Future Proof e-Summit

Navigating the uncertainty of the new business landscape, how can NI contact centres best prepare for future disruption? 

This virtual event will discuss the issues and opportunities for the post-Covid workforce, workplace and customer – and explore ideas for contact centres to future proof their operation in the new working world. Thank you to headline sponsor Jabra for their continued support of the NI contact centre industry, plus RingCentral, Odigo and Invest Northern Ireland for supporting this first event.

Agenda

10:00 – Welcome – Jayne Davies, CCNNI Director & Sandra Busby, Advisory Board Director

10:00 – Foreword – George McKinney, Director of Invest Northern Ireland's Technology & Services Division

10:10 – The Voice of Your Brand in the Digital Contact Centre – John Nesbitt, Territory Director – Ireland (North & South) & Scotland – Jabra Customer experience is quickly overtaking price, product or service as a key brand differentiator. Therefore, contact centres are increasingly looking into the importance of good customer experience as a metric for success. With the rise of the omni-channel contact centre, it’s vital that positive customer experience is maintained, but how do contact centres deliver this successfully? Agents play a critical role in being the voice of a brand, now and in the future. With customers growing frustrated by lack of resolution via the other available touchpoints, voice is still a vital component of the contact centre communications mix. Find out more about the key role agents will play going forward and how to maximise customer experience in this important channel.

10:50 – The Future of Customer Experience – Julien Rio – Senior Director of Marketing – RingCentral

Customer expectations have changed dramatically in recent times; the COVID-19 situation has accelerated this further. Customer engagement is an integral part of CX in 2020, and preparing for the future is essential. To be ahead of the curve, companies need to understand distinctive and popular channels and make sure they strive to offer a consistent customer experience across all of those touchpoints. This session will explore the differences between the major families of digital channels, which are best for customer engagement, complaints or preventative customer service, discover what makes WhatsApp and Google's Business Messages the "hot" channels at the moment, and how to manage multiple channels without hurting your customer experience or internal productivity.

11:20 – Virtual Coffee Break

11:30 – Interactive Discussion Groups – a collaborative space to share ideas and develop a bespoke solution for your individual needs. Group A: The Future of Voice. Group B: Future CX.

12:00 – The Future of Contact Centres – Peter Ashbridge – Director – Odigo 

How can AI optimise customer service? Recent experience has shown that while customers are looking for easier transactions they still want human contact. What’s the answer? The hybrid model – combining AI, bots and human intervention for the most effective way to streamline processes, improve agent satisfaction and deliver exceptional customer experience.

12:25 – Summary – Final Q&A

12:30 – Close

Meet the Speakers

George McKinney, Director of Invest NI's Technology & Services Division

George began his career with a sponsorship from Michelin Tyre plc, leading to a Masters Degree in Engineering. He has also been awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Having spent 8 years with Michelin, George moved to work in the design and print industry for 12 years, becoming Managing Director of a local full service marketing communications business. Following a management buy-out, George worked in the ICT sector for 2 years before moving to Invest NI in 2004 as a Regional Manager. Since then he has worked in a number of roles within Invest NI, most recently taking up the position of Director of Technology & Services in March 2019.

John Nesbitt, Territory Sales Director, Jabra

John is the Territory Sales Director for Jabra in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland and has been with the organisation for 9 years. Responsible for advising and supporting customers on their audio and video solution deployments across a variety of platforms and scenario’s, John has extensive business enterprise technology experience and a deep understanding of how to resolve customer audio issues to drive increased productivity, customer satisfaction and successfully deliver ROI quickly.

Julien Rio, Senior Director of Marketing, RingCentral

Julien has more than 10 years’ international experience in Marketing and Customer Care positions across multiple industries including toys, medical, hospitality, F&B, logistics, electronics, etc. As Senior Director of Marketing at RingCentral, Julien strives for improving customer care worldwide and closing the gap between what companies have to offer and what customers expect. Author and blogger, Julien regularly writes about customer experience and marketing topics.

Peter Ashbridge, Account Director, Odigo

As an Account Director at Odigo, a leading omnichannel customer engagement SaaS solution; Peter is responsible for ensuring his clients are equipped with the technology solutions required to deliver exceptional customer experience. With over 18 years’ experience, Peter has a wealth of understanding of customer requirements in support of management objectives ensuring customers are reaping the benefits of Odigo’s innovative solutions and providing continued measurable business value.