Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend the CCMA Contact Centre Strategy Summit in Manchester, an event that brought together strategic contact centre leaders to explore practical ways of unlocking the full potential of their operations. Across the day, one theme came through clearly: contact centres are no longer just about service. They’re shaping strategy, driving growth, and offering untapped insight.
Throughout the day, speakers shared real experiences of what it takes to move the contact centre from being seen as a support function to a true strategic partner. It’s a shift that’s already underway in many organisations, and the sessions struck a good balance between ambition and the reality of making change happen.
Highlights From The Day:
Insight Is Your Competitive Edge
Vinay Parmar’s keynote made a strong case for repositioning the contact centre as a source of strategic insight. Too often, teams focus on volumes and SLAs, but what really matters to the wider business is customer retention, revenue, and long-term value. His message was clear: contact centres need to shift the conversation, translating day-to-day interactions into insights that influence decision-making across the organisation. With the right tools and mindset, today’s contact centre can move beyond reporting on what’s happening to influencing what happens next.
AI Isn’t the Fix-All - But Can be a Tool for Good
AI was a hot topic, with plenty of discussion around Agent Assist, Auto-QA, and Copilot-style tools. What resonated most was the message that AI works best when it complements - not replaces - human judgment. It’s supporting coaching, surfacing insight, and freeing up time that can (and should) be reinvested into development.
Process Before Platform
Nikki Powell shared how Capita approached change: not with a tech-first mindset, but with process review at the core. It was a point echoed throughout the summit: without clear, well-owned processes in place, even the most advanced platform won’t deliver the results you expect. Technology should support a well-mapped customer journey - not try to fix a broken one.
The Future Is Collaborative
Contact centres are increasingly working across departments in ways that add real value. For example, they partner closely with marketing teams to provide customer insights that help shape campaigns and messaging. They collaborate with logistics to improve delivery times and resolve supply chain issues by sharing feedback directly from customers. Beyond internal teams, contact centres are even influencing public policy by highlighting common customer challenges and trends that can inform regulatory decisions. During the panel discussion, the idea of repositioning the contact centre as a “value centre” came through strongly, emphasising the importance of sharing these successes internally through proactive storytelling. This helps break down silos and demonstrates how contact centres contribute to broader business goals.
People Are at the Heart of Success
Above all, the summit reminded us that people matter most. Supporting advisors, creating inclusive workplaces, and recognising frontline roles are essential for lasting change. Engaging the people at the centre of the operation is key.
Final Thoughts
There’s growing recognition that contact centres can influence far more than CSAT and AHT. They’re shaping customer journeys, surfacing patterns that inform product and service design, and anchoring the brand experience. But unlocking that value means thinking differently - about people, about process, and about what we’re really trying to measure.
A big thank you to the CCMA for organising such a valuable event - we’re already looking forward to the next one!