Churches Fire & Security, the UK’s only fully integrated fire safety provider, has enhanced its customer service operations through an innovative AI-powered analysis solution. This strategic initiative has helped the company better understand customer behaviour and unlock key automation opportunities.
The company partnered with Sabio Group, specialists in digital customer experience (CX) transformation, to undertake an in-depth Intent Capture & Analysis (IC&A) project. This process involved reviewing over 25,000 customer calls to identify common service challenges and areas for improvement.
One of the key findings was that 17% of all inbound calls—more than 16,000 per year—were simple requests to test fire alarms, making this the most frequent customer enquiry. Recognising the potential for automation, Churches Fire & Security is now developing an online self-service system to handle these requests, potentially saving thousands of hours in customer service time.
In a recently published case study, Charlie Haynes, CEO of Churches Fire & Security, highlighted the strategic impact of this initiative:
“As a business, we have an increased focus on self-service and operational efficiency whilst maintaining customer experience. The nature of our very business means that it is crucial for us to understand our customers’ needs and streamline our processes accordingly.”
The analysis also uncovered significant inefficiencies in call resolution, revealing that 60% of customers had to make multiple calls to resolve their queries. More strikingly, 83% of repeat callers regarding fire alarm servicing had already contacted the company at least once for the same issue, underscoring a need to enhance first-call resolution rates.
Kevin McGachy, Head of AI Solutions at Sabio, explained the significance of these findings:
“This programme surfaces insights into customer behaviour – key data that Churches and other organisations, with the best of intentions, did not fully know: specifically, the exact reasons as to why their customers were calling in.”
The IC&A is a key element of a three-phase transformation initiative that is already driving meaningful change. Rather than completely overhauling its customer service operations, Churches Fire & Security is taking a data-driven approach, implementing targeted improvements based on real customer needs.
One such initiative involves the integration of a PCI-compliant payment system into its telephony infrastructure, following the discovery that billing and invoice payments were the second most common reason for customer contact.
Haynes further commented:
“The IC&A solution has been a game-changer for us. The insights we gained have allowed us to make data-driven decisions, prioritise automation efforts, and ultimately improve the experience for both our customers and employees.”
Kevin McGachy reinforced the wider impact of this transformation, stating:
“The success of this initiative highlights how organisations can approach customer service transformation, demonstrating the value of data-driven decision-making in improving operational efficiency while maintaining service quality.”
