The short version
- Start with a measurement, not a tool: where time really goes in your agency, not where people say it goes.
- Automate first what repeats a lot, is simple, and where human error is expensive.
- Good automation leaves the person with the decisions and the conversation, and takes away typing, reminders and hand-offs.
- The savings calculator in this article is a scenario based on your assumptions. It is not a promise and not an industry average.
In many agencies a large part of the working day goes on things that don't require pension expertise: retyping details already typed, chasing a document, checking where a process is stuck, passing a message from one team to another. This work is necessary, but it isn't what the client pays for. That is exactly where automation helps, provided it is aimed correctly.
Where the hours go#
There are no universal numbers. Every agency has its own profile. But most admin work falls into a few familiar categories. Go through them and mark where it hurts most for you.
| Category | Example | The pain |
|---|---|---|
| Re-keying | The same client details in a form, a system and a document | Time and errors |
| Chasing documents | Reminders to the client, checking what's missing | Draining, and nobody remembers |
| Hand-offs | Agent passes work to back office or operator | Information lost on the way |
| Status tracking | Where a process is stuck, who owns it now | Dependence on whoever remembers |
| Call write-ups | A recording and a conversation nobody summarised | Knowledge not kept |
| Document prep | Forms, sending for signature, filing | Repetitive, manual filing |
- Re-keying
Example
The same client details in a form, a system and a document
The pain
Time and errors
- Chasing documents
Example
Reminders to the client, checking what's missing
The pain
Draining, and nobody remembers
- Hand-offs
Example
Agent passes work to back office or operator
The pain
Information lost on the way
- Status tracking
Example
Where a process is stuck, who owns it now
The pain
Dependence on whoever remembers
- Call write-ups
Example
A recording and a conversation nobody summarised
The pain
Knowledge not kept
- Document prep
Example
Forms, sending for signature, filing
The pain
Repetitive, manual filing
Measure one week
Before choosing, ask each team member to note for one week roughly how much time went on each category. No need for precision, only order of magnitude. The result is almost always surprising.
What to automate first#
Not everything should be automated, and not everything should be automated now. Three tests help choose the first place:
- Frequency. Does it happen daily or weekly, or once every few months? Start with what repeats.
- Simplicity. Is there a clear rule (“when the client signs, open a task”) or does it need judgement each time?
- Cost of error. Does a typo or a forgotten step cost a lot? That's where automation adds the most confidence.
Good candidates to automate
- Reminders for a missing document
- Opening a task after a signature
- Handing a process between teams with all details
- Logging a call and passing a summary to the card
- Proposing values for repeat fields, for a person to approve
Leave these to a person
- The first conversation with a lead
- Explaining a sensitive finding to a client
- A pension or insurance recommendation
- A decision when something departs from the rule
- Asking for consent and explaining why it's needed
Estimating savings: from your numbers#
The tool below lets you enter how often a task happens per week, how many minutes it takes, and what share of that time automation could cut. The result is a scenario based on your assumptions, not a promise, and no comparison with other agencies. If the estimates are rough, so is the result.
How to roll out without breaking the work#
Pick one process
For example: from a lead asking for a check to a signed form. Document it step by step, including who does what.
Mark the repeating steps
Where do people retype? Where do they forget? Where do they wait for someone? Those are the candidates.
Automate one step at a time
For example: when the client signs, a task opens for the operator. Only when that runs steadily do you move to the next step.
Keep a person in the loop
Wherever important information gets written, add approval. In Financi the process assistant proposes values for fields and you approve each one, with undo.
Review after a month
Did the time really drop? Did a new problem appear? Fix before you expand.
- Week 1
Measure
Note how much time goes on each category.
- Week 2
Choose
One process, three tests: frequency, simplicity, cost of error.
- Weeks 3-4
Switch on
One automated step, closely watched on real processes.
- Month 2
Review and expand
Compare with the team's feel and the first measurement, then pick the next step.
Before you automate a process
0 of 6 checked
Automation that hides a failure
The big danger isn't automation that doesn't work, but automation that fails silently. A process that used to break visibly now simply doesn't happen, and nobody notices. Every automation needs a way to see that it ran, and what happened when it didn't.
To see it in practice: Financi OPS: agency operations — processes, tasks and statistics.
Frequently asked questions
Want to map where the time goes in your agency?
We'll walk through your process and see which steps to automate first without losing control.
Book a demoThe information in this article is general only and is not financial, pension, legal or tax advice, nor a substitute for personal advice. Demos and calculators are illustrative models: your numbers will differ.
