AI consulting deals have gotten more ambitious over the past two years. Many early projects focused on basic use cases such as helping employees find internal documents faster. Today, firms are hiring consultants to integrate LLMs into factories and automate satellite data analysis. In some cases, that increased complexity can make it more difficult to realize a return on investment. We caught up with Jo Debecker, the president and CEO of Akkodis, to get a look at how the technology consultancy helps clients ensure their AI spending pays off. Plus, updates from Convergence Networks, True, Alaris, Frazier & Deeter and Credera.

Akkodis shares a glimpse into its AI implementation work. The consultancy, a unit of Swiss recruiting giant Adecco, this week shared details about three large-scale AI projects carried out by its engineers. One of the projects involved Akkodis’ own Japanese subsidiary, which rolled out AI software to automate 15,000 hours of annual back office work. The other two projects were carried out for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and an undisclosed healthcare manufacturer.

The healthcare firm in question hired Akkodis to help it with production scheduling. That’s the task of figuring out how many product units to make and when. According to Akkodis, its engineers built AI tooling that reduced the amount of time needed to make scheduling decisions from five days to a few seconds. Going forward, the companies plan to automate additional tasks by rolling out LLM-powered agents.

Figuring out which tasks a firm should try to automate is a big part of ensuring that AI projects deliver a return. According to Akkodis’ Jo Debecker, the consultancy goes about it by looking at three main factors. 

“AI projects succeed when they’re anchored in ROI from the start,” Debecker told Boardroom Insight. “Before developing a solution, we follow a simple framework to consider its ROI that centers on three elements: the impact on people, the gains in productivity and the financial value created. If a solution doesn’t make someone’s job better—freeing them from admin work or helping them grow—then it’s not a longer-term success for an organization. A solution also has to deliver faster, higher-quality output and produce a measurable margin benefit.”

The two other AI projects Akkodis announced this week differed significantly from its contract with the healthcare manufacturer. The first initiative saw it automate certain sales-related internal processes for its Japanese subsidiary, Akkodis Japan. The second project, in turn, was carried out for Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Akkodis helped train the bank’s developers to use AI tools such as Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot coding assistant. The consultancy says about 30% of the AI-generated code submitted by the bank’s software teams is now accepted. 

Akkodis delivers training services through a business unit called Akkodis Academy. It operates 10 professional development facilities worldwide. The Adecco unit says that it trains more than 10,000 workers per year for client organizations.

“We support the full path to adoption, from executive education and upskilling, to the operational foundation required for AI to take hold and scale,” Debecker said. “Our AI governance model includes an AI council with regional and domain expertise, which provides the oversight necessary to develop solutions responsibly and ensure they serve each client’s unique goals.” 

Two managed services providers join forces. Portland-based Convergence Networks on Monday announced that it has acquired Winnipeg-based Clear Concepts. It gained a customer base of several hundred small and midsize businesses through the deal. Converged Networks, which bought another Canadian MSP in 2020, says that the transaction will also deepen its Microsoft know-how.

“Clear Concepts adds strong capability in Microsoft Modern Work, data analytics, and workflow automation,” a Convergence Networks spokesperson told Boardroom Insight. “Convergence Networks contributes advanced security expertise, a dedicated 24/7 Security Operations Centre and Network Operations Centre, and a wider North American service presence.”

The acquisition was finalized some time before this week’s announcement. We asked about how the corporate integration process is going. “Both teams have been working through a structured process to align tools, service standards, and internal operations so clients experience a smooth transition,” the company spokesperson stated.

True appoints a new vice chair. Adam Kovach is taking up the post after more than two decades at Spencer Stuart, the world’s largest privately held executive search firm. He was most recently the head of its global private equity practice, which helps investment firms find executives for their portfolio companies. 

Like Spencer Stuart, Philadelphia-based True provides a mix of executive search and leadership coaching services. It also has a sizable software business, which is fairly unusual for a recruiting firm. Press releases announcing a consultancy’s entry into the software market are not uncommon, but they usually involve an IT services firm. True’s product is a cloud service called Thrive that recruiters use to manage data about executive candidates. The company says that its software is used to hire over 30,000 executives per year.

Modernizing the deal sourcing workflow. Wealth management firms are being acquired in record numbers as part of a market consolidation wave that started a few years ago. That consolidation is creating significant revenue opportunities for M&A consultancies. One of those consultancies, Alaris Acquisitions, launched a cloud service called Buyer Portal last week to differentiate its value proposition. The Charlotte-based firm provides sell-side support such as due diligence to buyers of registered investment advisors.

Alaris’ new service hosts a database of wealth management firms for sale. It provides business information and company videos. Alaris says the Buyer Portal lets investors skip some of the back and forth conversations involved in sourcing information about an acquisition target, which speeds up the deal sourcing workflow.

Frazier & Deeter grows its market presence. The accounting firm, which generated $184 million in revenue last year, has acquired a small Charlotte-based competitor called Pesta Finnie. The latter company’s sale coincides with the retirement of its founder. 

Acquisitions are an important part of large accounting firms’ growth playbook. Absorbing a proven team through a buyout is faster than building out a local workforce from scratch. Plus, a corporate acquisition usually brings with it a rolodex of new customers. Frazier & Deeter says Pesta Finnie’s clientele includes middle-market companies and family offices.

Credera racks up another AWS credential. The technology consultancy had 300 employees when it was acquired by Omnicom, one of the world’s largest marketing conglomerates, in 2018. Today, it has 3,000 workers across 17 locations. Some of those employees focus on helping clients set up and optimize AWS environments.

Last week, Credera announced that it has won a partner credential called the AWS Generative AI Competency. The cloud giant issues the credential to consulting firms that help customers build software using its AI offerings. Those offerings include, among others, managed LLMs and tools for creating custom models. Credera previously won more than half a dozen other AWS credentials spanning areas such as cybersecurity and advertising.

Photo courtesy of Adecco