Wolters Kluwer brings AI powered virtual agents to ANZ

Professional services software giant Wolters Kluwer has launched new capabilities to its Commerce Clearing House (CCH) iFirm platform, including its generative artificial intelligence-powered advanced virtual agent (AVA) in Australia and New Zealand.

AVA and other enhancements to the CCH iFirm platform are designed to transform how accounting professionals access support and information across the Asia-Pacific region.

The GenAI-powered virtual agent changes how tax and accounting professionals interact with software support systems.

Unlike traditional chatbots, AVA understands questions written in everyday language and provides instant, contextually relevant responses around the clock.

The technology is said by Wolkers Kluwer to speed up the time to resolve queries, in turn enabling accounting firms to resolve technical issues without waiting for human support agents during business hours.

"These enhancements are designed to help firms grow by reducing time spent per job and improving visibility across the practice," Megan Mulia, managing director of Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting Asia Pacific, said.

Wolters Kluwer first announced its enhanced virtual agent capabilities to the global market in June 2024, describing the technology as the next evolution in what it calls "firm intelligence."

Beyond customer support automation, AVA actively assists human service representatives by creating case summaries and knowledge-based articles.

This frees workers up to focus on complex technical inquiries that require human expertise.

The US market was the first to see the enhancements, including AVA, in mid June, and the system now operates in 10 countries, in six languages, and integrates with 29 different tax and accounting solutions worldwide.

"Wolters Kluwer's AI-powered solutions have consistently resolved complex challenges for our customers for decades, and this is the next evolution in how we're building firm intelligence, enabling professionals to maximise expertise and optimise their productivity through instant access to relevant internal information," Garrett Hale, executive vice president of global operations at Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting, said.