Kerv Returns to Contact Centre Expo 2025

Published 25/11/25 under:

A buzz of excitement consumed Excel London once again as thousands of contact centre professionals went on the hunt for emerging technologies and strategies, connected with peers and industry leaders, and expanded their knowledge through over 100 seminars and demos. For Kerv, the event marked a welcome homecoming after four years, solidifying a very special relationship with Genesys.

Left to right: Jeremy Curling, Jas Bansal, Marcus Gilmore, Caroline Pitcher

Exclusive access to Genesys elite skills and knowledge  

As the only Genesys Elite Partner exhibiting at the show, the Kerv stand offered attendees the chance to discuss their most pressing challenges and bounce around ideas. 

They enjoyed exclusive access to friendly experts adept at maximising value from Genesys investments – as evidenced by our clients including Skipton Building Society, PureGym, Utility Warehouse, Fibrus and Somerset Council. 

Our innovative flexible working zone also proved to be a popular stop for those looking to catch-up on emails, recharge their phone or simply rest their weary feet.  

A unique partnership that delivers more 

Having our stand directly opposite the bustling Genesys VIP area was quite symbolic. Kerv made a conscious decision to go ‘all-in’ with Genesys several years ago and the relationship between our two companies continues to grow closer and stronger. 

Uniquely within the CX and contact centre industry, this means that Kerv and our clients never become distracted. For example, by eliminating tiresome conflicts of interest caused by selling competing technologies or managing numerous vendor relationships.  

Kerv clients can rely on our undivided attention and they also appreciate our growing customer success practice. That’s why we’ve achieved more successful Genesys Cloud implementations than any other EMEA partner. It’s also why we consistently achieve a 98% project delivery client satisfaction rating. 

Weathering the surge 

One such Kerv and Genesys client at the forefront of CX and EX innovation is Fibrus Networks. 

A keynote speaker at this year’s event, Operations Manager Marcus Gilmore struck a chord with all frontline customer service leaders who had experienced the extreme pressures of spiking traffic, red lights and rising queues. 

When Storm Éowyn struck Northern Ireland in January 2025, it created the region’s worst disruption in nearly three decades. With 270,000 broadband outages – 43,000 of them affecting Fibrus customers – the surge in demand tested every aspect of service delivery.  

Many Fibrus customers live in rural areas and are elderly or vulnerable, making their broadband connectivity a vital lifeline for keeping in touch with friends and family.  

Staff at the company’s Belfast contact centre were still catching their breath after Storm Darragh several weeks prior. In a normal month, 66 agents handle around 25,000 calls and digital (webchat, Facebook and Instagram) messages. When Storm Éowyn hit that figure tripled as worried Fibrus customers scrambled to report faults and seek reassurance.   

As soon as it was safe to do so, engineering crews hit the roads tirelessly fixing faults. In addition, some 600,000 km of fibre was procured and 16 extra crews were brought in from the UK.  

Leading from the front, Marcus and his teams enacted a well-practised business continuity plan, which involved orchestrating lots of moving parts. Key goals and lessons learned included:  

• Restore service, safely and as quickly as possible 

Within the first 72 hours, an extra 70 agents were re-trained from other parts of the business who could no longer go about their usual daily jobs.  

• Speak with customers without putting extra pressure on agents 

Call deflection was one of the big learnings from previous storms and was essential again to ensure agents didn’t become overwhelmed. However, a balanced approach was needed to maintain situational awareness regarding outages and customer issues.  

• Make things easy 

Rather than confusing customers with additional IVR pathways, new tools were created within 48 hours, including a simple online form for customers to report service issues and a website outage map, enabling them to get updates by entering their postcode. 

• Empower agents and make them feel comfortable 

New agents were initially eased into handling digital messages, supported by handbooks, clear escalation points and canned responses to help navigate queries such as estimated repair dates.  

• Keep customers informed throughout 

Agents raised 6,600 cases and initiated 48,000 outbound text messages (further deflecting calls with links to rebook appointments). This proactive comms plan also involved staff visits to large public areas, such as shopping centres, to engage with customers face-to-face.  

• Take ownership and set customer expectations early 

Fibrus was the first provider to announce compensation for customers impacted by storm disruption. A web form was created to automatically calculate compensation (by detecting when the customer’s service went down and was restored) and forward claims to billing – once again, reducing inbound calls and workloads in raising and managing cases. 

• Check-in and look after employees 

Inappropriate and unachievable KPIs, such as first contact resolution, were quickly removed, protecting salaries and keeping employees motivated and engaged. Overtime pay rates were increased to reflect exceptional pressures. Other initiatives included regular breaks and recognition, a mental health breakout room and welfare days off afterwards.  

• Review and improve 

Since operations have returned to business as usual, Fibrus has put in place twice-yearly storm response and crisis management rehearsals, along with a golden chain of command, ensuring a single source of information and communication. 

To support contact centre burst capability, Kerv and Genesys stepped up with a pay-as-you-go pricing model. This meant Fibrus only paid for the hours each agent was actually online rather than the full licence charge, making it easier to accurately predict and control costs.

As the longest standing Genesys Cloud partner in EMEA, Kerv has successfully deployed Genesys Cloud to over 25,000 agents in 100+ customers. Drawing on our unrivalled technical support, 24/7 managed services and customer success practice, we obsessively ensure Kerv customers always get the greatest benefit from their Genesys investment.

For further information on Kerv solutions, or to register for forthcoming events, please contact sales.experience@kerv.com.