#call management and automation system
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dstmsystems · 1 year ago
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Did You Know? The Untold Benefits of a Call Management and Automation System
In today's dynamic business landscape, effective communication is the backbone of success. While many companies focus on traditional methods, the untold benefits of modern communication systems, particularly call management and automation solutions, can significantly elevate operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
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Streamlining Operations for Seamless Workflow
One of the most impactful yet overlooked advantages of adopting a modern communication system is the streamlining of daily operations. With features like automated call routing and task assignment, businesses can ensure that every call is directed to the appropriate department or individual swiftly. This not only minimizes the risk of miscommunication but also accelerates response times, enhancing overall workflow efficiency.
Enhancing Customer Experience
Customer experience is paramount in today's competitive market. A call management and automation system contributes significantly to this aspect by providing a seamless and consistent interaction process. Features such as interactive voice response (IVR) enable customers to navigate through options effortlessly, ensuring that their queries are directed to the right personnel. This personalized approach enhances customer satisfaction and builds trust in the brand.
Optimal Resource Utilization
Efficient resource utilization is a perpetual goal for businesses aiming to maximize productivity. Modern communication systems facilitate optimal resource allocation by automating routine tasks, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and value-added activities. This not only reduces manual workload but also enhances employee morale as they engage in tasks that align with their expertise.
Real-Time Data Insights for Informed Decision-Making
In the fast-paced business environment, data-driven decisions are crucial for staying ahead of the competition. Call management and automation systems provide real-time analytics and reporting tools, offering valuable insights into call volume, customer queries, and response times. This data empowers businesses to make informed decisions, identify trends, and adjust strategies promptly to meet evolving customer needs.
Scalability for Future Growth
The ability to scale operations seamlessly is a key consideration for any growing business. Traditional communication systems may struggle to accommodate increased call volumes and evolving business needs. In contrast, a well-implemented call management and automation system is designed to scale effortlessly, adapting to the changing demands of the organization without significant disruptions.
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Security and Compliance
In an era where data security and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable, advanced communication systems prioritize these aspects. These systems often come equipped with robust security features to safeguard sensitive information, ensuring that customer data and internal communications remain confidential. Moreover, they assist businesses in adhering to industry-specific regulations, mitigating the risk of legal consequences.
Collaboration Across Geographical Boundaries
The modern workplace is increasingly decentralized, with teams spread across different locations or working remotely. A call management and automation system bridges geographical gaps by providing unified communication tools. Features like virtual phone numbers and video conferencing facilitate seamless collaboration, allowing teams to work cohesively regardless of their physical location.
Reducing Operational Costs
Cost-effectiveness is a perennial concern for businesses of all sizes. Implementing a call management and automation system can lead to substantial cost savings over time. By automating repetitive tasks, minimizing manual errors, and optimizing resource allocation, businesses can reduce operational costs and allocate financial resources more strategically.
Improving Accountability and Performance Monitoring
Effective performance monitoring is essential for evaluating employee efficiency and identifying areas for improvement. Call management and automation systems include features that allow managers to monitor call performance, track response times, and assess employee productivity. This transparency not only improves accountability but also provides valuable data for performance reviews and training initiatives.
Integration with Other Business Systems
The modern business ecosystem relies on a variety of software applications to manage different aspects of operations. Call management and automation systems are designed to integrate seamlessly with other business tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software. This integration ensures a cohesive flow of information across departments, preventing data silos and enhancing overall organizational efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the benefits of adopting a call management and automation system extend far beyond the apparent convenience of handling phone calls. From enhancing customer experience and streamlining operations to providing real-time insights and ensuring compliance, these systems contribute significantly to the overall success of a business. As companies continue to navigate an ever-evolving business landscape, embracing advanced communication solutions becomes not just a choice but a strategic imperative for sustained growth and competitiveness.
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roseband · 3 months ago
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jfc the atlanta fed report is nuts, trumpcession #2 electric boogaloo
1.5% deflation rate being expected is nuts
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norfielddp · 5 months ago
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Streamline Operations with Efficient One Call Ticket Management
Managing One Call tickets effectively is crucial for utilities and contractors to prevent service interruptions and ensure public safety. At Norfield Data Products, we provide cutting-edge One Call ticket management solutions designed to simplify the process and enhance productivity. Our comprehensive platform automates ticket handling, from receiving dig requests to generating real-time notifications, enabling seamless coordination across teams.
With advanced features like ticket mapping, priority sorting, and reporting, our system ensures you stay ahead of compliance requirements and reduce response times. Whether you’re a large utility provider or a small contractor, our scalable tools adapt to your specific needs, making ticket management hassle-free.
Experience the benefits of improved accuracy, reduced administrative workload, and enhanced project timelines with Norfield’s trusted ticket management system. Learn how our platform can transform your operations today.
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jcmarchi · 6 months ago
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AI in CRM: 5 Ways AI is Transforming Customer Experience
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ai-in-crm-5-ways-ai-is-transforming-customer-experience/
AI in CRM: 5 Ways AI is Transforming Customer Experience
In today’s digital world, delivering a robust customer experience has become integral to any business, with hyper-personalization as a new standard.
Nearly every company offers a digital product now, and organizations strive to deliver a seamless customer experience at every touchpoint in the customer journey.
CRM platforms are efficiently designed to handle these customer service-related needs. Moreover, modern CRM systems also leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the functionalities of CRM tools.
According to recent Customer Behavior Statistics, 91% of companies use AI in their CRM systems, and 42% have already implemented AI in their CRM strategy.
In this article, we will see how AI is transforming CRM platforms and why they have become necessary to adopt.
The Need for AI in CRM
Customer expectations are at an all-time high, and they expect seamless personalization of their experience at every touch point. However, as the data grows, managing and acting on it will become more complex.
AI in CRM platforms is infused to address these data-related complexities. AI ingests and analyzes huge amounts of data in real-time to predict customers’ needs. The powerful synergy of AI in CRM platforms enhances overall business operations and helps build stronger customer connections.
Traditional CRMs have limitations in terms of data gathering and managing external workflows. They provide insights based on data that is manually integrated and often tweaked.
On the other hand, AI-powered CRMs are faster and provide actionable insights based on real-time data. The collected data is more accurate, which leads to better customer information. On the operations front, it enables data democratization and ensures data governance.
5 Key Ways AI is Transforming CRM
Integrating AI in CRM systems has become a secret weapon in enhancing customer engagement and retention. Companies using AI-driven CRM tools see a 29% increase in sales.
Let’s see how AI is transforming customers’ relationship platforms.
Personalized Customer Experience
AI-powered CRMs provide in-depth customer insights and forecast customer behavior using predictive analytics techniques. With an in-depth view of leads and conversions, intelligent CRM suggests personal customer recommendations based on their preferences.
Additionally, with all this information about customer preferences, sales and marketing teams can target customers with precision.
Routine tasks Automation
AI CRMs are designed to automate routine tasks, such as customer behavior analysis, data entry, customer follow-up emails, delivery status, sales entries, etc. Automation saves time while allowing teams to focus on strategic planning and innovation.
With real-time customer interactions and automated replies, companies can also mitigate the risks associated with manual procedures. Moreover, companies using AI-driven CRM tools show a 29% increase in sales and 25% in customer satisfaction.
By leveraging machine learning algorithms, companies can prioritize leads, schedule follow-ups, and handle customer service queries accurately.
