Interview: Phil Zammit, Avaya

How will new government policies affect the rollout of AI in organisations?

The outburst of excitement around AI was met quickly with caution. Australian companies have been eager to launch AI projects, but a ‘wait and see’ sentiment has caused restraint. The federal government’s AI guardrails alongside the OAIC’s guidelines on the use of data for generative AI training are essential foundations to fulfil the AI aspirations of the nation’s private sector. Following the European Union’s lead, these policies will serve as critical prerequisites to ensure future projects proceed safely, with the interests of Australian citizens top of mind.

There are also adjacent policies — not directly about AI — that will influence and arguably accelerate AI projects. In August, ‘Right to Disconnect’ laws for larger employers came into effect. While the new legislation addresses systemic issues in after-hours work-related communication, there is an opportunity to leverage AI to comply with these laws.

It’s about putting AI into human hands to augment capabilities. In the case of overwork and Australia’s new industrial laws, businesses have the chance to optimise workflows and enforce healthier work boundaries. For example, companies can empower staff with AI to handle routine tasks, such as data retrieval or data entry. For a customer service professional, this can reduce average handling time and after-call documentation with a single view of customer and automated admin support.

What specific tech skills will be in high demand in 2025?

Alongside the ongoing difficulty in finding and retaining top talent, companies are navigating the chasm between current capabilities and evolving customer expectations. Navigating it effectively requires stepping back and taking a holistic approach to customer service, which integrates customer experience with employee experience.

With Gartner predicting in 2024 that IT spending in Australia will jump 8.7% year on year in 2025, it is expected that significant portions of the AU$147 billion will go toward bridging the gap between current CX and EX platform capabilities. Because human-led skills and experience is critical to manage the complex needs of customers, it demands the same level of advanced capabilities companies typically already offer their customers.

As these EX investments trickle through 2025, there will be a push around employee digital literacy skills. It is critical workers know how to use advanced technologies such as AI to safely and effectively augment their customer service output to not only improve retention but maximise the new tech’s ROI and promote safe application.

What can public sector organisations and their suppliers do to manage the risks of increasing complexity?

Amid competitive and economic pressures, revenue growth is every company’s top priority. From high interest rates and cost increases to skills shortages and unsteady supply chains, there are a number of macro challenges that cascade through an organisation.

It is no different in the public sector. Under the aforementioned headwinds, public sector agencies and their suppliers need to get back to basics. In an environment where funds are limited, it’s critical to consider how pragmatic, foundational investments minimise complexity, and project upward through an organisation to maximise return on investment. For example, it is well known that customer service makes or breaks a business. For the public sector, agencies have a duty to serve their constituents with the same level of competitive service. But often, the prospect of abrupt changes in business communication infrastructure carries high risks, including potential disruptions to operations and customer service continuity.

Through targeted tests and pilots, a pragmatic transformation approach allows government agencies to build on what is already proven to work by leveraging familiar processes, systems, and technology as a baseline for new capabilities. This improves the success rate in which new services and channels are introduced for specific use cases, and allows agencies to explore advanced capabilities, like generative AI, without disrupting workflows.

Privacy, data security and the exceptional customer experience… can they coexist?

A recent survey by Statista found that 61% of brand interactions are occurring digitally, and there’s heightened expectation for organisations to anticipate the personalised needs of their customers. To deliver this degree of customer service, it is crucial to have a full, accurate view of who they’re serving. And the data they use needs to be ethically obtained and securely held.

According to a recent study, 78% of consumers are more likely to share their data with a company that they trust. Digital privacy, data security, and customer service can coexist. They have to in today’s market, where relentless data breaches continue to jeopardise trust between brands and consumers. Customer service systems must be built to address vulnerabilities, with customer service professionals adequately trained in digital literacy to ensure their efforts, including communication with customers, are protected and informative.

Based in Sydney, Phil Zammit is Vice President for the Asia-Pacific theatre for Avaya, including Japan, Greater China and India. Phil has previously had extensive success in CX leadership at Zoom, Cisco, AWS and Telstra, among others. He has a reputation for developing high-performing teams through regional business strategies to address local market needs.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Kindamorphic