Why client experience is becoming advisory’s next differentiator

Client experience is becoming a key differentiator for accountancy and advisory firms: organisations still need technical expertise, but they also want advisers who understand their business, respond quickly, and give them continuity rather than passing them between different teams. Lesley Hornung, chief marketing officer at HLB International, explains that in effect, the way advisers interact with clients is becoming as important as the advice itself.

AI is now part of almost every conversation about the future of professional services, with firms exploring how it can improve delivery, automate compliance and basic accounting work, support analysis, and give advisers more time to act as strategic partners to their clients. According to research, 41% of tax and accounting firms globally were using AI in 2025, up from 9% in 2024. Clients are watching that shift too, and many will inevitably ask harder questions about pricing and value if less visible time is going into the work they receive.

This creates a meaningful challenge for firms built around the traditional billable-hour model. If AI reduces the time needed for certain tasks, clients may expect lower fees, even where the advice itself is becoming more valuable. As more firms look towards value-based pricing, they will need to explain that value in a different way, with less emphasis on hours worked and more emphasis on judgement, strategic guidance, and the quality of the client relationship.

Consolidation is also altering the market, with firms combining capability, reach, and expertise through M&A, whether backed by PE or funded independently. At the same time, the talent model is being tested, as automation reduces the need for some manual early-career work while increasing the need for people who can exercise judgement, interpret complexity, and build trusted client relationships.

These changes to the market are creating a fundamental shift in the perception of value by clients, though none of these shifting factors will change what clients need from the relationship itself. They will still want to feel understood; they will still want continuity. They still value human connections and real experiences.

As technology smooths out some of the traditional differences between firms, and as larger or more specialised firms compete for the same client relationships, the experience around the advice will become a more important part of how clients decide who they trust and, ultimately, who they will stay with.

The human element

As professional services providers, we are ultimately in a people business. We all aim to be the trusted advisor to our clients, and business development in professional services often relies heavily on relationships. This is why client experience and understanding your client’s needs beyond simply the requirements for the engagement in front of you is what helps firms build trust and win client loyalty. While many firms understand this principle, scaling trust, client-centricity and client understanding is where things become more complex.

Client experience in an advisory setting is about the practical quality of the working relationship. Continuity is vital, as is listening and understanding. Clients don’t want to be repeatedly asked the same questions, or to be passed internally between advisers who don’t understand what makes that company special. They want clear communication, especially when the issue is time-sensitive, and they want to believe that their accountants and consultants are invested in their success.

Even when a client is satisfied with the work and pays the invoice, they may still find the relationship wanting. That is why professional services firms need to treat client experience as more than a measure of satisfaction. It is a quiet driver of retention, referrals, and future work, especially in a market where technical competence is expected. The Client Growth and Success Director of a top 50 US accounting firm recently said to me that their client experience strategy directly underpins their organic growth strategy, and I believe more firms should adopt that vision.

HLB’s 2026 Survey of Business Leaders reflects this wider shift, where customer experience enhancement was named among the top five investment priorities for leaders in 2026. For advisory firms, that should be a useful reminder that clients are thinking seriously about experience inside their own organisations. They will expect the same discipline from the people advising them.

Value and continuity

When client satisfaction isn’t where it needs to be, the writing isn’t always on the wall. It may show up first in quieter ways: shorter conversations, fewer challenges from the client, or a reluctance to discuss fees directly. In many professional services relationships, the first sign of a weaker client experience is not the client leaving; it is the next advisory project going elsewhere.

Steady, solid work isn’t enough if clients begin to see the technical work of one firm as broadly comparable with another, or if they struggle to understand the value sitting behind a fee.

That framing moves the conversation away from just the idea of service quality. Firms may be able to make parts of delivery faster and more efficient, but they still need to own the relationship around that delivery. If personal touches are lost at the same time as operational processes are improved, firms may find that they have become more efficient without becoming more valuable to the client.

Much of a strong client relationship will always depend on judgement, instinct and personality, but it cannot be left completely intangible. Firms need a more disciplined way of hearing what clients value, sharing that insight internally, and acting on it to maximise the value of the relationship.

The challenge is scaling client experience across the firm without making it impersonal. That requires clear data processes, accountability and training. It also means making client-centric values and behaviours part of the firm’s culture.

What clients remember

As AI takes on more of the repeatable work, consolidation gives firms greater scale, and the talent model shifts towards more advisory-led skills, clients will become less likely to differentiate firms by the quality of their technical capability. The firms that stand out will be those with a more deliberate, consistent and client-centric experience. In time, the former won’t be enough to get by, while the latter could become the key differentiator between competitors.

That doesn’t justify complacency around AI adoption. I still believe that it will have a massive impact on the provision of professional services by giving firms better insight and greater consistency. However, the time that it saves advisors needs to be redirected productively into the client relationship and high-value work, or else those benefits will be lost.

For professional services firms, the next phase of competition will be shaped by how well they combine those things. Clients will value speed, accuracy, and efficiency, but they will also remember how you made them feel.