The Impact of AI on Agencies
If you look at software agencies today, most of them are struggling with their thought on “AI for Agency”. Conforming to client demands with tight deadlines is tough as it is. At the same time, you have so many questions, such as, “Is my project going to go over budget?”, “How can agencies use AI?“, “is my data private and confidential if I use AI?”, “Everyone says using AI for agencies is wise, especially if I have limited resources. But, if I’m only hopping onto different tabs, will I be slowing my processes down more?” – These doubts creep in no matter the project and affect team morale. It’s a recipe for disaster but is there an alternative?
We realize these feelings all too well. That’s why we launched CollabAI – An open-source, self-hosted, and customizable AI platform. CollabAI focuses on key AI use cases for departments like Project Management, Business Development, Devs, and Content-Marketing. This case study shows how CollabAI empowered ‘SJ Innovation’ to reduce manual tasks by 30%, cut operational costs by 15%, and increase client project output by 20%. Let’s dive in –
CollabAI & SJ Innovation: How CollabAI & Agency Work Together
SJ Innovation is a globally acclaimed software development agency with an NY-based project management team. The company has offices in New York, India, and Bangladesh. Founded in 2004, it serves clients in North America, Europe, and the MENA region. Despite their collaborative and creative spirit, client demands strained the team’s resources. SJ Innovation has a global team comprising 170 professionals. So, there were a lot of inefficient workflows because of this distributed workforce. If workflows aren’t smooth, it causes a waste of time. Productivity suffers and even maintaining consistency across diverse projects is hard. It took only 4 months for CollabAI to address these challenges and help SJ Innovation thrive.
The Problem SJ Innovation Was Facing
1. Overburdened team members
A global team needs clear internal communication. Without communicating effectively with your internal team, interacting with clients becomes tough. But, because of a distributed workforce, internal team members were confused about each other’s workload. Dealing with this confusion meant micro-managing team members. Yet, some members were either overburdened while others underutilized. At the same time, clients need instant replies, whether on chat or email. So teams had to be on standby, drafting emails and messages constantly. It left little room for a breather and employee happiness suffered.
2. Time-consuming manual tasks
SJ Innovation relied a great deal on manual processes. These processes helped track and manage projects and tasks. But, it was not easy to keep track of processes manually and it was natural for human mistakes to occur. So members had to spend more time resolving these issues. Teams also spent time drafting documents, managing data, or responding to emails. These administrative tasks took up time. So teams had to go beyond their working hours to make time for core project work.
3. Difficulty in scaling operations
As SJ Innovation expanded, it needed new talent. While the company was hiring qualified talent, equipping them with knowledge and skills was a hurdle. Onboarding new members requires time and energy to educate them. SJ Innovation also needed to optimize its processes to improve workflows. It needed to prioritize customer experience to scale operations smoothly.
These challenges affected SJ Innovation’s productivity and output declined. Deadlines were missed and operational costs went up – all signs of stunted growth.
How CollabAI Tackled These Issues
Implementing CollabAI was SJ Innovation’s wisest move. The platform specifically targeted 3 departments — Project Management, Business Development, and Marketing. It worked as a knowledge base and AI for agencies as well. CollabAI is a powerful AI for agency that can be self-hosted on your cloud which helps keep your data private. SJ Innovation utilized CollabAI’s features such as customizable AI assistants, prompt templates, and more to optimize workflows and drive success.
1. Boosted efficiency and productivity
We made it easy to choose from AI models like GPT-4, Gemini, and Claude. With a multi-AI platform, SJ Innovation managed to save time as they weren’t left toggling between different tabs. Through prompt engineering, SJ Innovation found the right responses which helped with SEO and content marketing. CollabAI helped generate project-specific content ideas, write copy, and figure out SEO keywords. The platform improved efficiency and so, helped save a great deal of time in the process.
2. Automated repetitive tasks
SJ Innovation experienced a 30% reduction in time spent on manual tasks. With the power of AI for agencies like CollabAI’s Custom AI Assistant, it was easy to reply to clients. Members could rapidly develop and deploy their own AI assistants. SJ Innovation members could use these assistants to tailor their tasks depending on requirements. Members could create custom AI assistants to respond to client emails and write personalized product information. They could offer customer support with a custom chatbot, and more. Automating repetitive tasks helped take the load off of overburdened members significantly.
3. Improved collaboration and communication
CollabAI also helped to streamline project management. Project managers could create smart user stories and check project scope using AI for agencies. They could simplify many tasks which helped communicate with SJ Innovation’s distributed workforce. Even integrating Project Management tools became easy and so, tasks could be automated.
