Amazon Business on Tuesday outlined a series of “new AI-powered capabilities” for its virtual assistant at its annual Reshape event in Nashville.
The e-commerce and technology giant’s B2B division said in an announcement that the Amazon Business Assistant had evolved from a “general-purpose resource into a conversational tool” that can suggest actions tailored to specific customers based on their past orders, permissions and policies.
Amazon Business officials said that customers can now see tracking details, including projected delivery dates and any pending approvals, as well as check on order reviews to speed up those approvals. They can also now allocate payments, ask spending questions and get answers in “seconds,” and identify potential savings opportunities.
The virtual assistant’s new capabilities will continue to work within previously approved workflows, purchasing policies and spending limits, officials added.
"Every hour a procurement team spends chasing approvals or manually reconciling invoices is an hour they're not spending on the work that moves their organization forward," Amazon Business Worldwide Vice President Shelley Salomon said in a statement. "Amazon Business Assistant now steps in to handle the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that slow teams down.”
Amazon Business also announced the debut of its new “Value Intelligence” experience on Tuesday. The platform, available through Amazon Business Analytics, enables procurement leaders and teams a “single, complete view” of cost savings, operational efficiency and purchase compliance — and shifting discussions “from 'what did this cost?' to 'what value is procurement creating?'” Salomon said.
