The Trust Barrier in Finance AI By Nancy Sperry For partners serving finance and accounting teams, AI is no longer a future-facing conversation. It’s already changing what customers expect from their technology providers, and it’s raising the bar for what it means to be a trusted advisor. VARs and ISVs are being pushed up the value chain, transitioning from traditional system implementers to highly valued strategic advisors. I’m seeing this shift first-hand across the partner ecosystem. The most forward-looking partners are moving beyond efficiency gains and helping finance teams understand where AI can improve decisions, reduce risk, and create more confidence in the numbers they rely on every day. In doing so, they’re creating new opportunities for growth and strengthening relationships with their clients. But in finance, AI adoption will only move as fast as trust allows. Finance leaders operate in a world of compliance, auditing and precision. They will not rely on AI outputs that they cannot explain or validate. If a finance team cannot trace how an AI agent arrived at a specific forecast or recommendation, they simply cannot act on it. This is where the partner channel plays a critical role. Businesses need partners and advisors who can help them understand where AI adds value, how to implement it effectively and how to build confidence in the outcomes. By acting as the bridge between raw technology and practical, trusted deployment, partners can make themselves indispensable. We’re entering a new era for the partner market. Technology may open the door, but trust is what instills confidence for businesses to drive long-term success. The firms that thrive will be the ones finance leaders will turn to for guidance when the path forward isn’t always clear. The Trusted Advisor Playbook: Three Strategies for Success For partners looking to lead their clients on this journey and capture the AI advisory opportunity, the transition requires a shift in how they position, package and deploy technology. Partners should focus on three core strategies to successfully scale this shift: 1. Focus on Decisions, Not Tasks Historically, the advisory firms built strong businesses by automating repetitive tasks: data entry, invoice routing, routine reports. But today, basic automation is table stakes. To truly move up the value chain, partners must shift their focus from tactical time-savings to strategic decision-making. Instead of asking, “How can we help your team enter this data faster?” partners are asking, “How can we help your leadership team make better-informed decisions?” This means prioritizing AI use cases that directly impact high-level business outcomes. Focus on workflows such as continuous month-end close, real-time predictive forecasting and automated internal controls. When you help a client move from retrospective reporting to forward-looking 30 CHANNELVISION | SUMMER 2026
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