In this edition of our anniversary blog series, we’re celebrating David Kindness, our Managing Director, who recently passed the 20-year mark with SVL.

David’s career has evolved alongside major shifts in the industry – and he’s played a central role in SVL’s growth every step of the way.

We spoke to David about how his journey began, how the industry has evolved, and what he’s learned along the way.

What first brought you to SVL?

Before joining SVL, I was working at the Thompson Travel Group (now part of TUI), managing telephony in a large contact centre in Glasgow. We used SVL’s voice recording systems at the time, but as you can imagine, it was real old-school kit.

The playback process was incredibly slow, so I built a web app that allowed our internal teams to search and retrieve call recordings much more efficiently. That caught SVL’s attention. At the time, the industry was shifting from hardware to software, and they were looking for someone with hands-on experience and a mindset for solving problems.

They offered me a role and that’s how the journey started. That was over 20 years ago, and it’s been evolving ever since.

How has your role evolved over the years?

When I started, the services team was three people. Back then, everyone did a bit of everything – project management, installs, consultancy, training, support.

Over time, we built out a full services function covering project delivery, consultancy, support, customer success, and more. From Service Director, I moved into operations and finance, and most recently stepped into the Managing Director role.

How has the industry changed since you started?

Where do you start? When I joined, it wasn’t uncommon to see boxes in comms rooms, tape rotation, and wiretaps. Since then, we’ve seen VoIP, server virtualisation, the rise of cloud and now AI.

It’s not just the tech – the scope of what we deliver has expanded massively. We started with voice recording, then added QM, analytics and WFM. Today, we implement and support full CCaaS platforms like NICE CXone and Amazon Connect.

The technology is more complex, the functionality has expanded and what we do is now business-critical. We’ve kept on top of the changes by spotting them early, upskilling our team and evolving our offering.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at SVL?

It’s the combination of great technology, brilliant people and the ability to make a real impact.

At heart, I’m a tech person – I enjoy understanding how things work and solving complex problems. But I’m a people person too. I get to work with cutting-edge tech, but also with a fantastic team and great clients. It’s the best of both worlds.

And because we’re a smaller organisation, you can actually make a difference. When I joined, it was just a few of us in services. Now, we’ve got a full-service model across consultancy, project delivery, customer success and support. Helping to shape that growth over the years has been incredibly rewarding.

Are there any standout moments from the past 20+ years?

There have been lots, but the move to cloud was a real turning point.

We saw the change coming and made a big decision to invest in new platforms, new skills and a completely new way of working. That was a major turning point for the business, and it’s a big part of why we’re in such a strong position today.

I’m also proud of the WFM practice we’ve built, especially our work with NHS Ambulance Services, and our ability to support two completely different CCaaS platforms. We’ve always led the charge on adopting new technology, and that’s something I think we do really well.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

The importance of customer service, without a doubt.

I started out working in hotels, bars and contact centres, so I’ve always had a good sense of what it means to be on the other end of the phone. I’ve also been an SVL customer, back when I was working in travel. That perspective really shapes how I approach things.

Every role in our business touches the customer in some way – and if we’re not solving a real problem for them, then we’re not doing our job. It’s not just about knowing the platform. It’s about understanding the person using it, and getting it right for them.

What’s next for you?

More of the same, only bigger and better.

We’re on a strong path, and the goal is to keep growing sustainably. That means continuing to invest in great people, staying at the front of innovation and helping our customers adapt to change.

There’s so much happening in the industry right now, especially around AI and automation. It’s a brilliant time to be working in technology, and we’re in a great position to help our clients take advantage of what’s coming next.

We’ve done a lot of good work already, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.