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Robotics in Local Government

T-Impact work with forward-thinking local government organisations, seeking to drive efficiency and improve the experience of citizens through digital transformation. Our robotics & AI subscription models enable organisations to test the water without significant financial exposure and build a solid business case before seeking further investment. Speak with one of our experts today to learn how other local government organisations are embracing this technology to achieve targets and provide a secure future for their colleagues and communities. 

Budget Cuts

Local Councils have been under significant pressure to cut costs due to massive reductions in funding. Previously essential services in many local constituencies, such as libraries, parks and community centres, have closed as councils continue the drive for efficiency. 

The Demand for Housing and Social Care

AgeUK predicts that by 2036, the number of people aged 85 or over in England will have doubled. With families becoming fragmented, the demand for social housing and assisted living will increase, yet there is little sense of where the required funding will come from. 

Citizen’s Expectations

In today’s digital society, citizens are used to receiving services quickly, easily and tailored to their requirements. The public take it for granted that they can engage with their service providers 24 hours a day across a variety of digital channels, and councils are under pressure to ensure they are meeting these expectations.

GDPR, Policy and Procedure reforms

The sweeping changes imposed by GDPR have resulted in many local councils starting again with procedures, policies and IT infrastructure in order to comply with the new legislation. 

Devolution

Subject matter access requests, Freedom of Information requests and devolution due to the implementation of metro-mayors, have all contributed to rising demands and workloads.

What can robots do for local government? 

Due to these core changes, local authorities have had little choice but to explore new technologies that enable greater output at significantly reduced costs. Some of the most popular applications of robotics in local government include:

Council Tax and Direct Debit Instruction

Some councils collect 60% of their service payments using Direct Debit. Although this culture is commonplace, it is time-consuming, repetitive and often error-laden. A leading London council who previously spent 687 hours processing Revenues and Benefits, saw effort reduced by 76% in a few weeks using T-Impact’s robotic solutions. 

Address Changes

Humans find data input tedious and issues with quality and consistency often occur. T-Impact have worked with London councils to eliminate this burden, with an ROI of up to 170% after just three months of operation. 

Business Rates

A new key revenue stream for local councils, business rates administration has previously been separate from other departments, resulting in confusion and delays. A Northern authority has worked with us to automate indexing exemption paper, leaving Rates Officers free to perform higher value tasks.

The Robotics involved in Local Government Automation 

Mention AI robots and most people think of SciFi Robots such Terminator or one arm manufacturing robots. The term AI Robotic Process Automation (RPA), refers to specific forms of software that can be ‘trained’ to perform a variety of manual functions, such as opening emails, saving attachments and entering and extracting data.

Robotic process automation (RPA) mimics human activity on your computer. By executing specific work flows and applying business rules, RPA can perform many of same functions as a human. It accesses and creates data within your existing I.T. systems, spreadsheets, software and documents. When it needs to make complex decisions, it reaches out to AI platforms, such as Watson, Microsoft AI and Google deepmind, passing the data needed for the decision and receiving guidance on what to do with the results.  

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Local Government Testimonials

London Borough of Hackney

London Borough of Hackney

Matthew Cain, Head of Digital And Data at London Borough of Hackney

What are the Benefits of Robotics to Local Government?

Robotics can create a multitude of different benefits, depending on what department deploys them, but some of the most important benefits for local authorities include:

Freeing staff and improving morale

Robotics are happy to complete all the dull, repetitive tasks that humans dislike, and will work 24hours a day, 365 days a year, leaving staff to focus on doing what they’ve been hired for – resolving complex enquiries and serving the public. 

Extending technology

The scalable nature of robotics means it can be deployed rapidly, in weeks rather than years, and its capability can be scaled as new requirements emerge. This is all on top of your existing infrastructure as robotics is intended to fit with your current systems, rather than replace them, so you needn’t worry about lost value from previous investment. 

Assured compliance and improved performance

Through robotics, local authorities can fully comply with GDPR subject data access requests. They can develop a single view of citizens, and create bespoke experiences whilst automatically auditing every process, giving complete peace of mind across every facet of the organisation. 

FAQ's

I am running in a Citrix/Virtual environment, can a robot work with this?

Yes. Our Robotics Subscriptions use UiPath technology, the best software for Citrix and Virtualised client environments. T-Impact have implemented numerous Robotic solutions in both Virtualised and Citrix environments.

Does it work with my Case Management System?

Yes. There are no compatibility issues with any CRM, Case management or Practice Management systems as robots simply take the place of the human user. No processes are affected.  

Everything we do is bespoke and personalised, where does a robot fit in with my law firm?

While every law firms has their own personalised approach to clients, many of the tasks performed are the same. In reality, every law firm has to add data to CRM, Case management, Practice Management and accounts packages, as well as send invoices, wills, forms and letters to clients. Robots can automate many of these repetitive tasks, freeing time for your staff to offer a more personalised experience for your customers.

we have already written APIs and Macros to integrate our IT systems, why would I need any form of robotics?

Robots leverage the IT systems that you have in place. They are not designed to be a replacement for API’s or IT systems but rather take tedious work off your staff.

If you are planning to build an API between IT systems, there are some scenarios where it might be better & cheaper to use a Robot to transfer data. APIs can be costly and time-consuming to develop and maintain. As soon as an API is written, software vendors release an update and the API often needs to be rewritten. Robots can often be deployed in weeks and cost much less than traditional development. They also have an element of AI which can adapt to some changes in IT systems, without required development.  

I have been told all about AI in law, but what is Robotics?

Quite often these two terms are mixed up and sometimes intertwined. Artificial Intelligence is a broad definition that encompasses many specialist fields. One of these is Robotics. Robotics Process Automation (RPA) refers specifically to software Robots that perform work normally performed by humans. To add to the confusion, Robots incorporate some elements of machine learning within them, allowing them to learn and adapt. They also have pre-built integration into most advanced AI platforms, which allow them to make complex decisions and to learn from the data they process (machine learning).  The most common platforms include Microsoft AI, IBM Watson & Google Deepmind.

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