Matching emerging technology and new ideas to market opportunity is the vital work of the channel’s innovation leaders. One such change-driver is Sabio Group Chief Innovation Officer Stuart Dorman.
Sabio is fuelling its growth agenda in large part through initiatives overseen by its internal innovation board, which evaluates and progresses new ideas via the Disrupt conference programme which is expanding across Europe. “Disrupt brings together industry thought leaders and our collaborative relationships with forward thinking customers who are willing to partner with us in developing and testing new solutions,” stated Dorman. “This multi-faceted approach ensures we’re consistently pushing boundaries while maintaining a practical focus on customer needs.”
It is universally accepted that innovation is a major growth driver, but the biggest challenge to unlocking innovation’s full growth potential is that major technology vendors often oversimplify their solutions, observed Dorman. “While they focus on license sales, there’s less emphasis on helping organisations fully utilise the technology’s capabilities,” he added. “We’re seeing numerous instances of minimum viable contact centre deployments, AI implementations and data utilisation that barely scratch the surface of what’s possible.
“The technology we have access to today is incredibly sophisticated, but many organisations are only using a fraction of its potential. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for MSPs such as Sabio to help customers maximise their technology investments by tapping into our expert services, skills and capability. It’s what makes us unique because regardless of tech we can find the solution.”
A mentor once told me that innovation is about turning ideas into invoices – that resonates in the CX technology space
Bridging the gap between disruptive thinking, innovation and the delivery of real-world solutions with impact hinges on maintaining a sharp focus on the specific problems MSPs are trying to solve and collaborating with customers willing to partner in development, reiterated Dorman. “A recent example is our team’s development of an innovative email handling solution for contact centres that takes advantage of generative AI,” he explained. “Email remains the second largest channel after voice, with tens of millions of emails processed daily in contact centres. Our approach leverages multiple language models to handle different aspects of email processing, significantly reducing response times and enabling complete automation. This platform-agnostic solution works independently of underlying contact centre platforms, CRM solutions or AI models, delivering superior results compared to traditional vendor offerings. We’ve seen some success already in our customer base, and the impact on customer productivity and quality has been remarkable.”
Key focus areas
Dorman noted that Sabio is focused on three primary areas... developing innovative ways to harness AI capabilities in customer service, identifying and filling gaps in partner technologies, and accelerating time-to-value for customers. “We’re particularly excited about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI in the CX space while ensuring practical, implementable solutions that deliver measurable business value,” he added.
“Our teams are doing groundbreaking work in this space but it’s crucial to understand that AI isn’t simply a feature you switch on. Getting maximum value from AI in CX requires a combination of technical expertise, creative thinking and artistry. We’re focusing on developing practical applications that enhance customer service operations while ensuring the technology serves both business objectives and customer needs.”
Getting maximum value from AI in CX requires technical expertise, creative thinking and artistry
Key aspects of Dorman’s work experience and skills mark him out as being the prime candidate for his position as an innovation leader. ”My technical foundation, combined with an ability to think creatively outside the box around applying these capabilities to solving real-world problems has been advantageous,” he explained. “In the customer experience ecosystem it’s vital to understand not just how technology works, but how it can be leveraged to create better customer experiences and operational efficiencies, sometimes in complex, nuanced use cases.
“A mentor also once told me that innovation is about turning ideas into invoices – that resonates in the CX technology space. Success requires a laser focus on three key elements – clearly identifying the problem you’re solving, demonstrating tangible ROI to potential customers and executing effective sales and marketing strategies.
“In regards to customer service technology, this means ensuring innovations directly address operational pain points while delivering measurable business value. The biggest challenge isn’t just about coming up with novel ideas, it’s successfully bringing them to market.”