4. Helped Make Data-Driven Decisions
Optimizing operations became easy because of CollabAI’s intelligent prompt templates and easy-to-use features. Automating productivity made it easy for SJ Innovation to focus on problem-solving. Teams could devote time to develop concepts, creatively think, and plan ideas. For example, CollaborativeAI made onboarding new team members smoother, which helped in scaling up SJI’s expertise quickly.
Implementation Process
The implementation process followed these steps:
- Initial Assessment and Planning: We asked ourselves, “What are each department’s pain points?” Accordingly, we figured out areas where AI could help. At first, team members were hesitant to embrace this change. So, we onboarded stakeholders early on so they could communicate CollabAI’s benefits to the team.
- Custom use cases and integration: We then created custom use cases and prompts depending on every department. After developing assistants, we tested them. Through trial and error, we finally achieved accurate responses.
- Training and Onboarding: We scheduled workshops and training sessions so the team knew how to use CollabAI. We organized skill-building sessions, so the team learned to build AI tools. To adopt new technology, there would be a learning curve. Our team provided training materials (videos, manuals) and support during the initial phase.
- Monitoring and Optimization: After deployment, we kept an eye on performance metrics. In this way, we could keep track of our objectives. For instance, time savings, increased productivity, and top 10 weekly users. We also optimized AI settings based on feedback and performance data. Adjusting parameters for optimal performance needed constant tweaks.
Challenges Encountered During the Implementation Process:
- Resistance from Team Members: Some employees had second thoughts, “Is my job security at risk?”. “Are AI tools for agencies free from ethical concerns?”. “Is AI capable?” We addressed these concerns transparently. Our team also showed examples that AI assists rather than replaces human roles.
- Lack of knowledge of use cases: When we first introduced CollabAI, almost everyone was unaware of its AI use cases, especially in AI for the agency level. They wondered how to use the platform to improve productivity. Gradually, we conducted workshops and set quarterly goals for prompt engineering courses. We also organized a “Best Assistant Creation” competition, which helped solve productivity problems.
- Lack of motivation: It was difficult to maintain momentum due to a lack of motivation. Then, we introduced the ‘AI Task Force Forum’. In this forum, we share AI-related posts and news that can help others. We also gamified this initiative so that members feel competitive and motivated. We award prizes through employee voting.
Strategies We Have Used:
- Stakeholder Engagement: We shared regular updates with all stakeholders throughout the implementation process. These regular updates ensure transparency & alignment towards common goals.
- Incremental Rollout: Instead of deploying everything at once, we scheduled phased rollouts. These rollouts made it easy for everyone to gradually adapt to CollabAI. This easy transition caused less stress among users involved directly or indirectly!
- Continuous Support & Feedback Loops: There are continuous post-training periods held. Dedicated helpdesks address queries, followed by periodic surveys that gather user experiences. These regular feedback loops aid in fine-tuning efforts, and so enhance satisfaction levels!
Results of Implementing CollabAI In Agencies
The result was a 20% increase in client project delivery. Automating routine tasks freed up 30% of time spent on manual tasks. Operational costs were also reduced by 15% owing to CollabAI’s self-hosting ability and API usage optimization. Moreover, CollabAI created a sense of trust as it is an open-source platform. So this collaborative nature made it easy for developers to contribute to improving it. Making it the perfect “AI for Agency” solution for SJ Innovation
“Using CollabAI, we saved around 60 min per employee for 170 team members” – Shahed. CEO of SJ Innovation.
Return On Investment: Should Your Agency Also Use CollabAI?
Is CollabAI right for your agency, or is it the perfect AI for your agency? Well, on average, each SJI member saved around one hour per day. So for a team of 170 professionals, this translates to 170 hours saved daily. Assuming 22 working days per month, that’s 3,740 hours saved monthly. This shows the powerful impact of AI on agencies like yours.
Also, there was a 20% increase in client project output. This increase allowed management to take on additional projects, directly impacting the bottom line. The reduced workload helped boost team morale. Even client relationships improved because of on-time project delivery.
The verdict?
While the exact ROI will vary for each agency, SJ Innovation found AI for agencies like CollabAI a worthwhile investment. The significant time savings, increased productivity, and improved client satisfaction far outweighed the costs associated with implementation and maintenance.
AI for Agency solution – Is “CollabAI” what you need?
If you’re an agency struggling with managing workloads or want to increase your output, CollabAI is a powerful solution. When you free up your team’s time, there is room for more strategic, creative work which can help with innovation. These improvements can have a long-lasting impact on your agency’s success. Do you have questions about how CollabAI can help your agency? or want to know how CollabAI can be implemented for your agency? You can get started for free anytime. Contact our CollabAI team and we will discuss CollabAI’s potential and how it can impact your business!