"Stay Curious" | Finlay Macmillen, Odigo @ The Communication Technology Expo 2023

The Communication Technology Expo has just kicked off in ExCel London, and EM360 was there to interview Market leaders and industry experts about everything unified communications – from the rise of remote work to the emergence of AI-wired CRMs and communication tools. 

Yesterday we spoke to Finlay Macmillen, Business Development Representative at Odigo, about contact centre automation, AI and the future of unified communications.

AI meets unified communications

When asked about some of the trends emerging within the unified communications space, Mr Macmillen explained that AI has been a major talking point both in contact centres and within organisations.

“AI and automation is a big one. We get that a lot in omnichannel customer experiences. So when customers come through the customer service and organisation, it’s not a broken, separate disparate solution and it’s more one thing that connects together. 

So if they’ve spoken by e-mail, for example, then they’ll be able to contact through that and also other channels,” Mr Macmillen said. 

“Voice is still the main channel that a lot of organisations we speak to encounter. There are trends towards AI, but the voice is still something that is a big focus as well, and some organisations speak to only the voice, for example, or web chat.”

“Stay driven, focused and curious”

When asked to give one piece of advice for his twenty-one-year-old self, MR Macmillen believed that learning from past experiences and being open to new ones is critical to success within any organisation. 

“I’m only 22, but I would say staying driven, focused and curious is the main piece of advice I would give. Be open to new paths, and new ideas. 

“I didn't know much about the contact centre industry when I came into it less than a year ago and you know, really happy to be here and talking to experts.”