Rather than retreat from automation, the firm is leaning into it, pitching clients on a model where Deloitte runs core back-office functions more efficiently than in-house teams can manage.
The firm’s Australian chief executive explains that AI tools will underpin outsourced operations like finance, letting Deloitte standardise processes, cut manual work and improve accuracy at scale. Clients are told they can “share” in the benefits of this automation by handing over these functions while Deloitte shoulders the operational and technology risk.
That risk shift is central to the sell, instead of building and maintaining their own AI-enabled systems, organisations pay Deloitte to do it for them. The goal is clear and numeric, grow managed services revenue more than threefold to hit the $1 billion mark by the end of the decade.
There is a catch for traditional consulting economics. As automation reduces the human labour embedded in many services, Deloitte accepts that fees for some offerings may fall sharply, potentially by up to 40%.
The bet is that lower unit prices will be offset by higher volumes and longer-term contracts as clients outsource larger chunks of their operations. Heavy investment in technology platforms and staff training sits at the core of this strategy as the firm tries to stay ahead of both rival consultancies and AI-native competitors.
For clients, the trade-off is straightforward, lower costs and reduced risk in exchange for deeper reliance on an external provider.