Enhanced Analytics
AI in CRM platforms can take analytics to new heights. By leveraging ML and natural language processing (NLP) techniques, CRM platforms can collect raw data from disparate sources, such as purchase patterns, customer interactions, buying behavior, and purchasing history.
Data ingested from all these sources, coupled with predictive capability, generates unmatchable analytics. These enhanced analytics anticipate businesses to target customers more accurately, allowing businesses to:
Optimize marketing campaigns
An in-depth look into business metrics, such as
Strategize for proactive customer service
Better Sentiment Analysis
Sentiment analysis should be the top priority when choosing an AI-based CRM. It leverages the power of NLP techniques to analyze the customer’s tone, level of urgency, and intent.
When it comes to customer services, sentiment analysis plays a vital role.
For instance, Zoho CRM’s AI assistant, Zia, analyzes customers’ emails and chat messages, segmenting them into positive, negative, and neutral. Once a negative customer tone is detected, the message is prioritized so the support team can address the issue quickly.
Moreover, this capability also improves overall customer retention and proactively resolves pain points.
Continuous Improvement
AI-based CRMs can handle large amounts of data continuously. They’re always learning based on real-time data ingestion from disparate touchpoints, allowing businesses to proactively refine their customer retention strategies.
By leveraging ML algorithms, organizations can optimize their processes and drive ongoing improvements in customer relationship management.
Challenges 0f AI in CRM Adoption
The integration of AI in CRM brings new ways to handle customer relationships, but its integration comes with some definite challenges that might hinder performance.
That’s why it’s necessary to address these roadblocks. Some of the difficulties that organizations confront during the adoption of AI-CRMs may include:
Data Privacy & Governance
AI-based CRMS operates on vast amounts of data collected from multiple customer touchpoints. Therefore, concerns about data privacy might emerge at any stage. However, relevant compliance and data governance policies should be in place to address data privacy concerns.
Data Quality and Integration
For AI-based CRMs, robust data integration tools must be integrated with supportive underlying infrastructure. Without the availability of quality data, the investment in AI CRM initiatives will not yield the expected results.
Therefore, data pipelines and underlying infrastructure should be capable of supporting AI-based CRMs.
Training and Resource Enablement
AI-based CRMs are expensive initiatives, so effective utilization should be a top priority. However, inadequate training and resource enablement can lead to wasted investment.
To avoid this, companies should arrange comprehensive employee training to improve skills and gain new knowledge to use AI systems optimally.
The Future of AI in CRM
Today, interacting with customers is more than a call center initiative. AI-powered CRMs can deliver hyper-personalized and efficient solutions in real-time by anticipating customer needs through predictive analytics.
Additionally, teams can accelerate trend identification, issue resolution, and sales optimizations with AI systems.
Visit unite.ai for the latest trends on AI, CRMs, and the latest technology.
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techavtar · 10 months ago
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dostoyevsky-official · 4 months ago
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A 25-Year-Old With Elon Musk Ties Has Direct Access to the Federal Payment System
A 25-year-old engineer named Marko Elez, who previously worked for two Elon Musk companies, has direct access to Treasury Department systems responsible for nearly all payments made by the US government, three sources tell WIRED. Two of those sources say that Elez’s privileges include the ability not just to read but to write code on two of the most sensitive systems in the US government: The Payment Automation Manager (PAM) and Secure Payment System (SPS) at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). Housed on a top-secret mainframe, these systems control, on a granular level, government payments that in their totality amount to more than a fifth of the US economy. Despite reporting that suggests that Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force has access to these Treasury systems on a “read-only” level, sources say Elez, who has visited a Kansas City office housing BFS systems, has many administrator-level privileges. Typically, those admin privileges could give someone the power to log into servers through secure shell access, navigate the entire file system, change user permissions, and delete or modify critical files. That could allow someone to bypass the security measures of, and potentially cause irreversible changes to, the very systems they have access to. “You could do anything with these privileges,” says one source with knowledge of the system, who adds that they cannot conceive of a reason that anyone would need them for purposes of simply hunting down fraudulent payments or analyzing disbursement flow. "Technically I don't see why this couldn't happen," a federal IT worker tells WIRED in a phone call late on Monday night, referring to the possibility of a DOGE employee being granted elevated access to a government server. "If you would have asked me a week ago, I'd have told you that this kind of thing would never in a million years happen. But now, who the fuck knows." A source says they are concerned that data could be passed from secure systems to DOGE operatives within the General Services Administration (GSA). WIRED reporting has shown that Elon Musk’s associates—including Nicole Hollander, who slept in Twitter’s offices as Musk acquired the company, and Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer who now runs a GSA agency, along with a host of extremely young and inexperienced engineers—have infiltrated the GSA, and have attempted to use White House security credentials to gain access to GSA tech, something experts have said is highly unusual and poses a huge security risk.
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jinogasux-fr · 7 months ago
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Santae banned me without telling me why and won't unban me unless I send them my photo ID
Hey guys sorry for not posting in… forever? I just suck at social media lol. But you may have seen that I've reblogged some posts that advertise Santae in the past, but please disregard all that. I've since deleted those posts after learning how the site is managed and, after what happened to me a few days ago, I feel as though I should go public about this. Because boy did I just get fucked over.
Anyway, yeah, what it says in the title. On October 24th, around 10am EST, I was restocking my user shop when the entire webpage went white. I couldn't access the site at all and, when I tried to look for the Discord on my server list, it wasn't there. I knew what this had meant. I got banned from both the game, and the Discord - this is important to keep in mind for later.
I didn't receive any Discord DM or email notification about my ban, so after asking a mod what their support email was (and yes, I later verified that this is indeed their legitimate support email), I sent them this:
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After a few hours, I get this back in response:
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There's so much I'm confused about here. I think the one that screams out the most is that they're asking me to show them my photo ID so I can get unbanned. Absolutely not. I refuse to do this. This poses a massive security and privacy risk. They straight up banned my account, gave this half-baked explanation, and told me I need to send my personal information or... I stay banned?
Let me make something clear: The only personal thing they have on file about this account is the email address that I created my account with, which I've also used to contact them. My real name, date of birth, anything of that nature would not be connected because this was not asked for during account creation, therefore this wouldn't actually prove I'm the account holder. Theoretically speaking, I could show them any ID in the world and for all they know, that's my real information, because they have nothing else to go off of. They even say as much in their privacy page.
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Secondly, "account has been compromised"? What does that mean? I think anyone's interpretation of this would be that my account got hacked. But if my account got hacked, why wasn't I informed of this? I had to reach out to support, they did not reach out to me first. That means my password, which I may share across other sites, would have been known to someone else and thus I should've been warned of this immediately, not roughly 5 hours after the fact.
Thirdly, what, was my Discord "compromised" too? If an automated system had flagged my account, does that system somehow interact with a Discord bot so they ban a user on both at the same time? How does that work? That makes no sense as to why they'd ban me on both the game and the Discord for something like this, which is why I'm calling bullshit.
Let me tell you what I think happened.
Recently, Santae has been in some really hot water with connections revealing their relation to an older petsite, Lurapets, which has a history of scamming and artist mistreatment, as well as proof coming out of them using AI art for their NPC art. You can find these posts on the @santae-salt blog if you want to see for yourself, but I'm also linking them throughout this post.
Once the post about them being directly related to Lurapets was released, several users that the Santae staff thought might be involved in the creation of the post got banned. As it turns out, I was banned at the same time as these users.
