Hilary Lewis: I think it comes down to communication and bringing people along with you.

It’s all very well having an IT lead who thinks a new technology is revolutionary, but if the wider team doesn’t understand the strategy, why the decision has been made or how it affects them, adoption becomes an uphill battle.

I hosted a brilliant masterclass with FreeAgent where we explored how they set and roll out strategy across their organisation. What struck me was how departments communicated with each other, how people could feed back and how everyone understood the reasoning behind decisions. That matters.

The technology industry moves incredibly quickly. Software providers are constantly releasing new features, while the businesses buying them need time to implement, learn and embed what they’ve already invested in.

The technology that sticks isn’t necessarily the most revolutionary. It’s the technology people understand, have a reason to use and are given the time and support to make part of their working lives.

Hilary Lewis: I actually think most accountancy firm owners understand the numbers. They’re excellent at calculating costs, margins and potential savings. The problem is often deciding which technology to commit to in the first place.

There are hundreds of options, and just as a firm gets comfortable with one system, another provider releases a new feature or a competitor launches something slightly different. The temptation is to keep researching, comparing and waiting for something better.

But indecision has a cost too. While you’re evaluating the next shiny new thing, you’re not fully implementing what you’ve already bought or realising the return on that investment.

I think the technology industry needs to recognise that its pace of innovation doesn’t always match the pace at which businesses can absorb change. Sometimes the best commercial decision isn’t to adopt something new. It’s to give your existing technology the time and attention it needs to deliver.

Hilary Lewis: Honestly? People skills. It’s how much I like and trust the person pitching, and whether I’d feel comfortable putting them in front of the accountants in our community.

Everyone wants access to accountants. Software companies want customers, partnerships and introductions, and our members are constantly being approached. I feel protective of that community, so I’m not just evaluating a product. I’m evaluating the person and the relationship I’d be putting my reputation behind.

I’ve sat through pitches where the person assumed I needed a simplistic explanation of something I understood perfectly well. One even asked me, “How would it look if Arsenal were sponsored by Emirates but flew with British Airways?” to explain why we should use their software if we wanted to recommend it to our members.

I understood the commercial argument. It was the assumption that I needed it explained to me that lost me. Especially as a woman working in fintech, I’m well used to people underestimating what I know.

You don’t win trust by trying to outsmart the person in front of you. You win it by listening, understanding their priorities and being honest about what you’re asking for.

I pay attention to what’s being said, but also to what’s being left unsaid. A great product matters, but so does the person behind it.

Hilary Lewis: I think businesses can become very focused on the data itself and forget the wider analysis.

Accountants are excellent at working with numbers, but running a successful accountancy firm requires a different set of skills too. You need commercial curiosity, creativity and the ability to step back and ask what the information is telling you about the future, not just what it says about the past.

Imagine a firm discovers that five of its clients are similar-sized businesses from the same geographical area. That’s not just an interesting statistic. It’s a potential marketing opportunity. Could the firm target similar businesses locally? Could it gather reviews that strengthen its local search visibility? Could it identify the campaigns that originally attracted those clients and invest more in what worked?

The opportunities are often already sitting in the data. You don’t necessarily need another dashboard. You need the time and perspective to connect the dots.

Being data-driven isn’t just about measuring what happened. Using that evidence to identify what you could do next is the step that doesn’t get explored enough.

Hilary Lewis: Look at your business. Analyse your systems and processes. You might discover that you don’t need AI at all. You might need to fix the way you’re working first.

Slapping Claude into a business won’t save it if the foundations aren’t there. If your processes are inefficient, your systems don’t work together or nobody has thought about how the technology will fit into the business, AI can simply add another layer of complexity.

My husband recently launched Wren Home Surveyors, and he’s been building his software and AI into the business from the beginning. It hasn’t all been straightforward. He’s spent time on the phone to technical support, and some things still need refining. But he’s solving problems as he builds, rather than trying to untangle processes and issues that have accumulated over 18 months.

Starting with a clean slate has given him an advantage. Established businesses can do the same thinking, even if they can’t start again from scratch.

Before adopting AI, understand what you want your business to achieve, examine how your existing processes work and identify the actual problem you’re trying to solve. Then decide whether AI is the right answer.

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