Mediaboss Marketing

READING, United Kingdom, Jan.31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Pegasystems Inc.(NASDAQ: PEGA), the software company that crushes business complexity, today announced that QBEEuropean Operations(QBE EO), one of the world's leading insurers and reinsurers, has used Pega Robotic Process Automation (RPA)to increase efficiency and improve customer experience.

Headquartered in London with operations across Europe, QBE EO is part of QBE, one of the world's largest insurance groups. Prior to using Pega, its claims, and credit control team processed each case manually, which involved sorting through thousands of case related emails, data, and tasks per day.

QBE EO turned to Pega's intelligent automation capabilities as part of an operational excellence initiative to transform highly transactional areas of the business by streamlining and automating workflows. After initial pilot success in claims, Pega was quickly rolled out to credit control and underwriting operations, with robotic solutions now operating across the business.

QBE EO claims department alone has deployed Pega bots to automate an estimated 30,000 customer claims tasks per week, saving approximately 50,000 hours, the equivalent of 25 full time employees annually, while dramatically speeding up the process for its customers. Pega RPA removes the need for employees to perform repetitive work and enables that work to be processed digitally, with greater speed and accuracy. This enables QBE EO claims handlers to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time providing value-added services while delivering outstanding customer experiences. Providing a more sophisticated level of service has also significantly improved employee satisfaction, and left them with time to talk to brokers about how they can enhance their services.

One of the most successful bots for QBE has been an attended RPA bot that receives thousands of emails per day and files them in the appropriate systems, saving thousands of manual hours per week. Due to the flexibility of the software, a simple reconfiguration has enabled more than 75 variations of the generic filing bot. Through a simple drag and drop process, QBE was able to leverage this bot from its initial home in claims to serve multiple business units across Europe that also handle large volumes of transactional emails, including underwriting.

Savings from the use of bots has enabled QBE EO to invest in upskilling staff within the region. Going forward, QBE plans to continue to expand the use of intelligent automation into other geographical regions to remove manual work and improve service.

Quotes & Commentary:

"Our people remain the most important asset of our team," said Amit Dixit, head of operational excellence, QBE Europe. "Pega fosters an environment where subject matter experts can remove administrative tasks from their workload and use that time to take care of stakeholder engagement, such as talking to brokers about how we can work better together. As a result, our team members are happier and more fulfilled. There is huge potential to do more with robotics; we are always looking to do things more efficiently and effectivelyto deliver the best result for the customer, our brokers, and our employees."

"In today's environment, it is crucial for companies to direct staff's time and effort toward high-value customerengagement," said Hayden Stafford, president of global client engagement, Pegasystems. "QBE has demonstrated success with Pega by saving its staff tens of thousands of hours per year, and delivering scalability across Europe to improve its processes for employees and customers. We look forward to continuing to support QBE in its digital transformation mission that ultimately will help them deliver real value to their customers."

Supporting Resources:

About PegasystemsPega delivers innovative software that crushes business complexity. From maximizing customer lifetime value to streamlining service to boosting efficiency, we help the world's leading brands solve problems fast and transform for tomorrow. Pega clients make better decisions and get work done with real-time AI and intelligent automation. And, since 1983, we've built our scalable architecture and low-code platform to stay ahead of rapid change. Our solutions save people time, so our clients' employees and customers can get back to what matters most.

For more information on Pegasystems (NASDAQ: PEGA) visitwww.pega.com.

Press Contact:Sarah KingPegasystems Ltd.[emailprotected] +44 (0) 118 9398 584

SOURCE Pegasystems Inc.

Read more from the original source:
Pega Helps QBE Free Nearly 50,000 hours of Employees' Time Annually with RPA - PRNewswire

To run Windows, you'll need a Mac with an Intel processor, like the 2019 MacBook Pro and 2019 MacBook Air.

Whatever the reason is, you might need to use Windows instead of MacOS sometimes. It might be because you want to play a game that's exclusive to Windows, or you're a developer who wants to test out software on both operating systems. Fortunately for you, you don't need to buy two computers to run Windows and Mac. Instead, you can do it all on one device.

If you have an Intel-based Mac with enough storage, and the correct Windows 10 ISO file -- which you can download for free from the official Windows website -- you can set up Windows 10 in less than an hour on your Apple computer. Anytime you boot up your Mac, you can choose whether to run Windows or MacOS. Here's how to do it.

