Even during the Christmas and New Year shutdown period, inbound calls continued at all hours. The introduction of AI call handling has provided clear, measurable insight into customer behaviour and expectations during a period traditionally reserved for downtime.
Calls Managed: 259 (as of 29/12/2025)
Successful Call Handling Rate: 99.6%
Call Breakdown:
- General enquiries: 26
- Requests to speak with a specific person: 57
- Hosted PBX time condition change requests: 9
- Change requests during the holiday shutdown: 74
- Requests scheduled for the New Year: 14
- Christmas Day support requests: 8
- Accounts and billing enquiries: 21
- Miscellaneous / other: 44
- Dropped Call: 6
Additional Insights
Of the 57 calls requesting to speak with a specific person, 100% were directed to the same individual, who was on approved leave and taking a holiday. This highlights how expectations can concentrate on a single human resource, regardless of availability or time of year. Give the poor person a break.
A closer review of the Christmas Day support requests showed the following:
- 2 calls asking how to connect a new device to home Wi-Fi
- 1 call requesting help setting up a new work laptop received as a Christmas Day present
- 1 call requesting assistance changing settings on a personal iPhone
- 1 call asking how to transfer data from an old phone to a new phone
In all cases, there was no expectation of paid support, despite the requests being made on a public holiday. These were convenience-based enquiries rather than business-critical incidents.
Key Observations
Since activation, the AI has clearly exposed a mismatch between customer expectations and operational reality over the Christmas–New Year period. Many callers expected immediate assistance, personal access, or technical guidance during a time when staff are deliberately offline.
People remain the core resource in any service business, and people require time away to rest and reset. Expecting uninterrupted, free, and on-demand support during public holidays is neither realistic nor sustainable.
By intervening early and triaging calls, the AI delivered real benefits:
- Customers received immediate acknowledgement and direction rather than silence.
- Approved Systems avoided unnecessary escalation and disruption during shutdown.
- Genuine urgency was separated from convenience requests and handled appropriately.
The result has been constructive for both sides. Customers gained clarity and realistic expectations. Approved Systems maintained service standards without burning out staff. Automation did exactly what it should: absorb noise, enforce boundaries, and allow humans to enjoy their holidays.