Accounting firms experience one of the most pronounced seasonality patterns of any professional service. Tax season compresses months of work into a twelve-week sprint where staff regularly log 60+ hour weeks. This intensity makes capacity planning critical—firms need to know exactly how many returns they can handle and when to bring on seasonal staff or turn away new clients.

The profession is evolving from compliance work toward advisory services. While tax preparation and audits remain core offerings, forward-thinking firms are building practices around financial planning, CFO services, and business consulting. These advisory engagements often carry higher margins but require different skills and different approaches to client relationships than traditional compliance work.

Client retention in accounting follows a different pattern than other professional services. Once a firm handles a client's taxes or books, switching costs are high and relationships tend to persist for years. This makes the lifetime value of each client substantial, which changes how firms should think about client acquisition costs and service quality investments.

Technology adoption has become a competitive differentiator in accounting. Firms using modern practice management and cloud-based collaboration tools can serve clients more efficiently and attract talent who expect to work with contemporary systems. The profession's traditional conservatism around technology is giving way to recognition that efficiency gains directly impact profitability and work-life balance.