On Tuesday, the Bright Pattern team welcomed John O’Brien on board to lead the Australia-New Zealand sales team. With his vast international experience, he has a true understanding of the call center industry across the globe and the trends emerging. And, as an industry vet and prior employee at Genesys, we figured he’d have some pretty important things to say!
Q1: Welcome to the Bright Pattern team! Can you explain your role and what interested you in joining the Bright Pattern team?
Thank you. I head up our operation here in Australia and New Zealand. What interested me in Bright Pattern was the opportunity to re-join past colleagues, a team of experienced and trusted people in this space. There is an opportunity to make a difference in this industry because some technology has stagnated and the large vendors are happy with the "same old way" (SOW).
Q2: Your experience in the contact center industry is quite expansive, what tech trend do you see picking up steam and being implemented into contact centers this year?
I think companies are now ready to add the omnichannel component to their contact centres (their customers are certainly ready!). As a customer, I want to choose the channel I interact on, not when and how Mr. Company thinks I should. Customers are so much more clever and sophisticated these days. And disruptive!
Q3: By leading international sales teams in Australia, the US, Europe, and APAC, you have witnessed the differences in contact centers across the globe. Is there anything unique about the Australian contact center market?
Australia and New Zealand have always been a melting pot for all US, European and Asian technology, so it's a hard place to compete. In some areas, overseas markets are more mature in their thinking. I actually think the New Zealand marketplace is one of the best for companies wanting a new approach. They are less risk averse.
Q4: This is a very busy space with new vendors popping up every year. What makes Bright Pattern different from other competitors in Australia and New Zealand?
Bright Pattern is producing the right software for people to use out of the box. This means faster and therefore less expensive technology changes. Being small in this market was once thought of as a weakness but in our case by being an agile company we are actually ready and willing to work with our customers and guide them to better results. We do not attempt to boil the ocean in the requirements area. We can use our insight and experience to get them to the right answer, quicker, cheaper. This means a better customer experience which will play a major role in companies competitive advantage.
Q5: You were at Genesys in the years of its early success. What do you think from that experience is applicable to Bright Pattern today?
I think it was our willingness to work with customers and give them something better. I believe customers don’t want SOW thinking and product lines that appear to be stuck together. They are looking for agility in their partner as well as bottom up, well designed software they can implement quickly.
At that time we always talked about OTB implementations - all people have these days is an angry rat in the box. We have cracked this nut and it’s really proving its worth. Our customers are benefiting already and we are looking for great partners to help us.
