Process efficiency vs. routine work
For energy providers, the handling of move-ins and move-outs represents a recurring standard process. Although the tasks are largely identical in nature, they involve numerous individual process steps, such as processing customer data and sending welcome letters. These activities are often carried out manually, making them both time-consuming and potentially error-prone.
To successfully implement automation, it was first necessary to establish a detailed understanding of the existing processes. All process steps, involved systems, decision logics, and possible exceptions had to be analyzed, documented, and modeled. Only on this basis could it be determined which workflows were suitable for automation and what optimization and cost-saving potential could be achieved.
A productive RPA solution in just six weeks
Following the completion of the process analysis and documentation phase, Natuvion Digital developed the automated solution for relocation processing and the dispatch of welcome letters. The Blue Prism RPA platform was used as the development environment. The robotic software was designed to independently execute recurring process steps – from data processing and updating customer data in SAP to performing the required process activities within the system.
The implementation was carried out in close collaboration with the process owners at Harz Energie. From process modeling and technical implementation to testing and final deployment into productive operations, the entire project was completed within only six weeks.
The rollout initially started in a controlled environment, where the automated workflows were reviewed and validated. Subsequently, the solution was gradually transferred into productive operation. Since then, the robotic software has complemented the existing SAP ERP and IS-U systems by taking over a large share of recurring administrative tasks.
Eliminating error-prone manual tasks through digital assistants
The implementation of the RPA solution enabled Harz Energie to achieve high automation rates immediately. Today, around 60 % of relocation processing tasks and approximately 65 % of all welcome letter-related processes are automated within the productive SAP environment. As a result, many monotonous and error-prone manual activities have been eliminated, while the overall number of required process steps has been significantly reduced.
Overall, approximately 60 % of the roughly 18,000 annual cases can now be processed automatically. This corresponds to a time saving of around 2,200 working hours per year. Through further optimizations, an automation rate of up to 85 % is expected in the future, equivalent to savings of approximately 3,000 working hours annually.
At the same time, customers benefit from faster processing times, while employees gain more time for complex and value-adding tasks. The insights and experience gained from this project also provide the foundation for additional automation initiatives, for example in accounting or meter reading management.
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