After speaking with the @santae-salt admin, we are both of the belief that I, a regular user, got caught up in this mess because they're assuming I'm an alt account of someone else and staff demanded to see my ID because they didn't think I was a different person. It may turn out to be wrong, and yeah that sounds a bit far-fetched, sure, but really, what else can I go off of here?? Santae staff has given me a very questionable and refutable explanation as to why I've been banned, and their radio silence after I refused to send them my ID is just making me believe they don't think I'm real. They don't want my photo ID to verify I'm the account holder, they want my photo ID to verify I'm not someone else.
This is unprecedented. I've never seen any petsite ask for a photo ID in any situation, and after asking around, not even those banned from Santae were asked for this. It's just me! This is an incredible attempted breach of privacy, and, with Santae now under doxxing allegations, I really don't feel confident they'd keep my personal information… well, personal.
I messaged back almost immediately after they responded to me where I told them I would not send my ID and I had asked if there were any other way I could verify myself to get my account unbanned. I've received no response so far, and after what I've learned, I feel like I'm not going to get one at all.
So, let this be a lesson to you: don't waste your time on Santae. You can be the most obedient player out there. You can abide by all their rules, be a nice and generous player, or just be minding your own business, but if they so much as think you're associated with someone who they think has wronged them, you'll be banned.
And they can't even be bothered to properly tell you why.
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sexhaver · 11 months ago
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definitely one of the most difficult moments of my professional career was when i was doing tech support for [REDACTED]'s automated biomed research lab and like. hang on lemme greentext this
>tell them i can fix this issue in half an hour with a remote support session (aka Teamviewer)
>"you want to... control our computers???? over the internet????? like some kind of HACKER???????"
>their IT submits my request to upper management and after two weeks they reluctantly allow me to get remote access to their systems
>by logging into a virtual machine using a 20-digit password and then using a specific program inside of that virtual machine
>while sharing my screen with someone from their IT team the entire time
>finally get remote access to the PC with the issue
>go to open log files to start troubleshooting
>ERROR: User does not have read permissions.
>what the fuck
>ask their IT guy why it's saying that
>"...because we don't want you looking at our stuff, duh?"
>take deep breath before calmly explaining that i need to open files in order to fix their problem
>IT guy submits my request to upper management
>after another week i go through the whole process again but can actually open the log file this time
>cool, it's exactly the issue i thought it was and i know exactly how to solve it
>open the relevant settings file, change a single number, hit Save
>ERROR: User does not have write permissions.
>what the FUCK
>ask IT guy how i'm supposed to fix their system if i can't change literally anything on it
>takes 20 minutes of arguing to get him to admit that maybe i need write access
>he submits the request to upper management
>a week goes by
>upper management denies it
>says i can just verbally tell the IT guy on the call what to type and he'll do it for me
>deep breaths. deep breaths.
>start third remote session
>go to open the relevant .log file in notepad, which isn't the default program it opens with for some reason
>they fucking disabled right clicking
>[REDACTED] has a $118 billion market cap btw
>manage to walk the IT guy through using the command line (which he had never seen before and was scared of) to edit the relevant file
>three weeks go by
>new support ticket in my inbox
>"why didn't your fix fix this completely unrelated issue?"
>they still won't give me write access
>VP of [REDACTED] yells at me in our weekly meeting for taking so long to fix a third unrelated issue they never submitted a ticket for and is also not actually an "issue" but an intended feature of our software that they don't like
>i went to college for this
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pandavalkyrie · 5 months ago
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If it isn't already obvious, I work in utilization management. For those that don't know, it's a department that exists in most hospitals with the single minded purpose of getting health insurance companies to pay their due.
It's usually staffed by a lot of overworked nurses and one or two physicians, usually doing UM alongside actual clinical practice.
The nurses use whats in the patient's chart to justify the diagnostic code. They then upload those clinicals to the insurance company's portal, or fax them over.
Then, if we're lucky, a human being compares the clinicals with the MCG or other clinical standard guidelines and decides whether or not the chart justifies the diagnosis and treatment.
If we're not lucky, it's UHC which uses an automated system with a 90% error rate that denies 1/3 of the claims they receive.
In that case our nurses, who have to do this and so much more for about 90 patients a day *each*, have to go back in and highlight the criteria and hope it escalates to a human being.
The denial will usually be upheld.
So the case is forwarded to a contracted consultant company that staffs physician advisors. Their job is to narrow down exactly what needs to be done to beat the insurance company at their own game. The hospital pays for this service. Sometimes it works.
Often it doesn't, and the denial is still upheld.
So it goes to peer to peer. This means one of our doctors will have a phone call with a doctor on staff at the insurance company. There is no guarantee their doc will know anything about the specialty involved. I've seen OBGYNs make final calls on psych cases. This is the last chance.
Sometimes the physician on staff at the insurance company has a heart, and remembers what they got into medical school for. But often they have only a few minutes to make a judgement before the next peer to peer, and they have a quota of denials to maintain to keep their jobs.
So usually it's denied, and that's it. There's nothing else to do. The insurance company smugly gloats about protecting consumers from overuse of healthcare resources, the hospital bills the patient directly hoping to recoup something from it (even giving the patient services to help reduce their bill) and the patient is fucked at best, forgoes life saving care at worst.
All of that for such a shit ending. All of that money, time, administrative resources, look at it. Look at how many people are employed in the attempt to get insurance companies to pay and how many are employed to prevent it. There is so much bloat in the industry around this one thing, this one process, and it all goes back into the already inflated bill.
I go through insurance communications, I open the medical record with a photo of a child undergoing chemo. She's so small and so brave, smiling for the camera. Weeks of fighting back and forth to guarantee her care until one day I open it to forward yet another denial, and see the big gray 'deceased' tag under her now black and white photo. And I take a minute, I cry, I forward the fax, and I continue on. And this exact scenario repeats at least twice month.
We don't have to live this way. We don't have to.
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dstmsystems · 1 year ago
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Looking for a game-changer in call handling? Introducing our Call Management and Automation System - the key to unlocking seamless communication. Upgrade your workflow and elevate your business communication to new heights.
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roseband · 5 months ago
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oh my god i don't speak to my dad anymore cuz hes nutty but i know what he does for a living
and musk is currently pulling a "the software govs use is 50 years old which means there can be no advances"
and that's..... that's what my dad does for a living, he gets paid 500-1k an hour to make software that specifically communicates with old legacy software cause he's a 90s dev who knows the old languages still and it's more efficient to hire a freak who knows how to make something to bridge between the old and new programs than to fully trash the old system
like there's literally consultants that get hired for that specific purpose and as a software guy musk KNOWS this
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norfielddp · 6 months ago
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Streamline Operations with One Call Ticket Management Software
Optimize your damage prevention processes with one call ticket management software from Norfield Development Partners. This advanced software offers seamless integration, robust reporting, and enhanced automation to efficiently manage excavation requests and utility locating operations. Perfectly tailored for organizations aiming to streamline workflows, reduce risks, and stay compliant with regulations, our solution transforms how you handle one call tickets.
From real-time ticket tracking to automated notifications and analytics, our ticket management software empowers you to improve communication, save time, and increase accuracy in managing excavation projects. Whether you’re managing a small team or overseeing complex multi-location projects, Norfield’s innovative software adapts to your needs with precision.
With decades of experience, we’re dedicated to providing tools that simplify your operations while maintaining a high standard of safety and efficiency. Experience the difference with a system designed to make utility management hassle-free and reliable.
