Our thanks to the curator of the Austrian Submariners Museum for sending this picture (the extent of the Monitor’s readership is truly amazing). Just one glance at this photo and the nostalgia is so thick you can almost smell the mixture of salt air and diesel fumes; it makes you want to say things like, “when I was a lad, we made voice recorders out of girders”. In an attempt to trace the history of these wonderful examples,we once again called on the knowledge of our oldest techie and all round sage of the voice recording industry William Hall (15 years with BSL and prior to that wireless-man first-class in the Irish Navy). William’s view is that this is a sea-borne type Mark 1 six-valve recorder used by submarine command; the give-away being the small lateral mounting gimbal brackets on the side. Hhmm, the News Hound thinks there is some definite leg-pulling going on here but we give William full marks for the story line and hey; it’s a great photo! And the most amusing extract from the Monitor’s mail bag this month is:- One of our readers asked us to add the word ‘squat’ to our website ‘jargon buster’ and supplied the definition as follows: – Squat ‘the accumulated call-recording knowledge of a PBX manufacturer that attempts to sell this application to it’s customers under the guise of a one-stop-shop communications strategy.’ There is no denying the fact that this had the Monitor’s news team rolling around in hysterics for days but it was finally decided that this was a somewhat jaundiced view from an individual with a bitter experience and in the interests of entente cordiale with the PBX manufacturers we decided to decline the entry. VocalMobile Brochures are not yet available but if you are interested either email us or call us –[email protected] or Tel 0208 326 8280 Written by: Business Systems UK
Blog 28 August, 2025 What is Conversational AI? A Beginner’s Guide to Smarter CX In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are under increasing pressure to deliver seamless and efficient customer experiences (CX). Customers expect quick responses, personalised interactions, and 24/7 availability. This is where Conversational AI comes in. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), Conversational AI enhances customer service, automates interactions, and significantly improves operational
Blog 23 July, 2025 Mike Wardell Appointed Executive Chairman We are pleased to announce that Mike Wardell, former CEO of Business Systems Ltd, has transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman of both Business Systems and Wordwatch. This strategic move marks a significant milestone for both brands as they continue to strengthen their market-leading positions in customer contact solutions and communications governance and archiving.
Blog 16 July, 2025 Unlocking the Power of Conversation: How Interaction Analytics Is Reshaping Contact Centre Workforce Planning Contact centres are no longer just cost centres – they’re goldmines of actionable insight. And in 2025, forward-thinking customer contact leaders are discovering that the most untapped resource in their operations isn’t in headcount or tech—it’s the conversations they’re already having. Welcome to the era of interaction analytics. With the power to transform how you
Blog 8 July, 2025 From Hype to Impact: AI Strategies for Maximum ROI AI is revolutionising customer contact – but for many contact centres, the results aren’t matching the promise. Despite a surge in experimentation, too many organisations find themselves in “pilot paralysis”: high on potential, low on return. Contact centres need to adopt AI, but many are hitting the same wall: inconsistent ROI. Why? Because not all
Blog 3 June, 2025 Why Workforce Engagement is Key to Retaining Contact Centre Agents Call of Duty: Why Engaged Agents Stay in Contact Centres One repeat challenge our consultants see when we partner with new organisations is Agent retention. With increasing customer expectations, hybrid working models, and AI-driven efficiencies reshaping the contact centre industry, there is always an ongoing pressure for organisations to keep agents engaged and motivated in
Blog 15 May, 2025 How OpenAI’s o3 and o4 Mini Models are a major step forward in Conversational AI for Contact Centres The release of OpenAI’s latest large language models – o3 and o4 mini – represents a major step forward in the evolution of enterprise-grade AI for customer service. These new models are purpose-built to handle complexity, improve reasoning, and scale automation without compromising control or compliance. For contact centres looking to enhance customer experiences and
Blog 1 April, 2025 AI Agents in Contact Centres: Are You Ready for the Future? The Future of Customer Service is Here The contact centre industry is undergoing a significant transformation. Rising customer expectations, increasing operational costs, and workforce shortages are putting immense pressure on businesses to deliver seamless customer experiences while maintaining profitability. The companies that embrace AI agents today are the industry leaders of tomorrow – those that
Blog 10 February, 2025 What is Agentic AI and Why Does It Matter to You? Agentic AI is transforming contact centres by enabling systems to act autonomously, adapt to new situations, and proactively achieve goals – much like a human agent. But how does it differ from traditional automation, and why should contact centre leaders take notice? What is Agentic AI? Unlike rule-based automation, Agentic AI makes independent decisions, learns