Using your Atlas AI Assistant: 3 ways Cipher can support your business 

One thing we all never seem to have enough of these days is time. Running a business can stretch you, and so we want to make sure that you have as many options as possible to get the support you need from us, whenever you need it. 

That’s why we’re investing in developing Cipher, your Atlas AI Assistant. Sitting proudly in the bottom right-hand corner of Atlas, we’ve launched Cipher with the ability to answer some questions around Atlas Support, Health & Safety and HR & Employment Law template letters, and we’re working on adding even more functionality later down the line. 

 

What is Cipher?  

Cipher is a chatbot. It’s not generative AI, like ChatGPT or Perplexity, which search the internet and create original content – it has a knowledge base of support articles, FAQs, and links that we’ve provided, which means it can help you with queries that relate to anything in that knowledge base.  

The quality of our advice and support is one of the key tenants of our service, and so we want to be really transparent with you with what Cipher can do right now and where it can help you.  

Technology, especially AI, is developing all the time, and so Cipher will evolve over time. It has already been saving clients time and helping them get the answers they need more quickly, and we’re looking forward to adding even more ways to save you time in the future.  

In this article, our team explains how Cipher can support you right now and how to get the best from it.  

 

A bit of background 

Cipher launched last year, and so far:  

• Over 50,000 of you have asked it a question  

• On average, 5,000 people a month are using Cipher  

 

Area 1: Atlas Support 

If you’ve been with Citation for a while, you may know that we’ve always had a chatbot that can help you with any questions you have about using Atlas. With Cipher, we’ve taken this to the next level and ensured it has a really comprehensive knowledge base of everything Atlas, so it can be your first port of call for any Atlas issues. If it can’t help you, one of our Atlas Support team will still be on hand.  

Kathy Gwinnett, our Operations Director, has loved watching clients interact with Cipher to such success so far, remarking;  

“Cipher has made it easy for our clients to get the help they need at the time they need it, so they can get the best out of the Atlas platform. We know everybody isn’t in an office 9-5, so Cipher offers 24-hour support. The Atlas Support team is always on hand to chat with you about any tricky queries, but Cipher has given lots of clients really fast resolutions already.” 

 

Area two: HR & Employment Law (template letters)*  

As you know, HR & Employment Law is a complex area of running a business, and we want you to rest assured that Cipher isn’t designed to replace our market-leading advice line or service, which our experts will always deliver with a personal touch.  

What it is useful for is supporting you with simple queries around template letters, as Gill McAteer, our Director of Employment Law, explains: 

“Cipher allows you to access over 120 template letters and documents, covering a wide range of the most common HR challenges and processes related to managing your staff, including misconduct, sickness absence, poor performance, probation and grievance.  

“You’ll be guided through a few simple questions and options to direct you to the most suitable template for your circumstances. There’s a clear explanation of what each template does and when it should be used.  

“Cipher can be used on its own to get a letter without having to speak to an advisor. However, you can also use it in conjunction with our advice service, allowing you to access and draft a template letter as a starting point or the next phase of a process, and send it to our expert team for more detailed advice and to discuss your options.” 

*Available only to Service Owners with our HR & Employment Law service.  

 

Area three: Health & Safety* 

Rather than looking through our Useful Documents area to find an answer to a Health & Safety question, why not try Cipher?  

David Taylor, our Health & Safety Advice Manager, explains: 

“We’re excited to introduce online Health & Safety support with Cipher. We see this as an evolving tool designed to give you quick access to general H&S guidance, 24/7, via Atlas.  

“Covering around 60 key topics, it can help answer common Health & Safety questions in areas like lone working, DSE, COSHH, manual handling, and more. Cipher is still learning and will continue to improve over time, using real questions from clients like you to grow and refine its knowledge.  

“It’s a great way to get instant support on general queries, and it can also be used alongside our advice service, including live chat, when more detailed or tailored guidance is needed. As usage grows, so will its capabilities — and we’re only just getting started.” 

*Available only to Service Owners with our Health & Safety service. 

 

Want to give it a try?  

Head to Atlas now and see how Cipher can support you.