General Consultant Discussion

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  • 1.  Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-10-2026 12:00

    Food For Thought: 
    I received this email from Sage Software this week, regarding Business Works.  I'm curious how everyone feels regarding Front Line Support Requests?  Are you using something like this in your own business?  Have you considered addressing inbound requests in this manner? 

    Sage BusinessWorks

    Sage Assistant, powered by AI, is now available in Sage BusinessWorks.

    Starting April 14, when you contact us for support, Sage Assistant will be the first step in helping you find answers. It's designed to draw from Sage knowledge sources to help address common questions and direct you to relevant guidance and resources.

    If Sage Assistant can't resolve your issue, it'll guide you to the Customer Portal to submit an online support case. One of our Sage BusinessWorks support experts will then contact you to provide further assistance.

    What this means for you

      • Faster answers to common questions
      • Easy access to guidance and resources
      • A clear path to open an online case when you need more help

    Thank you for choosing Sage BusinessWorks. We're committed to supporting you and improving your support experience.



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    Madeline Stefanou
    Sr. Solution Consultant
    RKL eSolutions, LLC
    LANCASTER PA
    717.208.3117
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  • 2.  RE: Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-11-2026 11:40

    It's estimated there are less than 1,000 BusinessWorks customers on plan. Except for year-end requirements, these customers rarely need assistance, so this is probably a good move for Sage. One of the situations that drives these customers to another package is there are very few ISV offerings. When they have taken on functions such as Shopify for their e-Business, there is no integration offered as with Sage 100.

    This is a sign that BusinessWorks is most likely going the way of BusinessVision - End of Life - sooner than later. There will be one last attempt to move the users over to Intacct, and then they will pull the plug. We converted most of our larger BusinessWorks customers (distributors) to Sage 100 years ago, but a few still hang on. It would be helpful if Sage offered a 40% discount to migrate to Sage 100. I tried last year, but they didn't go for it.

    The other option to Sage Assistant is to actually educate the BusinessWorks customers and introduce them to the Knowledgebase, if they are not already aware of it. I'd rather see Sage invest in the products rather than the Sage Assistant. As for the question about using this for our support, the size of our client base is not that large to need something like this. I also think it is advantageous to speak to our customers. They may ask about something more we can sell them😃!



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    John Hoyt, Co-Founder
    Next Level Manufacturing Consulting Group
    johnh@nextlevelMCG.com
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  • 3.  RE: Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-12-2026 16:51

    There is no doubt in my mind that front line support for many products will become AI. I've had clients use the Sage Help Agent ( https://sage100searchhelp.sage.com/ ) and one of the first things I do now is take a look at the query that the client likely ran through Sage's AI so that I have some context about what they are asking.

    Sage has a way to go with Sage Help Agent. 

    For example, a client called last week wanting to know how to reprint payroll checks and direct deposit stubs. Sage Help Agent guides them through that process without asking if the checks had already been updated ( an important piece of information ).

    With the right amount of effort I believe AI can largely replace live support agents. Whether Sage will put that effort into improving their Sage Help Agent for their BMS line ( or whatever Sage is calling it this year) is the big unknown. 




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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    (860) 516-8990
    Connecticut
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  • 4.  RE: Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-14-2026 08:51
      |   view attached

    FT has an interesting article about the impact of AI on coders/programmers.
    I think the same overall concept is very valid for consulting. 

    AI is shifting the value of "glue work" in software engineering - Tasks like coordination, documentation, and cross-team alignment are becoming more valuable as AI takes over more coding. The people who already focus on these skills are adapting faster, while those who identified mainly as coders are finding the shift harder.



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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    (860) 516-8990
    Connecticut
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  • 5.  RE: Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-14-2026 14:06

    Sage Fixed Assets also announces AI support



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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    (860) 516-8990
    Connecticut
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  • 6.  RE: Any thoughts on Front Line Support going to AI?

    Posted 04-14-2026 14:33

    That's going to work great! Sage's FAS techs barely understand any issues and know how to fix them. My experience, anyway.



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    Karen O'Lane
    Accounting Systems, Inc. (ASI)
    kolane@asifocus.com
    559-448-0900
    559-577-4142
    http://www.asifocus.com
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