What's a Risk You Took in Process Improvement That Had a Significant Payoff?
In the dynamic world of operations, taking calculated risks can lead to substantial rewards. We've gathered insights from six experts, including Marketing Directors and Heads of Operations, to share their experiences. From streamlining campaign management systems to implementing automated inventory systems that cut costs, discover the transformative decisions that have paid off.
- Streamlined Campaign Management System
- DevOps Automation Reduces Release Cycle
- Automated Inventory Enhances Customer Service
- Automation Boosts Revenue Cycle Management
- AI Chatbots Improve Customer Service Efficiency
- Automated Inventory System Cuts Costs
Streamlined Campaign Management System
One big risk we took was fundamentally changing our campaign management system. Before process improvement, we used three different platforms—one for email, one for social media ads, and one for Google AdWords. This created a lot of duplicative work and lowered employee satisfaction as they had to switch through three separate systems. The risk was that, even though this new approach would be more efficient, it would still necessitate changing our existing processes for the period in between, with no guarantee that the new approach would be an improvement.
The reward, however, was great. By bringing all campaign management under one fully automated platform, we literally 'streamlined' our efforts by making the workflow more efficient. It created a new way for analyzing our data, enabling more effective communication among team members as well as more dynamic (real-time) campaign adjustments. The increased efficiency in our operation was almost immediate and felt in a very tangible way; we were able to produce our deliverables faster, with lower operational costs and higher 'client satisfaction'. The move elevated our playing field internally and externally. For us, it was a new promise to utilize technology to achieve results. This bold gamble certainly paid off by creating a new standard of how we run projects and serve our clients.
DevOps Automation Reduces Release Cycle
One of the biggest risks we took was implementing DevOps automation across software development and IT ops teams. Originally, our ops functions were siloed, which led to delays, inefficiencies, and a few roadblocks and meant that we weren't able to effectively scale our systems. We decided to invest heavily in DevOps practices and automation tools to integrate these functions, even when we knew that there would be potential disruption to our existing workflows.
It was a huge risk for a number of reasons: culture shift—we had to break down long-standing silos between teams, which required a huge change in mindset; large upfront investment—the cost of new tools, retraining teams, and dedicating resources just to managing the transition was considerable. However, once we'd got through the tough period of transitions, our risk well and truly paid off as now we've been able to reduce our release cycle from weeks to days, meaning our to-market timeline is almost 100% more efficient.
Automated Inventory Enhances Customer Service
One of the most risky process-improvement projects that I worked on while running a car rental company was redesigning our inventory management system.
Originally, we had a manual process of managing car inventory and its condition. We had a system of checks and balances and relied on personnel making observations. Although this was time-consuming and ripe for errors, it was an imperfect system that we were comfortable with. Under my leadership, the company took a risk to move to a fully automated, real-time tracking solution that relied on GPS and on-board diagnostics for each of our vehicles. This was a large financial and operational leap, but it needed to be done in order to increase accuracy and efficiency.
We found that the payoff from that risk far surpassed our expectations. Besides cutting down on the effort needed to track the fleet and monitor its activities, our new system also had an unexpected spin-off: it enhanced the level of customer service we were able to provide. Customers were now able to get live updates on vehicle availability and even make predictions on when maintenance issues would arise. As a result, we reduced maintenance and repair costs by avoiding untimely and unexpected 'downtimes' where a vehicle sitting idle meant lost revenue. The lesson I learned from taking this risk was that, despite all the hesitancy and uncertainty it can generate, technology and innovation often lead to significant rewards.
Automation Boosts Revenue Cycle Management
At TruBridge, one of the most impactful risks we took in process improvement involved transitioning from a traditional, manual workflow in our revenue cycle management (RCM) services to a more automated and data-driven approach. Historically, many of our processes, such as claims submission and denial management, were handled by staff manually entering and reviewing data. This method, while reliable, was time-consuming, prone to human error, and didn't scale well as we expanded.
We decided to invest in automation tools that could streamline these processes, reduce errors, and increase efficiency. The risk was significant, as implementing new technology required an upfront investment, retraining of our staff, and a temporary dip in productivity during the transition. There was also the concern that automating these processes might initially alienate staff or lead to operational disruptions if the technology didn't perform as expected.
However, the payoff was substantial. Once the automation tools were fully integrated, we saw immediate improvements in both accuracy and speed. The rate of claim denials dropped significantly because the system was able to identify and correct errors in real time, before submission. We also freed up a large portion of our team to focus on more value-added tasks, such as analyzing trends and improving client engagement, rather than being bogged down by repetitive manual work. This shift not only increased our capacity to take on more clients but also improved employee satisfaction as they were able to engage in more strategic roles within the company.
Ultimately, the risk of shifting to an automated system allowed us to scale our operations more efficiently and deliver better results for our clients. My advice to businesses considering similar changes is to carefully plan the transition, involve your team from the beginning, and ensure proper training is in place. The long-term benefits of streamlined processes often far outweigh the initial challenges.
AI Chatbots Improve Customer Service Efficiency
Our customer service process was lagging in our operations due to high volumes of inquiries such as account setup, how-to guides for in-game purchases, and clarifications on game updates. These repetitive queries were consuming a significant amount of our agents' time, preventing them from focusing on more complex customer needs.
To address this, we decided to implement AI chatbots to handle basic customer queries. This move was risky because customers might be frustrated if the AI chatbot couldn't fully understand their issue or if they felt they were not being listened to.
In some cases, the implementation results in lower customer satisfaction or even a loss of loyalty, as they might feel undervalued when not directly interacting with a human agent. However, after careful analysis, we believed that the efficiency gains could outweigh these concerns.
After implementing the AI chatbots, we closely monitored customer interactions to ensure quality service. We also provided customers with clear options to reach a human agent if needed.
By handling routine inquiries efficiently, the AI chatbots freed up our human agents to dedicate more time to complex issues, and further improve our products and services by providing valuable insights, leading to more thorough and personalized customer support. The chatbots took care of the simple questions, so we could give our full attention to the customers who needed it most.
Automated Inventory System Cuts Costs
One of the biggest risks I took in process improvement was introducing automation into a very manual, time-consuming workflow at a company I worked with a few years back. At the time, we were handling inventory management by hand—literally counting stock and entering data into spreadsheets. It was not only inefficient but also led to constant errors, which hurt our bottom line. I knew automating the system could streamline everything, but it was a big leap because the team was comfortable with the old methods, and there was concern about upfront costs and learning curves.
After some convincing, I got the green light to pilot an automated inventory system. The transition wasn’t easy—there were definitely hiccups during implementation. The team had to learn new software, and for a while, it actually slowed things down as everyone adjusted. But after about a month, the benefits started to kick in. We could track inventory in real-time, reduce human error, and reorder stock automatically based on thresholds. It saved countless hours and, more importantly, eliminated the mistakes that had been costing us money.
The payoff was huge. Not only did we cut costs on labor and reduce stock shortages, but the morale improved too—people were happier not having to do those repetitive tasks. Looking back, it was a bit of a gamble, but it taught me that sometimes you need to push through the discomfort of change to see real improvement.
