AI and Jobs: Why Better Technology Should Create Better Work
Artificial intelligence will affect jobs.
For businesses, however, the discussion should not begin and end with the question:
“How many people can AI replace?”
There is another way to look at it.
If AI can reduce repetitive administration, process information faster and improve efficiency, businesses can use that additional capacity to allow their people to concentrate on work that requires judgement, communication and experience.
For a client-focused business such as an accountancy practice, that matters.
The objective should not simply be to automate everything possible.
It should be to use technology where it genuinely improves the service while protecting the human relationship that clients still value.
The short answer
AI is likely to change the tasks people perform rather than simply make every role unnecessary.
Businesses can use AI to automate repetitive work, increase capacity and make employees more productive.
The important commercial decision is what the business does with the time that technology saves.
At Merranti, the opportunity is clear: let technology help with more of the administration so people have more time for clients.
Prefer to watch?
This article expands on one of our latest Merranti videos discussing AI, jobs and how technology could change the way professional services businesses operate.
For more practical business, accounting and financial insights, watch more from the Merranti team on TikTok.
AI can reduce the workload
Almost every business contains repetitive work.
Information has to be entered.
Documents need preparing.
Data needs organising.
Routine queries need processing.
Systems need updating.
These jobs are necessary, but they do not always make the best use of an experienced employee’s time.
AI and automation can potentially reduce the amount of time spent on some of these activities.
That creates capacity.
The important question is what happens to that capacity next.
Fewer employees or more customers?
Imagine technology allows a team to complete the same amount of administrative work in half the time.
One response might be:
“Can we now operate with fewer employees?”
But another question is:
“Could the same team now provide a better service to more clients?”
That distinction is important.
Improved productivity can support growth rather than simply cost reduction.
The additional capacity could allow a business to serve more customers without increasing headcount at the same rate.
It could help keep prices competitive.
It could give employees more time to deal with complicated problems.
And it could allow more time for actual conversations with customers.
Technology does not have to remove the human element.
Used properly, it can create more room for it.
AI should support the team
The strongest use of AI is often as a tool that supports employees rather than attempts to replicate everything they do.
Consider accountancy.
Software can process significant amounts of financial information.
Automation can reduce manual bookkeeping.
Systems can identify patterns and make information easier to access.
But knowing that a company’s margin has fallen is only the start of the conversation.
A business owner then wants to know:
Why has it fallen?
Is pricing the problem?
Have supplier costs increased?
Has productivity changed?
Is one service performing badly?
What should we do about it?
Those questions require context.
The figures matter, but so does understanding the business behind them.
The relationship still matters
For many professional services businesses, the client relationship is a significant part of the value being provided.
Clients want accurate work.
But they also want somebody they can contact.
They want to ask questions.
They want somebody who understands their circumstances rather than treating every situation as identical.
They want advice when something unusual happens.
If technology makes the accounting process more efficient but makes it considerably harder for clients to speak to somebody, that is not necessarily an improvement.
A better objective is:
Keep the efficiency up and keep the client contact up.
AI can give accountants more time to advise
Traditionally, a significant amount of an accountant’s working time can be consumed by preparing and organising information.
As technology develops, more of that process can become streamlined.
That should create an opportunity for the accountant to spend more time using the information.
Instead of simply producing a report showing what happened, there is more capacity to discuss:
- Why performance changed
- What the cash-flow position looks like
- Whether margins are moving
- Whether the business can afford additional investment
- What the forecast suggests
- Where the business may need to act
That is where the relationship between accounting and business advice becomes particularly important.
Merranti’s Financial & Management Accounts service focuses on giving business owners clearer financial information that can be used to support planning and decision-making.
Efficiency should improve the customer experience
Businesses should be careful not to treat efficiency as an objective in isolation.
Imagine a company automates virtually every customer interaction.
It becomes cheaper to operate.
But customers can no longer easily speak to anyone.
Questions take longer to resolve because every unusual situation has to work its way through an automated process.
Customers become frustrated.
Internally, the company may technically be more efficient.
Commercially, the result may be worse.
Good efficiency should make the business easier to deal with.
That could mean faster answers, better information, fewer errors or more time for meaningful conversations.
The value of people may change
As technology improves, the skills businesses value may also change.
If software handles more repetitive processing, employees may spend more time on:
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Judgement
- Analysis
- Relationship management
- Decision-making
- Advising customers
That means some roles may evolve significantly.
People may need to become comfortable working alongside AI tools rather than viewing them simply as competition.
Businesses may also need to rethink training.
Knowing how to use technology effectively could become increasingly important alongside traditional professional skills.
Start with the problem, not the AI
There is a danger that businesses introduce AI simply because everybody else appears to be doing it.
That is the wrong starting point.
Instead, identify the operational problem.
Ask:
Where is our team losing time?
Which jobs are repetitive?
Where are errors being created?
What prevents employees spending more time with customers?
Which tasks need human judgement and which do not?
Then consider whether AI or another form of automation could help.
Technology should solve a genuine business problem.
Introducing another system without a clear purpose can simply create additional complexity.
Productivity does not automatically mean redundancy
If a business becomes more productive, reducing staff is one possible outcome.
But it is not the only one.
Greater productivity could also allow a business to:
Serve more customers.
Improve margins.
Keep prices under control.
Reduce overtime.
Improve response times.
Give employees more manageable workloads.
Spend more time advising customers.
Grow without immediately recruiting additional people.
The correct approach will depend on the individual business.
The important point is that productivity creates options.
People still make the difference
AI can process information extremely quickly.
It can support research.
It can help automate routine activities.
It can make employees substantially more productive.
But businesses still need people who understand their customers.
They need judgement when a situation does not fit neatly into a standard process.
They need employees who can explain complicated information clearly.
And they need trusted relationships when an important decision needs to be made.
For professional services businesses in particular, those human skills remain commercially valuable.
The objective should be better work
The discussion around AI and employment is often presented as a simple choice between people and machines.
For many businesses, the reality will be more nuanced.
AI will change tasks.
Some work will disappear.
Other work will become faster.
New responsibilities will develop.
Employees will need different skills.
The strongest businesses will work out how to combine the efficiency of technology with the experience and judgement of their people.
For Merranti, that means a straightforward principle:
Use AI for more of the administration where it makes sense, while giving people more time to communicate with clients and provide useful advice.
Technology should support the relationship.
It should not become a barrier between the business and the people it serves.
How could AI improve your business?
Rather than asking whether your business should “use AI”, start by looking at where time is currently being lost.
Identify the repetitive processes.
Look at where employees could create more value if some of their administrative workload disappeared.
Then decide where technology can genuinely improve the business.
If you want clearer financial information to support decisions around staffing, efficiency, investment or growth, speak to Merranti →.
Watch more from Merranti
This article expands on one of our latest short videos.
For more practical discussion around business, accounting, technology and financial management, watch more from the Merranti team on TikTok.
Written by Harry Fudge
Data Systems, Merranti Accounting
Harry works within Merranti’s Data Systems function, supporting the technology and systems used across the business. His role gives him a practical perspective on how automation and AI can improve efficiency while allowing teams to spend more time on higher-value work and client relationships.
