AI agents for accountancy firms, built in Copilot Studio inside your Microsoft 365
Six ready-made agents for the admin every practice shares. Each one starts on its own when something happens, does the checking, drafting and filing, then waits for one of your team to approve. For firms of 10 to 200 people.
A chatbot in the corner doesn't change how a practice runs. An agent with one named job, inside the tools your staff already use, can.
These agents take on the admin that comes up in every practice: WIP nobody reviews until it has aged, new clients keyed into four systems, records chased by hand every January, meeting notes written up days later and VAT returns scrolled line by line.
Each one starts on its own when something happens: a report is exported, a form is submitted, a meeting ends. It does the checking, drafting and filing in your own Microsoft 365, then stops for one of your team to approve. You decide what each agent may do on its own and where a person has to approve. By default, anything that goes to a client or raises a bill waits for one of your team.
We build them in Copilot Studio and Power Automate for accountancy firms of 10 to 200 people, and you deal with James Wilkinson throughout.
The agents
Six agents, each with one job.
Each agent has a standard trigger, a set job and one place where your team approves. The details below are the same in every firm; your thresholds, templates and folders are set up for yours.
Your practice management system emails its scheduled WIP report to a shared mailbox, and the agent files it and starts.
What it does
When the week's WIP report arrives, the agent flags every matter over your threshold that hasn't been billed in the period you set, grouped by manager. Each manager gets one card in Teams with a bill button, a fee request is drafted for every matter they bill and partners can see who hasn't acted.
Where your team approves
At the decision buttons. The agent never raises a bill.
A new client record is created in your CRM or practice system. The agent reads the company number and starts.
What it does
The agent pulls the company's officers, persons with significant control and filing history from Companies House, runs your approved searches on every name and checks for conflicts across your own clients and engagements. It files a scored report with an evidence line on the client, sets the next refresh date and only asks your MLRO to look when something scores.
The calendar event has your firm's “Client meeting” category.
What it does
The day before a client meeting, the agent reads the client folder, recent emails and open actions and sends the adviser a one-page brief in Teams. When the meeting ends it drafts the file note in your template with the actions and a follow-up email, and files, tasks and updates the record only once the adviser approves.
Knows what each job is still waiting for, matches what the client sends and chases what they haven't.
We're running this with a small number of pilot firms first, because matching what clients send to what you asked for has to be right before it's left to run.
A job is created in your practice system. The agent loads the standard list for that job type and sends it to the client.
What it does
When a job is created, the agent sends the client the right request list and then watches the shared mailbox and upload folder, matching everything that arrives to a line on the list. It keeps the tracker current, drafts chasers at day 7 and day 14 for the manager to approve and tells the partner about anything still missing after day 21.
Where your team approves
The chasers (unless you choose automatic sending) and escalations.
The intake form is submitted (a Microsoft Form or your website form).
What it does
From one intake form, the agent chases any gaps, pulls the Companies House details, runs the adverse media and conflict checks, creates the client workspace and generates the letters of engagement and representation. Once a partner approves, it sends them for e-signature, files the signed copies and sets the client up in your CRM and practice system, or raises an admin task where it can't.
Where your team approves
A partner approves before anything goes to the client.
The VAT return detail export lands in the client's quarter folder. Xero, QuickBooks and Sage all produce one in Excel or CSV.
What it does
The agent checks the return against the client's last four quarters and known exceptions, ranking every flag red, amber or green with the source line. It files the review working paper to the quarter folder and drafts a client query for anything ambiguous, and the accountant clears each flag and signs off.
Where your team approves
The accountant reviews the flags and signs the return. The agent never files.
A new client fills in one form. The checks run, the evidence is filed, the letters are generated and a partner approves once, before anything goes to the client.
The onboarding agent calls the adverse media and conflict checks as it goes, so every new client arrives checked and evidenced. Onboarding is scoped per firm because it touches your templates, practice system and e-signature tool.
Microsoft 365 with Teams and SharePoint. If your files still live on a server drive, start with Discover.
Copilot Studio licensing or pay-as-you-go usage, which we'll estimate for you.
For some agents, a scheduled export from your practice software or a shared mailbox.
Someone who can approve an app registration. We tell your IT provider exactly what to set up.
Works with your practice software
Which practice software do you work with?
Most agents start from something every system can produce: a scheduled report emailed to a shared mailbox, or a file saved to a folder. Where your software has an API (Xero Practice Manager and Karbon do, for example) we can connect to it directly. For practice software that runs on your own server, a read-only connection to the database is possible with your IT provider's agreement. Where we can't write back to your system, the agent creates a task for a person instead.
Your data and who approves
Built in your Microsoft 365. Approved by your team.
You decide what each agent may do on its own and where a person has to approve. By default, anything that goes to a client or raises a bill waits for one of your team.
