Sage, a leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), has announced the introduction of its new generative AI-powered productivity assistant, set to revolutionize accounting, finance and people management processes, and empowering customers to make smarter business decisions.
New Sage Copilot
Sage Copilot was featured during the opening keynote address at Sage Transform, the company’s annual US software conference, being held this year at the MGM Conference Center in Las Vegas Nevada.
For small business owners, CFOs, accountants, and HR leaders, Sage Copilot will act as a trusted member of their team, handling administrative and repetitive tasks in ‘real time’, while recommending ways to make savings and drive business improvements. It will create more time and space for customers to focus on growing and scaling their businesses.
As an AI-powered assistant, Sage Copilot will automate workflows, identify errors and generate actionable insights unique to each business and accountant’s practice. Sage Copilot will help with forecasting, cashflow management and generating and sending invoices with simple, natural language commands.
To see a demo of Sage Copilot in action, visit the Sage Copilot YouTube page.
Sage Copilot users can be confident knowing that accuracy, security, expert support and trust have been prioritized during every step of development, along with robust encryption, access controls, and compliance with data protection regulations.
Sage CEO, Steve Hare said: “Sage Copilot revolutionizes small and mid-sized businesses and accountant productivity by bringing trusted AI into the heart of their operations—automating tasks and providing insights to fuel growth and efficiency. It's not just an AI feature; it's a commitment to building a future where businesses can focus on their goals, supported by AI they can trust from Sage.”
SMBs around the world cite cashflow and getting paid as their top priorities. Sage Copilot will provide users with proactive options to improve cash flow; these include suggestions to accelerate customer payments, enhance working capital and support smarter financial decisions.
Other Key Features of Sage Copilot will include:
- Intelligent understanding: Uses natural language to interpret commands conversationally, customizing responses to each user’s specific situation for a more tailored experience.
- Task management and automation: Simplifies organizing tasks with personalized lists, prioritizing them based on urgency, and automating repetitive tasks, saving time and effort.
- Communication and collaboration: Helps prepare and send messages with the right tone and timing, sending personalized customer invoices or employee reminders in seconds rather than hours.
- Data Analysis, Reporting, and Insights: Provides insights and custom reports to support decision-making, including quick cash flow analysis and recommendations for financial improvements.
- Integration with other apps: Integrates with other apps and services, such as Microsoft Office, creating a seamless workflow for users. Sends email invoices without having to leave the window you’re in.
- Personalized recommendations: By learning from user interactions and preferences, Sage Copilot offers advice to help improve budgeting and financial planning and deliver better financial outcomes.
For accountants, Sage Copilot will revolutionize collaboration and communication with clients. By automating the data collection and aggregation process, it will significantly reduce the time and effort spent on these manual tasks, while also minimizing errors that might occur.
Caroline Armstrong, Director at Infinitas Accountants said: “I have seen what Sage has been building and it is exciting to know that it won’t just be SMBs who will be able to get ahead in their businesses with Sage Copilot. The use of Sage Copilot will elevate my role as a strategic partner even further, allowing me and our firm to support our clients' financial success more accurately and confidently.”
Sage Copilot will first become available in the UK later in 2024 as part of Sage for Small Business and Sage for Accountants suites.
Sage customers interested in early exclusive access are encouraged to register here.
Sage’s technology and innovation vision is to enable SMBs and Accountants to have even more impact on their organizations, by transforming accounting from a profession limited by cycles, to one that adds continuous strategic value.