SmartHR's "AI Assistant" Exceeds 150,000 Automated Responses to Inquiries in Approximately One Year Since Launch

The "AI Assistant" for SmartHR, the cloud-based HR and labor management software operated by SmartHR, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Masato Serizawa), has surpassed 150,000 cumulative responses to employee inquiries (※1) in approximately one year since its launch in July 2025. The number of adopting companies has reached 900, and its function for quickly answering everyday questions about HR and labor is increasingly being utilized in companies.

"AI Assistant" is a feature that uses AI to instantly answer employee inquiries based on internal documents such as work rules and various procedures. By enabling employees to quickly confirm necessary information, it reduces the burden of daily inquiry response for administrative departments and leads to improved operational efficiency for both employees and administrative departments.

Supporting the Reduction of "Nameless Tasks" Such as Inquiry Response and Information Dissemination with AI

In recent years, while the DX of HR and labor management has accelerated in many companies, "nameless tasks" that are difficult to define as formal work, such as responding to employee inquiries, disseminating internal rules, confirming application details, and urging those who have not complied, continue to be a burden for administrative departments in practice.

A survey conducted by SmartHR (※2) revealed that 88% of inquiries received by labor representatives were for information that "could be found by looking at manuals or regulations." Furthermore, in interactions with employees who do not have PCs, there was a high frequency of verbal communication and requests for relaying information to site managers, concentrating the burden of information dissemination on middle managers such as store managers and branch managers.

To address these challenges, "AI Assistant" provides an environment where employees can confirm necessary information on the spot, contributing to the reduction of the burden of inquiry response and information dissemination that tends to concentrate on administrative departments and site managers. The AI provides instant answers based on work rules, internal manuals, and documents related to various procedures uploaded to SmartHR. Since it can also be used via a smartphone app, employees working at stores, factories, or branches who do not own a PC can confirm necessary information without contacting their supervisors.

SmartHR will continue to contribute to improving corporate productivity by creating an environment where employees can access necessary HR and labor information without hesitation, thereby increasing the time employees can dedicate to more essential tasks.

※1: Cumulative usage refers to the total number of times "AI Assistant" has generated responses to employee inquiries.

※2: SmartHR, "Survey on the Reality of 'Nameless Tasks'" (December 2025)

Utilization Examples in Adopting Companies

Since its launch, "AI Assistant" has been utilized in the practical operations of adopting companies as a function to support inquiry response regarding HR and labor procedures and internal rules, as well as information dissemination to the field.

<Cosmo Oil Sales Co., Ltd. | "Asking the AI first" became widespread, reducing after-hours support to almost zero. Significantly reduced communication burden between the field and headquarters.>

Cosmo Oil Sales Co., Ltd., with approximately 4,000 employees, faced challenges with dispersed communication methods, inefficient information dissemination, and concentrated inquiries to HR. In addition to the interruption of the representative's work each time a phone inquiry was received, the company's service stations operate 365 days a year, leading to support being required even on holidays.

The company utilizes "AI Assistant," which can answer based on work rules, internal regulations, and system manuals, for initial inquiry response. The behavior of "asking the AI first" when having questions became widespread, creating an environment where employees can confirm necessary information on the spot. As a result, business interruptions due to phone inquiries have decreased, and unavoidable holiday support has become almost non-existent, leading to a reduction in the burden on both HR and the field. Furthermore, since employees can ask questions to the AI without hesitation, which they might find difficult to ask a person, it has reduced confusion regarding internal systems and procedures, contributing to a better working environment.

<Ore no Co., Ltd. | AI provides instant answers even late at night and on holidays, realizing "peace of mind of being able to ask anytime" for store employees and reducing the burden on store managers and HR.>

Ore no Co., Ltd., which operates dining establishments, has 77% of its approximately 1,800 employees as part-time workers, and limited means for them to easily confirm HR and labor-related questions. Information dissemination tended to depend on store managers, and errors in guiding documents according to employment type and rework were also issues.

Prompted by an increase in employee numbers due to a merger and the revision of work rules, the company uploaded the new work rules to "AI Assistant" and set the scope of disclosure according to employment type and work location. This created an environment where employees can confirm necessary information on the spot. As a result, it has led to more efficient inquiry response that previously depended on store managers, and prevention of application errors and rework. Furthermore, by having generative AI provide instant answers even during times when headquarters staff are unavailable, such as weekends and late nights, it contributes to increased peace of mind for employees working in stores.

Details of the case: Instant answers on weekends and late nights. AI Assistant realizes "peace of mind of being able to ask anytime" for store employees and reduces the burden on store managers.

<SmartHR, Inc. | Reduced overall inquiries by approximately 10%, and general affairs/IT-related inquiries by approximately 20%. Creates time to focus on important tasks with high response accuracy.>

Within SmartHR itself, "AI Assistant" is used for responding to inquiries regarding internal rules, various systems, and application methods. In an internal demonstration experiment conducted for one month in August 2025, it was calculated that approximately 1,500 employees used the feature once per day per person, resulting in an overall reduction of approximately 10% in inquiry response, and approximately 20% in general affairs and IT-related inquiries.

Even after uploading over 200 documents, including those not related to HR and labor, the response success rate remained at a high level of 82%. By creating an environment where employees can quickly confirm necessary information, it has led to redirecting time spent on inquiry response to more important tasks.

Details of the case: Approximately 20% reduction in inquiries. Tried the new "AI Assistant" feature internally.

For details on the "AI Assistant" feature, please see the following press release:

SmartHR to Launch "AI Assistant" Feature for AI-Powered Responses to HR and Labor Inquiries in Late July

About Cloud HR and Labor Management "SmartHR"

"SmartHR" is a cloud-based HR and labor management software that has been the No. 1 market share in labor management cloud for 7 consecutive years (※3). It digitizes various labor procedures such as employment contracts, onboarding, attendance, and payroll calculations. By utilizing employee data accumulated in "SmartHR," it promotes optimal personnel allocation and talent development through talent management functions, supporting data-driven human capital management. Furthermore, through the app store service "SmartHR Plus," it enhances customization for individual companies and achieves highly accurate and secure data integration.

With the service vision of "worker-friendly - easy for everyone to use," SmartHR contributes to improving corporate productivity and creating an environment where everyone can work with their individuality.

※3: Deloitte Tohmatsu Mic Research Institute Co., Ltd. "Reality and Outlook of the HRTech Cloud Market FY2025 Edition" Labor Management Cloud Market/Shipment Value (FY2024) https://mic-r.co.jp/mr/03710/

Company Overview

Company Name: SmartHR, Inc.

CEO: Masato Serizawa

Business Activities: Planning, development, operation, and sales of cloud-based HR and labor management software "SmartHR"

Established: January 23, 2013

Capital: 100 million yen

Headquarters: Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower, 3-2-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Company URL: https://smarthr.co.jp/