Meet Clara for SMEs: One AI Layer Across the Tools You Already Use

SMEs don’t need another app. You need the work between apps — the forwarding, the chasing, the checking, the approving — done for you. That is what Clara for SMEs does. Clara is an AI operating layer that sits on top of the tools your business already runs on, so there is no migration project, no new system to learn, and no data to move. It connects your mailboxes, your accounting software and your document drives, then does the repetitive coordination work that eats your day.

In this post, we’ll walk through the five things Clara does once it’s connected to your tools — and show what changes for your team before and after it’s running.

What problem does Clara actually solve?

Most SMEs we talk to aren’t missing features. They already have email, accounting software and a document drive that work fine individually. The problem is the work between those tools: someone forwards an invoice from email to the accounts person, who checks it against Xero, saves it to the drive, and follows up with the supplier. That work is invisible — it doesn’t show up in any app’s dashboard — but it’s where hours go missing every week.

Clara for SMEs is built to do that between-the-apps work automatically. It reads incoming email, understands what each message is asking for, creates a tracked item for it, drafts the next action, and hands it to a named person to approve. Nothing happens without someone saying yes. The result is less forwarding, less chasing, and a clear record of who did what and when.

Step 1: Connect your existing tools

Clara connects to the tools your business already uses. There is no new platform to adopt and nothing to migrate. Currently, Clara integrates with:

• Email: Microsoft 365 and Gmail / IMAP
• Accounting: Xero
• Document storage: OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox

Connecting takes a short setup session. You authorise each tool once, and Clara starts reading and organising the work that flows between them. Because Clara works on top of what you already have, your team keeps using the same apps the same way — Clara does the coordination in the background.

Step 2: Every email becomes tracked work

When an email arrives in a connected mailbox, Clara reads it, works out what it’s about, and turns it into a tracked work item. That means every request, enquiry or document that comes in through email is captured — not sitting in someone’s inbox waiting to be remembered.

Each work item is visible in a single place, so nothing falls through the cracks. You can see what’s come in, what’s being actioned, and what’s waiting on approval. No more forwarding emails to the right person and hoping they remember to deal with it.

Step 3: The next step is drafted for you

For every tracked work item, Clara drafts the next action. That might be a reply to the sender, a note in Xero, a document filed to the right folder, or a question routed to the right person. Clara prepares the draft — but a named person reviews and approves it before anything goes out.

This is a core principle of how Clara works: every action is approved by a named person. Nothing leaves the business — no email sent, no document moved, no record created — without someone saying yes. Clara does the preparation; your people stay in control.

The audit log records who approved what and when, so you always have a clear trail of decisions and actions.

Step 4: Ask the business anything in plain language

Clara lets you ask questions about your business in plain English and get direct answers with sources. For example, you might ask:

• “How many unpaid invoices are over 30 days old?”
• “What did that supplier quote us last quarter?”
• “Which emails came in about that project this week?”

Clara returns exact counts, as-at dates, and links to the source documents or emails behind the answer. You don’t have to open three apps and cross-reference them yourself — Clara does the looking and shows you where the answer came from.

This is useful for busy weeks when you need a quick, reliable answer without digging through folders and threads.

Step 5: Start each day with a brief

Every morning, Clara sends a brief summarising what needs attention that day. The brief pulls together the work items that came in overnight, the items waiting for approval, and anything that’s overdue or needs a follow-up.

Instead of starting your day by opening email, then Xero, then your document drive to figure out what’s urgent, you start with a clear, prioritised picture. You can see what Clara has prepared, approve the next steps, and get moving.

Before and after: what changes for your team

Here’s a side-by-side look at how common tasks change once Clara is connected.

What Clara doesn’t do

Clara is not another app you have to log into and learn. It’s not a migration project that disrupts your team for weeks. And it’s not an autopilot that sends things on your behalf without you knowing.

Clara prepares, drafts and organises — and a named person approves every action. That keeps your team in control while removing the busywork that sits between the tools you already use.

Start with one workflow

The easiest way to see how Clara works is to pick one process — one type of email, one recurring task — and let Clara take it over first. That’s why we offer a 15-minute call to help you find the right starting point.

Book a 15-minute call to pick one process Clara takes over first. We’ll look at how email flows through your business today and identify the first workflow Clara can handle — so you can see the difference without changing everything at once.