#Japan #Tokyo #Kintone #JA Zennoh #Smart at AI

JA Zennoh Hiroshima Integrates Smart at AI

In a significant step towards modernizing agricultural operations, JA Zennoh Hiroshima has adopted the Smart at AI service provided by M-SOLUTIONS, a company based in Toshima, Tokyo. This innovative solution integrates the power of kintone with generative AI, providing a robust tool aimed at enhancing operational efficiency within the organization. The official announcement was made on June 4, 2026, detailing how this integration marks a transformative moment for JA Zennoh Hiroshima.

Background of Smart at AI Adoption

The push for improvement through kintone at JA Zennoh Hiroshima comes amid a larger strategy to incorporate AI into daily operations. Since October 2025, Microsoft Copilot has been made available to all staff for optimizing individual tasks such as summarizing meeting notes and creating draft surveys. However, integrating generative AI seamlessly into business processes presented ongoing challenges. The organization recognized that it would be unrealistic for every employee to fully utilize AI. Instead, the goal was for key personnel in each department to weave AI into their workflows, allowing staff to benefit without intensive training.

The pivotal moment came during the Cybozu Days event, hosted by Cybozu, where Smart at AI was first introduced. The ability to incorporate generative AI into kintone’s applications and workflows resonated with the organization's vision, prompting its adoption.

Moving forward, JA Zennoh Hiroshima plans to gradually expand the use of Smart at AI beyond just customer inquiries, exploring its potential in other areas of the organization.

Utilization and Benefits

Currently, Smart at AI is utilized for managing inquiries from consumers. When a question is submitted through the organization’s website, the information is automatically fed into kintone. Smart at AI then utilizes historical response data to automatically generate a draft reply, which is reviewed and modified by the assigned staff before being approved by a supervisor in the kintone workflow.

Previously, crafting each response could take anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, involving a process where staff would create drafts from scratch and print them out for approval. With the implementation of Smart at AI, the time required per response has been reduced to about 10 minutes.

This significant reduction translates to a savings of approximately 8 to 13 hours of work each month, as the team regularly handles around 10 inquiries. This increase in efficiency has led to faster response times, shortening the average lead time for inquiries from 2-3 business days to 1-2 days, thereby enhancing consumer experience.

Additionally, the use of Smart at AI has standardized answers across the board, mitigating inconsistencies arising from individual staff knowledge and expertise. It also simplifies industry jargon, making it more understandable to consumers. The organization ensures a balance between efficiency and safety by involving human review before any AI-generated response is sent out.

A First for JA Zennoh: Regional Approval for AI Use

JA Zennoh’s adoption of generative AI tools is particularly notable because it marks the first case wherein a regional application led to nationwide approval across the organization. Stringent guidelines are in place for using AI tools set by JA Zennoh’s Tokyo headquarters. Each application must pass a checklist to be recognized as an approved operational tool. Smart at AI underwent comprehensive scrutiny regarding data sharing and compliance before gaining acceptance, requiring a considerable amount of time and effort.

The success of this initiative can be attributed to the upper management's understanding of IT utilization and a culture that encourages innovation.

About kintone

Kintone is a versatile business improvement platform utilized by over 42,000 companies. It allows organizations to create customized applications tailored to their needs without requiring extensive IT knowledge. Kintone facilitates rapid, cost-effective improvements in processes through its main features, including database management, communication tools, and process management, enabling continuous enhancements driven by the workplaces themselves.

About Smart at AI

Smart at AI serves as an AI integration service specifically designed for kintone users. It enables users to safely and effectively harness generative capabilities within kintone through easy data prompts. This tool not only manages and shares information but also promotes operational efficiency by generating valuable outputs from the data housed in kintone.

About M-SOLUTIONS

Operating under the motto of creating happiness through information revolution and generating new values, M-SOLUTIONS offers various services including systems integration, product development, and public projects. As a pioneer in providing kintone integration services, M-SOLUTIONS boasts over 1,400 implementation cases and offers more than 25 kintone plugins and integrated services.

Contact: For inquiries about the services, please reach out to the Product Sales Department at M-SOLUTIONS Co., Ltd. via phone at 03-6892-3166 or email at [email protected].