Company Introduction

Yamashita Accounting Office is a locally based accounting firm with over 35 years of history based in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture. We provide a wide range of support to small and medium-sized enterprises throughout Hyogo Prefecture, as well as the Kinki and Chugoku regions, focusing on the local industries of somen noodles, soy sauce, and leather. We were one of the earliest firms in the industry to promote cloud accounting and paperless operations, and are characterized by a young average age and an organizational culture that excels in supporting digital transformation using IT.

Issues before introducing generative AI

In recent years, the tax accountant industry has been busy responding to successive tax reforms such as the invoice system and the Electronic Bookkeeping Act. Yamashita Accounting Office has also been facing a major challenge in terms of how to increase productivity as its business operations become more complex and sophisticated.

Research work was a particularly burdensome task. As a locally based firm, clients not only consult on tax matters, but also on a wide variety of topics, including industry trends and general management. It was not uncommon for staff to spend two to three hours a day poring over thick specialist books and scrutinizing fragmented online information. Relying on manpower to gather information had reached its limits, and a systemic solution utilizing technology was essential.

Effects after generative AI introduction training

After the training, dramatic changes were made on the ground. First, the AI was trained on blog posts and internal documents that the office had accumulated over the past few years, and a dedicated chatbot was built. This made it possible to retrieve "similar past cases" and "experienced knowledge" in just a few seconds, dramatically reducing research time. AI has become so indispensable that even veteran employees have commented, "I couldn't do my job without it."

AI-powered code creation has also become a standard practice in IT teams' system development processes. Development speed has dramatically improved, with tool development that previously took days now being completed in just a few hours. Furthermore, the efficiency of everyday administrative tasks such as writing email replies has also increased, significantly lowering the psychological hurdles associated with writing and researching across the organization.

Future outlook

The future envisioned by Yamashita Accounting Office sees AI not simply as an efficiency tool, but as a "partner" that helps maximize customer value.

We are already conducting a trial run of a "three-way meeting" style initiative, where AI is brought into actual meetings with management. By having the customer, the person in charge, and the AI converse on the spot, we are able to provide an objective, third-party perspective and generate new insights.

Going forward, we plan to have AI take over administrative tasks and research, and use the time saved to engage in the kind of dialogue that only humans can provide - "being close to and supporting our clients." We will continue to pursue this vision of what an accounting firm should be like in this new era, growing together with AI and evolving together with our clients.