The use of technology has always been a part of my work as an accounting professional. Now a member of our organization’s leadership team, I continue to advocate for its thoughtful and effective use, especially as more advanced tools become available.
One tool I deliberately use at work is Microsoft Copilot, a generative AI assistant that streamlines the mundane areas of my middle management role and lets me devote more time to higher-value work.
My confidence in exploring different accounting technologies stems from a deeply rooted principle in our company that has been guiding us long before AI boomed.
We call it the ESSAP Principle, which stands for Eliminate, Simplify, Standardize, Automate Philippines.
This principle has taught us to see technology as a friend rather than a foe that would steal away our jobs. Using it as our North Star, we do regular assessments of how we perform our tasks, identify labor-intensive areas, and develop actionable ways to eliminate, simplify, standardize, or automate those tasks.
We also built a culture of continuous learning. With this mindset, we keep upskilling and developing new capabilities so we can work effectively alongside new technologies.
Over time, we've expanded our tech stack to include cloud accounting software, business analytics tools, productivity tools, and eventually, AI.
Through my experience with different accounting and business tools, I’ve seen that their value depends on how effectively the user understands them and utilizes their features.
AI is no different.
Technology itself isn’t the deciding factor in how useful it is to an organization. What matters more is how well we apply it to real, everyday tasks. Think of it as a support tool, or to further personify it, as a personal assistant who handles the tedious work for you, so you can focus on what matters most.
From observation, and based on my first-hand experience as well, AI tools can support with:
Becoming effective with AI is less about mastering a tool and more about building a new working habit. The more you explore where it fits, the better you become at recognizing when it can genuinely help.
So far, I’ve tried several general-purpose AI tools: Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. These tools can do many of the same things, but I’ve found that each one has its own strengths depending on what I need.
For example:
At work, I use a paid Copilot subscription, which makes the most sense since our work environment is already built around Microsoft products.
As I used Copilot for recurring leadership tasks, I started to see its practical benefits:
Email is one of the areas where I’ve found Copilot most useful.
Instead of spending 10 to 20 minutes drafting a response, I can give Copilot the main points, ask it to improve the structure or tone, and then work from the draft it gives me. In some cases, that brings the whole process down to just a few minutes.
I still make it a point to review everything before hitting send. Tone matters in business communication, and I’ve noticed that AI-generated emails can sometimes sound too formal, repetitive, or impersonal.
I also use Copilot as an executive assistant where I use it to summarize urgent requests, deadlines, follow-ups, and key deliverables for the day.
Copilot is also helpful when I need to go through a long document or report and want to understand the key points quickly.
For anything important, though, I still go back to the original document. A summary is useful for getting the big picture, but some details can get lost, and those details matter when deciding.
For more structured tasks, especially in finance or administration, I’ve also used AI to help with reconciliation.
For example, I can use Copilot to compare information across Excel files, match names or other details, and flag possible differences for review.
I still validate the results because the data isn’t always clean. Names may be written differently; information may be incomplete, or two similar records may not actually be the same.
If I need to create business presentation and other similar business materials, Copilot also comes in handy when organizing information, summarizing a source document, suggesting how the content could be structured, or helping me build an initial set of slides.
Instead of spending most of my time figuring out where to start, I can focus more on improving the message, choosing the right information, and thinking about what the audience really needs to take away.
Copilot can also be useful when reviewing candidates.
With it, I can compare a CV against a job description and use AI to help identify where the candidate’s experience matches the role, where there may be gaps, and what questions I may want to explore during the interview. This can make interview preparation easier, especially when reviewing several candidates.
But of course, I wouldn’t use it to make hiring decisions for me. After all, a CV doesn’t always tell the full story, and unique areas like potential, cultural fit, and how someone thinks still need to be assessed through actual conversation and professional judgment.
As useful as AI can be, I still believe leadership decisions need to stay with people. AI can help me think through information, prepare drafts, or surface things I may have missed, but I don’t treat its output as the final answer.
At the end of the day, I remain accountable for the work. If I use AI to help prepare an email, review information, or support a recommendation, I’m still responsible for what I approve and what happens next.
By doing all of this, I aim to set an example for my team on how AI can be used responsibly and thoughtfully. I want them to see that while AI can make our work easier, we still need to apply our own judgment, protect the information we handle, and take full ownership of the final outcome.
The value of AI depends on how thoughtfully you use it. Let it support the work, but keep the context, judgment, and final decision with you.
The more you use AI, the more important it becomes to know where it genuinely adds value and where you still need to rely on your own experience. See to it that you utilize it in a way that gives you more time and capacity for the work that only you can do.
About the author
Lisette Ramos is a Senior Director of Global Operations at D&V Philippines. She’s also a key member of the Management Information Excellence Team and the company’s Products and Solutions Unit. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
—Written in collaboration with Mary Milorrie Campos, a senior content and creative specialist at D&V Philippines.
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