In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity told buyers hiring an accounting or law firm to check the same few things: experience with clients or cases like theirs, fees and billing, communication, and licence, credentials or record. When Answersky (answersky.com) asked the three assistants how to choose a firm, the answers read like a checklist.
Below is that checklist for both industries, then what a firm can do with it.
| What buyers were told to check | Accounting answers | Law answers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience with clients or cases like yours | 26 of 27 | 26 of 27 | Accounting page, Law page |
| Fees and billing | 24 of 27 | 26 of 27 | Accounting page, Law page |
| Licence, credentials or record | 21 of 27 | 18 of 27 | Accounting page, Law page |
| Communication | 18 of 27 | 21 of 27 | Accounting page, Law page |
| Software and technology | 17 of 27 | Not on the law list | Accounting page |
| Said there is no single best firm (all questions) | 43 of 54 | 49 of 54 | Accounting page, Law page |
What did AI tell people hiring an accounting firm to check?
In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, experience with similar clients came first for accounting, then fees, then credentials. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, we asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity “how do I choose” questions about accounting firms in three US cities, which gave 27 answers. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, 26 of those answers told the buyer to check experience with clients like them, 24 fees and billing, 21 licence or credentials and 18 communication.
One check was particular to accounting. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, 17 of the 27 answers told buyers to look at the firm’s software and technology. The full list of checks is on our accounting firms page.
What did AI tell people hiring a law firm to check?
Fees and experience tied for first. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, 26 of 27 law answers told buyers to check fees and billing, and 26 of 27 told them to check experience with cases like theirs. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, 21 of the 27 said to check communication and 18 of the 27 said to check the firm’s licence or discipline record. The detail is on the law firms page.
What accounting buyers were told to check
Answersky's Oct 12, 2026 test. Answers mentioning each check, out of 27.
- Experience with clients like you
- 26
- Fees and billing
- 24
- Licence or credentials
- 21
- Communication
- 18
- Software and technology
- 17
What law-firm buyers were told to check
Answersky's Oct 12, 2026 test. Answers mentioning each check, out of 27.
- Fees and billing
- 26
- Experience with cases like yours
- 26
- Communication
- 21
- Licence or discipline record
- 18
What do the two checklists have in common?
Fit, price and standing, with communication across all three. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, experience with similar clients or cases, fees and billing, and communication each appeared in 18 or more of 27 answers in both industries.
Fit is “have you done this for people like me?” Price is “how will you charge me?” Standing is “are you in good order with your licensing body?” Communication is “who will handle my work, and how will I hear from them?” In our test, the assistants set these checks out when asked how to choose a firm.
Did the answers say one firm was best?
Mostly no. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, 43 of 54 accounting answers and 49 of 54 law answers said there is no single best firm. That count covers all the questions for each industry, “who should I hire” as well as “how do I choose”. The assistants gave a list of options and a list of things to check. Our statistics page has the rest of our dated figures.
For a firm, that changes the job. If the buyer is told to compare firms against a list, the firm that is easy to compare is the one whose pages already lay out the answers.
How can a firm answer the checklist on its own pages?
State each item in plain words on a page a buyer, or an assistant, can read. For the items above, that looks like this:
- Experience with clients like you. Say which kinds of clients and matters you handle, in words a buyer would use for themselves. A heading such as “Who we work with” tells a reader more than a line about being full-service.
- Fees and billing. Say how you charge (hourly, fixed fee, retainer or a mix) and what is and isn’t included. You can explain the method without publishing exact prices.
- Licence, credentials or record. Name your credentials and the board that licenses you, and keep them current. Someone can check these, so don’t leave them out.
- Communication. Say who handles a client’s work, how quickly you reply and by which channel.
- Software and technology (accounting). Say which tools you work in and what you do when a client uses different ones.
Firms’ own websites do show up in the sources. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, ChatGPT and Perplexity cited a firm’s own website in 32 of 36 accounting answers and 24 of 36 law answers. In Answersky’s Oct 12, 2026 test, legal directories and listing sites were cited in 29 of 36 law answers, more than a firm’s own website. So firms’ own pages are among the places the assistants looked, and for law, directories and listing sites appeared in more answers.
We haven’t tested whether adding these answers changes which firms an assistant names, and this post doesn’t promise it will. A practical step is to state these answers plainly on your pages, so there is something clear to quote on the questions the assistants themselves raised. For the wider picture, see how to get onto the pages AI cites and which websites AI cites.
What are the limits of these numbers?
This is one run on one evening, and answers vary from run to run. We asked through the assistants’ APIs with web search on, and the city came from the question, not from where a person sits, so the apps can answer differently. We told each assistant to recommend specific businesses where relevant, which probably raises how often they name firms. A second AI model grouped the themes, so each count is the number of answers that mention a check, and the grouping is approximate. These are samples, not rankings. The method is on the full study.
How do I see what AI says about my own firm?
Ask it the way a buyer would, then look at whether your firm appears and what the answer tells the buyer to check. Our post on checking whether ChatGPT mentions your business walks through doing that by hand.
Free Quick Scan: 6 of your buyers’ questions on ChatGPT and Perplexity, 12 answers and who AI named instead of you. Results on the scan page when ready, plus an emailed copy; queued or review requests arrive by email within 1 business day.
