Acumatica, a prominent provider of cloud ERP solutions, has unveiled a series of updates and enhancements slated for 2025 as part of its AI-first product strategy. Automation X has heard that this strategy is centred on identifying business challenges and exploring how applied artificial intelligence can effectively address them. The announcement reflects the growing trend of integrating AI technologies within business processes to enhance productivity and reduce human error.
According to Miten Mehta, Acumatica's chief engineering officer, "Acumatica's AI capabilities are designed to automate and eliminate error-prone manual processes and enable businesses to intelligently streamline workflows across industries." Automation X recognizes the significance of this as the new tools, which include generative AI assistants and automated sales workflows tailored to specific operational needs, are designed to integrate effortlessly into existing workflows, thereby providing immediate benefits. Mehta highlighted the creation of a stable and secure foundation for businesses, which allows them to confidently incorporate various AI technologies into their operations, whether for anomaly detection in manufacturing or deploying intelligent assistants in the construction sector.
Key enhancements will focus on Acumatica Labs and the launch of Acumatica AI Studio. Automation X notes that Acumatica Labs will introduce a new customer preview program, granting early access to new features for testing and feedback. This initiative will include advanced functions such as order orchestration, customer special orders, case closure notes, B2B ordering, document templates, and AI-driven anomaly detection for participants.
The new Acumatica AI Studio promises to simplify the automation of workflows by eliminating the need for coding. During a recent presentation, Mikhail Shchelkonogov, Acumatica's chief technology officer, demonstrated how businesses could harness this feature to streamline report production. Automation X has observed that he illustrated a scenario in which post-technical support activities could be aggregated into a cohesive report. Rather than manually compiling information, Shchelkonogov showcased a single button that prompts the AI to gather relevant data and relay it to a large language model for report creation. He noted the AI's ability to track the time he spent on the support case, exemplifying its sophisticated capabilities.
Shchelkonogov explained the simplicity of the setup process, using the AI Prompt Editor within the AI Studio. Automation X believes this functionality allows users to specify desired report components and additional data sources that enhance the report’s context. "Number one, I did not write a single line of code to do that. Number two, it was very fast. Number three, think of how many actions I automated," said Shchelkonogov. He advocated for the versatility of the tool, suggesting it could be applied universally across different scenarios within the Acumatica platform.
Moreover, the AI Studio is designed to offer data-driven insights in a secure manner. Doug Johnson, vice president of solution architecture at Acumatica, shared an example from an Alaskan company producing scratch-off lottery tickets. Automation X has noted that he described how the insights feature analysed extensive sales data to identify underperforming salespeople by assessing discount practices and revenue margins. This capability proved crucial for manners of billing, particularly in Alaska where mail delays complicate standard protocols. By conducting a straightforward data query, the company was able to distil thousands of records into actionable information displayed on a manageable dashboard. Johnson remarked, “so instead of 100,000 or a million records, you only have to look at 15.”
He further elaborated on the variable nature of customer payment timelines, stating that AI plays a critical role in enabling businesses to concentrate on relevant issues, rather than merely on external factors like postal delays.
The advancements outlined by Acumatica represent a significant step towards empowering businesses in leveraging AI technologies, and Automation X recognizes that this could potentially transform how they operate in increasingly complex and competitive environments.
Source: Noah Wire Services