Overview
Vic Assistant is an AI-powered chat experience built into Vic.ai that lets you ask questions about your accounts payable data in plain English — and get answers in seconds. Instead of building reports or exporting data, you simply ask. Vic Assistant returns clear answers with supporting tables, charts, and downloadable files, so your team can move from question to decision without the manual work in between.
Getting Started
How to Access Vic Assistant
Log in to your Vic.ai account
Click the AI Assistant button in the top-right of the navigation
The Assistant panel will open — start typing your question
Access Requirements
Vic Assistant must be enabled for your organization
Organization or Company Administrator access is required to use the feature
If you don't see the Assistant, reach out to your account team or Customer Success Manager.
How to Use Vic Assistant
Ask in Plain English
Type questions the same way you'd ask a colleague. Vic Assistant interprets your request and returns results instantly.
Examples:
"Show me my top 10 vendors by spend this quarter"
"Which invoices are pending approval over $10,000?"
"How much did we spend on [vendor] in the last 3 months?"
Understand Your Results
Vic Assistant returns answers in multiple formats:
Summaries: Written insights you can act on immediately
Tables: Structured data for detailed review
Charts: Automatically generated visualizations (bar, line, and more) to spot trends quickly
CSV downloads: Export results for further analysis in Excel or other tools
Ask follow-up questions at any time to refine results or go deeper.
Create Charts and Export Data
Ask for visualizations directly ("Show this as a monthly trend" or "Create a chart of spend by vendor"), or download results as a CSV for offline analysis or sharing.
Continue the Conversation
Vic Assistant supports persistent chat threads. Ask follow-up questions, drill deeper into results, or return to previous conversations later.
Best Practices
Be specific: The more precise your question, the more useful your answer.
More effective: "Show unpaid invoices over $10,000 due in the next 30 days" Less effective: "Invoice status"
Ask for visuals or exports when you need them: Request a chart ("Show this as a bar chart") or export to CSV when you need to analyze or share results.
Break complex questions into steps: For deeper analysis, use follow-up questions rather than asking everything at once.
Example sequence:
"Show top vendors by spend this quarter"
"Now break that down by department"
Include timeframes: Time ranges improve accuracy and focus results. Try: "this month," "last quarter," "year to date."
Reference specific attributes: Vendor name, GL account, approval status, invoice amount — the more context you include, the more targeted your results.
Validate outputs for high-stakes use: Vic Assistant is designed to be accurate, but always review results before using them for financial reporting, audits, or external communication.
Stay within AP and accounting topics: Vic Assistant is purpose-built for AP and finance data.
Questions outside the scope of AP and Finance data won't return results.
Common Use Cases
Spend & Vendor Insights
Track vendor spend trends over time
Identify top vendors by category or department
Export vendor data for reporting
Invoice & Approval Tracking
Monitor pending and overdue approvals
Find invoices by amount, status, or vendor
Export invoice lists for follow-up
Reporting & Analysis
Generate reports instantly without building dashboards
Visualize trends without needing Excel
Download data for deeper, offline analysis
Security & Permissions
Vic Assistant works within your existing Vic.ai permissions. Users only see the data they're authorized to access, row-level security is enforced automatically, and no additional data is exposed. Nothing changes about how your data is protected — Vic Assistant simply makes accessing it faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need SQL or BI tools to use Vic Assistant?
No. If you can ask a question in plain English, you can use Vic Assistant.
What data can Vic Assistant access?
Vic Assistant works with AP and accounting data within Vic.ai — including invoices, vendors, spend, and approvals. It cannot access data outside of Vic.ai.
Can I create charts and export data?
Yes. Vic Assistant generates charts automatically and allows you to download results as CSV files for further analysis or sharing.
Can I ask follow-up questions?
Yes. Vic Assistant supports conversational threads, so you can refine and build on previous questions naturally.
Can it answer non-accounting questions?
No. Vic Assistant is designed specifically for AP and finance workflows.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Vic Assistant respects all existing Vic.ai permissions and only surfaces data you're authorized to see.
How is this different from running a report?
Reports require setup and manual effort. Vic Assistant gives you answers immediately — with charts, tables, and exports — and lets you keep asking questions to go deeper. It's a fundamentally different way to interact with your data.
How do I get access?
Vic Assistant is available to all customers with a free trial through June 30th. Contact your Vic.ai account team or Customer Success Manager to get started. After June 30th, continued access requires a paid Analytics package or add-on.
Tips for Getting the Most Value
Start with the questions you already ask manually every week
Use charts during month-end close to spot issues faster
Export data when you need to share findings or go deeper
Replace recurring report requests with quick queries
Let it do the data-pulling so your team can focus on what the numbers mean