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jcmarchi · 7 months ago
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Supercharging Operations with AI for Faster Success
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/supercharging-operations-with-ai-for-faster-success/
Supercharging Operations with AI for Faster Success
Efficiency isn’t just a competitive advantage anymore—it’s a business imperative. Achieving operational excellence means more than adopting new tools; it requires a complete rethinking of how operations are run. That’s where artificial intelligence comes in.
AI isn’t simply automating routine tasks; it’s transforming how businesses forecast demand, manage supply chains, make data-driven decisions, and respond to real-time challenges. AI is also transforming how teams operate by reducing the burden of repetitive or manual tasks and reducing guesswork so employees can focus attention on high-value projects requiring human intelligence.
But what does this mean for companies looking to scale, cut costs, and stay ahead of market demands? It means AI isn’t just automating tasks or incremental improvements—it’s rethinking how businesses operate at every level, driving smarter, faster, and more efficient operations.
AI as the Silent Partner in Operational Efficiency
Imagine this: you’re running a transportation and logistics company. Typically, you would need teams of engineers constantly monitoring inventory, streamlining routes, anticipating breakdowns, and figuring out when maintenance is needed. But now, with AI-driven predictive precision, freight demand can be accurately forecasted and planned for, resulting in optimized routes, load efficiencies, fuel savings, and more. In one case, an AI-powered freight forecasting solution helped a global transportation company achieve 95% accuracy in freight demand forecasting, enhancing their load efficiency and reducing empty mile runs by 30%.
In financial services, AI is revolutionizing fraud detection. AI systems can sift through millions of transactions, identifying anomalies in seconds—a task that would take human analysts days or even weeks. These AI-powered systems not only catch anomalies more quickly and accurately but also continuously learn from new patterns of fraud, enhancing their effectiveness over time. By automating this critical task, companies can both reduce fraud-related losses and allow their teams to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives.
AI’s Role in Team Operations
AI is not about automating simple tasks or replacing jobs—successful GenAI improves processes like forecasting, route planning, employee engagement, and customer interactions to help teams operate their daily tasks more efficiently and intelligently while freeing up space to focus on higher-value initiatives.
A good example is customer service. With the rise of AI-powered chatbots, businesses can now handle thousands of customer interactions simultaneously. Yet, these bots are not replacing human agents—they’re augmenting them. The bots handle simple queries, while the more complex problems get escalated to human teams, who now have the bandwidth to provide a more personalized, high-value service. Gartner estimates that AI could reduce call center workloads by up to 70% while also improving customer satisfaction by allowing human agents to focus on the harder-to-solve cases.
As a result, AI customer service agents are expected to reduce labor costs by $80 billion by 2026. But this technology isn’t about cost-cutting alone; it’s about smarter operations. AI enables businesses to adapt faster, scale efficiently, and focus human talent where it’s most impactful—on creative problem-solving, strategy, and relationship building. By leveraging AI in this way, companies are achieving greater agility in today’s competitive market, transforming their operations into systems that can predict, respond, and improve continuously.
Real-World Success: Companies That Are Getting It Right
So, who’s leading the charge? Several companies are creatively using AI to transform their operations and stand out in their industries.
Let’s look at Amazon. Their warehouses are famously AI-driven, with robots autonomously moving goods across facilities, optimizing storage and reducing human error. Yet, even with all this automation, Amazon continues to employ a large workforce—showing that AI can complement human capabilities rather than replace them entirely.
Shell is a successful example of AI-enabled process reengineering. They redesigned their energy facilities to incorporate AI drones into inspection and maintenance tasks. This shift not only reduced cycle times at large plants and wind farms, it allowed human inspectors to focus on more critical facility issues and use data analytics to inform their decision-making.
In ecommerce, Klarna is leveraging GenAI to reimagine its customer experiences and optimize operational workflows. Kiki, their AI-powered coding assistant, is being integrated across customer support, internal operations,and financial forecasting and is already being used by 90% of their workforce. In addition to managing higher customer volumes with quicker response times and improved resolution accuracy, AI is allowing Klarna to innovate at scale. Operational efficiency for day-to-day processes is driving new opportunities for growth as they focus attention on building out new CRM and HR capabilities with GenAI.
These companies aren’t just using AI for basic automation—they’re rethinking their operations from the ground up. By leveraging AI to solve complex challenges, they’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, proving that with the right strategy, AI can be both a creative and transformative tool.
Practical Takeaways for Organizations
If your company is considering implementing AI into its operations, the key is to start small but think big.
Start with a clear problem: Don’t aim to overhaul everything overnight. Instead, identify the areas where AI can provide the most value, whether it’s in streamlining workflows, reducing overhead, or improving decision-making. AI works best when it’s solving specific, pain-point issues that slow a company’s growth.
Build a high-quality human process: Identify or iterate on the process to get it to a well-defined point. This process will need to be broken down and then automated in small parts.
Solve for quality first and then lower cost: Focus on picking the best quality model, solving for high-fidelity solutions, and then looking at lower-cost alternatives. This approach will allow you to test feasibility first.
Leverage your human intelligence: ensure in-house operational subject matter experts work very closely to iterate and improve the output of the model. This can be done in multiple ways (a) QA & testing model output, (b) generating SFT data (c) monitoring post-production performance.
Automate parts of the process in an agile way: pick specific parts of the process that are easier to automate. Start with use cases that are high on volume but need to be very accurate e.g., L1 support for customer support. Quick wins will build momentum to scale.
Change management: rather than replacing jobs, AI creates opportunities for employees to move into higher-value roles. Upskill your workforce to work alongside AI, leveraging human creativity where machines fall short like creative problem-solving, contextual decision-making, or emotional intelligence.
By focusing on collaboration between AI and employees, companies can unlock new opportunities. They can use AI to enhance—not replace—their workforce. This approach positions employees for strategic roles while AI handles repetitive tasks, creating a win-win scenario for efficiency and human capital development.
Looking Ahead
AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s clear that its role in operations will only grow. Companies that leverage it effectively will be able to scale faster, make smarter decisions, and ultimately, stay ahead in an increasingly competitive market. The future belongs to those who embrace innovation and aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo.
So, whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to scale its use, remember: the goal isn’t just automation—it’s transformation.
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techavtar · 10 months ago
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As a top technology service provider, Tech Avtar specializes in AI Product Development, ensuring excellence and affordability. Our agile methodologies guarantee quick turnaround times without compromising quality. Visit our website for more details or contact us at +91-92341-29799.
