Intelligent automation moves in line to online

There are few things left that warrant standing in line. Fresh coffee, live entertainment and roller coasters might make the short list. But waiting to complete routine processes, such as required automobile registrations and annual renewals, is likely to leave busy customers thinking there must be a better way.

The good news: There is.

As most essential services shift from traditional service models to online offerings, businesses and government agencies are exploring emerging technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to modernize their operations, increase efficiencies, upscale services and elevate customer experiences. Tired expectations of long lines, in-person appointments and manual paperwork are fading as intelligent automation transforms the way consumers interact with business and government organizations.

A large state transportation agency recently faced surges in demand that resulted in extended wait times and service backlogs for its 10 million-plus customers. This Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) needed a technology upgrade that would modernize its services and deliver seamless digital experiences to residents.

EY practitioners engaged in the project brought cross-functional knowledge and experience spanning project management, enterprise architecture, technology and software development, security analysis, development operations, engineering and business solutions analysis. And the project scope included the establishment of a Digital Transformation and Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence.

Now operating one of the largest intelligent automation implementations in the country, this agency has expanded its online service offerings, elevating its quality and greatly reducing the burden on its customers – saving them time, transportation fuel costs, missed work hours, and ancillary expenses such as child and elder care often incurred during routine visits to the DMV.

By launching the new digital portal, the DMV has put customers first, giving them back valuable hours and reducing the stress of routine processes. In response to rising demand, the initial online capability was delivered in just three months with additional offerings following quickly thereafter.

Intelligent automation also allows this large state agency to transform paperwork into digital workflow for employees, facilitating DMV data entry from online transactions into back-office applications. This technology saves state employees thousands of hours of manual entry time, decreases the need for millions of pounds of costly paper each year, increases back-office accuracy and efficiencies, and frees up tax dollars for better use.

For millions of state residents who need to access these services routinely, whether for professional or personal reasons, the new portal is a game changer – turning a time-consuming wait for face-to-face interaction into a smooth, click-through online process. These end-to-end, secure transactions allow customers to complete routine state requirements seamlessly, whenever is most convenient for them. To date, more than 12 million transactions have been completed through the online portal.

Intelligent automation using robotic process automation and machine learning has, so far, saved this state agency approximately 300,000 employee hours, more than 4 million sheets of paper and $14.4 million in associated cost.