Now playing: Watch this: Install Windows on Mac for free

5:12

To successfully run Windows 10 on your Mac computer, here's what you need to have:

If you're unsure whether your computer is Intel-based, click on the Apple logo on the menu bar, and then go into About This Mac. If you see the words Processor, followed by the name of an Intel processor, like "2.6GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7," then you have an Intel-based Mac.

Before you start, though, it's wise to back up your disk withTime Machine before partitioning just in case something goes wrong.

Windows 11 isn't currently compatible with Boot Camp Assistant on MacOS. So, you'll need to download Windows 10 instead. You can download a free disc image, also known as an ISO file, of Windows 10 from the official Windows website.

1. On your Mac, go to this Windows software download page.

2. Click on Select Edition, and choose Windows 10 (multi-edition ISO).

3. Hit Confirm, and wait for your request to be verified.

4. Once that finishes, choose your language and click on Confirm.

5. Finally, click on 64-bit Download to download the Windows 10 ISO file.

Download the 64-bit Windows 10 ISO file from the Windows website (most modern computers have a 64-bit capable processor).

The Windows 10 ISO file is nearly 6GB, so depending on your internet connection and speed, it could take up to 30 minutes to finish downloading. After the ISO file is done, leave it in your downloads, and move on to the next step.

The software you'll use to run Windows 10 on your Mac is Boot Camp Assistant, which comes factory-installed on your Mac. Boot Camp Assistant is made specifically for installing Windows operating systems on your computer, and fortunately the setup process is pretty straightforward.

1. Launch Boot Camp Assistant on your Mac, and click Continue.

2. Click on Choose a Windows 10 ISO file, and upload the Windows 10 ISO file you downloaded in the previous step.

3. Drag the bar to choose a size for your Windows partition disk (42GB is the minimum).

4. Click Install, and wait roughly 10 minutes for the partition to be created.

Upload the Windows 10 ISO file and choose the partition size.

Once the Windows partition is finished, your laptop will restart.

Your computer will boot up, but instead of showing you the Apple logo you're accustomed to, you should instead see the blue Windows logo appear. Here's what you need to do next:

1. Go through the Windows setup.

2. Enter a product key if you have one. If not, you can continue without one.

Even without a product key, you'll be able to access Windows on your Mac, so don't worry if you don't have one. During the installation, you'll see window files copied, features and updates installed and more. This should take another 10 minutes.

Your Mac will restart. But this time you'll be asked to set up Windows, just as you would on a Windows computer. You can use Cortana and your voice to complete the setup, but you're also welcome to use your keyboard, mouse and trackpad.

1. Choose your language, keyboard layout, Wi-Fi and more to begin.

2. If you have a Windows account, log in with your credentials.

3. Windows will boot up on your Mac. You'll be asked to create a passcode and/or PIN to enter your computer. Do that to protect your account.

This is the Windows lock screen that appears after your Mac restarts.

Finally, the last thing you'll need to do is install and update Boot Camp on Windows. That will let you make any additional changes to your partition or fix any issues while you're running Windows. When you access Windows for the first time, you should receive a notification to install Boot Camp. This will take 10 minutes to install, but it's the last thing you need to do before you can use Windows without any issues.

Feel free to use Windows how you want. Windows 10's default web browser is Microsoft Edge, but you can use it to downloadChrome or anything else to surf the internet. You can then download files and install software you would only be able to install on a Windows-powered computer -- like Paint.NET and certain games from Steam -- but on your Mac.

Windows 10 on a MacBook Pro.

If you ever want to go back to MacOS from Windows, do the following:

1. Restart your computer.

2. As soon as the screen goes black, hold down the Option key for 5 seconds.

3. On the screen, you'll then have the option to boot up MacOS or Windows.

4. Choose the partition you want to open.

Hold down the Option key when you reboot to choose a different partition.

Use this keyboard shortcut to switch between your disks as needed.

Learn smart gadget and internet tips and tricks with our entertaining and ingenious how-tos.

Continue reading here:
You can easily install Windows 10 on your Mac. Here's how - CNET

Doing taxes in the U.S. is notoriously complicated and costly. And it gets even worse when there are delays and backlogs, making it especially hard to reach the Internal Revenue Service for assistance.

