With 75% of CPAs nearing retirement age, could AI-powered digital workers solve the accounting profession's talent crisis?
This episode of the RightNOW podcast delves into the technological revolution reshaping the profession and offers a roadmap for navigating the complex challenges firms face in 2025.
Derek Distin, VP of Community at Rightworks, welcomes Andrew Hatfield, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of SafeSend, for an insightful conversation about technology innovation in accounting. Together, they explore how the persistent staffing crisis is pushing firms to embrace automation, allowing professionals to transition from repetitive tasks to higher-value client interactions. The conversation reveals the practical reality of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in accounting—where it delivers genuine value versus where expectations exceed reality.
The discussion highlights how client experience has become intrinsically tied to a firm's brand identity, with intuitive interfaces making the difference between client frustration and satisfaction. Hatfield shares insights on emerging trends that are transforming traditional workflows, including the potential for "digital people" to supplement traditional outsourcing models and the strategic necessity of consolidating bloated tech stacks.
Particularly noteworthy is the prediction that traditional tax organizers will eventually become obsolete as more efficient gathering methods emerge. The episode provides context on how AI is being implemented to improve document gathering, classification, and data extraction with unprecedented accuracy, creating significant time savings for both firms and clients.
Drawing from his experience building SafeSend, Hatfield offers grounded perspectives on industry innovation that attendees can explore further at RightNOW2025.
Resources:
RightNOW25 conference: https://www.rightworks.com/rightnow2025
Accounting Influencers podcast: https://accountinginfluencers.com/podcasts/
The RightNOW podcast is produced and owned by Rightworks. You can learn more about the podcast, episode recaps and more at rightworks.com.
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