From manual to high-efficiency in record time with Cogna

It's only natural to question software that sounds too good to be true, especially when it promises speed, seamless fit, and ROI all in one solution. As an operational leader, you've likely encountered generic or overengineered tools that don't reflect frontline realities. You also know firsthand just how costly missteps can be — especially in physical industries, where the stakes are higher.

Imagine being able to launch secure, AI-powered applications precisely tailored to your team's daily needs within weeks, not months — and drive real, lasting value.

That's what Cogna's AI-powered software factory delivers. Companies like Cadent Gas, Network Plus, and OCU are already seeing productivity gains and measurable ROI. They're proving what's possible when software is built to fit the way work actually happens in the field.

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Where most tech promises fall short

You know from experience that fast and custom don't often go hand-in-hand, having likely already tried:

• Off-the-shelf tools: Deploy quickly, but require endless expensive tweaks — and still don't fit teams' workflows. They often come overloaded with features teams don't need and won't use.
• Traditional consultancies: Customize strategy, but stall out on delivery and results — ballooning past deadlines and budgets, and leaving a long tail of costly support.
• Internal builds: Promise a perfect fit, but get buried under competing priorities and drain resources long after launch.
• AI-led tools: Automate quickly, but skip the nuances that make or break frontline adoption.

With the right partner, however, you can launch secure, AI-powered applications that fit real workflows from day one and are designed to deliver results, fast.

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How three teams modernized operations with Cogna

Here's what rapid transformation looks like when cost, compliance, and complexity are addressed from day one.

Cadent Gas digitized critical workflows and improved service for millions of customers

Cadent Gas' procurement teams had been navigating a maze of disconnected data — spread across multiple systems and business regions. That fragmentation made it nearly impossible to act in real time, delaying supplier decisions.

At the same time, their field teams were managing gas escapes — a high-risk, compliance-critical process — using spreadsheets and manual systems. While some data was captured, critical context was often missing, like supervisors' feedback on why a particular escape had taken the time it had

They held over 50 years of gas leak data, plus asset, equipment, and vehicle records, but these were stored in separate systems. Without a truly digital system, visibility was limited and opportunities for improvement were easy to miss, let alone act on.

With Cogna, Cadent deployed a gas escape management tool that unified critical data across systems within weeks. It allowed them to forecast response times and gave engineers a full picture of equipment history and productivity before arriving on site — speeding up decision-making in time-critical situations.

Cadent engineers adopted the tool quickly thanks to its intuitive, field-first design — shaped from the start by their own input. Supervisors found it easy to use in daily operations, with many reaching 100% completion of review items even during the pilot phase. Once teams saw the impact, they began requesting more applications built in the same way.

On the procurement side, Cogna unified years of supplier data into a single digital system, enabling same-day supplier decisions and clearer oversight across teams. No more chasing supplier records, contract history, or performance data across fragmented systems — everything they needed was in one place.

Because Cogna builds for longevity, these tools launched fast, and keep improving based on direct field feedback, without the need for formal change requests or internal tech lift.

As Cadent's Network Director Richard Sansom put it, "I describe showing the tool to colleagues a bit like seeing the iPhone for the first time — so my advice to anyone who is sceptical about the potential of a tool like this? You need to see it to believe it!"

Network Plus eliminated manual reporting workflows in under six weeks

Historically, Network Plus supervisors managed communications for up to 1,500 customers a week using siloed spreadsheets and manual systems — a process that was both time-consuming and error-prone. This manual complexity made it hard to respond to changing conditions — like rescheduled works — without risking compliance breaches or customer dissatisfaction.

To solve this, Network Plus partnered with Cogna to build a tailored communications and reporting solution that could handle complex, high-volume customer interactions without the manual drag. Within six weeks of working together, Cogna delivered two fully functional applications thanks to their AI-powered build engine. The Network Plus team began using the first working prototype within hours of delivery, and the usability of the apps made them easy to adopt and scale.

By automating daily and weekly reporting, Network Plus eliminated manual data handling across field and office teams — reducing errors, improving compliance, and freeing up time for more valuable work. What started as a targeted fix quickly became a blueprint for streamlining more of the business. Encouraged by the early success, Network Plus expanded the model to additional regions and operational workflows.

For Victoria Grayson, Operations Director at Network Plus, the change was immediate and meaningful. "We've slashed the manual effort involved in our customer notifications and ensured compliance with regulatory requirements. The app's user-friendly interface and intuitive design have made it easy for our teams to adopt, leading to smoother operations and happier customers."

OCU cut job pack handling time by 83% with a solution delivered ahead of schedule

In utilities organizations, job packs are foundational for field coordination. For years, the process of managing them at OCU had been a bottleneck. These critical documents arrived by email in complex spreadsheets, requiring manual extraction and re-entry — a process supported by the IT team, who were responsible for defining how the flow should work.

The process was slow and error-prone, becoming increasingly unsustainable for a team already stretched thin. That's what made the opportunity to work with Cogna so valuable. Together, OCU and Cogna automated job pack processing, enabling outputs to flow directly into internal systems via API — no more spreadsheet wrangling or manual rework.

Because the build process was deeply collaborative, the solution worked right away, not months later, and didn't require downstream support to stay effective. It was delivered ahead of OCU's already tight internal deadline, even before their required API was fully in place.

The impact was immediate: Job pack handling time dropped by 83%. This early success prompted OCU to expand its partnership with Cogna into additional workflows — proving just how repeatable and scalable their model could be.

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How Cogna's platform delivers results

At Cogna, we're so confident in our solutions that you only pay when you're happy with how the app is working. There's no predefined outcome to meet, just your own standard for success. And everything — from build and deployment to ongoing improvement — is covered in your original license. No upcharges, change orders, or surprises. Just a simple promise to help you succeed.

Built for frontline adoption

Each solution is developed in close collaboration with your team, without demanding hours of their time. Cogna's AI handles the heavy lifting. Your role is to review, clarify, and shape the result. That way, frontline teams get tools they can start using on day one.

Beyond code generation

Cogna's AI-powered platform builds production-grade software the way a senior engineer would — writing, testing, and refining each component with real unit tests and UI logic that mirrors how work actually gets done. These aren't prototypes or templates. They're ready-to-use tools, built from scratch for your specific workflows.

Deployment without disruption

Cogna applications come production-ready with enterprise-grade security and compliance, and integrate fully into your existing systems — no heavy lift required from your IT team. Because Cogna works within your existing infrastructure and governance model, there's no risk of shadow IT or rogue tools. Ongoing support is included, and we're happy to align with your internal support team when the time is right.

Evolves with your business

After deployment, Cogna's applications are continuously improved over time without new project scopes, downstream costs, or added overhead. Teams can request refinements directly, and the Cogna team is monitoring for potential improvements.

If it sounds too good to be true, we'll prove it isn't. Let's talk.