Excel Agents deliver more precise evidence and faster testing
Highlights
- Save ~85% time Reduce testing time per selection from 30–45 minutes to ~5 minutes of review in complex, high-volume testing scenarios.
- Traceable and transparent outputs Capture more precise snips from the right source evidence.
- Scalable across audit procedures Excel Agents are valuable for multiple use cases, supporting smoother preparation and review.
Challenge
Auditors at FGMK often obtain multiple files from clients that are not neatly organized. Examples of this include receiving 100-plus-page PDFs where the information they need appears in 10–15 different places. In these large documents, it can be difficult to quickly identify the right evidence.
As a result, both preparers and reviewers can spend significant time searching to ensure the evidence is accurate, especially when a single correction can take several minutes in the case of long documents.
"Excel Agents significantly reduce time spent on repetitive testing. While the agents prepare the audit documentation, our team can work on something else and then come back to review. For audits with hundreds of selections, that efficiency makes a real difference."
Nicholas T. Robbins
Director, Audit and Accounting
Solution
FGMK started using DataSnipper to address these issues. With audit evidence clearly connected to the workpaper, the team can’t imagine going back to a time when they didn’t use this platform. As they looked to take their workflows even further, Excel Agents became the next step.
FGMK joined the Design Partnership Program for Excel Agents, which helped them shape this product as the DataSnipper team developed it. By sharing real-world challenges and providing continuous feedback, FGMK helped validate how Excel Agents could fit into complex audit cases, not just simple and clean examples.
Excel Agents have introduced a new approach to efficiency: while documentation is being prepared in the background, auditors can focus on other tasks and return to review the results. This helps shift time away from repetitive preparation toward judgment-based work.
Use Cases
FGMK has primarily been using Excel Agents for selection-heavy, document-intensive testing, including:
- Fixed asset additions testing: When a single client PDF contains multiple documents (e.g., invoices, lease schedules, acceptance forms, and wire details), Excel Agents help locate and snip the right evidence precisely across the full file.
- Revenue testing: Supporting end-to-end tracing by connecting revenue transactions to contracts, invoices, remittance schedules, and bank statements.
In these scenarios, FGMK has seen the biggest potential impact when audits require hundreds of selections, where incremental savings per selection quickly add up.
Looking ahead
A pilot group of users at FGMK started using Excel Agents as part of the Design Partnership Program, with the intention of expanding adoption across the firm after this product is generally available.
Looking ahead, the team is exploring additional use cases, including cash testing, bank reconciliations, accounts receivable testing, and valuation projects. Auditors at FGMK were surprised by the diversity of Excel Agents’ capabilities and plan to keep exploring new opportunities to make the most of this product’s flexibility.
Beyond audit, FGMK also sees strong potential for Excel Agents across tax and advisory, following the firm’s broader expansion of DataSnipper usage.
As Excel Agents continue to evolve, FGMK is excited about what’s next, especially as improvements and new features unlock more opportunities to embed AI into audit workflows at scale. FGMK also plans to continue participating in the Design Partnership Program to shape the future of audit with DataSnipper.
