Fears about automation can sometimes inhibit its adoption. The elimination of a laborious manual task at UNE demonstrates just what we potentially have to gain.

For almost 20 years Student Accounts Coordinator Shannon Keniry dedicated substantial time and effort to manually entering student fee data several times a year. With some 1,600 records to reconcile, that’s at least a week’s work at a time rebuilding the list with new information. This meticulous process placed significant demands on her time and energy.

But collaboration with technical consultant Matt Taylor has found a welcome solution – software that automates this process. As a result of scripting the fee sub-categories and structures, the accounts now seamlessly roll over to the next year, with minimal human intervention.

“It was a major bugbear and not only was the data entry complicated, it was time sensitive,” Shannon said. “Now I have the time and mental capacity to plan ahead for additional improvements and to concentrate on more important tasks. It has reduced my stress considerably and I have greater job satisfaction because I am able to focus on things that really matter to our students.”

Sometimes, a fresh set of eyes can provide important insights and momentum. “Often you need an outside person to drive change, because you can get so bogged down with a problem that you can’t see a solution,” Shannon said.

Head of Finance at UNE, Ilias Dimopoulos, said the automation illustrates how technology can be used to its full advantage. “We’re transforming processes, harnessing software technology to eliminate labour-intensive tasks and mitigate key personal risks,” he said. “The automation has unlocked new opportunities for the finance team. Skilled professionals like Shannon are liberated to focus on higher-value tasks that contribute directly to our organisation’s growth.”

Any organisation must continuously seek to improve its processes. “We need to question the ways we are used to working and consider potentially better methods,” Ilias said. “The adoption of automation underscores the potential of technology to streamline operations and create a more agile and responsive business environment. Managing resistance to automation and adopting an open mindset to the possibilities is key. The team has made significant progress in this direction and we have identified other automation opportunities that we are currently evaluating.”

Shannon is “all for” automation that allows the freedom to do core jobs more efficiently and with greater satisfaction. “Much of the fear of automation these days is about it taking work away from people, but in this case it has created the space for myself (and my staff) to do our jobs in a more meaningful way and with less stress,” she said.