Orchestrating the future of service delivery:
A conversation with Kit Cox, Founder and CTO of Enate
Produced by:
Service providers today have an opportunity to experience step changes in operational efficiency thanks to Enate. Founded by Kit Cox, Enate offers a process orchestration platform designed to help businesses refine and scale their service delivery operations. By integrating human expertise with AI capabilities, Enate is helping companies streamline and accelerate operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and reduce costs. The Enate platform enables organisations accomplish much more with their existing resources. In this interview, Kit discusses Enate's software platform and his perspective on the future of service delivery.
Listen to the episode in the Enterprise Thought Leadership podcast, powered by TechPros.io
Kit, can you tell us about your background and what led you to found Enate?
My journey to founding Enate is rooted in my background as a manufacturing systems engineer. I started my career with 3M, which gave me a solid foundation in process management. However, I've always been a software developer at heart – I started coding when I was 10 on a BBC micro!
After a brief stint in management consulting, I saw an opportunity to merge my manufacturing engineering background with my software development skills. In 2012, I founded Enate aiming to bring manufacturing-style efficiency to the service sector.
The idea for Enate came from observing the disparity between manufacturing efficiency and service sector operations. In manufacturing, there's a clear focus on process optimisation and resource allocation. I realised that many of these principles could be applied to service delivery, but the tools weren't readily available. That's where the concept of Enate as a process orchestration platform began to take shape.
How does Enate's approach differ from traditional business process management solutions?
Traditional business process management often gets bogged down in excessive detail, leading to "analysis paralysis" – overly complex, time-consuming process mapping that doesn't always deliver value.
Enate takes a different approach. We focus on orchestrating work at the resource level – deciding what work needs to be done by whom and when. We don't get involved in the nitty-gritty of how each task is performed. This simplifies the analysis and implementation process dramatically.
Our platform allows businesses to start with just naming work items and assigning them to resources. From there, we can collect data that informs where to focus optimisation efforts. It's a data-driven approach to improvement and optimisation, rather than trying to optimise everything upfront without knowing if it's worthwhile.
This approach allows for greater flexibility and adaptability. Instead of spending months mapping out every possible scenario and process variation, companies can start with a basic framework and refine it based on data and outcomes. This iterative approach often leads to more practical and effective solutions.
Can you give us an example of how Enate has changed operations for one of your clients?
We worked with one of the world's largest corporate service providers. They operate in 75 countries, delivering finance and accounting, HR and payroll, and entity management services to about 10,000 clients.
Before Enate, they were managing services largely through email – about 30,000 inbound emails daily – and tracking work through shared Outlook mailboxes and Excel spreadsheets. There was little consistency across countries or clients.
We implemented Enate across their entire operation. Now, all those emails come into Enate and are managed through our platform. We've helped them create a consistent service catalogue, and all scheduled work is managed through Enate.
The result? They've seen over 20% in operational efficiency savings. They can now take on more clients without adding more staff. Plus, they've gained real-time visibility into their operations and customer sentiment, replacing their previous six-month rear-view mirror approach.
This transformation wasn't just about technology implementation. It required a shift in mindset and approach to work. By providing a centralised platform for managing work, we enabled greater collaboration across teams and countries. This led to the sharing of best practices and a more unified approach to service delivery, despite the geographic spread of their operations.
The real-time visibility into operations has been particularly impactful. Managers can now identify bottlenecks or issues as they arise, rather than discovering problems months later. This proactive approach to management has led to improved service quality and client satisfaction.
How is Enate leveraging AI and large language models in its offerings?
We see AI, particularly generative AI, as another tool in the 'how to' toolkit for automating parts of end-to-end processes. Our focus is on helping clients operationalise AI – turning it from a handy widget into something delivering material benefit to the business.
We're using AI for tasks like assessing customer sentiment in correspondence and categorising incoming work. We're not building base models ourselves; instead, we're providing an environment where clients can make base models sing. We use OpenAI models, primarily through the Azure OpenAI framework.
Our recently released product, AI Analyst, allows clients to write policies in plain English and then automatically check if processes are complying with those policies. This is moving us towards what I call a "post-business process world", where we can return to simple, clear policies instead of rigid, disaggregated rules.
The potential of AI in process orchestration is huge. For instance, AI can help in predicting workloads, suggesting optimal resource allocation, or even identifying potential process improvements based on historical data. However, we always emphasise that AI should augment human decision-making, not replace it entirely.
How do you address concerns about AI hallucinations?
It's important to understand that hallucination is typically a problem with facts, not reasoning. In most of our use cases, we're using AI models as reasoning engines, not fact generators. We provide very tight constructs for the AI to work within.
We also build in safeguards. For instance, we might ask the same question multiple times or in different ways to ensure consistency of response. If the AI isn't confident or consistent, we have mechanisms to put the task in front of a human. This human-in-the-loop approach is a core principle of the Enate platform.
Our approach to AI is cautious and pragmatic. We're not trying to push the boundaries of what AI can do, but rather to apply proven AI capabilities in ways that deliver tangible benefits to our clients. This means starting with well-defined, narrow use cases where the risks of AI errors or hallucinations can be effectively managed.
We also invest heavily in educating our clients about the capabilities and limitations of AI. It's crucial that users understand when to trust AI outputs and when human oversight is necessary. This balanced approach helps to build confidence in AI-assisted processes while maintaining necessary human control.
For operational leaders interested in exploring Enate, what advice would you give them to get started?
I'd suggest three key steps. First, be clear about your end goal. Can you describe the change you want to achieve? Are you ready for a material change to your business, not just tinkering around the edges?
Second, think carefully about where to start. We have a structured methodology to help with this. Often, it's best to go team by team, wrapping your arms around the work each team does and orchestrating it.
Third, don't rush into automation or AI until you have the basics of control in place. Get your 'train tracks' laid first – establish control over your processes. Only then can you effectively deploy AI and automation to get real value.
Remember, the goal is for customers to become self-sufficient. You shouldn't need to rely on us or our partners to continually change and improve how your business works. We put the power in the hands of your business people.
It's also crucial to involve your team in the process from the beginning. Any significant change in how work is managed can be met with resistance if not handled carefully. By involving team members in the process, you can gain valuable insights into current workflows, identify potential challenges, and ensure buy-in from those who will be using the platform daily.
Lastly, don't underestimate the importance of data. One of the key benefits of a platform like Enate is the wealth of operational data it provides. Be prepared to use this data to drive continuous improvement. It's not just about implementing a new system; it's about creating a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous optimisation.
Share this page
Service providers today have an opportunity to experience step changes in operational efficiency thanks to Enate. Founded by Kit Cox, Enate offers a process orchestration platform designed to help businesses refine and scale their service delivery operations. By integrating human expertise with AI capabilities, Enate is helping companies streamline and accelerate operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and reduce costs. The Enate platform enables organisations accomplish much more with their existing resources. In this interview, Kit discusses Enate's software platform and his perspective on the future of service delivery.
Listen to the episode in the Enterprise Thought Leadership podcast, powered by TechPros.io