5 Proven Ways to Automate Your Accounting Workflows

If you've ever found yourself knee-deep in spreadsheets at 9 PM, squinting at variance reports and wondering where the day went, you're not alone. The traditional accounting close process can feel like running on a hamster wheel — lots of motion, minimal progress, and an uncomfortable amount of rework.

But here's the good news: automation is reshaping the close. At FloQast's recent TakeControl session, "Top 5 Ways to Automate Your Accounting Workflows," we gathered insights from three accounting professionals who've successfully transformed their close processes. Andy Pfertner, Controller at JustAnswer; Alex Schlick, Senior Director of Accounting at Doximity; and Kari Blosch, Accounting Manager at Therabody, shared their hard-won strategies for building more efficient and accurate workflows.

Whether you're preparing for a PCAOB audit or simply trying to reclaim your evenings, these proven approaches will help you work smarter, not harder.

Why Automate Your Accounting Workflows?

Before we dive into the how, let's talk about the why. Accounting automation isn't just about shaving a few hours off your close cycle (though that's certainly nice). It's about fundamentally transforming how your team operates.

Increased Accuracy: Manual data entry is tedious, and tedium breeds errors. Automated workflows reduce human error by handling repetitive tasks with consistency. When your team isn't bogged down by data entry, they can focus on reviewing outputs and catching the exceptions that actually matter.

Enhanced Efficiency: Time is your most valuable resource. Automation gives it back to you. Teams using FloQast report saving 25-30 hours per month on manual processes like journal entries. That's nearly a full work week returned to your team every single month.

Improved Control and Compliance: As Andy discovered when JustAnswer prepared for their first PCAOB audit, implementing proper controls becomes non-negotiable when the stakes are high. Automation creates consistent audit trails, standardized processes, and clear checkpoints that make compliance less painful.

The Shift from Tactical to Strategic Close

Most accounting teams operate in what we call a "tactical close" mode. It's linear, reactive, and exhausting. Transactions pile up, then it's all hands on deck to post journal entries, complete reconciliations, and run variance analyses. When issues surface during review, teams walk everything back and start over.

A strategic close flips this model. By preparing and reviewing earlier in the process, you create breathing room. Your team can work more smoothly, reduce burnout, and share information more effectively. Think of it as front-loading the work that matters most, so you're not scrambling at the finish line.

Key elements of a best-in-class close include:

• Early preparation of data and reconciliations
• Automated processes supported by leading technology
• Centralized, standardized procedures
• Quality controls at each milestone
• Clear roles, responsibilities, and deadlines
• Daily status check-ins for timely issue resolution
• Proactive variance investigation
• Clear communication channels and continuous feedback loops

5 Ways to Automate Your Accounting Workflows

Ready to transform your close process? Here are five actionable strategies, drawn directly from the experiences of Andy, Alex, and Kari.

1. Establish a Baseline and Identify What's Broken

You can't fix what you don't measure. Start by documenting your current close process from end to end. Where do bottlenecks occur? Which tasks consume the most time? Which processes generate the most errors or require frequent rework?

This baseline assessment gives you a clear picture of where automation will deliver the highest ROI. Maybe your bank reconciliations eat up hours every month, or perhaps your journal entry process requires too many manual handoffs. Whatever the pain point, name it.

2. Diagnose the Root Cause

Once you've identified problem areas, dig deeper. Surface-level symptoms rarely tell the whole story.

If reconciliations take forever, is it because data is scattered across multiple systems? If journal entries contain frequent errors, is it because approval workflows are unclear? Understanding the "why" behind your challenges prevents you from automating broken processes.

Alex offers practical advice: "Prioritize your manual processes. Find your three most manual processes and really pin yourself to those three. You can show those to vendors and see how they can help you out."

By narrowing your focus, you avoid the trap of trying to automate everything at once. Start with your top three pain points and build momentum from there.

3. Adopt a Lean Mindset and Eliminate Unnecessary Hurdles

Not every step in your current process deserves to survive. Before automating, ask yourself: does this task add value, or is it simply something we've always done?

Lean accounting principles encourage you to eliminate waste—unnecessary approvals, redundant reviews, or reports nobody reads. Strip your process down to what genuinely matters, then automate those essential elements.

This is where risk assessment comes into play. You'll want to preserve controls that protect accuracy and compliance while removing bureaucratic friction that slows everyone down.

4. Determine What the Ideal State Looks Like

With a clear understanding of your problems and a lean process in mind, paint a picture of your ideal close. What would success look like? How quickly could you close? How much time would your team spend on analysis versus data entry?

Your ideal state should be ambitious but grounded in reality. Use it as your north star as you select and implement automation tools.

5. Align Technology to People and Processes

Here's where the rubber meets the road. Technology is powerful, but it's not a magic wand. The most successful implementations happen when you align tools with your team's needs and existing workflows.

FloQast customers have found success by:

• Using AI Agents for initial data verification early in the close cycle
• Automating bank account reconciliations to free up senior staff for analytical work
• Centralizing reconciliation workflows in a single platform to improve visibility and accountability
• Leveraging automated variance analysis to catch issues proactively

Kari highlights an often-overlooked benefit: "The AI will take away some of the mundane work the individuals were doing before and allow the team to do more analytical work."

That's the ultimate goal — shifting your team's focus from repetitive tasks to strategic analysis. Your staff didn't become accountants to copy and paste data. They want to interpret trends, identify risks, and provide meaningful insights.

Preparing Your Team for an AI-Powered Future

As AI becomes more integrated into accounting workflows, a common concern emerges: will my team be ready?

The good news is that AI adoption doesn't require a complete overhaul of your hiring strategy. It does, however, require a thoughtful approach to change management.

Andy emphasizes the importance of maintaining oversight: "We make sure we have checks and balances in there. As good as AI is, it's not perfect all the time. We need to keep the human element in there to make sure the output is validated."

AI excels at handling repetitive, rules-based tasks. But accounting still requires judgment, context, and professional skepticism. Your team's role evolves from manual execution to validation and interpretation.

Alex offers an encouraging perspective: "Don't be scared of AI. If you are an expert in AI, there will always be a seat for you at the table."

Investing in your team's AI literacy today positions them as valuable contributors tomorrow. The accountants who thrive will be those who understand how to leverage these tools effectively, not those who resist them.

Take the First Step Toward Transformation

Accounting transformation doesn't happen overnight. It's a journey that requires assessment, planning, and incremental improvement. But the payoff — more accurate financials, a more engaged team, and faster close cycles — makes the effort worthwhile.

If you're ready to explore how automation can streamline your workflows, start by identifying your top three manual processes. Document the time they consume and the errors they generate. Then consider how tools like FloQast could help you reclaim those hours and redirect your team's energy toward higher-value work.

Your future self (and your team) will thank you.