Season 3 of Resource Revolution continues with a CFO’s-eye view on breaking with tradition, backing game-changing tech, and proving resource management ROI.
In Hard truths and game-changing technology: A CFO’s take on resource management ROI, host Christine Robinson sits down with Tom Quinn, CFO of Bennett Thrasher. Together, they unpack the hard truths about how legacy resourcing tools are slowing firms down—and dragging profits with them.
Tom shares why it’s worth breaking things down to build something better and how the right tech pays for itself (and then some). For a masterclass in making the case for change, plus bold, practical advice grounded in real experience—read on.
We’ve pulled out some takeaways, but the full episode delivers the real ROI on your time.
“It’s not just about what gets billed—it’s about the time we don’t bill, too.”
In this episode, Tom offers a CFO’s perspective that needs no convincing when it comes to the value of resource management. Drawing on his experience as both CFO and COO, he delivers a clear, compelling view of why resource management is far more than an administrative task.
He challenges outdated perceptions of the function, positioning it as a critical business lever for analyzing and optimizing utilization—and ultimately, driving performance.
“There’s a wealth of information and opportunity not just in what gets billed to the client— which directly drives profit—but also in non-billable time. Where are people spending their time when it’s not billable? And how do we optimize that?
We also need visibility into whether we’re overstaffed, with unused capacity, or understaffed and need to hire. That’s how I tend to look at it—through both an operational and financial lens, focusing on what’s really happening across the business.” - Tom Quinn
Tom encourages firms to be willing to look under the hood and ask: How are we using our people? Where is their time going? And what does that tell us about how the business is really running?
The answers to those questions don’t just shape staffing decisions—they reveal margin opportunities, resourcing risks, and strategic gaps. That’s why reliable, real-time resource management data isn’t just useful, it’s business-critical.
And it takes the right technology to unlock it.
“Professionals solve problems with technology. Amateurs throw people at them.”
If this episode had a bumper sticker, this would be it—a truth Tom Quinn delivered with clarity and conviction. And his approach to building a business case for technology-led change is a masterclass.
Instead of defaulting to adding headcount, Tom advocates for strategic investment in the right tools. He positions technology not just as a means to increase efficiency, but as a true business enabler.
“I made the case for a technology solution instead of adding headcount. I've used the adage professionals solve problems with technology, while amateurs throw people at them. So my pitch was: let’s use technology to the best of our ability.
Technology works 24/7, 365 days a year. It doesn’t take vacations, it works weekends—and it gets along with everyone in the room. From that perspective, when you compare the full loaded cost of a person versus technology, it really made sense.” - Tom Quinn
“We were taking top-tier talent off the playing field to manage resourcing.”
In the episode, Tom reflects on a key opportunity he identified for improvement: the scheduling functionality in their practice management software. Clunky and rigid, it lacked the analytics, tracking, and reporting needed to support effective delivery—highlighting a critical need for innovation.
What started as a software limitation pointed to something bigger. High-performing managers were being pulled away from client work to handle manual resourcing—trading billable hours and strategic input for administrative load.
That’s why, as Tom explains, investing in a more advanced resource management solution wasn’t just about better scheduling—it was a strategic move to unlock capacity and keep top talent focused on high-value work.
“What really pained me was that we had to pull high-performing senior managers off the playing field and put them on the bench to act as schedulers and coaches. And while you do need great coaches, we were taking top-tier talent—people who deliver great results for clients—and redirecting them to manually manage resourcing.
Once I understood what Dayshape could offer, it made complete sense. We needed software to handle the complexity of delivery management—rather than relying on someone’s memory, spreadsheets, or scraps of paper to manage our resources." - Tom Quinn
Tom also points to the benefit of having one reliable system for resource data, so the business no longer depends on scattered knowledge or an individual's memory.
“What I really loved about Dayshape was the traits feature—it gives you a kind of dossier for every employee. That information used to live in people’s heads, spreadsheets, or scattered software. Now, it’s built into the system and embedded in the business. No more tribal knowledge." - Tom Quinn
“You've got to help people get across that change bridge.”
Change is hard—a truth Tom Quinn doesn’t shy away from. In the episode, he reflects on the realities of leading people through change, especially when the status quo feels “good enough".
He emphasizes the importance of understanding stakeholders’ pain points and guiding them across the change bridge—not by pushing, but by painting a clear vision, breaking the process down, and making the benefits tangible.
