Automates multi-step SOW workflow through Gemini Enterprise, cutting manual work by 20-75% in trial
Speeds up production of 30-page research paper from five months to two with NotebookLM
Empowers consultants to generate faster, accurate summaries of project history with up to 60% manual work reduced by Gemini Enterprise
Mantel uses Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise to boost consultant efficiency, saving up to 75% time in SOWs and up to 60% time in knowledge work by leveraging AI for strategic client value.
Mantel uses Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise to boost consultant efficiency, saving up to 75% time in SOWs and up to 60% time in knowledge work by leveraging AI for strategic client value.
AI-powered workplace transformation
maximizes consultant value
When Mantel, a tech consultancy and Google Cloud Partner, adopted Google Workspace, its strategy was to enable easier and more convenient client collaboration. This foundation has allowed Mantel to deliver superior service to its diverse clientele, including ASX blue-chip companies, government bodies, and multinationals.
It has also provided the cloud-native foundation needed to support Mantel's growing global headcount without increasing IT overhead. This efficiency frees the IT team from dealing with manual updates and maintenance, allowing them to focus on complex, high-value requests instead. Employees already familiar with the Google Workspace interface now use Google Workspace with Gemini seamlessly integrated into their daily applications, from pre-writing documents in Docs to creating icons in Slides.
Now, Mantel is expanding the potential of AI across its operations, using it as an internal agent to optimize labor-intensive, multi-step workflows. After a five-month evaluation by a cross-functional "team of teams," Mantel decided to adopt Gemini Enterprise for its ability to integrate and synthesize information from different systems and data sources.
A prime example is the automated preparation of Statements of Work (SOWs), a multi-step process previously executed manually by the delivery team. Mantel developed a Gemini Enterprise agent to prepare SOWs by integrating information from four disparate systems: Salesforce for account data, Slides for proposal details, Docs for meeting notes, and Confluence for SOW templates. Currently in trial, this comprehensive automation cuts 20% to 75% of the manual work involved in the initial SOW creation step, but critically still leaves a human in the loop to ensure accuracy. This frees up consultants to work with clients and enables them to over-deliver on value.
We chose Gemini Enterprise because it presented the best platform for us to grow on, offering superior extensibility. Critically, Google Cloud tooling is definitely the best at solving complex workflows that require integrating information from different systems and data sources.
Simon Poulton
Partner, Mantel
Accelerating efficiency and
knowledge retention with Gemini
The internal search with Gemini Enterprise is the biggest differentiator for the daily workflow. Users can instantly find synthesized search results — from proposals in Drive and PE rates in proprietary databases to identifying leads in Salesforce — all using simple, natural language. This seamless, secure connectivity breaks down data silos without exposing internal data to external models.
Simon Poulton
Partner, Mantel
Beyond operational inefficiency, a core challenge in consulting is knowledge retention. According to Poulton, when project history and critical knowledge reside in disparate systems or individuals, a "massive knowledge gap" is created if an employee leaves.
Mantel solves this by using Gemini Enterprise as "insurance against knowledge strain," ensuring that a crucial, long-term historical narrative is retained and accessible. Consultants can rapidly generate accurate summaries of key decisions and progress breakdowns without manually sifting through lengthy reports. This translates to immediate time savings, allowing them to produce comprehensive two-to-three-page customer briefs faster due to a 50% to 60% reduction in manual work.
The utility of AI extends across Mantel's operational functions, driving better collaboration and accelerated synthesis of ideas, to build on Mantel's thought leadership.
For example, Gemini Enterprise features such as Gems and NotebookLM are accelerating research and improving speed to market.
The production timeline for a 30-page thought leadership paper, which used to take up to five months to be completed, can now be done in two using NotebookLM. NotebookLM acts as a knowledge hub where the lead consultant shares relevant source materials, such as research papers and internal documents, with the writer to accelerate learning. Instead of brainstorming ideas and outlines for up to two weeks before getting started, the writer can now ask NotebookLM basic questions at any time and proceed with drafting independently, saving the consultant's time for high-level strategic review only.
Meanwhile, the development team uses the Google Agent Development Kit (GADK) to accelerate their software development life cycle. For example, for one particular retail client, Mantel built a custom Agentic AI agent to streamline high-volume HR requests by integrating with multiple systems. Employees can ask the agent to answer questions about HR policies and perform tasks, such as booking leave, at any time. The agent can scale exponentially, reliably surfacing the right information to provide accurate answers. Previously, the People Advisory experience for employees at this large FMCG retailer was fragmented across multiple disconnected platforms, resulting in high manual effort – with the advisory team handling nearly 1,900 leave-related queries alone each month. Now, with a one-stop-shop agentic front door, Mantel's client has an architectural roadmap to scale a more efficient, user-centric solution across the organization.
Responsible AI: Governance, security, and innovation
Mantel is a model for modern, responsible AI adoption balancing innovation and security. The firm aggressively drives ROI by building prototypes focused on immediate value, such as Vision AI for retailer inventory or automation for lenders, rather than broad, unfocused AI deployment. Mantel is proactive as an innovation leader by using Gemini to discover new use cases and build solutions before clients even ask.
To mitigate behavioral risks, Mantel empowers employees with training such as "Making good choices with AI," while ensuring consultants understand any required compliance guardrails. On the technology front, Mantel implemented practical measures, such as requiring employees to select a confidentiality level on Docs. This metadata flags and automates security responses to threats, such as an employee attempting to download 4,000 documents.
Mantel's trust in the Google Workspace ecosystem's "very strong security mechanism" further guarantees client data privacy, keeping it out of external training models — a non-negotiable for banks or corporations.
Crucially, Mantel brings its unique thought leadership to the forefront by enforcing a 'human-in-the-loop' principle born from lived experience. While Gemini drives massive time-savings, Mantel consultants apply critical thinking to ensure sensitivity and accuracy in every deliverable. We use Gemini not just for efficiency but also to create space for more strategic thinking and innovation for our clients.
Right now, AI is a value-add, allowing consultants to deliver quality work and spend more time on client problems. Fast-forward to three to five years, AI proficiency is an expectation for future talent. Consultancies that are slow to embrace AI will be at a massive disadvantage. Our early adoption of Google AI positions us well to attract top university talent and solidify our leadership in the next era of consulting.
Simon Poulton
Partner, Mantel
Pioneering AI-first solutions, Mantel is a next-generation consultancy that blends brilliant thinking with expert engineering, transforming businesses through data, digital, cybersecurity, and cloud expertise.
Industry: Technology
Location: Australia
Products: BigQuery, Cloud Run functions, Gemini Enterprise, Google Workspace, Google Agent Development Kit, Vision AI
