At FD Intelligence, we make time. We apply automation to areas within businesses that are traditionally time consuming and repetitive, freeing up time for business owners and their employees to focus on looking after their clients, and doing what really makes a difference. We also reduce the risk of employee boredom which can lead to errors being made, and staff being unhappy.
FD Intelligence helps businesses to utilise Robot Process Automation (RPA), which is intelligent software often called a ‘robot’ that undertakes repeatable tasks on a computer which would otherwise be performed by a human. We use best-in-class RPA software from market leaders UiPath, and our team are UiPath Certified developers and Trainers – so you can rest safe in the knowledge that the automations we deliver are fully secure, future-proofed and adaptable.
Implementing RPA not only improves productivity and reduces costs and risks, it also increases employee engagement and satisfaction and improves the customer experience. And because of the very substantial cost savings that result from RPA, a positive return on investment is typically achieved in three to nine months. RPA can be likened to a virtual employee who never gets sick, never takes breaks and never makes mistakes. They run unobtrusively in the background (on any normal desktop computer) and carry out their tasks with complete procedural compliance. The process is simple to implement and only needs to be set up once, and the robots can log in and use all your existing systems – making it very quick in comparison to a lot of software projects. Once the first robot is built, it becomes much easier and faster to build others as we can re-use some of the same blocks of code, making for an efficient investment.
One of the main advantages to RPA is that it can make a difference in almost any area. Wherever there are routine PC-based tasks that human employees find unrewarding and tedious, RPA robots can take over, allowing your employees to focus on higher-value work. Analytics are embedded in the software, so that you can see the difference RPA is making as soon as you start using it.
When we are approached by a client that’s interested in RPA, we meet with them to demonstrate the capability of the software and answer any questions they have. We then take the time to find out about their current challenges and what processes can be automated to save them time and money. We recently saved a client 11,200 hours in one year – equating to1,500 days, the equivalent of two full time employees if those employees worked 24/7 and 365 days a year.
FD Intelligence was founded in 2019 by Andrew Guy, the former IT director of professional services practice, French Duncan LLP. The business was founded as a sister company of French Duncan. Andrew was passionate about the benefits and efficiencies that Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can offer, and French Duncan saw the opportunity RPA could deliver within their own and their client’s businesses.
With this background in running businesses, we understand just how robots can revolutionise the operation of business processes. If deployed correctly, robots are quicker, more efficient and more reliable, and what’s more, they free up staff time to do more important value-added work. However, for us the robots don’t come first; understanding processes does. Initially we work with clients to really understand the human processes that exist, and then we look at how RPA can best be used to improve your processes and bring efficiencies. It is key that the return on investment (ROI) is there for everything we do.
Our team have over 25 years of software delivery experience, and have designed and implemented RPA projects for many businesses from multinationals to SMEs. The team work with clients to determine exactly what solutions would be most beneficial to them and their teams. The majority of the team are based at our Glasgow office, and we also have a base in Edinburgh.
Being part of a larger, multi-million turnover group, also means we have the resources to help clients identify, plan and develop software solutions across their organisation to make business processes more efficient, more accurate and employees more satisfied.
FD Intelligence has grown considerably since its inception in 2020 and now has a team of nine, consisting of Managing Director Andrew Guy, Chairperson Graeme Finnie, Marketing Director Graeme Davies, Head of Intelligence Dr Gareth Ward and five RPA Developers. Team growth has been necessary in order to keep up with demand, with further expansion inevitable in 2021. Business development opportunities are increasing rapidly and we are delighted to have some really solid case studies and testimonials from satisfied clients. We also recently co-hosted a highly popular webinar with RPA Software provider UiPath, which gave us fantastic exposure to potential clients and helped us to reinforce the message that RPA isn’t just for people that consider themselves to be ‘techy’, or FTSE businesses. We now have a proven track record in improving efficiencies for businesses across a range of industries and are looking forward to making a big difference to clients in the future.
Andrew Guy – Managing Director
Graeme Finnie – Chairperson
Graeme Davies – Marketing Director
Dr Gareth Ward – Head of Intelligence
Glenn Roberts – RPA Developer
Lewis Henderson – RPA Developer
Martin Paton – RPA Developer
Steven Bruce – RPA Developer
