The Azets Playbook: Lessons from a Top 10 UK Accounting Firm

Azets discovered that getting the right tech in place isn’t just about software – it’s about freeing its people to focus on the work that matters. By rolling out Silverfin across 60+ offices, they cut file submission time, giving staff more time for advisory work and less time chasing admin.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome. We’re excited to have you with us today for our Azets Playbook webinar, bringing you lessons from a top ten UK accounting firm.

The webinar will take about 45 minutes. Please feel free to submit any questions you have in the Q&A at the bottom. We will record today’s session and share this with everyone who registered. Please feel free to share this with any other users within your teams.

My name is Curtis and I will be your host and moderator today. I am one of the customer success managers here at Silverfin. Since leaving practice, my role now mainly focuses on the customer journey, whether that is onboarding new firms or working with firms who have been with us for some time, such as Azets. I’m also joined here today by Alicia, who is the head of our UK customer success team and like all of the UK CSMs has extensive experience working in the accounting industry, in practice and on the tech side. And now for the main attraction, Luke Quintz. Thank you for joining us. I’ll let you introduce yourself.

Luke: My name is Luke. I’m the UK head of digital delivery services at Azets. So two roles. One is external facing where we digitize clients, but the role we’ll focus on today is internal focus. My job is to make sure that as an accounts and business advisory service line, we’re as efficient as we can in all that we do.

For those who want to know a bit more about Azets, they’re a top ten firm with over sixty offices across the UK. They manage over twenty thousand client files on Silverfin and have over a thousand Silverfin users. A huge investment has gone into the rollout.

Digital Transformation in Accounting

Digital transformation has been talked about for years. Silverfin recently completed a survey where we spoke to over 350 accountants to further understand digital transformation and the challenges they are facing. This survey yielded some surprising results:

• ​76% of accountants consider digitalisation as their top priority, compared to only 51% of UK and Ireland practices citing growth as their main 2026 objective.
• ​Even firms not planning to grow are prioritizing digital transformation, suggesting digitalization is currently a bigger priority than growing the business.
• ​The average accountant loses 1.2 hours a day to inefficiencies that could be automated.
• ​Accountants still view advisory as the main end goal, but are spending 1.5 times more time on admin over advisory.

In an age where AI is changing and technology is moving quickly, inefficiencies will only grow for customers who are not investing in their future.

Digital transformation is a journey, not a tick box exercise. You need to get the fundamentals right. As a wise boss once said, "You can’t build your roof if you haven’t got your four walls." It requires constant communication at every point. The landscape is always changing.

The first step is understanding the importance of organising connected data in a way that sets you up for success further through your Silverfin journey. This is the foundation of your digitalization. "Rubbish in leads to rubbish out." Once the foundation is set, you can start to standardize workflows and automate tasks. This process is ongoing as you continue refining and optimizing.

Luke and his team have been on this journey with Azets for five years. The fundamentals and lessons are the same whatever the size of the firm.

The Azets Way: Managing Change Across Multiple Offices

Luke: Azets has over 65 offices. The client base is quite varied, so we standardise across a broad range of clients. Our early adopting offices are probably more towards the optimized end—they’ve had hands on the tool for a long time and are now looking to optimize further. When we acquire a new office, they’re at the start of the journey, needing to change the way they operate more broadly, not just in terms of working papers and accounts preparation.

We have adopted a polished process for rolling out Silverfin, but it hasn’t always been that way. The digital journey is not linear. The complexities of people and change management, and the constantly changing digital landscape, mean that the journey flexes between different stages at all times.

With mergers and acquisitions, new firms join Azets at the start of their journey, and we try to apply the lessons we’re still learning right from the beginning. This cyclical process makes for an interesting support relationship as a vendor.

Challenges of Multi-Office Rollouts

Luke: Engaging with different levels of leadership requires different language and approaches. We’ve done 65 sales and rollouts, and it’s important to remember that people are hearing the message for the first time. Some offices are niche, such as those dealing solely with medical practitioners, so their rollout needs to look different from offices dealing with sole traders.

We try to get over the first hurdle by bulk uploading all clients, making it easier for new offices to start using the tool. This smooths the process before we land on-site to train them.

Managing Non-Linear Digital Transformation

Luke: We now have a dedicated team internally, a working group of people who are on the tools all day, every day. They are responsible for making sure Silverfin does what it needs to for us. This division of responsibility is important, especially at scale.

Alicia: The hardest part of any project like this is change management, particularly when changing processes that have been embedded for a long period. Getting people on board for that change is always the biggest challenge. There is a real difference between being a vendor and being a partner. We invest in building relationships and getting involved early to identify the right project team. This group understands the detail and challenges, and helps funnel change across the group.

Leadership buy-in is really important. Partners who are fully on board make the rollout smoother. Leadership’s role is pivotal in making the rollout a success.

AI and the Future of Accounting

Forward-thinking firms are already using AI to leapfrog competitors. In our recent survey:

• ​85% of accountants say AI has already helped their practices save time.

Luke: AI is the buzzword, but now there is good practice out there. Machine learning is widely used, but AI will be a much bigger mover in the market. Firms that ignore AI and the tools now available may not survive. Silverfin is our agnostic one source of truth, with reliable, reconciled data. Silverfin Assistant, our AI tool, is the next thing we’re rolling out, along with accounts production and tax.

When we first rolled out Silverfin, it was during COVID, so all training was remote. Now, Silverfin is a much better product, and we have the resources to test new features. The next logical step is leveraging AI to identify opportunities for client discussions more regularly.

Alicia: As vendors and platforms become more thoughtful about where AI adds value, the benefits will become more accurate, measurable, and achievable. Change is constant, and the only certainty is that it will get faster.

Lessons Learned and Measurable Results

Luke: Time savings have been achieved, but the main value driver is standardization and collation of data. The structured approach to account preparation work is more important than just speed. The efficiency gains are not linear—some people adapt quickly, others take longer. It’s not a one-size-fits-all process.

If we could go back, we would roll out a more end-to-end suite, not just a working paper solution. Now, Silverfin offers a more streamlined process than when we started six years ago.

Alicia: The benefits of having gone through the process with many offices are that we can now anticipate challenges and focus on areas with quick time savings. The journey is less chaotic for new offices, and AI will continue to help accountants as platforms become more thoughtful about its application.

Luke: Silverfin has been a true partner, not just a vendor. Where we see true partnership, we see better adoption and embedding of the platform across all offices.