The digital transformation also concerns our municipal administrations. The Jura-based company Digital Solutions SA, a leader in robotic process automation (or RPA ), is setting up its first “robots” in Courgenay, a small town in the Jura. A development born of the meeting between Xavier Van Nuvel, CEO of Digital Solutions SA, and Didier Jolissaint, Mayor of Courgenay. Both are convinced that digital transformation stimulates growth, improves the quality of life at work and secures processes, in particular by minimizing the risk of human error thanks to the use of these robots.
In just a few weeks, they launched this ambitious project. The idea is simple: identify the recurring activities that municipal employees are confronted with, and respond to them with software robots capable of learning, reproducing and executing these tasks according to business rules. An innovative way to support municipal staff, offer them more time to optimize their skills, and allow them to invest in activities with higher added value. According to UiPath 1 , a partner of Digital Solutions SA and market leader in RPA in Switzerland and worldwide, Courgenay is the first Swiss municipality to install “robots” using its technology.
“Robot” solutions designed for Courgenay
During the search for use cases with the heads of the municipality, taxation was identified as the service where the automation of processes by robotics could bring real added value. In order to lighten certain recurring activities and thwart data entry errors, two perimeters are clearly identified: first, the monthly regularization of taxes requested by the canton, a responsibility forcing the employee to 2 days of tedious monthly work to monitor, adjust and correct changes in tax years. The “robotization” of this process by software does this work automatically. The benefit is immediate: it saves time, avoids typing errors and accounts for all entries. The second area where process automation takes on its full meaning concerns the taxpayer register. A robot, custom-developed in the form of a virtual workstation, administers all changes in the situation of fellow citizens, records them, corrects them and transmits them punctually to the competent cantonal authorities. These solutions designed for Courgenay can obviously be applied to other Swiss municipalities.
Digitization, automation and robotization of business processes
Whatever your activity, being an actor in your digitalization has become essential. According to a study by the McKinsey Institute 2 based on 1500 leaders, those who lead the digital race transform their companies 5 times faster, with 2 times more intensity, than their peers. Our municipal administrations face the same challenges. Digital Solutions SA designs software robots for companies and communities by analyzing the digital operations carried out by humans, in compliance with business rules. These software robots interact with systems and applications of all types in the same way as human beings do, with a few differences: they are operational 24 hours a day, work faster and without errors, and above all allow staff to free from tedious activities by focusing on those with high added value, highlighting their expertise.
A rapid expansion
“The ongoing digitization, accelerated by the health crisis and the context of social distancing, has highlighted our field. IT companies like Digital Solutions SA, offering real support in the digital transformation of companies and institutions, have many challenges to meet, in partnership with their customers. We work by listening to our customers, constantly innovating in the development of tailor-made tools to enable them to gain in precision, comfort and efficiency, while shaking up the codes of what is done in our sector with RPA in particular,” explains Xavier Van Nuvel. Digital Solutions SA is in full expansion, with a turnover increased by 50%. It currently has 42 employees from 17 different professions. The company is constantly recruiting new specialists and is preparing to open 4 new sites in Switzerland this year.
1 Software robots with technology from UiPath , the Swiss and world leader in RPA in terms of market share.
2 “Just how fast is the ‘speed of digital’? Now we know”, McKinsey, July, 2019.
About Digital Solutions SA
Integrator, developer and IT service provider, Digital Solutions SA, founded in 2016 in Porrentruy, combines agility, innovation and performance. It has offices in Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, Martigny, and soon in Fribourg, Bern, Zürich and Delémont. Beyond the automation of processes by robotics, Digital Solutions SA works on integration and innovation; software development; consulting and outsourcing.
More information
Digital Solutions SA
Mr. Xavier Van Nuvel (CEO)
M +41 79 100 91 23
Municipality of Courgenay
Mr. Didier Jolissaint (Mayor)
M +41 78 904 73 56
