Your client delivered R400 000 of stock on a handshake. The customer just went under. Now they want to know what they can get back, and they are looking at you for the answer. Here is the hard truth: when a business collapses, the money is not shared fairly. It is shared in order. Secured creditors first. Everyone else, suppliers, subcontractors, and your own unpaid fees, lines up behind them for the scraps. Most of your clients extend credit every day with no security at all. Would you recognise that risk before it empties their till, and yours?

Your client phones in a panic. A subcontractor has walked off site, the money is disputed, the relationship is finished. Their first move, before they call you, before they call an attorney? They paste the contract into ChatGPT.

That instinct is the problem. It is also your opportunity. An AI can explain what a contract says. It cannot tell your client what a weak dispute clause will cost their business before they sign it. I have seen one commercial dispute run four years and R1.2 million, and settle before it ever reached trial. The clause decides which one your client gets.

Think KYC is just collecting an ID and proof of address? Think again. A proper Know Your Client process helps you understand who you are dealing with, who really owns the business, and whether any risks should raise concern. By following a simple and consistent process, accountants can meet their FICA obligations, protect their practices, and build stronger client relationships from the very first meeting.