Natural language querying gives AEC and consulting firms conversational access to operational data across sales, delivery and finance
CMap, the professional services automation platform has launched CMap, a conversational AI interface that lets users query their firm’s operational data in plain language.
The feature sits on top of CMap Intelligence, a set of six AI agents embedded across the platform’s sales, operations, delivery, finance, reporting and admin functions that the company introduced earlier. Where those agents work within existing workflows, Chat provides a single natural language entry point to the same underlying data and recommendations, removing the need to build reports or navigate dashboards to get answers.
In practical terms, users can ask questions such as which invoices are overdue, what revenue is forecast for the quarter, which opportunities are most likely to close, or which consultants are available to start new projects. The system can also generate reports from plain language descriptions, intended to reduce time spent searching across multiple parts of the platform.
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CMap positions this as distinct from general-purpose AI tools on the basis that Chat operates against a firm’s own operational data — quotes, margins, resourcing decisions, project history — rather than broad internet knowledge. The company describes the intended workflow as “ask, analyse, act”: pose a question, explore the results through reporting, then receive recommended next steps.
Jon Stead, CEO of CMap, said the tool addresses a common problem in professional services firms where critical operational data remains locked in spreadsheets, emails or the heads of senior staff. “It is how your MD checks margins across the firm, how your PM spots a project going over budget before it’s too late and how your ops lead checks utilisation rates across different offices,” he said.
Later this year, CMap plans to add Model Context Protocol (MCP) capabilities, which would allow users to connect CMap data to external large language models including Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT and Perplexity. Further developments on the roadmap include pre-built reporting templates, enhanced permissions and the ability to complete administrative tasks such as managing time off and expenses directly within the chat interface.
