A managing partner reads up on AI's latest capabilities.

'Oh well,' he sighs.

His firm runs CCH for tax and keeps years of client files in shared drives and mailboxes.

Calling the data scattered doesn't even begin to cover the hot mess he sees. He knows the systems were never built to talk to each other, and his potential AI project lands on the list marked 'once we have tidied things up' before it has even started.

It is a scene playing out in firms everywhere as a core-system migration is a major undertaking, and let's face it, the data rarely looks ready to hand to a machine.

Looking at this from a client's angle, they are not restricted by these constraints. They haven't sat still, and use AI often, and in many aspects of their business.

The Ravical research report AI's Impact on UK Accounting Clients, carried out by Censuswide among 500 UK SME owners and reported by TechRound, found that 70% of business owners now act on AI-generated advice before they contact their accountant.

The same study found 92% would pay more for better advice than they get today.

Clients have already shifted to acting on AI input. And yet… they still want a sharper answer from someone they trust.

If you picture a closing window here, you're not alone.

How AI works on top of the systems you already have

AI can earn its place today, on top of the platforms a firm already runs, as Ravical clients experience every day.

How? Cloud software such as Xero or QuickBooks exposes interfaces that let AI read client records and live deadlines directly.

For on-premise suites such as CCH or an older Sage install, a small, secure process can run inside the firm's own network, reaching only the data a task needs while client information stays behind the firm's walls.

And the scattered data situation?

AI can produce useful results from imperfect, mixed information long before that perfect-data-warehouse dream comes true.

It reads unstructured email and uploaded reports, then routes a well-researched draft, with its sources cited, for a person to check.

Join our webinar: making AI work in firms with legacy systems

We are hosting a free webinar for partners and practice leaders on this exact challenge.

You will see how AI can sit on top of the software your firm already runs, and what a sensible first project looks like when the data is far from perfect.

It is built for firm leaders weighing up AI without the appetite for a rip-and-replace IT programme.

Bring the questions you have about your own setup.