Chris Farrell: The Hidden Bottleneck in Accounting? It’s Not Your Back Office | The Concierge CPA

Optimizing the client experience is the real key to growth and profitability.

The Concierge CPA

With Jackie Meyer

For CPA Trendlines

On a recent episode of The Concierge CPA, Liscio founder and CEO Chris Farrell joins host Jackie Meyer to challenge the conventional wisdom about workflow systems in accounting. His core message? Firms don’t just need better systems—they need a client-first approach to technology.

"Most of the problems firms are facing stem from one thing," said Farrell, a CPA and veteran software innovator. "You're always waiting on the client."

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Farrell knows both sides of the equation: as a former Arthur Andersen accountant and CFO, and as a serial entrepreneur who’s spent 15 years building tools specifically for accountants. With Liscio, a client experience platform, he’s tackling a key pain point: fragmented communication. “When clients don’t know where to send documents or how to respond, the firm grinds to a halt.”

Farrell argues that accounting technology has historically focused on optimizing firm-side operations—tax software, practice management tools, document handling—but has neglected the user experience for clients. That, he says, is the real productivity roadblock.