Churches Fire & Security, the UK’s only fully integrated fire safety company, has successfully optimised its customer service operations using an AI-powered analysis solution. This strategic transformation has provided deep insights into customer interactions, unlocking new automation opportunities.
The company collaborated with Sabio Group, specialists in digital customer experience (CX) transformation, to conduct a detailed Intent Capture & Analysis (IC&A) process. This extensive study examined more than 25,000 customer calls to pinpoint common service challenges and areas for enhancement.
One of the most significant findings was that 17% of all incoming calls—over 16,000 annually—were simple fire alarm test requests, making it the most frequent reason for customer contact. As a result, Churches Fire & Security is now automating these processes through its online portal, reducing the demand on its customer service team.
In a recently published case study, Charlie Haynes, CEO of Churches Fire & Security, highlighted the importance 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 IC&A also exposed inefficiencies in call resolution, showing that 60% of customers had to make multiple calls to resolve their issues. Even more significantly, 83% of repeat callers regarding fire alarm servicing had previously contacted the company at least once for the same concern, highlighting a need for improved first-call resolution.
Kevin McGachy, Head of AI Solutions at Sabio, discussed the impact of the 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 part of a broader three-phase transformation programme, already delivering positive results. Instead of investing in an entirely new customer service system, Churches Fire & Security has adopted a data-driven approach, focusing on targeted improvements based on real customer interactions.
One of the first steps has been implementing a PCI-compliant payment system within its telephony infrastructure, after discovering that billing and invoice queries 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 concluded by underlining the broader implications of this transformation:
“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.”
