Cognitive robotics for social protection
A I • Jun 15,2024
Summary:
The municipality has utilized AI technologies, specifically Robotic Process Automation (RPA), to automate various social assistance decisions. This innovation has significantly reduced waiting times for assistance applications, offering more efficient service to citizens and alleviating the workload for staff.
Client:
The Trelleborg Department of Welfare within the Trelleborg Municipality in Sweden includes a public service division dedicated to welfare support.
Problem Statement:
The department used to take an average of eight days to make welfare-payment decisions, with new welfare applications sometimes taking up to 20 days. Due to these delays, citizens frequently contacted the department about their applications, adding to the staff’s workload. With over 300 social benefit applications each month, the traditional approach became unsustainable. Consequently, the department decided to automate some processes to improve the experience for both employees and applicants.
Results:
- A 94% improvement in time-savings.
- Reduced handling times for applications from 10 to 1 day, with all financial assistance decisions made within 24 hours.
- RPA handling routine applications allowed staff to focus on more complex tasks.
- Saved at least 60% in administrative services costs and increased labor market participation in key initiatives by 50%.
- 2 employees were freed from repetitive tasks and reassigned to more important processes requiring human decision-making.
- 22% more people were helped compared to the previous year.
- The UiPath Robot completes any process in one minute or less.
AI Solution Overview:
The Trelleborg Department of Welfare partnered with Valcon, a consulting firm, to develop and implement an RPA platform. The department had an existing online application submission process, which was significantly enhanced using RPA technology.
The RPA team created a UiPath Robot that automated this crucial step. The department used the UiPath Platform to automate essential welfare support decision processes. The adopted solution is based on RPA, a technology that employs software “robots” to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks. These robots interact with computer systems just like humans but with greater speed and accuracy.
The UiPath Robot compiles key information and generates reports showing which citizens received payments, which did not, and includes all supporting information. This automation relieves employees from the tedious parts of the process, allowing them to handle exceptions or override decisions when necessary.
Currently, the automated decision-making system processes applications for homecare, sickness benefits, unemployment benefits, and taxes, and it has been recognized as a successful model. Various other Swedish municipalities are now exploring the implementation of the Trelleborg model to achieve similar benefits.
References:
- AI Watch. Artificial intelligence in public services. Overview of the use and impact of AI in public services in the EU. https://ai-watch.github.io/AI-watch-T6-X/catalog/10009.html
- Valcon. Trelleborg Robotics Solution. Retrieved from: https://valcon.com/insights/trelleborg-robotics-solution/
- European Commission. Artificial Intelligence in Public Services: Overview of the use and impact of AI in public services in the EU. JRC Technical Reports. Retrieved from: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC120399
- Trelleborg Case Study: AI That Changes Care. https://aiworld.guru/trelleborg-case-study/
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for the Public Sector. https://www.uipath.com/hubfs/resources/documents/PDFs/UiPath%20Ui_190484_2-page%20Government%20Brochure-05-lm.pdf
- RPA in the Public Sector: UiPath Helps Swedish Citizens Regain Self-Sufficiency. https://www.uipath.com/resources/automation-case-studies/trelleborg-municipality-enterprise-rpa
Industry: Public Services (Social Protection)
Vendor: Valcon
Client: The municipality of Trelleborg, Sweden
Publication Date: 2016