Digital Office Transformation

Automation unlocks the possibility to lower error margins to zero across rules‑based, time‑consuming processes.

Automation removes the risk of human error inherent in labour‑intensive, manual tasks, replacing them with processes that are predictable, consistent and timely. In terms of driving costs down, lifting productivity in these repetitive processes is where automation often delivers the greatest impact.

Technology in place of human labour often creates employee distrust. This is understandable, but generally due to initial misunderstanding, lack of explanation or poor previous execution.

To illustrate, we worked with several government agencies using automation to remove pain points from existing staff processes. The workforce went from having very low employee engagement scores to being some of the most highly engaged across agencies.

Removing the routine

Automation is a precision tool, not to be crudely implemented. We tailor our automation measures to maximising the performance of an employee at the expense of previous repetitive tasks.

Focusing on unleashing a team's potential means supporting the creation of improvement ideas and empowering frontline workers and supervisors to make substantial improvements in their routines and the overall business.

When deployed with care, automation leads to greater customer service from an empowered workforce and an elevated, customer‑centric experience. Has your organisation considered how automation can drive higher performance from your workforce?

Our approach to office transformation considers not just capacity release and cost reduction, but it also includes the often‑overlooked benefit automation can bring to service.

We consider the benefits of reduced transaction times and higher quality service when we assess opportunities, as they can substantially improve return on investment.

At the onset of the pandemic, faced with an overnight increase in customer demand and a forced move to remote working, we were faced with the choice of either undergoing a reactive hiring spree to boost capacity or a move to automate low‑value processes and reduce customer wait times.

Those who chose the latter option found that it was fluid, cost‑effective and could result in a more positive experience for not just customers but also the call centre’s workforce.

Empathetic diagnostic

Deploying an automation process and walking away does not build trust in the solution, accountability or long‑term success.

We believe that while increased efficiency and effectiveness are indicators of success, it is only ensured when an organisation and its workforce are committed to permanently embed their changes into a new working culture.

How can organisations ensure that the next time an unexpected event occurs, they are ready and prepared to respond in a measured, predicted manner?

In recent years, the nature of customer service has evolved to favour approaches that were once formed in response to crises but quickly became second nature to organisations and customers alike.

However, this approach is reactive in nature, where a shock spurs an action. With a considered approach to automation process, quality no longer needs to be a decisive factor in an organisation’s response, especially when occurring from a defensive standpoint during a crisis.

Harnessing intelligent automation relies on taking actions that are efficient, innovative and scalable. Taking a broad lens to view your organisation is the first step to reducing risk in the short term and building resilience for the unforeseen.

Mindset shift

Before deciding to automate, transformation leaders can perform a discovery exercise to evaluate current processes and how they can be improved before automation.

Ideally, there should always be a balance between automation and manual tasks, as it offers much‑needed flexibility in a constantly changing market environment.