Overview
NRMA is one of Australia’s best known membership organisations, supporting millions of people across motoring, travel and tourism. As the organisation grew, so did the volume of information its staff had to work with, and finding the right details across different systems was taking up more and more time. This slowed everyday work and made it harder to give members the service they expect.
NRMA wanted to use generative AI to address this, but with clear conditions. Any solution had to be secure, keep sensitive data private inside NRMA’s own systems, and meet the organisation’s governance standards.
To make it happen, NRMA worked with Antares, its Microsoft partner of more than five years. Antares deployed an enterprise AI platform called QBot, which staff renamed “NRM8” (NRMA Mate) through an internal naming competition. Over about six months, NRMA rolled out a family of AI assistants that are now part of how staff work every day.
The Problem
Information at NRMA was spread across many systems, and staff regularly spent time searching for details that should have been easy to find. Across a workforce of thousands, that lost time added up and pulled people away from more valuable work.
The challenges varied by team. Contact centre staff needed fast, accurate answers to help customers. Recruitment teams spent hours writing similar job ads. Technical teams had to dig through long, complex documents to locate specific details.
Key challenges included:
- Staff losing time searching across multiple disconnected systems
- Repetitive manual work like writing job ads and building reports
- Important details buried inside large, complex documents
- Proving generative AI could be used safely inside NRMA’s environment
- Keeping data private and under NRMA’s control for security and governance
- A platform affordable and flexible enough to scale across many teams
This was not a single project but the start of a long term change in how NRMA works, so the rollout had to earn trust early and prove its value quickly.
The Solution
Antares recommended QBot, an enterprise AI platform that runs secure AI assistants inside an organisation’s own private environment. It was chosen because it was mature, quick to deploy and able to deliver value without a large upfront investment.
A secure home for AI
QBot runs inside NRMA’s own Microsoft Azure environment. Staff sign in with their existing Microsoft accounts, and access controls ensure people only see the information they are cleared to see. This keeps NRMA’s data private and under its control.
AI where staff already work
The assistants are built into the tools staff already use, including Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and the web browser. There was no new app to learn, so people could get answers without changing how they work.
Purpose built AI assistants
Antares created separate assistants for different roles and tasks, each tuned to give accurate, relevant answers for the job at hand rather than generic responses.
Built step by step
The rollout was deliberately staged to keep risk low. Antares captured what each team needed, tested with small pilot groups, gathered feedback and expanded gradually, improving the platform along the way.
Bringing people along
The focus was on adoption, not just deployment. A company wide naming competition produced the name NRM8, and training and simple feedback channels helped more staff use the platform over time.
The Outcome
Since NRM8 launched, tasks that once took days now take minutes, and staff have come to rely on the AI assistants as part of their team.
NRMA now operates with:
- Reports produced in around ten minutes, down from roughly a week
- Job ads drafted almost instantly by recruitment teams
- Faster answers drawn from inside large documents
- A more confident workforce that trusts AI in everyday work
- A secure, governed platform ready to scale to new teams and brands
Beyond the time savings, the rollout has changed the culture. With less time lost to searching and repetitive tasks, staff can focus on more valuable work, and the sense of ownership around NRM8 has made the workplace feel more connected.
NRMA built the platform for the long term. Regular analytics and feedback keep it improving, and the organisation is already extending it to more brands and business units.
What NRMA Says
“Since its introduction, QBot, known internally as the m8 series (NRM8, Chatm8, SIXTm8, and beyond), has emerged as a vital enabler in NRMA’s journey toward AI and automation adoption. By fostering greater awareness, championing ethical AI practices, and unlocking enhanced productivity across our business, it is paving the way for a smarter, more innovative workplace.”
Andy McCarthyGM Technology Engineering, NRMA
“What started as a digital assistant is really evolving into a strategic enabler.”
Elena SergisDigital Workplace Manager, NRMA