But to me this raises an important question: Why should taxpayers have to navigate the tedious, costly tax filing system at all?

In 1985, President Ronald Reagan promised a return-free tax system in which half of all Americans would never fill out a tax return again. Under the framework, taxpayers with simple returns would automatically receive a refund or a letter detailing any tax owed. Taxpayers with more complicated returns would use the system in place today.

In 2006, President Barack Obamas chief economist, Austan Goolsbee, suggested a simple return, in which taxpayers would receive already completed tax forms for their review or correction. Goolsbee estimated his system would save taxpayers more than US$2 billion a year in tax preparation fees.

Though never implemented, the two proposals illustrate what we all know: No one enjoys filling out tax forms.

So why do we have to?

As an expert on the U.S. tax system, I see Americas costly and time-consuming tax reporting system as a consequence of its relationship with the commercial tax preparation industry, which lobbies Congress to maintain the status quo.

Return-free filing is not difficult.

At least 30 countries permit return-free filing, including Denmark, Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, 95% of American taxpayers receive at least one of more than 30 types of information returns that let the government know their exact income. These information returns give the government everything it needs to fill out most taxpayers returns.

The U.S. system is 10 times more expensive than tax systems in 36 other countries with robust economies. But those costs vanish in a return-free system, as would the 2.6 billion hours Americans spend on tax preparation each year.

Maybe youre wondering whether Congress is just behind the times, unaware that it can release us from tax preparation? Not true.

About two decades ago, Congress directed the IRS to provide low-income taxpayers with free tax preparation. The agency responded in 2002 with Free File, a public-private partnership between the government and the tax-preparation industry. As part of the deal, the IRS agreed not to compete with the private sector in the free tax preparation market.

In 2007, the House of Representatives rejected legislation to provide free government tax preparation for all taxpayers. And in 2019, Congress tried to legally bar the IRS from ever providing free online tax preparation services.

Only a public outcry turned the tide.

The public part of Free File consists of the IRS herding taxpayers to commercial tax -preparation websites. The private part consists of those commercial entities diverting taxpayers toward costly alternatives.

According to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which oversees IRS activities, private partners use computer code to hide the free websites and take unsuspecting taxpayers to paid sites.

Should a taxpayer discover a free preparation alternative, the private preparers impose various restrictions such as income or the use of various forms as an excuse to kick taxpayers back to paid preparation.

Consequently, of the more than 100 million taxpayers eligible for free help, 35% end up paying for tax preparation and 60% never even visit the free websites. Instead of 70% of Americans receiving free tax preparation, commercial companies whittled that percentage down to 3%.

Perhaps you are guessing that there are valid policy justifications for avoiding government and empowering the private sector. Judge those arguments yourself.

One argument from commercial tax preparers is that taxpayers will miss out on valuable tax savings if they rely on free government preparation.

In fact, the government software would reflect the same laws used by the paid preparers with the same access to tax saving deductions or credits. Further, tax preparers like H&R Block promise to pay all taxes and interest resulting from a failed audit. As a result, these services have every incentive to take conservative, pro-government tax positions.

A second argument is that government-prepared tax returns encourage tax evasion.

In a no-return system, the government reveals its knowledge of the taxpayers income before the taxpayer files. Thus, the argument goes, the taxpayer knows if the government has missed something and has reason to let the mistake stand.

But taxpayers already know what information forms the government has because they receive duplicates of those forms. The incentive to lie does not increase because the taxpayer avoids weeks of tax preparation.

Finally, there is the anti-tax argument for onerous tax preparation: Keep tax preparation unpleasant to fuel anti-tax sentiment.

In the past, Republicans argued against high taxes. But after decades of tax cuts, Americans are no longer swayed by that argument.

Exasperating tax preparation, according to this argument, helps keep the anti-tax fever high. And that fuels public hate for government and the tax system.

Unfortunately, the anti-tax contingents desire to force Americans to spend time and money on tax preparation dovetails with the tax preparation industrys desire to collect billions of dollars in fees.

Tax preparation companies lobby Congress to keep tax preparation costly and complicated.

Indeed, Intuit, maker of TurboTax, the tax preparation software, has listed government tax preparation as a threat to its business model.

