TLDR: Xero is actively expanding the capabilities of its JAX (Just Ask Xero) AI agent, a generative AI-powered assistant designed to significantly enhance automation and efficiency for small businesses and their advisors. Initially launched in early 2024, JAX streamlines tasks, provides real-time insights, and offers personalized support, reinforcing Xero’s commitment to leveraging AI responsibly for its global customer base.
Xero, a leading global small business platform, is continuing to advance its commitment to automation for small firms through the ongoing expansion and refinement of its artificial intelligence (AI) agent, JAX (Just Ask Xero). First unveiled at Xero’s inaugural Investor Day on February 28, 2024, JAX is a generative AI-powered smart business companion engineered to empower small businesses and their accounting advisors.
JAX is designed to simplify and accelerate a multitude of accounting tasks, allowing users to interact with Xero’s products directly from within their frequently used applications and devices. Its capabilities extend beyond basic queries, enabling users to generate invoices, edit quotes, manage bills, and even anticipate future needs. For instance, JAX can provide personalized insights such as cash flow forecasts to aid in critical decision-making and can proactively send follow-up emails for overdue payments.
The AI assistant operates by integrating a business’s specific Xero data with Xero’s extensive internal help guides and knowledge base. This secure, embedded approach ensures that JAX provides real-time, personalized support without requiring users to leave the software. Xero has emphasized that JAX is built with privacy and data integrity at its core, accessing only the business’s own Xero data with appropriate permissions, distinguishing it from generic AI chatbots.
Diya Jolly, Chief Product Officer at Xero, has previously highlighted the company’s responsible approach to technological innovation. “Technology has dramatically changed the lives of small businesses, and we’re embracing this new wave of tech innovation responsibly,” Jolly stated at JAX’s initial announcement. “Our customers are at the heart of what we do, and with our AI vision, we aim to deliver the most trusted and insightful small business platform.”
The impact of Xero’s AI integration is already evident. The company reported that the incorporation of a GenAI tool into Xero Central, its support portal, resulted in a 40% reduction in average customer search time and a 20% decrease in customer service support required. The gradual rollout of JAX began in early 2024 across Xero organizations in Australia and New Zealand, with broader availability planned.
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To further bolster its AI strategy, Xero has made strategic hires, including Eitan Sharon as Senior Vice President of Data & Science and Akankshu Dhawan as Senior Vice President of Product – Direct, Growth, and AI products. These appointments underscore Xero’s dedication to harnessing AI’s power to drive innovation and deliver enhanced value to its small business ecosystem.
