The Development of an Artificial Intelligence Recommender System for Advisory Service Provision at Scale

“随着数据技术和机器学习越来越多地应用于会计软件，越来越多的传统会计功能正在实现自动化；从记账到对账和报告。会计公司目前面临的挑战是，如何利用现有的技术和更深入的数据洞察能力，创造与客户接触的新机会，并开辟新的市场渠道——从基于合规性的报告服务转变为咨询服务，通过提供可操作的战略建议来提高客户的财务状况和决策，从而增加价值。数据分析非常耗时，需要新的技能。在客户群（可能有成千上万的中小企业客户）中提供咨询服务的挑战是如何直接从云服务器实时分析海量的客户数据。如何以具成本效益的方式，为中小企负担得起的会计师事务所提供及时的策略性见解和建议？该项目将开发客户咨询洞察引擎（CAIE），这是一种基于网络的客户参与解决方案，能够对会计师事务所客户组合中的中小企业客户的财务绩效进行资源高效的远程监控。CAIE根据客户的云会计数据自动实时生成的关键财务绩效指标对客户进行优先排序。CAIE利用人工智能为会计师推荐咨询行动，以便及时与客户进行咨询对话。CAIE能够提供具有成本效益的大规模咨询服务。”

"As data technologies and machine learning are increasingly being applied to accountancy software, more and more traditional accountancy functions are becoming automated; from bookkeeping to reconciliations and reports.The current challenge for accountancy companies is how to utilise technology and the deeper data insight capabilities on offer to create new opportunities to engage with customers and to open new market channels -- to move from a compliance-based reporting service to an advisory service adding value by providing actionable strategic advice to improve client's financial health and decision making.The analysis of data is time-consuming and requires new skill sets. The challenge in offering an advisory service across the client base (which may run to thousands of SME clients) is how to analyse the oceans of client data now available in real time, directly from cloud servers. How can timely strategic insight and advice for clients be provided in a cost-effective way for the accountancy firms that is affordable for SMEs?This project will develop a Client Advisory Insight Engine (CAIE), a web-based client engagement solution to enable resource efficient remote monitoring of SME clients' financial performance across an Accountancy firm's client portfolio. CAIE prioritises clients based on key financial performance metrics, produced automatically and in real time from a client's cloud accounting data. CAIE utilises AI to recommend advisory actions for accountants to open timely advisory conversations with their clients. CAIE enables a cost-effective advisory service at scale."