HOST
SYDNEY
REGION
10
ATTENDEES
IT
INDUSTRY
SYDNEY, 6 NOVEMBER 2025 — Hosted at Restaurant Pendolino’s Olive Oil Private Dining Room, this executive roundtable gathered senior customer experience leaders from across Australia to examine one of the most significant shifts in the CX landscape today: contact centre transformation and how it evolves into strategic growth drivers. In partnership with Zendesk and The Ortus Club, the session created an intimate setting for candid conversation, peer learning, and shared reflection on the future of customer engagement.
THE BRIEF
Unlocking the Growth Potential of Contact Centres
Australian organisations are increasingly rethinking the role of the contact centre. No longer viewed purely as operational support, these teams now play a central role in building loyalty, generating revenue, and increasing customer lifetime value.
Zendesk partnered with The Ortus Club to convene senior leaders responsible for customer experience, strategy, and transformation to explore how technology, data, and empowered teams can elevate the contact centre into a true growth engine. The session aimed to help leaders reflect on the opportunities ahead and examine practical approaches for both immediate impact and long-term strategic value.
THE SETTING
Private Dining at Restaurant Pendolino
The roundtable took place at Restaurant Pendolino in Sydney, within the Olive Oil Private Dining Room located in The Strand Arcade. Known for its warm Italian hospitality, refined atmosphere, and artisanal focus, the venue offered an intimate backdrop for open dialogue.
Guests enjoyed a relaxed dining experience as the conversation unfolded, creating a comfortable environment where participants could speak freely about challenges and opportunities in their organisations.
Interested to find out how the event was shaped and the work that went behind it?
THE GUESTLIST
Senior CX Leaders Across Australia
The event welcomed a curated group of senior decision-makers who oversee customer experience, transformation, strategy, and customer insights within their organisations. Roles represented included:
- Senior Director, Network Customer Experience at Optus
- VP of Customer Experience at Allianz Australia
- Head of Customer Experience at Allianz Australia
- Portfolio Director, CTO at Westpac group
- Senior Customer Data Analyst, Martech and Analytics at Cochlear
- Head of Customer Engagement Centre at Sonova Group
- Global Customer Transformation Lead at SafetyCulture
- Director, Acquisition and Transition Management at NAB
- Head of Strategy and Transformation at Woolworths
- Senior Director, Challenger Brands at Optus
This cross-section of perspectives brought depth to the discussion, reflecting the evolving expectations placed on contact centres across industries.
THE TOPIC
From Cost Centre to Growth Engine
The conversation examined how contact centres across Australia are evolving to deliver greater strategic value, moving beyond service efficiency to drive measurable commercial impact.
Core questions shaped the discussion:
- How are organisations unlocking upsell, cross-sell, and retention opportunities within their contact centres
- Which metrics best capture both direct and indirect ROI, from loyalty to lifetime value
- How can leaders balance technology investment with workforce enablement to build future-ready contact centres
These questions guided a practical, forward-looking conversation on what modern customer experience demands today.
THE INSIGHTS
What Leaders Are Seeing in the Market
Several clear themes emerged during the discussion:
Growth opportunities sit within everyday interactions.
Leaders agreed that contact centres have a wealth of information and customer touchpoints that can be translated into revenue opportunities when supported by the right tools and training.
ROI measurement must evolve.
Participants highlighted the need to move beyond traditional efficiency metrics, incorporating indicators such as loyalty scores, repeat purchases, and customer lifetime value to capture the full economic impact of CX.
Technology amplifies people, it does not replace them.
Attendees shared that automation, AI, and better data visibility help teams deliver faster and more personalised service. However, meaningful growth still depends on human capability, empathy, and empowered frontline teams.
Workforce enablement is critical.
Training, coaching, and improved workflows were seen as essential to unlocking the value potential within contact centres. Tools alone cannot deliver growth without the right organisational support.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Rethinking the Role of the Contact Centre
1. Contact centres can be powerful growth engines
With the right strategy, teams can contribute directly to revenue, loyalty, and long-term value.
2. Measurement must reflect commercial impact
Success is no longer defined only by speed; it must capture customer outcomes and business value.
3. Technology and people must work together
AI and automation improve efficiency, but frontline talent remains central to customer experience.
4. Leaders must enable a culture of growth
Training, empowerment, and clear frameworks help teams move from reactive support to proactive value creation.
THE RESULTS
A Shared Vision for the Future of CX
The roundtable left participants with a clearer view of how contact centres can evolve into engines of predictable, scalable growth. Leaders walked away with new perspectives on how to balance operational efficiency with strategic opportunity, and how to reframe their contact centres as central contributors to long-term customer value.
For Zendesk and The Ortus Club, the session demonstrated the growing demand for intimate, insight-led gatherings where leaders can step away from day-to-day pressures and reflect on the future of customer experience with their peers.
Partner with Us for Your Next Engagement
Want to host an event that connects top decision-makers and builds your brand’s reputation as a trusted leader?