Can Gen AI Automate Real Work with Measurable ROI? Reed's Use Case Proves It Can
One of the biggest questions for today's business leaders is whether Gen AI can actually automate real work with measurable business impact. A compelling answer comes from Reed Group, one of the largest recruitment agencies in the UK, which achieved an astounding 600% ROI by implementing Gen AI job posting automation.
Reed Group uses KorticalChat's AI chatbot to automate 100,000 job postings yearly, cutting creation time from 90 minutes to instant.
Watch as Reed's technology leaders explain how practical AI implementation transformed their recruitment operations with genuinely measurable results, automating the creation of SEO-optimised job postings annually and saving their consultants thousands of hours of manual work.
The Challenge: 100,000 Manual Job Postings Annually
The Reed Group operates across multiple sectors with a core mission of "improving lives through work." As primarily a recruitment company, one of their most critical activities is posting job advertisements. The volume is approximately 100,000 per year, either for themselves or on behalf of their clients.
Before implementing their Gen AI solution, Reed's consultants handled this process entirely manually. As Jonathan Campbell, Product Design Manager at Reed, explains: "We work across multiple different sectors, matching people looking for work with people who are looking for people to work for them. The posting jobs element is obviously super important for that."
The Solution: AI Chatbot to Generate SEO-Optimised Job Postings
With KorticalChat, Reed revolutionised how they create job descriptions. The Gen AI chatbot solution transforms basic job details into best-practice advertisements optimised for visibility and engagement.
Gemma Asua, Technology Delivery Manager at Reed, describes the transformation: "It's changed from a very manual process to one where they literally just have to copy and paste into KorticalChat and it pops out a best practice job advert they can use straight away."
Before: Manual Process
- Consultant gathers job requirements from client
- Consultant writes complete job posting (up to 90 minutes)
- Quality and style vary depending on consultant experience
- Limited time for other revenue-generating activities
After: AI Chatbot Process
- Consultant enters basic job details into the AI chatbot
- Chatbot instantly generates SEO-optimised job descriptions
- Consistent, best-practice job postings every time
- Consultants focus on client relationships and candidate matching
This practical application of Gen AI directly addressed a specific business need with measurable outcomes:
- Consistency and quality improvements - "The consistency and quality of those answers has gone up, which is awesome," notes Campbell.
- Onboarding acceleration - "Especially for new consultants getting up to speed, they have benefited from it."
- Significant time savings - "A few consultants would spend at least 10-15 minutes per job description, but some people have said up to 90 minutes a week. So, significant efficiency gains."
The Pilot: From Concept to Live AI Chatbot in Just 6 Weeks
The implementation process was remarkably efficient. Reed went from use case definition to a live pilot in approximately six weeks, with a pay-as-you-go model that minimised business risk.
Simple Implementation
Reed kept the deployment straightforward with no complex integrations. The AI chatbot was made available company-wide through a simple link that integrated seamlessly into the existing job posting workflow.
Minimal Training Required
Thanks to the chatbot's intuitive design, Reed needed very little formal training. An introductory email with basic instructions was sufficient, complemented by the chatbot's self-explanatory welcome message.
Enterprise-Grade Security
KorticalChat's ISO27001 accreditation and robust security measures ensured all data remained encrypted both at rest and in transit. Integration with Microsoft's single sign-on restricted access to Reed employees only, satisfying enterprise security and privacy requirements.
Actionable Business Insights
The implementation provided Reed's leadership team with unprecedented visibility into consultants' queries and the AI's responses. This data offered more authentic insights into consultant needs than traditional surveys, directly informing Reed's AI strategy and future enhancements.
The Result: Rapid Adoption, Thousand of Hours Saved and 600% ROI
Adoption rates have been exceptional, with Campbell noting: "We're already up to about two-thirds of our consultants using it every single week, which is really awesome." With approximately 1,000 consultants posting jobs, this translates to "thousands of hours being saved" when extrapolated across a year.
The business impact has been undeniable:
"In terms of an ROI, the figure of 600%-700% return on investment is really cool." Jonathan Campbell, Product Design Manager
From Single Use Case to AI Transformation
Following the success of their Gen AI job posting automation, Reed is now exploring more advanced AI applications, focusing on practical implementations with clear business cases:
- RAG-based solutions - "We're now starting to explore more complicated use cases looking at your sort of off-the-shelf RAG architecture, retrieval augmented generation."
- Customer service chatbots - "Two that we're particularly excited about are customer service and system feedback chatbots."
- Marketing automation - "Other generative tools for consultants, so automation of social media marketing, email content, those kinds of tasks."
Reed's approach demonstrates how organisations can successfully build an AI transformation roadmap starting with high-value, clearly defined use cases that deliver immediate ROI.
The Recipe for Successful AI Implementation
When summarising Reed's experience, Campbell emphasises the factors that made this implementation successful:
- Transparency and consultation - "Kortical as a partner in general, I'd say their transparency and consultative nature combined with excellent pricing is what has made the experience so positive for us."
- Focus on high-value use cases - "KorticalChat's allowed us to really hone in on high value use cases and really engineer some significant value."
- Incremental approach - "Focus on something quite specific and tackle each use case as it comes."
For Reed Group, the measurable business impact of their Gen AI implementation has created enthusiasm for further AI adoption:
"All signs are very positive and we're very excited about our roadmap of other AI use cases to explore."
Is an AI Chatbot Right for Your Business?
Your business could benefit from an AI chatbot if you
- Create high volumes of standardised content or documentation
- Have employees spending significant time on repetitive tasks
- Need consistency and quality across team outputs
- Want to free skilled staff for higher-value activities
- Are looking for AI solutions with measurable ROI
Want to Transform Your Business with an AI Chatbot?
Book a 30-minute discovery call to explore how KorticalChat can deliver similar ROI for your organisation.
Explore Other KorticalChat AI Chatbot Success Stories
- The Edit LDN - How a luxury e-commerce retailer automated 80% of customer support queries and improved conversions
- Innovator International - How a UK endorsing body automated triage, reducing staff workload and achieving an 80% automation rate for customer inquiries
This case study demonstrates how targeted Gen AI implementation can deliver measurable ROI while improving service quality and employee satisfaction in recruitment operations.
