Meet Val Sullivan, Head of Contact Centre Operations at sopp+sopp
sopp+sopp’s First Notification of Loss (FNOL) service is a vital first step in the claims process. Our contact centre team supports drivers, ensures their safety, and captures full details of incidents to help assess liability and decide on the best repair solutions.
We caught up with Val Sullivan, Head of Contact Centre Operations to find out more about her role, the team, and current projects…
Tell us about your role as Head of Contact Centre Operations
“I lead a busy call centre with 70 team members and seven team managers, operating 24/7/365 and handling around 12,000 calls each month. sopp+sopp has been extremely successful in winning new business, so we’re a growing team.
My role involves making sure we have the resources to deliver the best service to our customers. I proactively forecast call volumes based on historical data to meet our Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and set the strategy for continuous improvement. I also strive to make our contact centre a great place to work by creating a positive environment where team members feel supported, develop their skills, and have a bit of fun along the way.”
What’s your career background?
“I’ve worked in operational customer service since leaving school, predominantly in the insurance industry. My career started in household insurance, transitioned to motor insurance, and eventually to accident management.
Starting as a call handler, I quickly moved up to a supervisor and have now been in contact centre management for over 30 years.
When I took that first job, I had no idea it would lead to this career, but I really enjoyed the environment. It’s busy, no two days are the same, and you get to interact with a variety of fantastic people, both customers and team members.”
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
“I'm passionate about building a strong team that delivers excellent service. Getting the best out of people and seeing them grow and develop within the business is very satisfying.
It's also rewarding to help people after a road accident, reassuring distressed drivers and efficiently managing their claims. Our business purpose is to 'make someone’s bad day better,' and it's meaningful to see our team fulfill this mission successfully. Knowing we've provided the necessary support and set the stage for a smooth claims process is a fantastic feeling.”
Can you explain the FNOL service your team provides?
“First Notification of Loss (FNOL) is the process for reporting a road incident. Drivers either call our team or use our electronic notification of loss (eNOL) web app – we then follow up with a call to confirm the details.
The team run through a series of questions, gathering full, accurate information about the incident and vehicle damage. At sopp+sopp, we understand that every fleet is different, and we tailor the questions based on specific fleet requirements.
Once we’ve gathered all the relevant information, we make sure the driver is safe and arrange necessary next steps, such as contacting third parties and arranging vehicle recovery or repair.”
What are the key benefits of Activate Group’s FNOL service for fleets?
“Early incident reporting and high-quality information significantly impact the claim outcome.
We operate 24/7, 365 days a year, so there is always someone available to support drivers, initiate the claims process, and communicate with relevant third parties. Our highly trained team ensures the FNOL process is handled correctly, making right-first-time decisions.
We work in partnership with fleet customers to continuously improve FNOL performance through Management Information (MI), adapting our question sets, and offering innovative solutions. Our eNOL app is a great example – it makes reporting an incident and capturing images easy and allows us to begin the claims process straight away.
Another key benefit is that we tailor our FNOL process for each fleet customer, making sure we deliver on their specific priorities.”
How do you tailor the service for different fleets?
“sopp+sopp is a fleet accident management specialist, and we understand the unique processes and priorities of each customer. We work with diverse fleets, from retail delivery vans to HGVs, buses, and rental cars. We tailor our FNOL process with bespoke question sets, and a clear workflow that ensures our team knows exactly what steps they need to take.
We also recognise that fleets have different communication requirements – some will allocate drivers to a specific vehicle, others may have depot managers that takes responsibility for the vehicles. We reflect this in the way we communicate, making sure that important messages and updates go to the person that needs them most.”
What’s your approach to creating a positive and productive culture in the contact centre?
“Communication is key. We ensure our team has the necessary information and opportunities to provide feedback and ideas. The 24-hour operation poses unique challenges, but we work hard to keep everyone informed and engaged.
My managers and I have recently launched an initiative where we spend time shadowing volunteers from the team, and it’s been extremely valuable. Nobody knows our service and systems better than them, and by spending this dedicated time with them, we’ve picked up some great ideas to improve efficiency and service.
Plus, we prioritise team wellbeing and create opportunities for relaxation and fun, making a demanding job more enjoyable.”
How are you enhancing the customer experience for clients?
“As our business grows, we’re making sure we scale our processes to maintain top service levels. We stay updated with best practice in customer service, and we’re currently introducing new ways for our team to get quick answers to complex queries.
I’m also collaborating with our Head of Customer Experience, Tina McKernon, to build a team member development programme focusing on coaching skills for team managers, and soft skills for our team members so they can offer the individual support each caller needs.”
What developments or projects are you most looking forward to over the next six months?
“I’m excited about the way technology and data are helping to improve our service. We're migrating customers to a new system called FNOL Studio, which offers greater flexibility and enables quicker reporting through our eNOL app.
The dynamic question set in FNOL Studio reduces the time drivers spend on the phone while maintaining detail accuracy, and our eNOL app encourages drivers to send great quality images that support decision-making.
Internally, we're building a new MI reporting suite. We’re integrating various factors like call volumes, weather, and seasonal trends to improve our forecasting so we can better anticipate surges in demand and plan accordingly.”
Learn more about sopp+sopp’s in-house, 24/7 fleet incident reporting service, or any of our other accident management solutions here: