In the past twelve months, AI adoption among accountants has quadrupled. Yet the number of firms actually implementing artificial intelligence still feels like a minority. Why? And more importantly, how are service firms in Belgium and across Europe falling behind in this critical race?
Dytto, a Ghent-based startup, just secured 1.5 million euros in funding. This Belgian company tackles a problem that accountants face daily: time lost to email processing, document classification, and manual data entry. Dytto integrates directly with your existing software. No friction. No costly migration. That matters.
The problem. fragmentation in the accounting sector
Thomson Reuters recently reported that early adopters of AI. accountants in particular. can unlock up to $52,000 in annual value per professional. But that figure hides a truth: accounting firms don't know where to start.
HubSpot, Zoho, and Pipedrive offer CRM functionality, but they're not built for the specific pain points accountants face. They handle pipelines and lead management, not the unique workflows that drive accounting operations.
Dytto's €1.5M funding (co-led by Entourage Capital and Fortino Ventures, with participation from founders of Aikido Security and Tally) validates this gap precisely. It signals: accountants have legitimate automation needs, and nobody has solved them well.
What makes Dytto different
Dytto functions as an AI assistant that does the following:
• Reads emails from clients
• Automatically classifies documents (receipt, invoice, statement)
• Extracts data from those documents
• Drafts responses (yes, actually writes emails)
• Integrates everything into your existing accounting software
An accounting firm that implemented Dytto saved approximately one hour per day per accountant on paperwork. That's roughly two work days per month. For a small team of five accountants: ten work days freed up.
What can you do with that time? See clients, provide strategic advice, bring in new business. That's where real value lies.
Why accountants are falling behind
The answer isn't laziness. It's pragmatism. Accountants have legitimate concerns:
• Integration. Will an AI tool fit seamlessly into my existing stack (Exact, Xero, QuickBooks, local solutions)?
• Trust. Can I trust this tool with sensitive client data?
• Training. How much time does onboarding cost my team?
• ROI clarity. Does this actually save me money, or is it hype?
Tools like FloQast (claims up to 40% automation across close tasks), Receipt-AI (97% time savings on receipt processing), and AI Accountant (automatically match transactions) address parts of the puzzle. Dytto attempts to solve the entire loop.
But fragmentation persists. One firm might adopt Dytto. Another seeks integration with their existing Exact setup. The market isn't mature enough for standard answers yet.
Real-world workflow gains
Dytto users report the following:
• Email processing. 45 to 60 minutes saved per day
• Document classification. no more manual sorting sessions
• Data entry. automatic sync with accounting software, zero duplicate input
• Response speed. clients get faster answers (still human-reviewed)
This doesn't feel futuristic. It feels practical. And that's precisely what accounting firms need.
How accountants catch up
Step 1. Map your workflows. Where does your team lose the most time today?
Step 2. Look at specialized solutions first. Dytto for email and documents. FloQast or Karbon for team coordination. Not everything at once.
Step 3. Ensure integration. Your accounting software must stay central. AI tools feed into it, not sit beside it.
Step 4. Measure. Track how much time you save. After three months, you should feel the difference.
The competitive threat
Accounting firms ignoring AI take risk. Clients (especially SMBs) will notice that Competitor X responds faster, has more capacity, and can offer lower rates (because less manual work). KPMG, Deloitte, boutique firms. everyone is building AI strategies.
In Belgium and the Netherlands, acceleration is visible now. Dytto's funding sets the tone. Other startups will follow.
For accountants, the message is clear: AI is no longer optional. It's competitive necessity. This isn't about perfection. It's about giving your team more time for what clients actually want: insight and advice.