won\u2019t eat into your schedule half as much as you think.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>2. Invite clients to be involved<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cPractices will have to adapt,\u201d continued Bobby. \u201cThey must communicate using the same channels, collaborate effectively and cultivate relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Client relationships are what defines a practice and must drive all decisions.<\/p>\n<p>There is a prevalent urban legend that says car manufacturers deliberately introduce faults into vehicles that require the owner to return the car to the dealership. This gets the customer back into the showroom, the theory continues, and for car manufacturers that showroom is everything. Salespeople loiter. The newest models are there to touch. And free beverages relax the customer to encourage buying decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this urban myth, there\u2019s no reason why accountancy firms can\u2019t take a similar approach. No, you shouldn\u2019t deliberately introduce faults into client books. But you can certainly invite clients to visit perhaps for seminars or sessions to explain new regulations or requirements, or even to listen to a keynote speaker<\/p>\n<p>Bonus tip: people who\u2019ve written books are often willing to talk for free by way of promotion, as are legislative bodies keen to get the word out about some new initiative.<\/p>\n<p>An approach like this encourages stronger relationships with clients, and ultimately these relationships are one of your most valuable intangible assets. Yes, this kind of thing can also be good for marketing but again the avoid seeing it through that lens.<\/p>\n<p>If nothing else seeing it as marketing might engender a somewhat less genuine approach than is required. Here, you\u2019re simply attempting to show you care about your clients\u2019 interests.<\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s no space at your offices, it might be worth hiring a room or hall somewhere. If you\u2019re technologically savvy, you might even livestream the event on Facebook or YouTube for those who can\u2019t be there, or record the event for your YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3. Make clients the centre of innovation<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s another reason why you might want to invite groups of clients into your business. Rather than give them something, you might ask for their help by creating client advisory committees \u2013 sometimes known as Customer Advisory Boards, or CABs.<\/p>\n<p>This is where you invite clients to provide feedback on your business and the services you offer, or perhaps even seek opinions on services you intend to offer.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, running such a committee requires a degree of planning. Simply gathering people together and saying: \u201cHow are we doing?\u201d will produce chaotic results.<\/p>\n<p>Everything from choosing those who you want to invite on to the committee, to deciding on an agenda, should be carefully thought out beforehand. Some experts in this area advise creating a charter, for example, so that both you and the committee members know what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>However, such committees can put your clients right at the heart of your decision making and innovation, and can make your practice truly responsive.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, there are ancillary marketing benefits in the fact that it can make clients more evangelical about your business \u2013 and therefore more likely to recommend you to others. But once again you should avoid driving this initiative from a marketing perspective. It should be considered an extension of your customer care methodology and as a way to ensure you put clients first.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, requesting this kind of feedback \u2013 and using it to drive innovation \u2013 doesn\u2019t necessarily require a committee. A personal request in writing or email from a client manager to a client might encourage them also to provide feedback \u2013 although this approach is perhaps more likely to get lost because of the sheer volume of messages we all deal with daily.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>4. Introduce more offerings \u2013 or specialise<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cPractices have to be able to offer a broader service offering or will cease to exist in the future,\u201d added Bobby. \u201cThis means being able to work with clients in areas that may be lacking within their internal skills set, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/payroll-software\/\">payroll<\/a>, forecasting, preparing management accounts, staff incentive schemes, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s nearly always the potential to offer more specialisations within a practice, of course. A general financial accounting practice can introduce a management accountancy specialisation, as just one example.<\/p>\n<p>Insolvency, tax, auditing, consulting, payroll \u2013 often adding that speciality to your firm can be as simple as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/people\/\">hiring the right person<\/a>, and growing that function can be as fundamentally simple as letting them have freedom to form a business unit within your wider practice. You might consider funding training for an existing employee to achieve specialist qualifications.<\/p>\n<p>However, less frequently discussed is prospect of providing accountancy specialisations within particular industries. While the fundamentals of accounting don\u2019t change, somebody specialising in accounting for, say, the entertainment industry is going to have a different experience set and focus compared with somebody specialising in the food industry. Clients really care about this.