One example is the earned income tax credit, a government program for low-income people. The credit is so complicated that 20% of the people who are eligible never file, thus missing out on thousands of dollars in savings.

If the government prepared everyones tax returns, that 20% would receive government support. Nonetheless, Intuit has lobbied lawmakers to make the credit more complicated, thereby driving more taxpayers to paid preparation services.

In other words, it seems the tax preparation industry has kept the system complicated because the potential cost to it in terms of lost revenue is vast.

I believe only public outcry can change the system.

Read more:
The IRS already has all your income tax data so why do Americans still have to file their taxes? - The Conversation AU

Highland school transport: bike scheme and free bus rides on the table Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. Linked In An icon of the Linked In logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo.

Continue reading here:
Highland school transport: bike scheme and free bus rides on the table - Press and Journal

SONOMA, Calif. Selling vehicles is just the first step in Ford's plans to make money off its first electric delivery van that the automaker is rolling out this month.

Betweenplans to sell 150,000 electric Transit commercial vehicles annually from 2023 onward(after building fewer to sell the first year) and creating "charging depots"to help customers manage their fleets, the companys new Ford Pro group will generate $45 billion by 2025 and more after that, CEO Jim Farley said Tuesday at an elaborate unveiling of the E-Transit and Ford Pros strategy.

"Half our commercial-vehicle revenue could be software and services," Farley said as he announced a pilot program in which the Sonoma County Winegrowers association will test its EVs and services.

Already in production at the companys Kansas City assembly plant, the E-Transit builds on one of Fords hidden assets. Used for everything from delivery vans to flatbeds and farm trucks, the gasoline-powered Transit accounts for nearly half the lucrative business for medium-duty business vans in the U.S. Annual demand for the medium-duty business vans is about 330,000. Last-mile delivery vehicles like UPS and Amazon vans account for just 10% of Transit sales.

Ford Pro is one of the biggest bets weve made on a future of electric vehicles with data connections and other services, Farley said.

The E-Transit and Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup coming later this year are the first vehicles offering the features Ford expects to add 11-digit numbers to its balance sheet.

Ford Pro boss Ted Cannis said the program, called Ford Pro Intelligence, will include:

The system can reduce the time vehicles are out for service 40% and cut a businesss total ownership costs 10%-20%, Cannis said.

Prices start at $43,295. Thats about $9,000-$10,000 more than gasoline-powered models, but the E-Transit qualifies for federal and local tax credits that can offset the additional cost.

The E-Transit shares its basic structure with the internal combustion Transit vans Ford sells around the world. The frame was reinforced to hold the 1,050-pound 68 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. Despite the heavy battery, total vehicle weight only rose 600 poundsbecause of the elimination of the engine, gas tank, transmission, etc., Transit chief engineer Ray Eyles said.

The electric motor rides between the rear wheels, so the E-Transit has an independent rear suspension. The 9,500-pound gross vehicle weight van has the same cargo capacity as a gasoline Transit, because the battery and motor are below its floor.

Ford is building E-Transit vans with three roof heights, three lengths, in addition to chassis cab and cutaway versions that have a cab, but no body behind it.

The E-Transit van can go about 126 miles on a charge, considerably farther than what Fords research shows most owners currently go in a day.

Because the E-Transit is the same size as the gasoline van Fords been selling for years, businesses can swap tools, racks and other expensive custom parts from the old vans to EVs, saving money and making it easy for companies to dip a toe in the water by testing the EV in a single vehicle, then converting their fleet over time if they like it.

EVs should require much less maintenance than conventional vehicles because they dont have complicated engines and transmissions. That accounts for some of the savings at the heart of Fords pitch to businesses, but the company has big plans for the new services it will offer to help companies run and charge their fleets efficiently, Farley said.

In the pilot program testing both the E-Transit and Ford Pro services with the Sonoma County Winegrowers association,the growers will each get an E-Transit this year. Theyre considering F-150 Lightning electric pickups and may use Ford Pros software with other manufacturers vehicles they use.

Contact Mark Phelan at 313-222-6731 ormmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter.

Become a subscriber.

Read more:
Ford predicts it will make $45B from businesses using EV delivery vans, new services - Detroit Free Press