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tj-dragonblade · 4 months ago
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[FIC] Love Machines in Harmony
Fandom: The Sandman Pairing: Dreamling Rated: E Word Count: 5244 Tags: PWP, Human AU, Rich Guy Dream, Mechanic Hob, the garage doesn't feature in this one though, Service Top Hob Gadling, Enthusiastic Bottom Dream, Dream is Not Quiet in bed, brief appearance by glass sex toy, anal sex, spünkelcouchen, strength kink, manhandling, burgeoning feelings, which shall continue to go unspoken, eye candy wardrobe choices, oral sex, mild temperature play, brief mention of come swallowing
Notes: Fifth (5th!) in the Turbo Lover series. This is an immediate sequel/continuation to Shift to Overdrive. Title (of course) taken from Turbo Lover by Judas Priest. Previously in the series, in case AO3 is down: Customer Service With Every Nerve Alive Loyalty Rewards Program Shift to Overdrive
Summary: Passions are running high after the limo ride home, and the drawing room is closer than the bedroom
On AO3
Hob pushes Dream up against the door as soon as it's shut behind them, seizes him by the biceps and kisses him fiercely. He's managed to calm himself a little between the limo and the house and he's not in danger of popping off immediately but his fancy tailored trousers are very distinctly tented and it's all Dream's fault, the way he'd just crawled over and taken Hob out and licked and sucked him like candy all the way home—
"Your mouth," he pants, breaking the kiss, moving his hands to Dream's face, "Dream, you magnificent creature, your fucking mouth—you drive me insane—"
Dream surges back into the kiss, tongue squirming into Hob's mouth, the same tongue that had teased him so relentlessly—he can taste himself on it, still. Fuck. Dream is whining hungrily and grinding his hips against Hob's; they're both hard, and god but it's gratifying to know that Dream did what he did in the limo because it turns him on, he's not just trying to get Hob off. Which Hob has certainly picked up on by now; Dream has loved sucking his cock from their very first tryst but it's always nice to see the proof of how much he enjoys it.
But Hob is so, so wound up from all that teasing; he needs to fuck Dream right now or he may go mad.
He grabs Dream around the back of his thighs and hefts him up, swallows down the delighted noise that Dream makes and swings them around off the door as Dream's legs wrap around him. Dream has this big house with all these rooms and most of them are closer than his second floor bedroom; Hob kicks his shoes off there in the foyer and moves for what Dream calls his 'drawing room' with its sturdy antique-style furniture, pauses in the dark.
"Lights, dove," he manages, pulling free of Dream's kiss and dipping to suck a soft mark to his throat.
"Computer. Lights. Ambient," Dream says, a bit breathlessly, but the automated system that's keyed to his voice obediently brings up the lights in the room to a soft cozy glow. Hob, able now to see where he's going, heads straight to the green velvet couch and drops Dream onto it gently.
Dream makes a highly-pleasured little sound as he lands on his arse and scrambles up to turn and kneel on the sofa, hands gripping the back. "Hob, please," he gasps, with all the urgency that Hob feels, and Hob's not about to keep him waiting.
"Can I assume you've got lube on your person?" he asks, reaching around front to undo Dream's trousers and take them down along with his pants. He strokes over Dream's cock as he goes, and Dream shudders.
"Yes—but Hob—" He sticks his arse out out, bounces it a little; Hob takes the hint and draws back to look.
He sees the broad jewel-like base of one of Dream's favorite glass toys peeking from between those milk-white cheeks, and it makes his breath catch.
"Oh my god, Dream—" He wriggles the plug, tugs gently without any intent to remove it, and relishes the way Dream squirms. "All night? Or did you just sneak this in before we left the restaurant?"
"All night," Dream gasps, clutching at the green velvet upholstery of the couch back. "I knew—I knew that you would be absolutely mouthwatering in your suit, that I would need your cock without delay once coming home—" He bears down with a whine, the plug surging gently into Hob's grip as he pushes it free; Hob sets it aside as Dream babbles on. "I had to be ready, Hob, fuck me, please—"
And who is Hob to argue with that? He drops his own trousers, lines his dick up and slides in.
Dream moans, a sound of pure pent-up relief and decadent joy, and Hob answers him in kind. It's so good, to have him open and ready and gripping hot around Hob's prick, finally, finally after that limo ride. He groans again, draws back and thrusts in repeatedly until he's fucking with more enthusiasm than finesse, and Dream's voice is just one long note of pleasure warbling out of him every time Hob slams in.
Dream is stretched and slick, but obviously he's had the toy in all night and while the friction that develops as the lube thins out is good for a moment, it quickly becomes too much, uncomfortable. "Need more lube, darling," Hob pants, pulling out reluctantly.
Dream fumbles into the inner breast pocket of his suit jacket and hands a slim tube over his shoulder without a word, breathing hard. Hob can't help the delighted chuckle that escapes him; of course Dream is prepared, of course it's the good stuff. He slathers it onto his dick, strokes the excess into the rim of Dream's hole and sinks back into him with a groan of relief, squeezing Dream's hips as he sets into a steady measured rhythm. Part of him wants to pound hard and fast and get them both there as soon as possible after the work up Dream had given him in the limo. Part of him wants to calm down just a hair and draw this out, carry the frenzied need as long as he can, and it's that part that wins out.
"Can't believe you're real, sometimes," he pants, splitting his focus with words meant to also wind Dream tighter. "I mean. Course you're real, you're here, I can feel you"—he thrusts in, grinds deep, and Dream gasps a breathless cry—"but I just. You picked me, you let me have you; feels too good to be true and god, I'm so lucky—"
Dream is pushing back into every thrust, mindless and eager, fingers clenched on the wooden frame and emerald green upholstery of the couch back. "Picking you—ahh—picking you was the best decision I have made in—in months. Hob—" He tosses his head, lets it drop forward again as Hob keeps driving into him. "I nearly crawled into your lap in the car, Hob, I needed you inside me so desperately—"
"That sounds like a lovely idea," Hob gasps, a vision blossoming in his mind. Can he manage it? He's not a hundred percent sure, but he has learned by now that Dream goes a little feral for displays of Hob's physical strength when they fuck; it'll be worth the try. "I do like the sound of you bouncing in my lap—here, lean up—reach back, grab my arms—" He braces his legs and tightens his core, breathes deep as Dream obediently grabs backwards at his biceps; he scoops his arms under Dream's thighs and lifts, leaning back at the same time for balance.
Dream mewls his surprise, trousers round his dangling knees as Hob bears him up, dick still inside him. Hob trembles, straining under his weight, but manages a couple good strokes into him and Dream's head thunks back onto Hob's shoulder with a breathless whine. Hob thrusts up into him a third time, a fourth, and Dream moans desperately.
"Hob—Hob—!"
Hob grunts, shuffles a half-circle in place and drops to sit on the couch, only partially-controlled. He lands heavily, Dream still on his cock, and he feels the way that gravity drives him deep as Dream comes down on top of him. Dream cries out, chest heaving, clawing at Hob's forearms in their tailored sleeves, thighs working for more.
"Hob—fuck—Hob—!" He's squirming on Hob's dick, feet scrabbling in an awkward shuffle to kick off his shoes and yank one leg free of his trousers; as soon as he's got it both feet are planted on the edge of the couch on either side of Hob's spread thighs and he's fucking up and down on Hob's cock, eager and desperate and unconcerned for the clothes still tangled about his right ankle. He arches back against Hob, panting, frenzied, the sounds spilling out of his mouth a symphony of effort and satisfaction.
Hob is just along for the ride at this point, soaking in every little moan and cry, grunting his own pleasure as Dream rides backwards on his prick like a man possessed. He glances over Dream's shoulder, down past the open black jacket and loosened silk tie, moves one hand from Dream's hip to push his shirttails up out of the way so Hob can see his pretty pink cock straining tall, pearly-wet at the tip as it bounces in rhythm.
"Christ, I wish you had a mirror in here. Wanna see full-frontal how pretty you are writhing in my lap, fucking yourself on my cock—" He has a great view, all things considered, but god what he wouldn't give for a spectator's angle too. He wonders how Dream would feel about filming themselves.