Built in your Microsoft 365
Agents are built in your own Microsoft 365, and your own Azure subscription where a job needs it, not on our servers. We don't host your data.
Agents you talk to see what you can see
An agent your team talks to only sees what that person can already see.
Agents that run use a service account
Agents that run on their own use a dedicated service account. Its access is limited to the mailboxes, folders and systems the job needs, agreed with you in advance.
Not used to train Microsoft's models
Microsoft doesn't use your Microsoft 365 content to train its foundation models.
UK regions where Microsoft offers them
We build in UK regions wherever Microsoft offers them. Where a service isn't available in the UK, or a build uses a model from another provider, we set out where processing happens so your compliance lead can approve it before anything goes live.
Every run is logged
Every run is logged: what came in, what the agent did and who approved it.
From £5,000, typically £5,000 to £15,000, fixed at Design
Discover
£1,500 fixed, credited back in full once follow-on spend passes £3,500
Once live
Embed from £750 a month, covering up to two live agents
Microsoft's own usage charges, such as Copilot Credits, are billed by Microsoft to your firm, separately from our fees. All prices exclude VAT.
Which practice software do you work with?
Most agents start from something every system can produce: a scheduled report emailed to a shared mailbox, or a file saved to a folder. Where your software has an API (Xero Practice Manager and Karbon do, for example) we can connect to it directly. For practice software that runs on your own server, a read-only connection to the database is possible with your IT provider's agreement. Where we can't write back to your system, the agent creates a task for a person instead.
Our practice runs on IRIS, CCH, Xero and Dext. Does an agent have to plug into them?
Not directly. Most of these agents start from something those systems can already produce: a scheduled report or an export, saved to a folder or emailed to a shared mailbox. Where a system has an API (Xero Practice Manager and Karbon do, for example) we can connect to it directly, and where we can't write back, the agent raises a task for a person instead. We check how yours works on the free call.
Which agent should we start with?
Usually the one where the time goes. For most practices that's WIP, client onboarding and AML checks, records chasing, the post or meeting notes. If you already know what you want, such as one of the six accountancy agents, we scope it on the free call and the specification is included in the fixed build price. If you don't know yet, Discover finds where the hours go.
Will Microsoft's own Copilot make these agents pointless?
Some of what people call agents, yes, and we'll tell you when Copilot already does the job. Meeting recaps, drafting and “prepare me for my meeting” are now built in. What isn't built in is your firm: your thresholds, your templates and your naming conventions. Nor is filing to your document system, updating your records or the approval and evidence trail your regulator expects. That's what these agents do.
Couldn't someone in our own team build this?
They could build a first version of some of it, and our workshops exist to help them. The time goes on everything after the demo: the exceptions, the approval steps, the audit trail and keeping it working when Microsoft changes things. That's what the fixed price and Embed cover.
Who approves what the agent does?
You decide what each agent may do on its own and where a person has to approve. By default, anything that goes to a client or raises a bill waits for one of your team.
Where does our client data go when an agent reads a client's tax return?
We build agents in your own Microsoft 365, not on our servers, and we don't host your data. Agents your team talks to only see what that person can already see. Agents that run on their own use a dedicated service account, limited to the mailboxes, folders and systems the job needs, agreed with you in advance. We build in UK regions wherever Microsoft offers them, and anything that has to run elsewhere is set out for your compliance lead to approve before go-live. Microsoft doesn't use your Microsoft 365 content to train its foundation models, and every run is logged. That matters where client records, payroll data and personal information sit under professional confidentiality duties.
How much does an AI agent cost for an accountancy firm?
Each of the six agents has a fixed build price, confirmed on a free 30-minute call. A bespoke build from your Discover plan is from £5,000, typically £5,000 to £15,000, fixed at Design. Discover is £1,500, credited back in full once follow-on spend passes £3,500 before VAT within 90 days of the roadmap. Once live, Embed looks after your agents from £750 a month, and Microsoft bills its own usage to your firm.
What does it cost to run?
Two things, kept separate. First, our fees: a fixed build price, then Embed from £750 a month, which looks after up to two live agents. Second, Microsoft's usage charges, which Microsoft bills to your firm. We build agents so routine steps run as standard automations and AI is only used where judgement is needed, which keeps Microsoft usage low and predictable. We estimate it before you commit.
How long does it take?
Most builds take two to six weeks from sign-off, depending on the systems involved.
Do agents replace our accounts staff?
No. They take the admin off your team (the sorting, chasing, retyping and checking) so your team can do the client work. Judgement, advice and sign-off stay with people, and anything that goes to a client or raises a bill waits for one of your team.
Do we need an IT team?
No. Some agents need your IT provider to approve an app registration or set up a shared mailbox. We tell them exactly what to set up.
What if our files are still on a server drive?
Then start with Discover. Most of these agents need your files in SharePoint or OneDrive first, and Discover sets out what to move and in what order.