Every Call Answered: Giving FM Service Desk Teams Time for what Matters Most 

Facilities management service desks manage large volumes of calls daily. Requests for logging jobs, reporting maintenance issues, and following up on work orders are crucial for smooth operations. These are also some of the most time-consuming tasks at the desk. OCS is transforming that. 

OCS is currently piloting a proof of concept to introduce an AI-powered call-answering agent into its service desk operations. The technology manages the most transactional aspects of service desk work: answering calls and logging jobs directly into the CAFM system. This allows OCS colleagues to concentrate on tasks that genuinely require human expertise, from complex escalations and end-to-end job management to building strong, responsive relationships with customer sites.

Instant Response, Every Time  

One of the clearest advantages of AI call handling is its responsiveness. Every call is answered within seconds, regardless of how many come in at once. In high-volume environments handling thousands of calls each month, this ensures customers reach support immediately, with no queues and no abandoned calls. 

The AI agent is designed to work alongside the team. When a call requires human judgment, the agent assesses the caller’s tone and sentiment and promptly transfers the call to a colleague. If a caller becomes frustrated or requests to speak with a person, the handover occurs in real time. The AI manages what it can; the staff handle the rest. 

Rebalancing the Role

Introducing AI call answering significantly influences how service desk colleagues spend their time. When transactional tasks make up a large part of daily work, it becomes more difficult to prioritise complex and higher-value activities. By shifting that workload to the AI agent, OCS enables coordinators to focus more on job management, scheduling, follow-up, and direct customer service.

Teams will also adopt new responsibilities in managing the AI’s daily performance. Managers review an AI dashboard, assign follow-up tasks arising from calls, and give feedback directly to the agent. When the AI makes a mistake, the learning is fed back into the system, and the agent applies it moving forward. It is managed in much the same way as any new colleague: with oversight, feedback, and clear expectations of continuous improvement. 

A Careful, Phased Approach

OCS is approaching this rollout cautiously. The proof of concept is live with one key customer, beginning in a single region before expanding across the entire contract. The goal is to verify the approach, make any necessary adjustments, and ensure the service performs as expected before further expansion. 

The ambition is to make AI call handling a standard part of OCS’s service model across suitable contracts. Not every contract will require the same approach, and OCS is careful about that. When the fit is appropriate, success is clear: customers are connected immediately, issues are resolved more quickly, and colleagues have more time for tasks that truly matter.