Dream reaches up and back, grasps the wooden frame of the couch behind Hob's head, his body drawn into a beautiful half-dressed arc as he continues to fuck himself with feverish abandon. "I will—get—get a mirror—for next time—" He shudders, grinds deep, circles his hips in sharp little jerks that make both of them moan, then starts bouncing again.
Hob is struggling to keep himself from getting too close to coming; he's generally very good at pacing and stamina maintenance so that his partners get everything they need from him, but sometimes Dream makes it terribly difficult. And this is definitely one of those times, Dream arched backwards in his lap fucking like it's his mission in life, both of them still in suit jackets and shirts and loosened ties, Hob's trousers still around his ankles and Dream's still hanging from his right foot—the urgency is tangible in every move they make and Hob is hanging onto control for all he's worth. He won't come before Dream is ready for him to, he won't—
Dream is starting to flag.
He's slowing, getting less coordinated, the noises he makes tinged now with frustration and Hob can't blame his thighs for giving out on him, the pace he's been going. It's impressive he's kept at it this long.
"Ho~ob—" Dream whines his name, arches, squirms low on Hob's prick, still clinging to the back of the couch behind them both.
"I've got you," Hob murmurs, taking his cue. He shifts his hips forward a bit, grips Dream firmly under both thighs and lifts, just a little, just enough. It gives him room and leverage to thrust, taking over the rhythm that Dream had established and the way that Dream collapses into his support is so, so gratifying. "I've got you—" He fucks into him gently for a few strokes, the effort of holding him up muting the urgency of his own arousal somewhat, focusing and gathering himself before gradually picking up the pace.
It's no time at all until Dream is coming undone, hands clenched on the back of the couch, voice crying out in one long continuous note as Hob pumps steadily up into him. It's work to keep him slightly aloft like this, yes, and it would be easy enough to change positions for something less challenging but Hob won't, because he knows Dream loves this. He is forever grateful for the upper body strength his job has gifted him that lets him do this for Dream, who deserves every happiness and every fantasy that Hob can give him. He lifts just a little more, feeling it in his chest and every arm muscle; he'll be sore tomorrow, definitely, but it's so entirely worth it for the way Dream is arching and shivering and wailing under his care.
It's only another moment of this, Hob trembling under the strain, Dream crying out his pleasure, and then Dream's voice climbs higher, urgent and desperate and breathless. "Hob—Hob—Hob—!"
Hob doubles his efforts, fucking for all he's worth until at last Dream comes, shaking against him with the sweetest little scream, semen jetting into his crumpled shirt and jacket. Hob lets him down, flush into his own lap, pushes deep into the spasming clutch of Dream's body and holds, riding it out until Dream goes limp.
God, but he is such a lucky bastard.
Dream is panting, sharp little whines off the end of each heaving breath as he comes down from it, body gone slack against Hob, hands settling on Hob's forearms and head lolling back on Hob's shoulder.
Hob nuzzles into Dream's skin below and behind his ear, drunk on the smell of his sweat and shampoo, his dick positively throbbing in the sheath of Dream's clutching arse. "Do you want me to finish now, beautiful?" he breathes, nosing at Dream's earlobe, flexing inside him and earning a breathless whine. "I'm close, I'm so fucking close after everything you've done to me tonight and the way you just came on my cock; it wouldn't be long at all." He flicks his tongue up the back of Dream's ear, spreads his hand—his blue-collar work stained mechanic's hand—in the sticky mess of Dream's expensive shirt tails. "Or do you want me to take you upstairs, put you arse-up in your gigantic bed and fuck you until you come again first?"
"Please," Dream says, still a little glassy-eyed and breathless. "Strip me bare. Carry me upstairs. Fuck me as you see fit and fill me with your seed—"
Seed. As if anyone else would ever actually call it that. Hob smiles into Dream's neck, helplessly besotted. He adores this man, this horny rich weirdo who can drive Hob out of his mind with pleasure but can't drive stick to save his life, who somehow thinks Hob's cock is the greatest thing he could spend his time on. He chuckles, kisses Dream's damp and heated skin. "As you wish."
Dream arches against him, languid and restless; carefully, Hob shifts him forward just enough to start pulling at his clothes without dislodging him from his cock. He gets Dream's shirt and jacket freed from between them, wraps Dream in an embrace that's maybe a little softer than what they actually are, tells himself it's just a good excuse to unbutton Dream's shirt and cuffs. He helps Dream pull his arms free of both pieces, lifts the tie over his head, sets everything aside on the green velvet couch. He reaches, manages to free the trousers from where they're stuck around Dream's ankle, then sets to work on his own shirt buttons.
Dream shifts carefully on his prick, leans forward and works his own socks off while Hob struggles out of his suit; this would definitely be easier if he removed Dream from his lap and stood up but Dream hasn't dismounted and Hob's not going to make him until he has to. He tosses his suit and tie aside with Dream's; part of him cringes at how carelessly they've treated the clothes knowing that they cost more than he could afford, but on the other hand if Dream is unconcerned then he's just going to roll with it. Dream's probably got a guy he can take them to for cleaning and pressing and next time Hob sees them they'll be just like new.
He's got more important considerations right this second anyway.
He wraps his arms around Dream again to keep him steady while he kicks off his own trousers, does a little bit of contortion to get rid of his socks, and takes just a second to bask in the delight of having Dream held naked against him, held close in his arms. Normally the cuddling comes once they're all done and he enjoys sneaking it in mid-coitus far more than he should, probably, but he's also beyond caring at this point.
He likes Dream. A lot. And Dream likes him too, he's very sure, even if they'll never be more than whatever casual arrangement this is. It's good enough.
"Gonna have to move you off my dick," he says, with a soft kiss to the side of Dream's neck.
Dream makes a small sound of protest.
"Come on, precious, let me get you upstairs so I can fuck you senseless again." He moves his hands to Dream's hips, lifts him up enough to slide his dick out.
The sound of loss Dream makes almost has him sliding right back in, but that's not the current goal just now.
Shakily Dream stands and Hob levers himself up after, makes sure his path out of the room is clear of discarded clothing or other tripping hazards, turns Dream around and back into his arms. He'd asked to be carried upstairs and damned if Hob isn't going to indulge him. He briefly considers doing it bridal style, but no. Another time perhaps; his muscles are already complaining about the amount of lifting he's done tonight and they'll be better balanced if he's got Dream wrapped around him instead. "Arms round my neck, sweetheart, up we go," he says, gripping the backs of Dream's thighs and hefting him up, and then, because how can he not, he kisses Dream.
Dream clings around his neck, locks his legs around Hob's hips and kisses him back, soft and eager and the little whine in his throat sparks the heat still bubbling in the pit of Hob's belly.
He is so, so gone on this man, and so very ready to come.
And he's promised Dream another orgasm first.
Dream kisses all along his jaw as Hob maneuvers around the furniture, makes his way out to the staircase and climbs the two floors up to Dream's bedroom. He slings Dream gently onto the bed, an enormous and insanely plush comfortable affair, and clambers after him. "On your stomach, love," he says breathlessly, grabbing Dream by the hips, rolling him over and maneuvering him into position.
Dream whimpers, scrabbles to get his knees under him somewhat and pushes his arse up prettily, presenting it, all but begging for Hob's attentions.
"Christ, you're so gorgeous," Hob murmurs, splaying both hands over Dream's cheeks, squeezing them, spreading them. Dream's hole is right there, slick and ready and open, and Hob's dick twitches in anticipation. He leans to grab the lube from the bedside drawer, smears it generously over his first two fingers, sinks them deep into Dream's body.
