7 ways every team member can help reduce costs and boost revenue in an accounting firm

At many mid-sized accounting firms, the responsibility for revenue growth and cost control is often assumed to rest solely with partners. But in today’s environment where margins are tight, technology is reshaping service delivery, and new regulations demand agility, every professional in the firm can play a role.

At Nimbl, we’ve seen firsthand how empowering team members at all levels leads to efficiency gains, stronger client relationships, and new revenue opportunities. Whether you’re a staff accountant, bookkeeper, senior, or manager without a leadership title, here are seven practical ways you can take yourself or recommend to leadership to help your firm grow stronger.

1. Spot inefficiencies and speak up

You’re closest to the work. That means you often see pain points that leadership might miss, including duplicate data entry, time spent chasing client documents, or processes that buckle as the client base grows.

If you see a workflow that’s overly manual or breaking under higher client volume, don’t ignore it. Instead of raising it as a complaint, present it as an opportunity.

For example, if your team is still logging in directly to client bank portals to download statements every month, suggest switching to QuickBooks Online’s Bank Statement Upload feature. Clients can securely share their statements directly in QuickBooks Online, which reduces manual work, improves security, and saves billable hours.

Framing the change as “Here’s how we could save 3 hours a week and reinvest that time in client work” makes leadership much more receptive.

2. Explore new service opportunities through research

Clients are constantly giving you clues about unmet needs. Maybe they ask you about cash-flow forecasting, budgeting, or payroll support. Rather than passing those comments along, volunteer to spend a couple of hours researching what it would take to offer the service.

Build a simple one-page proposal:

• Define the service.
• Outline potential deliverables.
• Estimate pricing and resources.
• Identify which clients might pilot it.

This “advisory mindset” is exactly what industry surveys highlight as the future of revenue growth in accounting firms. Showing curiosity and initiative signals leadership—and it helps your firm diversify beyond compliance.

3. Use client conversations to drive upselling and cross-selling

Day-to-day conversations are rich with opportunity. Simple, open-ended questions can reveal where clients need more support:

• “What does next year look like for your business?”
• “Where are you spending the most time right now?”
• “If we could take one recurring task off your plate, what would it be?”

When clients mention pain points, whether around payroll, reporting, or cash management, that’s your cue to connect them and cross-sell services your firm already offers. By listening and suggesting solutions, you can increase client lifetime value while building trust.

4. Delegate to elevate and reduce cost per client

One of the simplest ways to cut costs in a firm is to make sure the work is being done at the right level. If seniors or managers are spending hours reconciling accounts or formatting reports, that’s high-value time spent on low-value tasks.

Look for opportunities to delegate:

• Identify recurring tasks that could be handled by a bookkeeper or junior.
• Document the process in a short guide or record a quick walkthrough video.
• Set up quality control steps so nothing falls through the cracks.

By delegating effectively, you not only reduce the cost of service delivery, but also create capacity for higher-billable work and give juniors meaningful learning opportunities.

5. Use AI in accounting to save time on routine work

Artificial intelligence isn’t here to replace us. It’s here to remove the bottlenecks. Today’s AI-powered tools can summarize meeting notes, draft client emails, prepare first-pass variance analyses, and streamline data entry.

Instead of starting from scratch on every deliverable, let AI handle the first draft so you can focus on review and professional judgment. Even if you save just 10–15 minutes per client each month, that time compounds into significant efficiency gains across a mid-sized practice.

This is exactly where AI in accounting shines: reducing manual work, improving consistency, and allowing firms to spend more time advising clients.  

6. Present ROI-focused business cases for process changes

Leadership is more likely to embrace change when they see the numbers. If you find yourself stuck in a repetitive loop, such as chasing client signatures or manually updating spreadsheets, calculate the cost:

• How many minutes per week are wasted?
• What’s the annualized dollar impact at your billable rate?
• What solution could reduce the waste? Think automation, templates, revised workflows, or reassigning tasks.

Bring those numbers to your next 1:1 with your manager. It’s hard to ignore a team member who shows how a small process improvement can translate into thousands of dollars in saved time.

7. Anticipate regulatory changes

Regulation changes often arrive with tight deadlines and high stakes. The expanded 1099 reporting requirements in 2026 are a prime example.

You don’t need to be a firm leader to get ahead of this. Draft a proactive plan:

• Create a standardized intake checklist for client information.
• Build a communication template explaining the changes.
• Suggest an internal training session so the whole team is ready.
• Outline how this could become a packaged 1099 preparation service for clients.

By anticipating change, you help the firm avoid costly write-downs and position it as a proactive partner to clients. That’s a direct path to both cost reduction and revenue growth.

Leadership Is a behavior, Not a title

You don’t need “Director” or “Partner” in your email signature to make an impact. Leadership in accounting firms often shows up in small, consistent acts by surfacing inefficiencies, experimenting with technology, creating scalable services, and connecting client needs to solutions.

At Nimbl, we’ve seen that when every team member feels empowered to contribute ideas.The firm not only operates more efficiently, but also builds stronger, longer-lasting client relationships.

Ultimately, reducing costs in an accounting firm and boosting revenue isn’t just a leadership mandate. It’s a team sport, and every contribution counts. By thinking beyond your job description, you’re not only helping the firm succeed; you’re also building your own reputation as a future leader.