Most finance leaders know automation is coming, and in many cases, openly embrace it. However, accurately measuring its return is quite complex. For example, a recent McKinsey study revealed that 92% of executives intend to increase AI budgets in 2025, yet 68% still view automation ROI as a major unknown. Meanwhile, KPMG found that 78% of CFOs expect rapid value from generative AI investments, even as they struggle to quantify its business impact.
The value of finance automation lies not in the technology itself, but in the tangible results it can deliver. Before embarking on any transformation, CFOs and finance leaders must define clear baseline metrics—such as monthly close duration, error frequency, or Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)—to quantify success.
This article provides a concise roadmap for embedding automation ROI and AI in accounting into client-facing financial strategy.
Building the Cost-Benefit Model for Automation ROI
Accurately calculating the return on investment from finance automation begins with aligning financial metrics to clear business outcomes. Accountants must go beyond surface-level cost savings and evaluate how automation improves speed, accuracy, and resource allocation across the finance function.
This includes quantifying reductions in manual errors, faster close cycles, and lower compliance costs. These benefits must be weighed against initial implementation expenses, licensing fees, and the hidden costs of change management and integration. While automation often delivers long-term gains, those gains may only materialise if the investment is properly scoped, staged, and supported with appropriate upskilling.
When calculating ROI, it’s also important to consider opportunity costs. If automation enables finance teams to reallocate time towards strategic analysis and forecasting, that enhanced capability adds value even if direct cost savings are marginal. This broader perspective helps CFOs make stronger business cases and manage board expectations around timelines and returns.
Balancing Automation with Human Judgement
Despite the promise of automation, financial leaders must resist the urge to remove humans entirely from decision chains. Many high-profile project failures occur not because the technology is flawed, but because assumptions are made without contextual oversight. This is especially critical when applying generative AI or predictive models in sensitive areas like tax planning, compliance, or cash flow forecasting.
Human oversight is necessary to identify anomalies, contextualise outputs, and ensure AI-generated insights are used ethically and appropriately. For example, an algorithm might flag a payment delay pattern, but it takes professional judgement to assess the cause.
Successful finance transformation strategies place accountants at the centre of automation rollouts. These professionals serve as the bridge between technological capabilities and business realities, translating data into insight and ensuring compliance standards are upheld at every step.
Positioning Accountants as Automation Advisors
As AI in accounting becomes more mainstream, clients will increasingly look to their advisors for clarity on what to automate, when to act, and how to measure success. This creates a prime opportunity for accountants to step into a more strategic role, offering consultative advice on process redesign, vendor selection, and risk controls.
With AI-driven tools gaining momentum across finance, many CFOs now expect short-term returns from their investments, yet often lack the internal frameworks to evaluate success objectively. Accountants can bridge this gap by defining clear metrics — such as automation coverage, payback period, and value realisation across the finance lifecycle — helping clients measure and optimise their automation ROI.
By embedding these advisory capabilities into their offering, accountants not only futureproof their practice, but also become indispensable to clients navigating a fast-moving digital landscape.
Guiding Automation Strategy with INAA Expertise
As automation reshapes financial operations globally, having the right advisors is critical to making sound, long-term decisions. INAA’s international members offer deep expertise in balancing innovation with regulatory compliance and financial discipline. From supporting early-stage automation pilots to evaluating AI’s role in audit and reporting, INAA professionals are equipped to help businesses optimise both the pace and scope of transformation.
For businesses seeking smarter ways to calculate automation ROI and unlock real-world value, INAA members offer the clarity and perspective needed to move forward with confidence.