“When I first suggested making a change, there was pushback—people said, 'Excel’s fine, we don’t have the need or the time to implement new processes.' But I broke it down and said, 'This is an opportunity we don’t want to miss. If we don’t take time now to rethink how we’re working, we’ll keep facing the same challenges that are holding us back.” - Tom Quinn
Tom describes how bringing people with you requires empathy and realism: acknowledging the disruption, while showing how it leads to better outcomes.
“The key is understanding their pain points. You’ve got to help people get across that change bridge to say, ‘Yes, this will disrupt what you’re used to, but here’s the vision. Here’s how this will improve resource management, enhance client delivery, and better support our people.' And that makes it that much easier.” - Tom Quinn
This mindset was especially important on the audit side, where the limitations of their existing scheduling tools were clear. Once the team could see what was possible—and how AI-powered resource management could make life easier—their perspective shifted.
“Once we explained the vision—and brought in Dayshape to walk the team through how AI could support decision-making and allow them to be a lot more strategic instead of tactical, people understood it.
And when we looked at the cost, it was negligible compared to the value it could bring. And that’s what helped get people across the bridge.” - Tom Quinn
“This is too good to be true, right?”
When technology promises to transform the way work gets done, it’s often met with a healthy dose of skepticism. As Tom shares, that response is only natural, especially when a solution claims to be game-changing.
“When we make investments in technology, people are always afraid, questioning: ‘This is too good to be true, right?’” – Tom Quinn
But that skepticism doesn’t last long when the results speak for themselves, as Tom explains:
"When a solution actually delivers on what was promised, that builds huge credibility—not just with the decision-makers, but also with the people using the software.
That’s what we’ve found with Dayshape. It’s given us capabilities we simply didn’t have before. And that’s what really energizes people, knowing we’ve invested in something that’s not only good for the organization’s bottom line, but also genuinely benefits the people doing the work, the people being scheduled, and the schedulers themselves." - Tom Quinn
It wasn’t just a process change, the benefits were genuinely felt as Tom explains:
“Efficiency—things getting done a lot easier than they had in the past. What used to feel like 100 steps now felt like one." – Tom Quinn
“Let technology do the rote work so people don't have to.”
Tom leaves us with a final fundamental truth: the right technology investment isn’t just good for business—it’s essential for your people. It’s a strategic choice that should be guided not only by efficiency gains, but by what motivates teams, drives client value, and creates space for people to grow.
Tom stresses that technology investment should be framed clearly: it’s not about replacing or monitoring people, but enabling them to do the skilled work that motivates and develops them.
When firms invest in their people, the benefits show up in client service—and that, he says, is the direction the industry has to go.
“The key thing is, nobody goes into accounting thinking, ‘I want to do debits
and credits or bank recs all day long.’ That’s not what motivates people.
The way we need to present this to our staff is simple: we’re investing in technology not to replace people or monitor them like Big Brother, but to make them more effective.
What we’re trying to do is shift as much of that routine work as possible to machine learning—so our staff can focus on analyzing outputs and growing their skills. That’s what helps them deliver true value to clients. And to me, that’s where this industry has to go.” - Tom Quinn
He’s clear that the foundational work still matters, especially in audit but it shouldn’t dominate someone’s day, because now it doesn’t have to. The technology exists to take that burden.
“You do need to understand the rubrics and the nuts and bolts behind those, but we should be looking at better ways to analyze outputs and be a higher value customer service delivery for our clients. That’s what makes us sticky to clients. They hire us as professionals to be able to provide the capability.
Yes, we still have to do the work that sits behind the scenes, but let’s allow technology to do that vs. people.” - Tom Quinn
Looking at the bigger picture, Tom sees this kind of investment as critical to retaining the right people. It’s not just about productivity and dollars and cents, it’s about whether people feel fulfilled in their roles, see opportunities to grow, and believe they have a future in your firm.
“How is it impacting the fulfillment of my people? How are they getting their jobs done? Do they like what they do? Are we providing them the capability to hone their skills and become better and show them the career path that's available in public accounting?
And I think, if we do this right, we're going to retain a lot more of the people that we really need to retain.” – Tom Quinn
Final thoughts
Tom Quinn’s perspective brings clarity to a challenge many firms face: poor resourcing doesn’t just cost time—it costs talent, profitability, and long-term growth. But when technology is used strategically, the return isn’t just operational, it impacts the bottom line, and pays off for people.
“Our firm believes that embracing technology investments in professional services gives us an absolute edge. I think it leads to happier clients, more fulfilled staff, and higher profits overall.” – Tom Quinn
The insights from this episode should be a spark for any firm ready to move forward. So take this as your cue to challenge the status quo—because while change is hard, sticking with “what we’ve always done” is harder in the long run.
To hear how Bennett Thrasher made the leap listen to the complete episode.
