How AI can streamline workflows and boost efficiency
Tight budgets, growing populations and increasing pressure to deliver more with less – these are all common challenges you’re likely facing in local councils. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and automation into your everyday workflows is like having a ‘personal offshore team’ that takes care of manual repetitive tasks. Ultimately, this integration can improve efficiency, reduce errors, and empower your people to deliver better citizen services.
In this blog, we’ll give you a snapshot of what AI could do for your council, with a few examples of how it can enhance your workflows and service delivery. If you’re keen to learn more about the potential of AI, automation and integration in your council, feel free to contact an expert at Fusion5 to discuss how these solutions can work for you.
1. Automating budget management
Budget management is often labour-intensive, involving manual data entry, calculations and approvals. With AI-powered tools, finance teams can automate budget forecasting, invoice processing and compliance checks. For example, machine learning algorithms can analyse historical spending data to predict future budget needs, while robotic process automation (RPA) can automatically process invoices and flag discrepancies for review. This speeds up financial operations and significantly reduces the likelihood of errors that can arise from manual data handling.
2. Streamlining recruitment and onboarding
Are you grappling with lengthy recruitment processes and onboarding procedures? AI can streamline these workflows by automating CV screening, scheduling interviews, and managing employee records. For instance, AI-driven platforms can quickly analyse multiple CVs based on predefined criteria, highlighting the best candidates for a role. Chatbots can help answer common candidate queries and update application statuses, enhancing the overall recruitment experience. By reducing the time spent on these tasks, HR professionals can focus more on strategic initiatives like employee engagement and development.
3. Enhancing community engagement
Community engagement and satisfaction are at the core of everything you do. However, many local councils still rely on outdated systems that slow response times and complicate service delivery. AI-powered tools can help you answer frequently asked questions, process service requests, and direct citizens to the appropriate resources – even during out-of-office hours. By automating these interactions, you can improve response times and free staff to handle more complex issues that require human attention.