Epicor Unveils AI-Based Virtual Agent

LAS VEGAS, April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- INSIGHTS 2019 -- Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today announced the release of Epicor Virtual Agent (EVA), its new enterprise-wide digital agent designed to help users work smarter and accelerate pace of operations across the business more easily.

Developed to execute tasks and recommend, predict, and adjust actions within set parameters, EVA appears on-screen as a virtual assistant that users can access via text or voice. Along with cognitive skills such as text and voice, EVA transforms data into visual information creating an intuitive experience to complete actions on native devices. Powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), users can access EVA from their mobile devices and the agent will deliver targeted information to help them make better, faster decisions.

Beyond the request/response conversational experience, EVA also uses artificial intelligent (AI) capabilities to proactively deliver alerts and carry out targeted actions based on combinations of events, market statistics, and historical data. Designed to extend and support the workforce, EVA can contribute timely insights that improve accuracy, problem-spotting, and can even forecast and automatically adjust production or distribution levels in-line with customer demand.

"New forms of interacting with business software solutions are a key to accelerating the pace of operations and improving the exchange of data and information," said Scott Hays, senior vice president, product marketing at Epicor. "Having an intelligent agent at hand will help companies become more agile and responsive to unexpected events and rapidly changing customer demands."

According to industry analyst Gartner¹ more than 50 percent of all people collaborating in Industry 4.0 ecosystems will use virtual assistants or intelligent agents to interact more naturally with their surroundings and with people by 2022. IDC² predicts that by the same year, task-level intelligent applications (apps) that augment human efforts will account for 30 percent of the enterprise apps market. According to IDC, by 2027 the advances in unsupervised and reinforcement machine learning will enable cognitive/AI systems that can detect and sense their environment, learn independently, and make decisions on their own or provide humans with constraint-optimized recommendations.

"With EVA, you interact naturally with your ERP system," comments Hays. "It's as easy as just talking or typing to a colleague. This makes the breadth and depth of the industry-specific functionality and information available inside the system directly accessible to a larger audience, boosting productivity and efficiency, and giving the company an improved return on their ERP investment."

Developed using AI services from Microsoft Azure, EVA can be added to all sizes and types of Epicor ERP implementations—on-premise as well as in the cloud. This ensures customers of any size, including small and medium-sized companies, can take advantage of innovative technologies that will help them grow their businesses.

"As consumers we're already familiar with conversational technology, EVA will be easy for users to start working with straight away. Furthermore, thanks to its machine learning component, the more you use EVA, the better it will work for you," said Hays. "We are confident that using an artificial intelligence-based agent that has deep industry-specific applications will make their enterprise systems more predictive, adaptive, and proactive. EVA will enable customers of all sizes, regardless of their operating model, to increase productivity, work smarter, and grow their business in whatever direction they want in today's Industry 4.0 ecosystem."

During its global user conference, Insights 2019, held in Las Vegas, Epicor showcased several industry-specific use cases for EVA.

• Manufacturing—using EVA to detect an anomaly early on in a production machine that, if left untouched, could lead to unplanned downtime and sub-standard product quality. Data from machines and IoT sensors, combined with Epicor ERP, provides a virtual nervous system that delivers AI-driven alerts from EVA to a mobile device. With just a few clicks on the device, the production manager can confirm suggestions from EVA to schedule preventive maintenance for a machine and shift production to other available machines.
• Distribution—enabling outside sales representatives to obtain instant and easy access to product, price, and availability information, and create a quote on a mobile device while meeting with a customer. This time-saving process is made possible by EVA's conversational user interface (UI), based on natural language processing.
• Retail—making cross-sell and up-sell recommendations in real-time while helping a retail customer in the aisles to make a purchase decision, thanks to an AI-powered recommendation engine based on market analysis.
• Automotive Aftermarket—using AI to evaluate a massive dataset of vehicle registrations and parts failure trends by region, EVA is able to notify an auto parts distributor of specific parts that need an immediate increase in stock levels for selected regions due to a projected increase in demand.

EVA will be available as part of the latest releases on Epicor ERP and Prophet 21, which are planned for general availability in May 2019.

More news from Insights 2019 is available at the Epicor Newsroom and follow event coverage on Twitter using #EpicorInsights19.

¹ Gartner: Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2019, Published: 15 October 2018, Analysts: David Cearley, Brian Burke
² https://www.idc.com/promo/thirdplatform/innovationaccelerators/cognitive

Forward-Looking Statements
Management of Epicor Software Corporation believes certain statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements including statements regarding the latest product release, release dates, expected future functionality and benefits therefrom, and other statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements are based on currently available competitive, product and economic data together with management's views and assumptions regarding future events and business performance as of the time the statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors the business or prospects expected by Epicor as part of this announcement may not occur. Epicor undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

About Epicor Software Corporation
Epicor Software Corporation drives business growth. We provide flexible, industry-specific software designed to fit the precise needs of our manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service industry customers. More than 45 years of experience with our customers' unique business processes and operational requirements are built into every solution―in the cloud or on premises. With this deep understanding of your industry, Epicor solutions dramatically improve performance and profitability while easing complexity so you can focus on growth. For more information, connect with Epicor or visit www.epicor.com.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Microsoft and Azure are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation.

SOURCE Epicor Software Corporation

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