Using the Ayora Assistant in Ayora Manage

The Ayora assistant helps users search, analyse, and act on live matter data from Ayora Manage through natural language. Use it when you know the matter-management outcome you need, such as preparing a WIP list, drafting a client update, setting alarms, reviewing budgets, posting matter messages, retrieving summaries, or modelling discounts.

The sections below are example use cases, not a complete list of everything the assistant can do. They show common patterns for asking the assistant to find the right matters, prepare an output, or take an action.

Use the dashboard when you want to scan and compare matters visually. Use the assistant when you want to ask a focused question or apply a defined action across matters that match your criteria.

Before You Start

The assistant works best when your request includes clear matter criteria and the action you want to take.

Useful inputs include:

1. Client, matter, matter group, partner, practice area, department, or fee earner.
2. Matter status or expected completion timing.
3. WIP, budget, actuals, billing, debtor, realisation, or profitability thresholds.
4. Whether you want one matter, a selected set of matters, or a portfolio-level result.
5. Any message, client-update topic, alarm value, budget value, or discount percentage you want to use.
6. Whether the output should be used in Ayora Manage, exported, or reviewed before action.

Prepare a Custom WIP List for Excel

Use the assistant when you want to identify a targeted WIP list before exporting or reviewing it outside Ayora Manage.

Tell the assistant:

1. The WIP threshold or WIP range.
2. The client, matter group, partner, practice area, department, or fee earner to include.
3. Whether to include only ongoing matters, flagged matters, or matters with budget pressure.
4. Which additional columns matter for the review, such as WIP, budget, actuals, billing cadence, last bill date, next bill amount, lead fee earner, or recent flag.
5. Whether the list should support billing review, client follow-up, write-off review, or budget action.

The dashboard can be filtered, customised, and exported. Dashboard exports produce CSV files for selected dashboard data. The assistant can also help prepare smaller tailored Excel workbooks from a grounded matter list where that output is supported. For large matter lists, use the assistant to define the criteria, then review and export the filtered list from the dashboard.

Before relying on the exported list, check:

1. Active filters and search terms.
2. Whether the relevant dashboard view is selected.
3. Column labels and hidden columns.
4. Whether the export showed any warning about incomplete data.
5. For assistant-created Excel workbooks, whether the selected columns and rows match the intended review.

Draft a Client Update

Use the assistant when a matter needs client communication about WIP, debt, budget pressure, billing plans, delivery progress, or next steps.

For flagged matters, Ayora Manage includes a client email action that can create a draft client email, select flagged topics, add extra context, regenerate the draft, and save edited content.

Tell the assistant:

1. Which matter or matters the update concerns.
2. The topic, such as budget position, WIP, billing, delivery progress, debt, or timing.
3. The intended tone and level of detail.
4. Any context that should or should not be included.
5. Whether the draft should mention a requested action from the client.

Before sending any client update, check:

1. Matter facts, dates, amounts, and status.
2. Whether the wording is appropriate for the client.
3. Whether internal comments, risk labels, or commercial strategy have been excluded.
4. Whether the message matches the latest matter summary and time entries.

Set Up WIP Alarms

Use WIP alarms when you want Ayora Manage to highlight matters once actuals reach a fixed value, a percentage of budget, or a recurring step value.

The dashboard includes WIP alarm controls for creating, updating, deleting, and applying alarms to a matter or client where available.

For an alarm request, tell the assistant:

1. The matters or client portfolio in scope.
2. The alarm type: fixed value, percentage of budget, or step value.
3. The threshold value.
4. Whether the alarm should apply at matter or client scope.
5. Any naming convention or reason the team should recognise.

Review the affected matters before applying an alarm. Make sure each matter has the budget or WIP data needed for the alarm type. When several matters need alarm changes, define the matter set clearly and review any confirmation carefully before the action is applied.

Update Matter Budgets

Use the assistant when several matters need budget review or budget updates based on the same criteria.

Ayora Manage supports budget updates for individual matters where available. Budget updates can notify the relevant finance business manager where configured. Matter-group budgets and linked-quote budget updates are managed through the relevant dashboard workflows rather than the assistant's matter budget action.

Tell the assistant:

1. Which matter or matters should be updated.
2. The new budget value or update rule.
3. Whether any monthly reset should apply.
4. Why the budget is changing.
5. Whether the team should be notified or a comment should be recorded.

Before confirming budget changes, check:

1. The selected matters.
2. Currency and budget basis.
3. Whether the value should apply to each selected matter.
4. Whether monthly budget reset is appropriate.
5. Whether a matter-group or linked-quote workflow is more appropriate.

Post Messages to Colleagues

Use the assistant when a colleague needs a matter update, reminder, or intervention note.

Ayora Manage supports matter messages, comments, and intervention notes where available. The assistant can post a matter team message for the user when the matter and any mentioned colleagues are identified clearly.

Tell the assistant:

1. The matter and any colleague who should be mentioned.
2. The message content.
3. Whether the message is a reminder, update, escalation, or intervention note.

The assistant does not post to broad colleague groups. If a specific person should be mentioned, provide that person's name or email address so the assistant can resolve the right colleague before posting.

Before posting, check:

1. The recipient person or mentioned colleague.
2. Whether the message includes client-sensitive or internal-only information.
3. Whether the wording is suitable for the matter activity record.
4. Whether a matter message, comment, or client update is the right channel.

Retrieve a Summary

Use the assistant when you need a quick digest of a matter or portfolio before deciding what to do next.

Ask the assistant for a matter summary when you need to understand status, risks, recent activity, next steps, or why a matter is flagged. The assistant can return the same type of AI matter summary that is also available through the non-chat summary workflow, but this article focuses on asking for it conversationally.

Matter summaries can include:

1. Matter classification.
2. Matter overview.
3. Client profile.
4. Matter structure.
5. Value and commercial terms, if applicable.
6. Core workstreams and principal documents.
7. Key parties and stakeholders.
8. Chronology of notable events.
9. Legal and commercial complexities.
10. Current status and next anticipated steps.
11. Additional observations.

If the matter has changed since the summary was created, ask the assistant to refresh or update the summary before relying on it.

Model Discounts

Use discount modelling when a matter or client portfolio is under fee pressure and you want to understand the impact before committing to a commercial position.

Ayora Manage supports discount simulation for a single matter from the dashboard and for multiple selected matters from the bulk action bar. A multi-matter discount model must use matters that share the same currency.

Tell the assistant:

1. The matter or set of matters to model.
2. The proposed discount percentage.
3. Whether the discount is being considered for one matter, selected matters, or a portfolio of matters.
4. Whether the analysis should focus on profitability, realisation, budget position, or billing outcome.

Before acting on a discount model, check:

1. Whether the selected matters are correct and share the same currency when modelled together.
2. Whether the discount percentage is intended as a scenario rather than an instruction.
3. The profitability and realisation impact.
4. Whether the discount requires approval or client communication.
5. Whether the matter team should receive a message or comment explaining the outcome.

Recommended Workflow

1. Start with a specific question, threshold, or action.
2. Ask the assistant to find the relevant matters.
3. Review the matter list in the dashboard where possible.
4. Ask for the draft, summary, model, or proposed update.
5. Check amounts, recipients, selected matters, and assumptions before confirming any action.
6. Export, send, update, or record the result only after review.

Troubleshooting