the way to increase ‘call centre value’… Growing to become one of the most popular independent specialist events, as bumper registrations proved… For those of you who did not secure a place here’s a resume of events from the Improving Performance Conference held in November. We were delighted to have on board some key industry players again this year. Gary Schmidt, Customer Process Leader from CUNA Mutual Group in the States highlighted how the implementation of a quality assurance programme incorporating leading quality monitoring and call recording technology changed both their customers’ and their organisations’ perception of the call centre. The latest precision monitoring tools enabled them to improve customer satisfaction using advanced agent monitoring and also achieve an increase in sales and cross sales of 50%, in less than 18 months! Marcus Hickman, Executive Research Director from the CCA revealed findings on the “State of the Industry”. Recent research showed that over 70% of people said Team Leaders and Contact Centre Managers needed more training. And maybe they do to solve the eternal problem; their organisation demands ‘efficiency’ and customers demand ‘service’ so how do you find common ground? With both parties facing changes in the working environment and with the increase in home and mobile working, implementing relevant applications is a necessity. The question on everybody’s lips is which technology is right for us and how do we go about it? Stephen Owen, Technical Director from BeVoice Data Systems gave us one option. With spiralling operating costs, companies face growing pressure to reduce overheads and with the expected growth of home working (Datamonitor predicts a further increase of 37% over the next 5 years), a hosted solution could be the answer. During the course of the day delegates were able to look around the exhibition showcase and see demos from leading global manufacturers. NICE, Verint and ASC representatives were all available to answer questions and with independent advice from the Business Systems consultants, delegates were able to see all the latest technology and how it could work for them.For those looking for a smaller solution we introduced the Mirra IV, suitable for recording under 49 analogue/digital lines and the Perform SMB, an economically priced 100 channel system with advanced quality-monitoring capabilities. Don’t miss future events, keep abreast of what’s on by checking our website regularly or call us on 0800 458 2988. Written by: Business Systems UK
Blog 9 September, 2026 The Limits of Microsoft Teams for Financial Services The Limits of Microsoft Teams for Financial Services By Tracy Hendy Shiels, Solutions Consultant, Business Systems. Microsoft Teams continues to expand across enterprise communications, with Teams Phone now supporting over 26 million PSTN users globally. We’re increasingly seeing financial services clients migrate their voice infrastructure to Teams – but as they modernise, compliance can’t be
Blog 19 August, 2026 WhatsApp Compliance in Financial Services WhatsApp compliance in financial services: why a ban is no longer enough For years, the standard answer to WhatsApp in regulated firms was simple: ban it. Write a policy prohibiting business communication on personal messaging apps, ask staff to sign it, and move on. That approach has now failed publicly, repeatedly and expensively. In 2024,
Blog 18 August, 2026 MiFID II Call Recording Requirements in 2026 MiFID II call recording in 2026: from sampled playback to full surveillance When the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II came into force in 2018, most firms treated the recording obligation as a technology procurement exercise. Buy a recording platform, switch it on for the trading floor, tick the box. Nearly a decade on, recording
Blog 22 July, 2026 The Cost of Attrition: Why Workforce Engagement Management is a Self-Funding Strategy Contact centre attrition remains one of the most expensive challenges facing customer support leaders. CX Today reports annual turnover rates of 35-45% remain common across the industry, with each departure costing between £10,000 and £15,000 in recruitment, onboarding and lost productivity. For a 200-seat operation, that equates to roughly £700,000-£1.35 million in annual attrition costs
Blog 30 April, 2026 Customer Experience Tools: How to Choose (and Implement) the Right CX Platform for Your Business Choosing the right customer experience platform is a major decision for many businesses. The platform you choose shapes how customers interact with your business across every channel, determines what insights you can extract from those customer interactions, and influences whether or not your teams can deliver consistently excellent service. Yet many organisations approach this decision
Blog 16 April, 2026 Conversational AI in UK Contact Centres: Moving Beyond Basic Chatbots Many contact centres in the UK have implemented chatbot technology in some form or another, but with varying degrees of success. Recent industry research reveals that nearly 70% of customers become frustrated with chatbots and prefer speaking to human agents, and abandonment rates for basic chatbot interactions continue to remain stubbornly high. The problem isn’t
Blog 10 April, 2026 Proactive Customer Service: How Contact Centres Can Use Proactive AI to Anticipate Customer Needs The traditional model of customer service is almost entirely reactive: a customer discovers a problem, contacts your organisation, and waits for a solution. This approach places the burden squarely on the customer, requiring them to identify issues, navigate your contact channels, and often endure multiple interactions before their problem is solved. Proactive customer service powered
Blog 29 January, 2026 Microsoft Teams Recording Without the Risk: A Practical Guide for Regulated Organisations Microsoft Teams has become the backbone of collaboration across financial services, insurance, the public sector and other regulated industries. Trading conversations, client discussions, internal decisions and approvals are now happening daily across voice, video, chat and shared files. That shift brings opportunity, but it also introduces risk. For organisations operating under regulations such as FCA,