“Nobody’s ever asked us how this actually works.”
That’s what Michelle, an epidemiologist for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, said…
…until Coco came along.
Imagine this:
No written standard operating procedures.
A small team juggling hundreds of reports and data requests.
A public health department growing under the chaos of COVID.
As part of the Epidemiology Unit for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, Michelle and her teammate Wendy called Coco, a computerized consultant, to help clarify their team’s systems and processes.
The “Epi Team” had been doing critical work controlling and preventing diseases for their community for years—all with unclear processes for data systems, no clear path for onboarding new members, and data requests flying in from every direction.
A storm was brewing, and something had to be done to clear it up.
So, Michelle and Wendy got to work, this time with Coco by their side.
Over a series of short, focused 10-15 minute phone calls, Coco guided Michelle and Wendy through the steps they took every day at work…
…this included the data requests, survey designs, and workflows—everything.
During the conversations with Michelle and Wendy, Coco was able to create process maps and standard operating procedures in just minutes.
“Coco created something that we didn’t have that we really did need.” Michelle said.
“Tangible, concrete written procedures, making something out of nothing.”
Before Coco, this is something that would take process improvement facilitators 20+ hours and still wouldn’t always provide the full picture of your organization’s processes.
Using Coco’s process map, Michelle and Wendy built an internal data sheet to streamline data requests.
This “smart sheet” was a topic of conversation for over a year, but with Coco’s help, it was finally able to come to life.
“If we didn’t have Coco, this might have taken six months for us to complete.”
For Wendy, Coco didn’t just capture her processes; it helped clarify them.
Wendy focused on updating and optimizing customer satisfaction surveys, which she can now transfer to other surveys that the Epi team frequently uses.
“Coco asked questions about aspects I would’ve forgotten in the process,” Wendy said. “It was so helpful to have these processes written down, which really didn’t exist before Coco.”
The best part?
The impact didn’t just stop with Michelle and Wendy.
Their new systems and surveys are allowing the Epi team to collaborate across departments more easily.
“Our manager is talking to other departments, and they’re getting excited about it. We’re using this data request form to create even more collaboration—it’s opening up exposure to other pieces of public health.
Coco doesn’t replace your team.
It’s here to listen, document, and help you get to a better solution.
It’s an amplifier…not an eliminator.
Or, as Wendy put it best, “A phone call that writes your procedures for you.”
Wanna try out Coco for yourself? Schedule a free demo here.
P.S. Wondering who Coco is?
Coco is an automated phone agent who can interview multiple people simultaneously about their unique experiences with the same service, capturing their real experiences with your services.
It’s the heart of my new company, rvrwrk (River Work), which I launched with Mike Sarasti in July 2024.
We’re the first of our kind: a technology-enabled service that helps you uncover the root causes of your process problems in minutes, not weeks. Click here to learn more.
P.P.S. Song of the month: Best Coast – “The Only Place”—courtesy of Kora.