Introducing Maxi: Atruvia’s Virtual Assistant Revolutionizing IT Communication

Since adopting Nexthink internally in 2022, Atruvia has driven significant advancements across its IT operations. The team has developed numerous remote actions, conducted thorough investigations, launched targeted campaigns, defined critical metrics, and created the company’s first proprietary scorecards. 

As their use of Nexthink grew, so did its impact. A turning point came when the team used software license surveys to uncover underutilized licenses. In just a short time, they were able to free up resources and achieve annual cost savings in the six-figure range – all with minimal manual effort. 

But for Atruvia, this was just the beginning.  

The Birth of Maxi 

During a visit to a Nexthink user group in Wattens, the team was introduced to the idea of using avatars to personalize employee experiences. The idea sparked immediate interest. What if they could make IT communications feel friendlier, more engaging, and less like traditional system messages? 

That spark became Maxi, Atruvia’s first virtual assistant. Named through an internal vote and derived from the “MAX” service field (focused on Employee Experience), Maxi was given a unique avatar and first introduced to their employees via an internal campaign in June 2023.  

It’s important to highlight the distinction between Maxi and AI. Maxi isn’t artificial intelligence as it doesn’t use LLMs or predictive algorithms but instead it follows carefully designed, predefined flows – asking targeted questions and processing specific responses. However, as the concept continues to evolve, Atruvia sees untapped potential in expanding Maxi’s future capabilities. 

Maxi Learns to Walk  

After Maxi’s launch, it was first embedded into remote actions, appearing whenever user interaction was required such as closing applications or initiating restarts. Initially, the service desk received some inquiries about the unexpected pop-ups, as not everyone had seen the intranet announcement. 

But this is exactly where the grapevine proved its worth. Maxi quickly established itself and soon became widely recognized, streamlining support and reducing friction almost immediately. 

Following this, the first Maxi branded survey was launched and sent to all employees. Maxi’s familiar tone resonated with users, driving higher engagement and clearly showing the team that the experience surrounding IT interactions is just as important as the content itself. 

Maxi’s First Major Task 

Atruvia faced the challenge of moving all internal Windows clients to a new domain from 2023 to 2024 – a complex project that required clear communication and coordination. After the decision was made that the clients should not be reinstalled but migrated to the new domain, a approach had to be developed.  

Maxi was chosen to guide Atruvia’s employees through the migration, providing links to instructions and keeping them informed about the next steps. While the actual migration was handled by remote actions, Maxi ensured that users felt informed and supported throughout the process.  

After a client was successfully migrated to the new domain, Maxi conducted a satisfaction survey to determine whether there were any difficulties during the migration. The feedback was invaluable and allowed the team to refine the migration script continuously, resulting in a steady reduction of errors over time. 

Crucially, 50% of survey respondents said they felt more confident during the migration thanks to Maxi – a strong validation of the assistant’s role in improving digital experience.  

Extending Maxi’s Value into the Future 

After the migration was so successful, the question quickly arose to what additional value could Atruvia achieve with Maxi. The answer came quickly, and the next opportunity the team set on was the onboarding of new employees.  

Today, Maxi is the first friendly face every new hire encounters. On their very first day, Maxi offers a warm welcome, shares essential guidance, and provides timely support, helping each employee feel informed and connected from the very start of their journey at Atruvia. 

The future is bright for Maxi – and with each new use case, the potential to enhance the digital employee experience continues to grow.