Artificial Intelligence (AI) related announcements are aplenty these days, but sometimes a set of updates cuts through that noise. Earlier this year, Unit4 announced the launch of its Advanced Virtual Agent, Ava, which streamlines ERP workflows with AI-driven orchestration and automation. Moreover, Unit4’s Spring 2025 solution release introduced updates that simplify workflows and empower teams to deliver more impactful results.
Unit4 Advances on AI
For example, Unit4’s Invoice Management Experience is powered by AI features like Invoice Data Capture (IDC) and the Accounting Prediction Service (APS). These features improve accuracy and reduce processing time, with invoice coding accuracy rising by up to 50% and processing times decreasing by up to 30%.
Perhaps the most significant element is the role of Ava, the Advanced Virtual Agent. By integrating directly into workflows like invoice follow-up, Ava acts as an orchestrator for service-based firms. It proactively surfaces information, anticipates needs, and connects disparate processes – all through one familiar interface, Microsoft Teams.
Additionally, the new invoice follow-up screen, integrating Ava’s capabilities, makes tracking statuses simpler and more efficient. Combined, these improvements have been shown to cut supplier inquiries by up to 40%, freeing up teams to focus on what matters.
The company also closed the first half of 2025 with its annual X4U event across Europe. The customer feedback from the event showed growing demand from customers who want to understand Unit4’s vision for self-driving ERP and how it can help them modernize their IT systems.
From Raw Data to Clear Financial Stories
The new AI features introduced by Unit4 in the first half of the year directly correspond to this demand. While competitors talk about the theoretical potential of AI, these updates deliver pragmatic, measurable, embedded intelligence designed to solve the everyday problems that weigh on finance and project teams.
For example, the end of a quarter often creates a fire drill for the Finance team. The numbers are in, but the story behind them is scattered across emails, notes, and the minds of budget holders. The real challenge is explaining the why behind those numbers. This is where Unit4 is using pragmatic AI to revolutionize Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) with AI-powered data storytelling.
Unit4’s FP&A software triggers an AI process that reads, understands, and summarizes all the real-user comments. In as little as 10 seconds, it produces a polished summary report, transforming raw financial data and fragmented notes into a clear, coherent narrative. The system is designed to quickly answer the three most critical questions for any business review:
- Which areas exceeded or fell short of expectations?
- What were the key factors driving these results?
- What financial outcomes are projected for the rest of the year?
This creates greater collaboration, organizational visibility, and increased confidence in the decisions that shape the business.
This is the future of ERP: not a system you log into to pull data, but an intelligent partner that pushes insights to you, right where you work.
What This Means for ERP Insiders
For firms struggling to prove the ROI of their tech stack, tangible, quantifiable improvements must redefine what it means to work smarter. Here’s what every ERP user in service-based organizations should consider when evaluating AI:
- The Future is a Self-Driving ERP. The most powerful AI transforms the ERP into a self-driving engine for the business. The goal is effortless adoption and maximum impact. Instead of forcing users to navigate complex modules, this model brings the work directly to them. With an agent like Ava acting as a single, intelligent interface, users spend far less time hunting for information. Tasks, approvals, and insights are pushed to the applications where work already happens, making the ERP itself almost invisible and incredibly powerful.
- Demand Pragmatic AI That Solves Real Problems. Traditional ERP was designed for a world of physical goods, but for people-based industries, the core assets are knowledge, intelligence, and processes. This requires a human-first approach. Look for AI that is pragmatically built to make the team’s life easier, like reducing invoice errors or simplifying resource requests. The goal isn’t flashy technology but one that understands and solves the specific, everyday challenges of service-oriented work.
- Think augmentation, not just automation. The goal of modern AI is to elevate an organization’s people. By automating tedious, low-value tasks, the system frees up a team’s cognitive resources for strategic work such as analysis, forecasting, and client service. ERP Insiders must view AI as a new colleague that handles the repetitive work, allowing the human talent to focus on what they do best.
