Case Study: Russell Reynolds Associates achieves 71,000 hours freed and automated background checks with Bizagi

Global Executive search firm develops new workflows to outsource over 71,000 hours of data entry work

Russell Reynolds Associates, a global executive search and leadership advisory firm, needed to modernize long-standing, manual ways of working that left staff spending large amounts of time on administrative tasks. Time-tracking across seven offices revealed extensive data entry and internet research burdens as the firm processed data on over 100,000 people annually, so the company set objectives to improve quality, speed and employee experience while better managing capacity.

They expanded Shared Services and created three regional Centers of Excellence, then implemented Bizagi to create, manage and track automated workflows and integrate shared services in about 12 weeks. The changes offloaded 71,000 hours of data entry in year one, cut data-entry time by about 30%, freed roughly 50 man‑days per month, automated 25,000 background checks in seven months (previously 3–4 hours each), standardized degree verification and SLAs, and processed tens of thousands of contact-center cases—delivering faster, more consistent service and measurable efficiency gains.

Russell Reynolds Associates

Ryan Shaw

Director of Application Development