"Hob," Dream moans, clenching around him, as if to draw him deeper, and Hob can't help the warmth that floods through him. He puts it aside, fingers Dream slowly for a moment, stroking him with steady unhurried attention and letting his own dick settle a bit so he doesn't pop immediately. Dream is so responsive, squirming on Hob's practiced touch and loudly voicing his pleasure; Hob can't help working him harder, deeper, zeroing in mercilessly on his prostate until Dream is a frenzied incoherent mess.
"Hob—please, Hob—please—!" Those seem to be the only words he can manage, voice raw and begging, fists clenching again and again in the duvet as Hob expertly drives him higher. He's squirming helplessly, knees splayed, hips rutting into the bed, arse clenching and unclenching on Hob's relentless fingers and Hob again counts himself the luckiest bloke in existence, that this is all for him.
He's sure it won't take much more to get Dream over the edge, and his own need is becoming unbearable. He gives Dream another half a minute or so, stroking deep and thorough, savoring the way he keens, and then pulls out.
Dream makes the most desolate sound of protest, squirming wantonly, bereft and needy and uncoordinated in his desperation; Hob seizes him by the hips, pulls him around and up into position, spreads his pristine cheeks with calloused workman's hands and sinks his prick in between.
Dream takes him with a low trembling moan, an eager gasp, pushing up for more and Hob swears.
"Fuck, Dream—" He resettles his hands on Dream's hips, draws himself out and pushes back in again, slow.
"Hob," Dream moans, like he's the only thing that matters, writhing up to meet him, and that's that. Hob gives a few more slow strokes, feeling every inch of the slide in and back out, and then shifts position. He leans forward, one hand still tight on Dream's hip while the other braces himself on the mattress, and starts moving faster. He watches Dream's back, the little ripples of his spine as he pushes up into Hob's thrusts, the sheen of sweat on his pale skin, marks the contrast of his own black-stained nails next to it.
Perfect. Beautiful. God, he loves this, this whole thing, but Dream most of all—
He pushes the thought aside, gives in to the heat of his own desire and fucks, barely holding on as Dream cries out. He keeps going, thrusting and pumping harder and harder until Dream is shaking underneath him, sobbing his pleasure into the bedclothes, screaming when he comes undone again at last. And then, only then, does Hob let his need slip its leash, plunging hard and fast and fierce into Dream's pliant overworked body, fucking and fucking until he spills.
"Dream—ohh, fuck, Dream—" He's trembling as it hits, wound tight in the heat they've built up all night and struggling to keep his tongue in check, to not let the overly-amorous words flow from his mouth while he's pumping the last of his spend into Dream's arse. That's not what they are; he's not going to ruin this with his inability to keep from falling all-in head-over-heels at the slightest provocation. He'll be whatever Dream wants, and that's enough.
Dream makes the most decadent satisfied little noise as Hob finishes, squeezes around him, wriggles happily. Hob, despite himself, drops to plant a kiss between his shoulder blades.
"There we are, love," he breathes, panting, spent. "Was that what you needed?"
"Exactly that, yes," Dream says, breathless and hoarse, shifting languidly underneath him. "You are so very good to me, Hob." He sighs, content, never mind that he's face down in his own wet spot with Hob's dick going soft in his arse.
Hob chuckles, fond and exhausted. "It's my pleasure, truly," he says, and carefully disengages before climbing off the bed. "C'mon, let's get cleaned up and I'll tuck you into bed, if you like."
"You will join me, of course." Dream says it like it was never a question, and it really isn't. But it's nice to know he's earned the welcome.
The duvet will have to be laundered; he should have put down a towel but in the moment it just hadn't crossed his mind. He uses a washcloth to clean it up as best he's able while Dream gets the shower going—they're sleeping under the duvet, not on top of it; it'll be fine for the night.
Dream is languid and cuddly in the shower (a big glass-enclosed affair with optional rain features and plenty of room for two), and Hob is delighted to indulge him; they trade lazy, sated kisses while washing up and Dream lets Hob towel his hair dry, lets Hob gently scrub his body dry as well, and offers his own help in rubbing down Hob's chest hair, his arms, his legs. And his back, of course.
It's so easy, deceptively domestic, and Hob loves every second of it. He picks Dream up when they're done, a proper princess carry this time despite the protest of several muscle groups, and takes him back out of the en-suite.
Dream makes a delighted little noise, snuggles into Hob with both arms around his neck, warm and content as Hob carries him to bed. Hob manages to hold him up with one fatigued arm and turn back the covers with the other, lays him down and tucks him in before skirting around to the other side to climb in himself. He scoots in close to Dream, who's made very clear by this point in their arrangement that he enjoys cuddling, and murmurs gently into his hair. "Lights, dove."
Dream gives a quiet little huff. "Computer. Lights out, whole house."
The lights dim out obediently and Hob settles in, arms around Dream, skin to skin, sated and content and sleepily certain that he is the luckiest bloke in the whole wide world.
~
He wakes slowly the next morning, on his back in Dream's enormous bed, warm and hazily blinking awake. Eventually he stirs, tries to roll onto his side to pull Dream in for sleepy snuggles, but every muscle in his body protests and he groans, biting his lip to stifle the sound. Beside him, Dream pushes up on one elbow and smirks down at him.
"Good morning, Hob Gadling," he purrs, eyes gleaming, hair a tousled mess, and god, but he's beautiful. Hob's heart gives a little thump.
"Good morning, gorgeous," he groans, flexing his leg muscles experimentally. Yep. Gonna be feeling last night for most of today, definitely. His arms protest in equal measure, but he can't complain. Totally worth it.
"It is already past nine," Dream tells him. "Were you needed in the shop today?"
"Later, maybe." It's Saturday; they're not actually open. He had plans to go in and catch up some paperwork Matty had asked him to see to, but there's no rush on that. "Right now I'm all yours, if that's what you want." He's pretty sure it is.
"Wonderful." Dream dips to kiss his cheek. "I should like to keep your company awhile longer, yes."
Hob smiles, warm, content, delighted.
"Let me find you something to wear," Dream says then, wriggling out of the bed. Hob watches as he crosses to the wardrobe, noting the very careful way he walks, and grins to himself. He knows better than to offer apologies; Dream has told him how much he enjoys carrying the feel of Hob with him the next day when he has demanded a hard and thorough fucking the night before. And Hob believes in giving his lover everything that he wants.
"Here," Dream offers, pulling out a short silky robe. "I should be very pleased to have you wear this; it's brand new." He tosses it to Hob, who picks it up gently.
He rubs the silky fabric against itself, careful of catching it on his rough calloused fingertips. It's beautiful.
It's not Dream's color.
It's a rich dark teal, the same color as the shirt that had come with his ensemble last night, the color that Dream had said would suit his complexion perfectly. Did Dream buy this for him, specifically?
Probably so. He's made no secret of the fact that he loves spoiling Hob with whatever suits his fancy.
Hob slips the robe on, wincing as his sore muscles protest, and finds that it isn't quite large enough to pull closed across his chest. He stands with a groan, pulls it all into place and finds that yes, it'll belt around his waist and nominally cover his bits and arse but it still doesn't meet across his chest. He's wondering, as he goes to use the toilet, if he's wrong about Dream buying it for him, or if perhaps Dream has badly misjudged his measurements (unlikely, given the tailored suit from the night before).
