Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
Alexander Knight & Co is the first accountancy firm in Greater Manchester to make use of drones in audit work for clients.
The Hale-based accountants have introduced a fleet of drones to undertake verification work for audit clients who have large or dispersed sites where traditional auditing methods prove difficult or very labour intensive.
Staff are now being trained to fly the drones and the benefits of this approach for both clients and the Alexander Knight & Co team are significant says Murray Patt, founder of Alexander Knight & Co.
“We have been testing the use of drones in the audit process for several months now and the results have been successful,” he said.
“Many clients can benefit from the use of this innovative technology.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
“Clients are increasingly seeing them as less of a novelty item and more of a useful business tool.
“They are also proving extremely helpful in assessing physical risk before completing audit work in tricky locations. We hope that by using technology like this, as well as testing other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can pass the benefits on to both our staff and our clients.
“Accountants have been using technology for many years to improve what they do and deliver more value to clients. However, it is important for our profession to keep exploring new methods of working as technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, develops at such a rapid pace.”
He added: “Drone technology is under the spotlight and new legislation due to be introduced in November 2019 will give police officers the power to land and seize drones. It will also require users to produce a licence.
“We firmly support this new legislation to make sure that drones are used in a safe and responsible way. We are confident that these policies will continue to enable businesses to derive the benefits from this emerging technology.”
