As the UK Government tightens its belt – with a 15% reduction in operating costs stretching across departments – departments must scrutinise every workflow for efficiency gains via generative AI.
While these targets have naturally raised eyebrows in Westminster, Scotland’s history as an innovator – in areas such as tidal energy – suggests it may be positioned to redefine austerity.
Rather than resorting to blunt spending cuts that erode services and impact those most in need, Scotland has an opportunity to embrace what I call “intelligent austerity”: achieving significant cost savings and productivity dividends without compromising the quality of essential public services – but how?
Our Approach to Public Services
At Salesforce, we are not only leading agentic transformation but also challenging government departments to think differently. Our technology is already deeply embedded across the UK Government and around the world. With our latest innovation, Agentforce, our aim is not to replace human workers; but to empower them by removing the mundane and repetitive.
When I speak with civil servants, I often ask, “Which parts of your day drive you crazy?” Their answers consistently point to those routine, repetitive tasks that sap productivity. The real secret to delivering huge societal benefits – whether it’s eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, or tackling the climate emergency – is in achieving small, daily percentage gains across every area. These incremental improvements free up staff time for the tasks humans excel in, high-impact work.
In this way, Agentforce becomes a practical pathfinder for intelligent austerity by streamlining operations and delivering lasting efficiencies, while still increasing the opportunities for human touch.
Intelligent Austerity: More Efficiency, Less Deficiency
Traditional austerity means deep, often painful cuts that lead to deteriorating services and public dissatisfaction. Intelligent austerity, by contrast, is about achieving cost savings by removing inefficiencies – like reliance on expensive call centres and outdated administrative workflows. Instead of the lengthy, bespoke system builds that burden IT teams and tie departments to external consultants, we suggest off-the-shelf solutions that start delivering value in weeks.
Integrating seamlessly with existing technology stacks, improving trust, transparency, agility, and scale from go-live. The goal here is to do more with less – by streamlining operations, Agentforce will reduce overheads, even exceeding the 15% target, without the adverse impacts of traditional austerity.
Agents in Action: Organisations Already Reaping the Rewards
Northern Trains deployed Agents to automate repetitive enquiries and scheduling tasks. This simple change cut the time for common customer service activities by 50% and freed up 4,000 administrative hours annually – boosting punctuality, improving customer satisfaction, and reducing operational overhead.
Similarly, Simplyhealth – one of the UK’s leading health insurance providers – integrated Agentforce into its customer support. Their move resulted in response times improving by 90%, enabling staff to concentrate on high-value, client-facing interactions. These stories demonstrate how transformation via Agents can counter fiscal pressures, delivering efficiency gains and a better customer experience.
Accelerating AI in Scotland
Imagine every department has access to a 24/7 expert – an intelligent assistant capable of answering complex policy questions, processing documents, or even acting as a trusted sounding board. Consider early driving technology: SatNav revolutionised navigation, but it sometimes distracted drivers or sent them through a field!
The real breakthrough came with Collision Avoidance Systems – actively saving lives by detecting hazards. Similarly, early AI can serve as pathfinders, automating routine tasks; yet the true innovation lies in advanced applications that enhance decision-making, accelerate responses, and benefit citizens’ lives.
Our AI Agents Handbook provides the blueprint for this journey. By adopting such an approach, Scottish public services can avoid austerity – achieving cost savings and productivity gains that can be reinvested in tackling the priority challenges set out in the Scottish Government’s December 24 budget: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, and addressing the climate emergency.
With each small, daily improvement, departments can become smarter, more agile, and better able to deliver high-quality, sustainable services. AI Agents isn’t about replacing humans- it’s about empowering and focusing them on high-value work.
If you have questions or would like a personalised consultation on how AI Agents can support your organisation, we’d love to talk to you. Fill out this form to get in touch, or reach out directly to Kate at kate.ifould@salesforce.com.
Kim Moran-Hogg, AVP Public Sector UK & Ireland, Salesforce, will be speaking at Futurescot’s Transforming Public Services on Thursday, May 8, in Glasgow.