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Practices have to be able to offer a broader service offering or will cease to exist in the future&#8221; &#8211; Bobby Lane<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The benefit to a firm of specialising in particular industries is that getting new clients becomes a degree easier because, with smaller niche industries in particular, word can spread surprisingly quickly about accountants who have taken the time to understand the quirks of that business type.<\/p>\n<p>And as a business, you have a ready-made marketing approach in the fact you\u2019re the only specialist in that industry within your area. You might target trade organisations for that industry too.<\/p>\n<p>Clients in return feel more confident when an accountant not only \u201cspeaks their language\u201d but can cite previous examples where a certain process or approach within a specialist industry has produced results \u2013 especially if that approach has been proven to save money.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>5. Or you can generalise&#8230;<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Of course, for practices that are specialists already, hiring a few people to handle basic financial accounting doesn\u2019t require very much to be put into place in order to create an additional revenue stream, or to create an additional way for the firm to achieve visibility among clients.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>6. Hook up with client data<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cClients will happily pay fees if they feel that they are getting value,\u201d explained Bobby. \u201cThey will see far greater value in the relationship if their fees are being spent on services that are adding value to the relationship rather than for pure processing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cloud-technology-efficient\/\">Cloud technology<\/a> makes it possible for practices to have a 24\/7 view of their client\u2019s data \u2013 everything from their core ledgers, to invoices that have been issued, to the timing when payments are received.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, this opens up a world of possibilities for improving client service. There\u2019s no more need to send tedious client reminders when it\u2019s time for quarterly returns, for example, because the data is just a click away.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Clients will happily pay fees if they feel that they are getting value&#8221; &#8211; Bobby Lane<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But more than this, it puts the accountant in a position to provide proactive advice moving forward, such as fully informed tax planning, or spotting problems before they have a chance to arise. It allows the role of the accountant to grow and evolve, as more of the accountant\u2019s experience can be used \u2013 and stronger client relationships formed.<\/p>\n<p>However, there\u2019s also the potential to provide client focus in other ways by becoming an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/partners\/\">accounting software provider<\/a>. This way you can not only earn commission on software subscription sales but also provide deployment services to businesses \u2013 while at the same time ensuring you create the fundamental setup that provides full visibility into the company accounting that\u2019s healthy for both you and the client.<\/p>\n<p>In most cases, your firm is already full of experts in both accounting and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/\">accounting software<\/a>. So why not deploy this in ways that can provide additional income for your business?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>7. Democratise data across your practice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In the old days, clients had files \u2013 real paper and manila cardboard! \u2013 that lived in filing cabinets. While a newer generation of accountants may barely remember such antiquities thanks to computer record keeping, it\u2019s stunning how the culture of a single file and single-person client management lives on within many practices.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if a client contacted you by phone, what would the response be? Would whoever answered the call be able to help that person, or would they attempt to put the call through to the client manager\/accountant \u2013 and then turn the client away if that person is busy? How many clients enjoy being told they can\u2019t be helped at the very moment they need it?<\/p>\n<p>The ability for every staff member not just to have access to data in order to at least attempt to help clients, but also to be able to make their own notes for others showing their actions, provides a competitive advantage by ensuring clients get the best response each and every time.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s another example of how fully embracing technology \u2013 in this case competent practice management software \u2013 can be transformative within a practice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPractices must continue to develop their own internal systems,\u201d said Bobby. \u201cThis will drive the ability to move a client relationship to a broader and more strategic service offering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What is your accountancy firm doing to stay competitive? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/grow-accounting-practice\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to grow your accounting practice\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-30379 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountant-accounting tag-ai tag-bookkeeping tag-cloud tag-digital-transformation tag-e-invoicing tag-grow-accounting-practice tag-mtd-accountants tag-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax tag-work-life-balance business_type-accountants card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563958-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563958-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563958-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1261563958-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-06-16T15:35:44+01:00\">16 June, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/the-hidden-hours-of-accountancy-sage-research\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWhat HMRC&#8217;s digital transformation is doing to the hidden hours of accountancy\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tAt Accountex 2026, the conversation wasn\u2019t really about AI. It was about pressure\u2014and the growing operational burden sitting underneath modern accounting firms.