A member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive universities, our client delivers teaching excellence and equip their graduates to go further, faster.
Our Softcat Partnership
As a long-term trusted advisor, Softcat was asked for recommendations on a partner who could work closely as a true data partner with this university. Oakland Everything Data was the obvious choice, with a history of pure data expertise and experience in the higher education sector.
The Challenge
The university’s student casework teams operate at the frontline of university life. Every day, they manage a vast spectrum of situations, from sensitive safeguarding concerns to everyday student complaints. The volume is high. The subject matter can be complex. Much of the processing is manual. Emails are reviewed, categorised, and filed. Cases are triaged and routed to the appropriate teams. Staff cross-reference information, assess context, and make judgment calls. This is incredibly time-consuming manual work, and the University believed AI could help. They were already investing in Microsoft Copilot and had established internal champions to drive adoption. But they needed to understand where AI would genuinely create value.
The Solution
AI is often treated as a hammer in search of a nail. Oakland approaches it differently. We combine operational process analysis, governance awareness, and technical architecture expertise to identify where AI will create measurable value and where it won’t.
Through a series of collaborative workshops with operational stakeholders, we examined how front-line work was being done. We needed to really understand the challenges, rooted in knowledge rather than assumptions.
One early insight was that while processes were lengthy and resource-intensive, there were very few objective measures of what good looked like. Before automation, we needed definition. What was efficient? What was high quality? What was risk sensitive?
We analysed each stage of the workflow through three lenses. Was it repetitive and rules based? Was it judgement heavy and high risk? What would be the consequence of getting it wrong?
This disciplined filtering is where Oakland’s AI consulting expertise comes into its own. Identifying AI use cases is not about asking if AI can do something. It is about asking if it should.
We identified clear opportunities where AI could reduce administrative burden, particularly in case triage support, the structuring of inbound information and email classification. These were time intensive, repeatable processes where automation could create immediate operational breathing space.
Alongside the use case analysis, Oakland provided a highlevel solution architecture aligned to the University’s existing Microsoft Copilot investment. Rather than introducing unnecessary complexity, we shaped an approach that worked with what they already had, ensuring any next steps were practical and added value.
The Results
By the end of the engagement, the university had moved from AI curiosity to a clear path forward.
They gained a validated and prioritised set of AI-ready use cases, a clear understanding of governance boundaries, and a pragmatic solutions architecture aligned to their Microsoft estate.
Most importantly, they gained clarity. This was not about deploying a complex AI framework. It was about helping a complex organisation make informed and responsible decisions about AI adoption in a sensitive operating environment.
What AI Use Cases Could We Unlock for Your University?
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