For over a decade, applied AI agency ElementX has been at the forefront of AI innovation. ElementX’s Kat Waters shares their journey and offers top tips for real-world impact.
“Since our founding in 2013, we’ve witnessed AI’s evolution from a promising technology into a transformative force across industries. While AI has become more powerful and accessible, we’ve learned that success isn’t about chasing the latest breakthrough – it’s about finding practical ways to solve real business challenges and keeping a tight focus on the results that matter,” says Kat.
Strategic AI planning: understanding the possibilities
“Understanding which AI opportunities to pursue can be daunting. Our AI 360 workshop series with Southern Cross Health Insurance, for example, helped teams separate meaningful opportunities from hype. By bringing together diverse stakeholders – especially those from departments less familiar with AI – the workshops led to concrete outcomes, including a new MLOps strategy and an IT helpdesk virtual assistant that significantly reduced support load.”
Top tip: Ensure a wide range of stakeholders are involved in the process. Some of the departments that can benefit the most are often the least familiar with AI capabilities and their perspective is invaluable.
From strategy to implementation: transforming student support
“During the pandemic, the University of Auckland (UoA) faced overwhelming student inquiry volumes during their shift to virtual learning. Working closely with contact centre staff, we developed the UoA Assistant, achieving 40% improvement in first-time query resolution and 58% increase in self-service efficiency. It provided such excellent results that the assistant has now been rolled out into additional areas, including a staff-facing ‘agent assistant’ with an internal knowledge base.”
Top tip: Spend time with the people who handle customer interactions daily. Shadow contact centre staff to understand their environment and pain points to ensure the solution truly serves their needs.
Building for long-term success
Kat says successful AI implementations share common elements: well-organised data, clearly defined outcomes, strong governance, and crucially, the inclusion of diverse, front-line expertise. While technology evolves rapidly, these fundamentals remain constant.
“Moving forward, we’re committed to helping organisations harness AI’s potential through collaborative, people-centred approaches that deliver lasting value.”
