Artificial intelligence continues to dominate the customer service agenda, but for many contact centres the challenge is no longer simply adopting new technology: it’s implementing it in ways that genuinely improve both the customer and employee experience. In this edition of 5 Minutes With…, Dan Fay, IT Director at Interact Contact Centres, discusses why trust should be the sector’s biggest priority, how AI-powered agent assist tools are transforming frontline support, and why information security and governance will become the next major battleground as AI adoption matures…
Tell us about your company, products and services.
Interact Contact Centres is an award-winning outsourced customer experience and business support partner, helping organisations deliver reliable, professional and human customer experiences across multiple channels. Our focus is on combining well-trained people, robust processes and secure technology to support clients and their customers every day. We focus heavily on internal talent development and growth which is a huge part of our business success.
What have been the biggest challenges the Contact Centre/Customer Services industry has faced over the past 12 months?
A double-edged sword, AI has certainly been the most challenging aspect of our industry over the last 12 months, from my perspective.
Balancing customer expectations of cost savings, the astonishing increases we’ve seen in hardware pricing and reinforcing an ethos of “People led and AI enabled” both internally and externally.
And what have been the biggest opportunities?
The other side of that coin certainly has been the veritable smorgasbord of technical opportunities particularly on the frontier of AI and automation.
Being able to provide assisted real time information at multiple levels in the business has created transparency and support for our teams like never before.
Cowork and similar hands-off automation and assistance present a fantastic opportunity if executed precisely.
What is the biggest priority for the Contact Centre/Customer Services industry this year?
I think we should be focusing on trust: in an age where many companies are jumping to fully AI led customer interactions there’s a rising risk to satisfaction where the wrong tools are used or are badly implemented. In tandem with this the trust of our colleagues should be a huge priority; in a time of rapid change, transparency and collaboration are crucial.
What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in the coming twelve months?
I certainly feel there will be a big Information Security focus, the incredible speed at which businesses have adopted AI has certainly created some risks, and regulators have not quite caught up yet.
We’ll also see further maturation of AI adoption, stabilisation on where and how businesses are choosing to implement AI tools.
What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?
This year has been big for Agent Assist tools, helping Advisors get to the knowledge they need quickly (or even ahead of time) is likely to move the needle most this year. It strikes the right balance of people and technology which has been well received by colleagues and well received by customers.
Next year we’ll all be talking about…?
AI governance and information security. A bit of a shift from the last few years of who has the most cutting-edge AI models or implementations and more a focus on who is the most secure and compliant.
Which person in, or associated with, the Contact Centre/Customer Services industry would you most like to meet?
I’d be keen to speak to Peter Ruis from John Lewis.
As a customer experience focused, employee-owned organisation (we do like to think of ourselves as the John Lewis of the outsourced contact centre world), I’d be fascinated to hear his views on how they’re navigating the current challenges while staying true to the service standards that define the brand. If perchance you see this Peter, would love to chat!
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the Contact Centre/Customer Services sector?
I was surprised by this when I joined the industry 10+ years ago and remain surprised by it today. How complicated customer interactions can be for an Advisor, for all the “single pane of glass” buzzwords I see in the market, it doesn’t really feel like Advisors have ever seen through anything less than triple glazing.
It requires an awful lot of resilience, and I’ve certainly softened to hearing an Advisor quietly lament opening another system to answer my query when I need help.
You go to the bar at the Contact Centre Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?
Espresso Martinis, there’s a lot of truth to caffeine habits in IT.
What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
Without a doubt, getting something truly right for people in the business. Being able to unlock time for a person or people by delivering a new dashboard, a new way to use technology, a different (and not additional) system that makes things easier.
Even these days expanding our team with Advisors with a spark for technology or an avid interest in something we don’t have expertise in can be really rewarding.
And what’s the most challenging?
Deciding what next to do, there are so many great ideas discussed on a regular basis and so much passion from the people leading them. Having to move on some of these but not others can be difficult.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
If it feels like it should be doable, it probably is, if it doesn’t look that way then you’re looking in the wrong place.
Succession or Stranger Things?
Succession – I am obsessed with Jeremy Strong and cannot wait to see him play Mark Zuckerberg.