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-18238 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers tag-accountant-accounting tag-accountant-automation tag-accountant-payroll tag-accountant-tax tag-accountants-online-hub-gb tag-bookkeeping tag-grow-accounting-practice business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/new-tax-year-accountants-bookkeepers\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0417-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Working with clients on new plans\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0417-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0417-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/10\/BrandShoot-LND_June2024_Financial-Services_0417-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 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category-technology-innovation category-trends-insights tag-accountant-accounting tag-accountant-automation tag-accountant-payroll tag-ai tag-grow-accounting-practice tag-grow-business tag-mtd-accountants tag-mtd-business tag-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax tag-workplace-technology business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/ai-for-accountants-and-bookkeepers\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/A930093-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Chris Downing, Director of accountants and bookkeepers at Sage, presenting at Accountex 2025.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/A930093-684x384.jpg 684w, 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2.956 3.36 4.896 5.999 3.463l24.965-13.555c2.715-1.474 2.715-5.451 0-6.925L6 1.416a3.96 3.96 0 0 0-2.052-.48Zm.032 2.6c.232-.001.475.058.713.187L29.66 17.28c.986.535.986 1.774 0 2.309L4.692 33.144c-.952.517-1.999-.088-1.999-1.155V4.878c0-.533.261-.95.642-1.17.19-.11.411-.171.644-.172\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" class=\"card-post__meta-icon svg-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M5.25 3C3.74 3 2.5 4.24 2.5 5.75v12.5C2.5 19.76 3.74 21 5.25 21h14c1.51 0 2.75-1.24 2.75-2.75V5.75C22 4.24 20.76 3 19.25 3zm0 1.5h14c.699 0 1.25.551 1.25 1.25v12.5a1.24 1.24 0 0 1-1.25 1.25h-14A1.24 1.24 0 0 1 4 18.25V5.75c0-.699.551-1.25 1.25-1.25m.25.75a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-8.25 2.751A1.248 1.248 0 0 0 9 9.251v5.5c0 .442.231.849.613 1.074.389.231.846.237 1.239.021l5.001-2.751c.396-.219.646-.639.646-1.094s-.25-.876-.646-1.095l-.001-.001-5.002-2.751a1.25 1.25 0 0 0-.601-.153zM5.5 8.25a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-8 1.423L14.731 12 10.5 14.328zm-5 1.577a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-13 3a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm-13 3a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5H6a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5zm13 0a.5.5 0 0 0-.5.5v.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5.5h.5a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5v-.5a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5z\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-06-05T15:42:15+01:00\">5 June, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">2 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tInside Sage Future: Agentic AI and the future of High-Performance Finance\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-22524 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-technology-innovation tag-accountant-accounting tag-accountant-automation tag-accountant-tax tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-grow-accounting-practice tag-mtd-accountants tag-tax business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/making-tax-digital-for-income-tax-upgrade-practice\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/Accountex-MTD-panel-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Craig Ogilvie (right) and Carrianne Pope (centre) at an MTD panel at Accountex London 2025\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/Accountex-MTD-panel-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/Accountex-MTD-panel-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/Accountex-MTD-panel-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-05-29T12:05:02+01:00\">29 May, 2025<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tUse Making Tax Digital for Income Tax to upgrade your practice and meet new rules\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cIt used to be that my accountant was down the street or across town. Today, people want an accountant who can really serve their business needs and they\u2019ll go all the way across the country\u00a0\u2013 and in some cases to another country. The playing field has been levelled and competition is everywhere.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Jennifer Warawa, former accountant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":4330,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[16],"business_type":[115],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[67],"imagine_tag":[220],"coauthors":[369],"class_list":["post-4569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-grow-accounting-practice","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/05\/SAGE_PERSONNEL_231017_0158_All-Uses.jpg","imagine_tags":{"220":"Accountant accounting"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=4569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}