Experience shows the way… The success of the Leeds conference ‘Improving Performance 2007’ proved yet again that those in the Contact Centre industry are determined to raise the bar on performance and that the stated goal of the Customer Contact Association:- “to drive professionalism in customer contact centres”, was indeed the objective for many. There is no doubt that knowledge is the key and the combination of benchmarking and experience are invaluable. Promotional Logistics (Prolog) probably run one of the best call centres in the UK. Constantly in the top quartile of league tables you have to ask why – so we did and got Paul Miller, their Call Centre Director to explain what works for them. As with most successes the process was disarmingly simple. Considering industry statistics show that 91% of consumers have a bad contact centre experience, the process of measuring your own customer satisfaction levels and then benchmarking against the industry is the logical starting point. Getting true customer feedback, quickly and simply is the key and this goes beyond the typical postcard responses. Prolog uses a hosted in-network Customer Satisfaction facility from OPEX providing a number of benefits. Firstly and most importantly, the customer feedback is hot immediately following the conversation with the agent and therefore it is relevant. Secondly, the customer’s comments are automatically graded by the system and forwarded real-time to call centre operations staff – simple but so effective! Quality monitoring also figured highly and offers the ability to manage agents more effectively whilst assessing the accuracy of what they are saying to customers. Used in the right way, monitoring is one of the essential tools to ensure agents are performing to the right standards consistently. Calls are being evaluated on a wide set of parameters and assist in trend spotting so that appropriate action is taken to eliminate bad practice. However, a note of caution, there is the danger that evaluations can be inward focused without measuring the true customer experience and what they want from the call. Depending on what you want to achieve, both solutions work. Customer Satisfaction Surveys empower the customer to comment on aspects of your service you may not have even considered reviewing. However, it won’t necessarily tell you whether your agent adhered to the script and mentioned the special promotion you were running that day – it’s all about balance! If you want to find out more about the customer satisfaction facility provided by OPEX, contact us online. Written by: Business Systems UK
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,
Blog 5 December, 2025 The clock is ticking: Why end-of-life recording systems are a critical compliance risk Outdated recording technology isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s a ticking time bomb for regulated firms. For financial services and other heavily regulated industries, end-of-life (EoL) voice recording systems can create dangerous blind spots. When vendors withdraw support, these unsupported platforms become vulnerable, exposing your firm to major compliance penalties under frameworks like MiFID II, FCA,
Blog 20 November, 2025 Proactive AI vs Reactive AI: Understanding the Difference Artificial intelligence is changing the way organisations across the UK engage with customers, but all AI solutions aren’t created equal. Many still rely on reactive models that respond only once a customer makes contact. Proactive AI takes a more advanced approach, identifying needs and acting before the customer does. Understanding the key differences between proactive
Blog 20 November, 2025 5 Ways Proactive AI Can Reduce Manual Workload in Contact Centres Contact centres today face a familiar challenge: maintaining exceptional service while managing high volumes, rising costs, and limited resources. Agents are spending valuable time on repetitive, manual work instead of focusing on complex, high-value interactions that truly build customer loyalty. This is where Proactive AI makes a measurable difference. By combining automation with intelligence, it