Where are the opportunities for improvement?
At a time when budgets have been cut and resources are stretched, there is a need to make what you already have work harder – to make it more efficient. Firms looking to maximise their return on existing large-scale Case Management and CRM solutions, can further improve efficiencies by adopting automation and more nuanced technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
Digitisation and automation remove the need for the transfer and handling of paper documents and the data they hold, removing the problems associated with paper handling (lost & misplaced documents, duplicates, non-compliant processes), increasing efficiency, facilitating teams to work remotely, and enabling client self-service through digital applications. Technologies such as RPA can be used to remove the need for routine, manual tasks, in particular those that bridge the gap between disparate systems and processes. Hence, these technologies can bring greater efficiency to existing deployments, creating seamless processes, unique to your business that enable your team to work as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Using digitisation combined with automated workflows and technologies such as RPA can significantly reduce handling times around your existing CMS and CRM applications. This allows your teams to work far more efficiently, greatly increasing your capacity to do more with limited resources and delivering much-needed cost reduction. Furthermore, it can significantly improve your communication and engagement with customers.
For those firms with conveyancing departments, as an example, there are key areas where automation can enhance processes to create significant benefits and reduce the volume of inbound enquiries, alleviating demand on your conveyancing team and improving the experience for clients.
Customer onboarding & Communication
- Remote validation of customer ID and proof of address documentation to avoid the delay & cost of receiving incorrect or outdated documents.
- The automatic classification, indexing and capture of data from inbound documents received via email, post, or web portal.
- Automated responses sent direct to clients or via a portal acknowledging key milestones met, documentation received, and highlighting outstanding items, reducing calls from clients needing status updates.
Internal processing
- Digitisation and automation remove the need for the transfer and handling of paper documents and the manual inputting of data.
- RPA can be used to bridge the gap between disparate systems, avoiding the need to look up or copy data from a portal or from one system to another.
Focussing on the areas of greatest potential gain, these smaller, more-affordable projects can provide a high return. Moreover, these technologies allow you to scale and increase processing volumes without increasing headcount, allowing technology to look after routine tasks and your people to focus on tasks that employ their skills most effectively. Conversely, if demand falls firms don’t need to reduce headcount to the same extent. Systems and staff are less vulnerable to market changes.
There is an opportunity to bring automation to your business, even in difficult times, by making smaller, well thought-out changes that create robust and stable processes for a leaner future.
If you’re interested to find out how RPA and other technologies can streamline your existing processes, whilst supporting your future vision and roadmap, please contact us. We’re always happy to have an informal chat to discuss your individual requirements and to share ideas and suggestions. Contact Chris Thomas on 0333 577 2629 or email: info@embrace-digital.co.uk
