Welcome To The 10th Edition Of The Sudale Search Newsletter!

Did summer finally arrive? It’s been a hot, hot few days here in the UK. Unfortunately, the job market is not heating up as quickly as the weather, but summer is traditionally the quietest time in the calendar for hiring, with September and March always the months where most offers are made.

If you are looking to assess the talent in your team, and cement yourself as a customer first business, the summer is actually a great time to stand out in a quieter market. Why, spend all the hard work creating a role profile/ spec when you have consultants that can do that for you? If you want a no obligation conversation to discuss your aims when it comes to customer, and see what support we can offer in this space – book a free consultation here: https://calendly.com/kerry-157

?But without further ado, let’s deep dive into the world of CX and Contact Centre.

In a speech celebrating the implementation of the Consumer Duty, Sheldon Mills, Executive Director of Consumers & Competition at the FCA likened the process to “eating the frog,” urging firms to tackle the challenging but necessary task. Over 18 months, significant progress has been made, resulting in tangible benefits such as quicker interest rate increases, estimated to give consumers an additional ￡4 billion annually, and improved GAP insurance, saving around ￡70 million.

The Consumer Duty has driven firms to simplify charging structures, end unfair practices, and better support vulnerable customers. Firms have also revised employee incentives to align with positive customer outcomes and enhanced proactive communication to offer clearer information.

Looking ahead, the FCA aims to balance consumer protection with innovation and growth, encouraging the use of AI and digital tools while maintaining inclusivity. A Call for Input seeks to simplify regulations, making them more responsive to future changes. The Consumer Duty marks a new start, committed to continuous improvement and better outcomes for consumers, firms, and the economy.

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Read the full speech: Taking the leap on the Consumer Duty | FCA's Sheldon Mills delivers speech to mark the Duty's first anniversary - IFA Magazine

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?Automation will not drive reduction in Contact Centre Agent numbers until 2026… that’s the headline from the new report produced by Cavell.

The Q2 2024 CCaaS Market Evolution Report, which surveyed leading CCaaS and contact centre providers in the UK, Western Europe, and the US, reveals that businesses are primarily using AI to assist rather than replace human agents. The industry remains cautious, relying on agents to validate AI-recommended actions. Trends such as technology convergence and competition are increasing, alongside challenges in deploying integrated AI solutions. Cavell forecasts the UK CCaaS market to reach $564 million by 2028, with a focus on SME-targeted solutions. Finbarr Begley, Cavell’s Senior Analyst, notes that while AI and automation are key topics, their adoption is slower than anticipated, with businesses preferring to augment human efforts and ensure accuracy in customer interactions.

Read the full article: Automation will not drive a reduction in contact centre agents - contact-centres.com

Given the limited changes happening in terms of the transitioning job market, at risk of repeating ourselves we are moving the market update to quarterly and instead we are looking at topical conversations events, and masterclasses to ensure we are bringing value to the industry we love! ?

We are partnering with some industry powerhouses to deliver masterclasses on some of the most talked about topics in the CX and Contact Centre Industry.

For the first event we could think of only one topic: “How to successfully implement AI into your Customer Operation.” The demand for this skillset is ever increasing, and those who haven’t yet had the opportunity or businesses that aren’t ready may find themselves falling behind in the market. These masterclasses are aimed to support you, and will be focussed around business case creation, challenges faced along the way and key learns from people who have already been on this journey. There will be a panel presentation and a Q&A session. Sound interesting?

This event will take place in September and will be via video link. Is this event interesting for you? Drop us a note to [email protected], titled “AI Masterclass” to register your interest.?

We will also be running a LinkedIn Live on 20th August, with our Partners Awards International/ The Judge Club.

“Candidate Experience is the new make it or break it in securing your next rockstar hire”

With CultureAmps research showcasing that it can cost up to 200% basic salary to replace a top performer, we showcase how to attract those top performers into your organisation, through processes that sing and, in turn, create brand loyalty.

Employee Experience and Customer Experience are intrinsically linked. How can your hiring processes ensure that it is contributing to your all-round people experience? I hope you can join us!

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Alongside AI, there is another topic that comes up continually in conversations with my customers across CX and Contact Centre Operations. That is the ability to create compelling business cases for change, leveraging multiple data sets and understanding what is needed by key stakeholders to gain their buy in to change/ transformation projects and programmes.

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The ability to put together solid business cases and be able to get sponsorship across all levels of the business can really make or break your success in any given role. It can be the difference to implementing that new technology, or offshoring operations. So how good are you at creating compelling business cases and getting that buy in from internal and external stakeholders?

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The family and I headed to Paultons Park to celebrate my daughter Nuala’s 2nd Birthday. We are huge theme park fans in our family but after multiple disappointing trips to various Merlin attractions, I was really hoping Peppa Pig Land would live up to the hype for my piggy obsessed daughter. It did not disappoint! The theming was great, the number of rides available was brilliant and, most importantly, my son who just clears the 1.1m height could get on some adrenaline-inducing rollercoasters that he was after!

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If you are travelling to Bournemouth, or thinking about heading to Paulton’s park, I would recommend for families who want a bit of everything and don’t want to queue for hours with their children.

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This isn’t naming a company, but a very important topic that was brought to life on Martin Teasdale’s new audio event “The Break Room” discussing all things CX and Contact Centre.

One of the participants is deaf and, when trying to log a claim for his pet dog (any pet owners will know how emotionally charged this can be at the best of times), he was met by an AI Agent, that didn’t understand what “deaf” meant and was unable to communicate with anyone.

These types of examples are exactly why diversity in teams is so important, to ensure we consider the challenges of every customer and how best to service them in those moments that matter.

What can I say about Shamas Aziz ? He is an incredible human being who have pivoted his experience within Customer Experience/ Customer Operations to partner with SentiSum the powerful new customer sentiment software/ platform receiving rave reviews from their partners. Sham has been there, done it and certainly worn the T-Shirt having overhauled Customer Service at Selfridges, including the implementation of AI technology.

Sham shares some thought provoking original articles on LinkedIn and knows his stuff. That is exactly why you should connect with Sham!

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Before we wrap up this month, in collaboration with Women in CX ? we explored the question Does The Motherhood Penalty Exist? This is a broad topic, and over the last month we deep dived into this conversation with some powerhouse Mothers through the @Women in CX network (who we are proud members of).

Thank you to the incredible women who lent their voice and shared their experiences in this sobering article.

Balancing Motherhood and Career: Real Stories from Women in CX — Women in Customer Experience

If you are an inclusive Employer who is looking for a partner who ensures equity in hiring processes, will consult will you to solve challenges/ issues and is very easy to work with. Please reach out to [email protected]

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Thanks and have a fabulous August!