Cirrus People: Meet Dan Lloyd, Channel Director

Meet Dan Lloyd, our Channel Director at Cirrus. With over two decades in the contact centre industry and having spent over six years at Cirrus, Dan is a key player on our leadership team. His journey is grounded in a deep understanding of customer service, a love for tech innovation, and a solid commitment to excellence.

Pre-Cirrus

Dan started his career at an NPower contact centre. After a few years, he managed several different teams in call centres across India and the UK. He oversaw big changes in handling outsourced processes and trained over 300 people. He was in charge of the performance of offshore partners, including more than 250 staff, ten managers, and two operation managers. He often visited India to help with complex tasks and set up a “mission control” for better collaboration and customer service. After that, Dan ran a 120-person contact centre at Extra Energy Supply and then took over Offshore Operations at Economy Energy, handling a 140-person contact centre and a 40-person back office, overseeing resource planning and reporting.

While at Economy Energy, Dan got to know Cirrus because he used their tech for his job. Wanting a change, he applied for and landed a job as a Solutions Delivery Manager, switching to the vendor side of life.

Cirrus

At Cirrus, Dan helped build and develop essential support functions in different parts of the business. With his unique blend of contact centre operations experience and deep knowledge of contact centre technology, he inherently understands the challenges contact centres face.

When Cirrus decided to make the switch from direct to channel, Dan played an instrumental role in developing the relationship with Gamma and their partner network. Cirrus experienced significant growth after the decision and partner relations have gone from strength to strength.

Under Dan’s leadership, Cirrus has rolled out some market-leading customer service solutions, focusing on things like business intelligence and workforce management. His drive to improve service delivery and contact centre tech use has put Cirrus on the map.

Philosophy and Approach

While at Cirrus, Dan has always worked from home in sunny Stoke-on-Trent, visiting the office south of London only when required. Working from home has always been part of the Cirrus culture, which was ahead of the post-pandemic curve. While Dan’s commitment to Cirrus and his career is clear, his philosophy aligns well with Cirrus CEO Jason Roos, who has always emphasised that “you work to live, you don’t live to work”. This ethos, contrasting sharply with the more corporate environments of his past roles, has developed a culture of empowerment and support at Cirrus that Dan finds refreshingly effective. He believes in the power of responsibility and constructive feedback, which has successfully driven the company’s growth and is why he has spent over six years with the company.

Team and Culture

Dan is a firm believer in collaboration and teamwork. He recalls the early days at Cirrus when the entire team could fit into one boardroom, reflecting the intimate, collaborative environment that has scaled with the company. His approach to leadership is inclusive, encouraging team members to play to their strengths and make an impactful contribution. Having previously been in the role of Channel Partner Manager before his recent promotion to the Director role, Dan has a deep understanding of the role, the team and the clients, and this is only to the benefit of those he is managing and mentoring going forward.

Vision for the Future

Dan understands the importance of balancing advancing technology and human interaction. He foresees a period of guiding organisations to use existing technologies more effectively before jumping too far into the future. His practical, customer-focused approach means that Cirrus’s solutions are not only cutting-edge but also accessible and user-friendly. Dan plays a key role in helping Cirrus and their clients understand how best to use new AI-driven tools now prominent within Cirrus’ contact centre solution.

As the contact centre industry evolves, Dan is passionate about steering Cirrus through the waves of change, ensuring the company remains at the forefront of customer service solutions. His foresight into the role of AI and his advocacy for using technology to enhance, rather than replace, human interactions define his strategic vision. Contact centre agents will still be on the phones in five years and Dan sees the role of solutions providers is to ensure they are confident in using the technology.

A Message to Aspiring Professionals

Dan advises newcomers to the industry to continually learn, drawing on the experience of seasoned professionals and embracing their knowledge. He emphasises the importance of listening and applying advice with care and consideration, which undoubtedly contributed to his success. With the rise of technology within the workplace, he firmly believes that he still operates in a people-first business, and the knowledge and skills to be successful must be learnt on the job, interacting with colleagues. Something that will never be replaced by technology.

Personal Side

Away from his professional endeavours, Dan’s life revolves around his family and rugby. A team player on and off the field, he is the club captain, coach, and referee at his local rugby club, demonstrating further the leadership and community spirit he brings to Cirrus.