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ALM Media, LLC

Josh Gazes, Senior Vice President – Operations

British Gas

Jess Johnson, Head of Operational Excellence

Mosaic Insurance

Mitch Blaser, Co-CEO

Mosaic Insurance

Krishnan Ethirajan, COO

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Jason Hendrey, Senior Director, Global Customer Services

WS Audiology (WSA)

Christof Steube, Director of Finance Excellence

Kiwi.com

Leonard McCullie, Director, Vendor Management

Kiwi.com

Petra Reiter, Vice President, Customer Services

Flight Centre

Aaron Fadelli, Business Leader

Healius Pathology

Alex Cook, Head of Finance Operations

Varo Bank

Breanna Rivers, Partner Performance Manager

Yorkshire Building Society Group (YBS)

Jessica Lockwood, Process Automation Manager

WS Audiology (WSA)

Sharang Patil, Director of Group Finance Excellence

Priya Madan Mohan, VP for Group Accounting & Controlling

United Airlines

Chris Kenny, VP and Controller

GFG Alliance

Phillip Irish, General Manager, Shared Services Delivery, Quality & Governance

Energy Australia

Steve Corden, Outsource Operations Leader

Delaware North

Christopher Lozipone, Senior Vice President and Global Business Services Head

Moneycorp

Nick Haslehurst, Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Prodigy Finance

Nico Barnard, Head of Operations

M&T Bank

Chris Tolomeo, Senior VP & Head of Banking Services

Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI)

Khem Balkaran, CIO

Church's Chicken

Louis J. Profumo, CFO & EVP

Investment Operations Automation: Efficiency Transformation

Read | Jun 14, 2024

AUTHOR(s)

A WNS Perspective

Key Points

  • A global investment management firm struggled with operational inefficiencies due to reliance on legacy systems, fragmented processes and manual tasks, resulting in time-consuming and error-prone workflows.
  • WNS-Vuram implemented the Appian platform to automate the investment lifecycle, including onboarding investors, managing records, automating workflows and integrating e-mail processes.
  • The automation led to significant operational efficiency, enhanced reporting capabilities, streamlined investor management, better process visibility and substantial time savings.

This is our story of leveraging Appian to automate critical processes for a leading investment management company.

As we know…

The investment management industry is intensely competitive, demanding firms efficiently oversee various operations. However, many companies still rely on legacy systems and outdated processes, leading to operational inefficiencies. There is a pressing demand for advanced automation systems to significantly boost productivity and enable users to focus on mission-critical tasks.

The challenge for the client was…

It faced significant operational inefficiencies due to reliance on legacy systems, spreadsheets and e-mails. Their core processes – onboarding investors, maintaining investor records, managing portfolios, processing subscriptions and redemptions, and generating reports – were fragmented and lacked visibility. The manual process of sending hundreds of investor reports through e-mail was particularly time-consuming, prone to human error and lacked workflow control, hindering productivity and the ability to focus on critical tasks.

As the business transformation partner…

WNS-Vuram proposed the Appian platform to streamline and automate the client’s investment-related processes. The Appian solution replaced legacy systems and introduced automatic investment management across the entire investment lifecycle, encompassing processes from onboarding investors to managing subscriptions, redemptions, departmental sign-offs and sending reporting e-mails. Key features of the solution included:

Workflow Automation

Workflow Automation

Appian enabled users to create, allocate, re-assign and trace tasks, improving visibility and control over various approval workflows

Record Management

Record Management

Facilitated the maintenance of comprehensive records, such as fund, broker and subscription records
 

Collaboration

Collaboration

Enhanced inter-departmental collaboration by automating task notifications and reducing dependencies

 

Reporting Automation

investment Reporting Automation

Automated the generation and distribution of periodic reports, enabling users to send over 150 reports with improved accuracy in seconds

E-mail Integration

E-mail Integration

Automated the reading, interpreting and processing of e-mails from vendors, distributing the information for necessary approvals

 

WNS-Vuram’s extensive experience with Appian allowed us to build over 15 applications, improving client reporting, broker onboarding, historical data maintenance, task triggers and invoicing, with modern user interface features and continuous suggestions for enhancements.

The automated solution…

Delivered significant benefits for the client through the broader impact of investment automation, including…

Operational Efficiency

Operational Efficiency

Streamlined business processes, reduced manual efforts and increased productivity


Enhanced Reporting

Enhanced Reporting

Improved accuracy and speed of report generation, with over 150 reports sent monthly


Investor Management

Investor Management

Facilitated onboarding of over 400 investors into the system


Process Visibility

Process Visibility

Enabled easy access and retrieval of historical information and provided better tracking and auditing capabilities


Business Impact

Business Impact

The suite of Appian applications integrated into daily operations led to substantial time savings and process throughput improvement

WNS-Vuram's seven-year partnership with the client fostered a strong, trust-based relationship. We provided flexibility in design decisions, proactive communication about roadblocks and continuous improvements, driving the client's growth and operational success.

Client Testimonial

“We wanted to thank the team at WNS-Vuram for all the hard work they have put into this project. As there were a lot of infrastructure changes that unfortunately shared the same deadlines, WNS-Vuram members have taken a lot of stress. We want to express our gratitude for being very accommodating and patient in supporting us. We rely very heavily on Appian, and without the team’s efforts, we’d be having a much more difficult time incorporating all of these system changes into our processes. WNS-Vuram is a massive asset to us! They are doing excellent work.”


Associate Director

FAQs

1. How can intelligent automation improve operational efficiency for investment management firms?

Intelligent automation helps investment management firms streamline complex workflows such as investor onboarding, portfolio servicing, reporting and approval management across fragmented systems. By automating repetitive tasks and integrating disconnected processes, firms can improve productivity, reduce manual errors and enhance operational visibility. WNS helps investment firms modernize operations through AI-powered automation, workflow orchestration and scalable digital transformation frameworks.

2. Why are investment management firms investing in low-code and workflow automation platforms?

Investment management firms are under increasing pressure to improve agility, scale operations efficiently and deliver seamless investor experiences while managing operational complexity and compliance requirements. Low-code platforms such as Appian enable rapid deployment of automated workflows, centralized process management and faster operational transformation. WNS-Vuram enables firms to accelerate digital modernization through intelligent automation ecosystems tailored for investment operations.

3. How do AI and automation improve investor management and reporting operations?

AI and automation improve investor management by streamlining onboarding, maintaining centralized records and automating communication and reporting workflows. Automated reporting systems improve accuracy, reduce turnaround times and enhance investor servicing through real-time process visibility. WNS implemented automation capabilities that enabled the client to generate and distribute over 150 investor reports monthly with greater efficiency and control.

4. What operational challenges can automation-led investment operations transformation solve?

Automation-led transformation helps investment firms address challenges such as fragmented legacy systems, spreadsheet-driven workflows, manual approvals and limited process transparency. Intelligent workflow orchestration improves collaboration, auditability and scalability across investment lifecycle operations while reducing operational bottlenecks. WNS enables investment managers to transition from siloed, manual operating models to connected, insight-driven digital ecosystems.

5. Why should investment management firms partner with WNS for intelligent operations transformation?

WNS combines deep financial services expertise with advanced AI, analytics, Appian-powered automation and intelligent operations capabilities to help investment firms modernize business operations at scale. From investor lifecycle management and workflow automation to reporting transformation and operational intelligence, WNS enables firms to improve efficiency, strengthen governance and build resilient, future-ready investment operations ecosystems.