Chicago-based firm Top 100 Firm Sikich has formed a new service line to provide intelligent automation to its midmarket clients across all verticals. This move comes at a time when many software providers are innovating quickly in robotic process automation and artificial intelligence, and many larger accounting firms are opening service lines around new technologies.
Through its intelligent automation services team, Sikich will deliver custom RPA bots to clients to help them cut down on repetitive, manual tasks, reduce errors, and optimize processes. In addition to RPA, Sikich’s intelligent automation services include machine learning, optical character recognition and natural language processing.
“Sikich looks at itself as a professional services firm with technology focus in a professional services wrapper,” explained Sikich CFO Ryan Spohn, of the beginnings of the new team. “We had been talking with different tech suppliers we work with on how to best get RPA in particular outside of classic automation within ERP systems — that is, something that can span across an organization’s processes.”
Spohn went on to say that midmarket companies haven’t been able to fully take advantage of the benefits of combining automation with AI in a way that can automate entire processes across multiple different platforms because it has historically been cost-prohibitive. But working with certain software partners, Sikich can now offer this capability to midmarket organizations at a reasonable price point, he said.
This type of automation “allows companies to make their workforce more productive, and also make their existing investments in software more productive,” Spohn said. It is aimed at allowing companies to make full use of their existing workforce and tech stack, without cutting roles; and enabling them to operate leaner in the future due to more fully automated systems and processes.
“Our team will enable more companies to not only access these advanced technologies and speed their digital transformations, but also enjoy a meaningful return on investment,” Spohn said.
Sikich has deliberately held back from setting up outsourced solutions abroad for its clients because it had its sights set on the promise of automation and AI over the years. It hopes that providing intelligent automation now will decrease the need for companies to offshore activities they might have in the past.
