Digital technology: A driver for the humanisation of accounting

Whether it’s utilising gaming devices to streamline practice processes to using his skills as a DJ and music producer to generate content for the accounting world, Dave Sellick, founder of accounting firm Sidgrove, has always tried to push the boundaries of digital technology in search of new ways of doing things.

According to Dave Sellick, it’s important to look past the day-to-day functionality of the technology, and instead consider what it enables you to achieve thanks to the efficiencies it brings. “Think about how the tech can help you do more of what you love,” said Sellick. 

“I look at things in a visual, tactile way, so I’ve tried to build a beautiful workstation to reflect this, but everyone in the profession will have a different take on this.”

The human element

Sellick has built his practice around the humanisation of accounting, using digital technology to remove robotic, manual processes, allowing his firm to focus on human skills such as creativity, empathy and compassion. He estimates he has automated 80% of this practice work, with the remaining 20% of this work spent communicating with clients, developing the relationship and building trust.

“While it’s not as simple as humans vs computers, there are tasks that robots can do much better than humans,” Sellick said. “The task of absorbing information and regurgitating it as we’ve always been taught is actually optimised for computers. But using tech as an enabler frees us up to be more human, and more creative.

“This way working in the accounting profession is more fun, it’s more inspirational, and this becomes a virtuous circle driven by technology. We work with technology to do a lot of things we used to do but now focus much more on human connections and creative thinking.” 

For Sellick, a future underwritten by technology requires agility and continuous creativity when it comes to how the systems are used – something he feels favours smaller, more agile teams, with those looking to systemise too much running the risk of losing that human element.