When he's washed his hands and come back out he finds Dream waiting for him. He's wearing a long black worn-soft t-shirt that hits him mid-thigh and probably cost more than Hob made in one day, with nothing underneath. It's a very appealing look and Hob forgets about his too-small robe until Dream reaches to smooth the lapels, clearly arranging them to optimally frame Hob's chest.
"Perfect," he purrs, with a sultry half-lidded stare, and drops a kiss on Hob's chin. "Come. I will cook you breakfast."
Hob follows him down to the kitchen, coming to terms with the fact that Dream has explicitly dressed him to be eye candy, and finding that he's actually one hundred percent on board with that. It's heady to have someone as pretty as Dream attracted to him, turned on by him, wanting him on display, and he's more than happy to oblige.
Breakfast is delicious, the tea Dream makes is perfect, and it's absolutely delightful to feel Dream's eyes devouring him and his silk-framed bare chest while they eat.
Dream makes coffee after they've cleaned up the dishes, puts his usual ungodly amounts of milk and sugar to it, and takes an appreciative sip. His eyes are on Hob, half-lidded with pleasure as he lowers his cup, and languid heat stirs in Hob's belly.
"It needs something more, I think," Dream pronounces, making an indicative toast-like motion with his cup, and pushes off from where he leans against the counter in his barely-long-enough tshirt. He splays the fingertips of his free hand in Hob's chest hair, directs him back and pushes him gently down into the high-backed kitchen chair in the breakfast nook. Dream sets his coffee aside on the table and folds to his knees, runs fingers warm from his cup over Hob's exposed thighs, down their insides, pushing them wider. The skimpy robe barely keeps Hob's dick covered and he's stiffening up beneath it; it'll do little to keep his modesty in another minute and the fact that Dream designed it that way only heightens the whole effect.
"Love the robe, by the way," Hob says, because he hasn't said it yet and he wants Dream to know he's one hundred percent okay with being dressed up and ogled like this if it's getting Dream hot.
"I should like to open it, if I may?"
"'Course, love." It's hot that he's asking, actually.
Dream's slim fingers pluck at the knotted tie delicately and Hob bites his lip; by the time Dream has the belt undone Hob's dick is already poking eagerly between the folds of the robe barely covering his lap. Dream peels the silky material back reverently all the same, like he's opening a gift, and Hob has to remind himself to breathe.
When Dream has laid Hob bare he reaches up to the table beside them, retrieves his mug and takes a long sip, then another. His eyes are on Hob's the whole time and when he finally sets the cup aside again, he takes his time about swallowing his final mouthful.
And then he speaks, voice low and suggestive. "Might I have a splash of 'cream', for my coffee?"
Oh, but he is insatiable, a seductive menace, and Hob has no interest in resisting. "Whatever you want, sweetheart, take it. It's yours." I'm yours, he'd like to say, but holds his tongue against the spectre of Being Too Much.
"You are so good to me, my Hob," Dream purrs, smile ripe with promise, and bends to his task.
His mouth is coffee-hot and talented as ever, and this time Hob needn't worry about holding back. He slouches his hips forward, buries his work-roughened fingers that Dream so loves in Dream's messy bedhead, groans breathlessly as Dream's tongue wriggles along his shaft; Dream pauses after a moment to drink more coffee and the renewed heat when he takes Hob's cock again pulls a deep whine from Hob's throat.
Truly, Hob thinks, as Dream works him steadily up to the edge and over, swallows him down greedily, chases it with another swig of coffee and a satisfied smile, he is indeed the luckiest bastard alive.
= Started: 7/25/24 Drafted: 1/27/25 Posted: 1/30/25
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mariacallous · 3 months ago
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US Treasury Department and White House officials have repeatedly denied that technologists associated with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had the ability to rewrite the code of the payment system through which the vast majority of federal spending flows. WIRED reporting shows, however, that at the time these statements were made, a DOGE operative did in fact have write access. Not only that, but sources tell WIRED that at least one note was added to Treasury records indicating that he no longer had write access before senior IT staff stated it was actually rescinded.
Marko Elez, a 25-year-old DOGE technologist, was recently installed at the Treasury Department as a special government employee. One of a number of young men identified by WIRED who have little to no government experience but are currently associated with DOGE, Elez previously worked for SpaceX, Musk’s space company, and X, Musk’s social media company. Elez resigned Thursday after The Wall Street Journal inquired about his connections to “a deleted social-media account that advocated for racism and eugenics.”
As WIRED has reported, Elez was granted privileges including the ability to not just read but write code on two of the most sensitive systems in the US government: the Payment Automation Manager (PAM) and Secure Payment System (SPS) at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS), an agency that according to Treasury records paid out $5.45 trillion in fiscal year 2024. Reporting from Talking Points Memo confirmed that Treasury employees were concerned that Elez had already made “extensive changes” to code within the Treasury system. The payments processed by BFS include federal tax returns, Social Security benefits, Supplemental Security Income benefits, and veteran’s pay.
Over the last week, the nuts and bolts of DOGE’s access to the Treasury has been at the center of an escalating crisis.
On January 31, David Lebryk, the most senior career civil servant in the Treasury, announced he would retire; he had been placed on administrative leave after refusing to give Musk’s DOGE team access to the federal payment system. The next morning, sources tell WIRED, Elez was granted read and write access to PAM and SPS.
On February 3, Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Republican lawmakers in the House Financial Services Committee that Musk and DOGE didn’t have control over key Treasury systems. The same day, The New York Times reported that Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that DOGE’s access was “read-only.”
The significance of this is that the ability to alter the code on these systems would in theory give a DOGE technologist—and, by extension, Musk, President Donald Trump, or other actors—the capability to, among other things, illegally cut off Congressionally authorized payments to specific individuals or entities. (CNN reported on Thursday that Musk associates had demanded that Treasury pause authorized payments to USAID, precipitating Lebryk’s resignation.)
On February 4, WIRED reported that Elez did, in fact, have admin access to PAM and SPS. Talking Points Memo reported later that day that Elez had “made extensive changes to the code base for these critical payment systems.” In a letter that same day that did not mention Musk or DOGE, Treasury official Jonathan Blum wrote to Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, “Currently, Treasury staff members working with Tom Krause, a Treasury employee, will have read-only to the coded data of the Fiscal Service’s payment systems.” (Krause is the top DOGE operative at Treasury and CEO of Cloud Software Group.) The letter did not say what kind of access the staff members actually had.
Sources tell WIRED that by afternoon of the next day, February 5, Elez’s access had been changed to “read-only” from both read and code-writing privileges.
That same day, a federal judge granted an order to temporarily restrict DOGE staffers from accessing and changing Treasury payment system information, following a lawsuit alleging the Treasury Department provided “Elon Musk or other individuals associated with DOGE” with access to the payment systems, and that this access violated federal privacy laws. The order specifically provided a carve-out for two individuals: Krause and Elez. At a court hearing later that day, Department of Justice lawyer Bradley Humphreys asserted that the order said their access would be “read-only.”
“It’s a distinction without a difference,” a source told WIRED. Referring specifically to the PAM, through which $4.7 trillion flowed in fiscal year 2024, they said Elez should not have had “access to this almost $5 trillion payment flow, even if it’s ‘read-only.’ None of this should be happening.”
The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Elez did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The White House and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“People will be held accountable for the crimes they’re committing in this coup attempt,” Wyden tells WIRED. “I’m not letting up on my investigation of what these Musk hatchet men are up to.”
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