Building IT automation from scratch requires more than just good intentions, it demands the right tools, processes, and partnership to transform manual workflows into intelligent, self-managing systems. For Tom, IT Manager at Trust & Will, this journey meant reimagining how internal support could work when built with automation as the foundation rather than an afterthought.

Trust & Will, a leading digital estate planning platform, empowers people to create legally valid wills and trusts online. As their mission-critical work expanded, they needed IT infrastructure that could scale intelligently, handling growing support demands without proportionally increasing manual overhead.

The Challenge: Starting from Zero with Manual Processes

When Tom joined Trust & Will to establish their IT operations, he faced the common startup challenge of building sustainable systems from nothing. The situation was particularly complex because every process needed to be created, implemented, and optimized simultaneously.

The repetitive nature of these requests, over 50% of which were access-related, threatened to create an unsustainable support model.

Rather than building strategic IT capabilities, valuable time was consumed by manually provisioning software access, answering identical onboarding questions repeatedly, and managing requests across disparate communication channels.

Initially, Tom implemented JIRA Service Management as a foundational ticketing system, but the platform proved cumbersome and difficult to configure for automation.

The tool’s complexity meant that instead of enabling efficiency, it created additional overhead that slowed down the very processes it was meant to streamline.

Discovery Through Community

The breakthrough came through an unexpected source: the Mac Admins community. As Tom engaged with fellow IT professionals, he kept hearing about a tool called Risotto that was revolutionizing how teams approached IT support automation. Intrigued by the possibilities of purpose-built automation tools, he decided to explore further.

What Tom discovered was fundamentally different from traditional ITSM approaches. Rather than requiring extensive manual configuration and forcing users to adapt to rigid workflows, Risotto promised to work intelligently within existing communication patterns while automatically handling the most time-consuming support tasks.

A Partnership Built on Technical Understanding

One of the most significant differences Tom experienced was the collaborative approach to implementation and ongoing support.

Unlike typical enterprise software experiences, working with Risotto felt like partnering with fellow IT professionals who understood operational challenges firsthand.

This technical empathy proved crucial during implementation. The Risotto team’s background in IT operations meant they could anticipate common challenges, suggest best practices based on real-world experience, and provide guidance that accelerated Trust & Will’s automation journey.

Building Intelligent Automation Architecture

The implementation process focused on creating an intelligent automation layer that could enhance existing tools rather than replacing entire systems. Within weeks of integrating Risotto with Trust & Will’s Okta applications and establishing automated knowledge workflows, Tom began seeing substantial results.

“Risotto became the orchestration layer for Jira Service Management and gives us instant automation with AI,” Tom explains.

This architectural approach proved particularly valuable because it allowed Trust & Will to leverage their existing JIRA investment while dramatically expanding automation capabilities. Rather than managing two separate systems, Risotto created an intelligent interface that handled user interactions, automated routine tasks, and escalated complex issues appropriately.

The access automation capabilities transformed how Trust & Will managed software provisioning across time zones and business hours.

This always-on capability meant that employees could receive immediate access to necessary tools regardless of when requests were submitted, effectively scaling support coverage without additional manual intervention.

Customer-Driven Product Evolution

Perhaps most impressive was Risotto’s approach to incorporating customer feedback into product development.

When Tom identified a workflow challenge, employees sending direct messages instead of following formal request processes, he collaborated with the Risotto team to develop a solution.

This collaborative development approach represented a fundamental difference from working with larger enterprise vendors, where feedback often disappears into lengthy product roadmaps without clear implementation timelines.

Measurable Impact and Enhanced Compliance

The automation architecture delivered measurable results across multiple dimensions. Trust & Will now processes 35% of IT tickets automatically, with many additional requests receiving intelligent assistance that accelerates resolution times significantly.

Compliance requirements, which had previously required manual tracking and enforcement, became seamlessly integrated into automated workflows.

“We always wanted to require a reason for application access, but it was really difficult to integrate that into JSM. Risotto adds that functionality to JSM and so much more,” Tom explains.

Employee satisfaction improved dramatically as well. “Risotto has been super popular internally, it’s a much improved experience for employees to get answers and problems solved immediately,” Tom notes.

The Vision for Complete Automation

Looking ahead, Tom envisions Risotto as the foundation for comprehensive automation across Trust & Will’s internal operations. Plans are already developing to extend these automation capabilities to other departments where similar patterns of repetitive questions and manual processes create inefficiencies.. This vision represents a paradigm shift in how organizations can approach internal support: transforming it from a reactive cost center into a proactive, intelligent system that continuously improves organizational productivity.

For Trust & Will, Risotto has demonstrated that effective IT automation isn’t about replacing human expertise, it’s about amplifying it through intelligent systems that handle routine tasks automatically while enabling people to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business value.