The new partnership will benefit the bank’s 85,000 SME customers
Leading financial institution Westpac NZ has partnered with artificial intelligence software company Aider to provide conversational digital assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The tie-up aims to help business owners make fast, data-led decisions to improve their efficiency and bottom line. There is also a customer service benefit for Westpac’s 85,000 SME customers, who can use Aider’s contact me function if they need to speak with a bank representative.
According to Westpac NZ digital ventures head Lewis Billinghurst, SMEs make up 97% of businesses in New Zealand, yet this market is often under-served and under-informed.
“We see great value in being able to introduce SMEs to artificial intelligence in an easily-consumed format,” Billinghurst said. “The team at Aider have a compelling vision and we’re pleased to work with them to help our mutual customers grow their businesses.”
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“We believe in human-centric AI and created Aider to give those passionate small business owners easy access to the information they need to make better business decisions,” Aider co-founder Pete Weaver added. “Banking relationships are critical to SMEs and we look forward to working more with Westpac to help serve their customers.”
Aider is available to anyone in Australia and New Zealand via the Google Play and Apple App stores. A free three-month trial will be available to Westpac NZ customers.
