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CASE STUDY•November 28, 2024•8 min read
From Manual to Magical: How We Transformed a Scale-up's Operations with AI Engineering
A deep dive into how we helped a fast-growing fintech company eliminate 80% of manual processes, reduce operational costs by 65%, and scale 3x faster through strategic automation.
FS
FinanceStack
B2B Fintech • 150+ employees
Transformation Impact
Measurable results achieved in just 4 months
Process Time
Before
48 hours
After
3 hours
94% improvement
Error Rate
Before
12%
After
0.3%
96% improvement
Operational Cost
Before
$850K/year
After
$297K/year
65% improvement
Employee Satisfaction
Before
62%
After
91%
47% improvement
The Challenge
FinanceStack was drowning in success. Their innovative payment reconciliation platform was attracting enterprise clients faster than they could scale operations. Manual processes that worked for 10 clients were breaking under the weight of 100.
- Time Drain: 70% of staff time spent on repetitive manual tasks
- Cost Explosion: Operational costs growing 2x faster than revenue
- Talent Waste: Skilled engineers doing data entry instead of innovation
- Growth Bottleneck: Unable to onboard new clients without hiring linearly
Our Strategic Approach
1
Deep Process Analysis
We embedded ourselves in their operations for 2 weeks, mapping every workflow, identifying bottlenecks, and quantifying the true cost of manual processes.
Key Finding: 80% of manual work followed predictable patterns perfect for intelligent automation.
2
AI-Powered Automation Design
Designed intelligent workflows combining RPA, machine learning, and natural language processing to handle complex decision-making previously requiring human judgment.
- Smart document processing with 99.7% accuracy
- Automated exception handling and escalation
- Real-time anomaly detection and fraud prevention
3
Phased Implementation
Rolled out automation in stages, starting with highest-impact processes. Each phase delivered immediate value while building confidence for broader transformation.
4
Knowledge Transfer & Optimization
Trained their team to manage and evolve the automation platform. Built monitoring dashboards for continuous improvement and scaling.
Technical Implementation Highlights
Intelligent Document Processing
Custom OCR + NLP pipeline processing 10,000+ documents daily with human-level accuracy.
Smart Decision Engine
ML models trained on historical data to automate complex approval workflows.
Real-time Analytics
Custom dashboards providing instant visibility into operations and bottlenecks.
API-First Integration
Seamless connection with existing tools through robust API architecture.
Key Learnings
Start with quick wins
Automating simple, high-frequency tasks first builds momentum and trust.
People-first approach
Success depends on team buy-in. Frame automation as empowerment, not replacement.
Intelligent > Robotic
AI-powered automation handles exceptions better than rule-based RPA.
Build for scale
Design automation architecture that grows with the business, not just current needs.
"Ekstronomy didn't just automate our processes - they reimagined how we operate. Our team is now focused on strategic work instead of mundane tasks. We're scaling faster than ever while actually reducing costs. It's been transformational."
MK
Michael Kim
CEO, FinanceStack
Ready to Transform Your Operations?
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