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6 steps to embrace AI in accounting

Article

6 steps to embrace AI in accounting

Article

6 steps to embrace AI in accounting

Business insights, AI

Article

6 steps to embrace AI in accounting

Business insights, AI

AI provides accounting teams the tools to turn data into actionable insights, so that teams can advise business leaders faster and more effectively. That’s precisely where Visionplanner – one of Visma’s most innovative products on the Dutch market – truly shines. Joris Joppe, Managing Director at Visionplanner, outlines six practical steps accounting teams can take to confidently integrate AI into their daily processes and unlock its full strategic potential.

1. Shift your mindset. Accounting is no longer about numbers. It’s about narratives.

The modern accounting function is evolving from data entry to decision support. AI helps turn financial figures into clear, contextual stories that leaders can act on.

Instead of spending time understanding raw numbers, founders can focus on interpreting insights and moving faster.

This shift starts with a simple question: Do your accounting teams focus more on  explaining what the numbers mean rather than just collecting them?

If they aren’t yet, AI can help unlock that value. As Joris Joppe states, "AI can help us translate those numbers seamlessly into any other format you want to help the entrepreneur running the garage understand basic questions, such as: 'Can I hire more people? Do I need to find more customers? Can I invest?'"

2. Give your team an AI copilot to enhance their advisory role

AI reduces repetitive tasks so accountants can concentrate on deeper analysis and client discussions. It doesn’t replace professionals. It elevates them.

In tools like Visionplanner, integrated assistants such as VAIA help convert complex data into business-ready insights for entrepreneurs. This means more time spent on strategic conversations and less on manual processes.

For founders, that means advice that comes faster, clearer, and closer to real time.

3. Move toward continuous support models, not hourly billing

AI accelerates workflows, which naturally challenges the traditional hourly-billing structure.

Instead, forward-looking accounting firms are adopting subscription-based models that give clients continuous access to insights, updates, and support. This commitment to continuous partnership is key, as Joppe explains: "The accounting industry makes sense if you look at it from the perspective of, 'I'm going to take care of you; I'm going to be there, and I'm going to keep track of what's going on in your business, and I'll be there when you need me.'"

For founders, this means predictable costs and a partner who can keep up with the pace of your decisions. For accountants, it means more consistent collaboration and better long-term relationships.

4. Build a culture of experimentation early

Founders often assume AI must be perfect before it can be useful. The opposite is true.

Every breakthrough technology starts imperfectly. Tools like OCR were once unreliable. Today they are standard. AI is following the same trajectory.

Teams that move early gain two advantages: they learn faster, and they get comfortable with iteration. Founders should create space for experimentation, whether that is through pilot projects, sandbox environments, or assigning someone internally to explore new AI capabilities regularly.

5. Prioritise trust, accuracy and transparency in financial AI

When AI supports financial decisions, accuracy and clarity are fundamental.

Founders should ensure that any AI-driven insights arrive with clear explanations. Blind recommendations erode trust. Transparent recommendations build it.

In practice, this might means:

  • Clear confidence levels in generated insights
  • Traceable data sources
  • Human-in-the-loop review processes

Trust grows from consistent and reliable outputs. AI strengthens that trust when implemented with oversight.

6. Leverage ecosystems, not individual tools

One of the biggest opportunities founders overlook is the power of shared innovation.

Visma’s ecosystem approach is built on the idea that no single company has to invent everything itself. When software providers, accounting firms, and regulators collaborate, everyone benefits from better tools, safer processes, and common standards. This emphasis on shared innovation is exactly what excites Joppe:

"What really gets me excited is when we leverage technology across companies, like the matching service, because that’s the way Visma should operate: we leverage technology we invented once and we try to distribute it across companies."

A practical example is algorithmic payment matching. When a breakthrough is shared across an ecosystem, efficiency improves everywhere, not just in one product.

For founders, this means you can grow with platforms that evolve continuously, without carrying the burden of building everything in-house.


→ For a deeper dive into the topic, listen to Joris Joppe discuss the transformation of the accounting industry on the Voice of Visma podcast.


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