Key results

• Reduction in background check completion time from one week to same day
• Automation returned an average of 6.4 FTE (full-time employee) hours each month
• Successful large-scale transformation replacing two legacy systems

Background

One of the nation’s leading new homes specialists was facing a growing challenge with its legacy systems. These outdated solutions were causing frustration among staff members while negatively impacting customer experience (CX), with application turnaround times being slower than desired.

For example, staff members were taking up to 60 minutes to upload just 10 images of a property after a home inspection. In addition, the data retrieval process for background checks was becoming a bottleneck during peak times as employees were required to retrieve information manually via various portals and systems. This led to backlogs and prolonged wait times for customers.

To help address these challenges, Davies was brought in to develop a new, intelligent automation solution that leveraged the power of virtual workers to improve operational efficiency and enhance the employee/customer experience.

How we helped

We first began assisting the new homes specialist by automating the data retrieval process for background checks. By implementing virtual workers, employees were freed from the time-consuming task of manually gathering data and were able to focus on more value-generating activities. In turn, this reduced the potential for backlogs to build up during peak times and allowed background checks to be completed the same day they were received.

Next, we introduced virtual workers to automatically upload images from home inspections to the system, freeing up even more staff time while improving efficiency. After a 12-month period of automating these processes, the resulting efficiency savings allowed the company to invest further with Davies to modernise additional systems. This enabled the development of two new bespoke automation solutions that were tailored to the company’s specific needs.

Due to the agile nature of how we deliver such large-scale transformation programmes, Davies was able to ensure that the minimum viable product (MVP) was suitable for initial release and would enable a seamless transition from legacy to automated solutions.

Results

The outcomes of the project have been impressive, with the company’s legacy systems now fully replaced with automated systems that improve operational efficiency, speed up turnaround times, and provide a better CX. The virtual worker enabled the automation of the background check data retrieval process, which freed up the equivalent of 4.9 FTE hours each month. Similarly, the automation of the image upload process gave 1.5 FTE hours back to the business each month (for a total of 6.4 hours).

The results of the project were further validated through metrics captured by the virtual workers, as well as feedback from both the organisation’s staff and customers. For instance, the virtual workers processed an average of 1,359 background checks each month and uploaded an average of 10 images per property, totalling 1,280 images each month. The time it took to complete background checks was reduced from a week to the same day, greatly improving the CX.

Overall, our partnership with the new homes specialist was a resounding success. Our innovative solution, combining virtual workers and automation, delivered significant efficiency benefits, freeing up staff time and enabling the company to invest in the development of two new bespoke systems. The focus on improving both the employee and customer experience was key to the success of the project and resulted in a large-scale transformation programme that has positively impacted the organisation’s operations.