Our means and ease of communication are constantly evolving thanks to new digital tools. Avdor CIS is a leading provider of state-of-the-art call and multimedia recording solutions. Newly appointed CEO Avi Levi, talks to Intelligent CXO about the evolution of call recording technology, as well as major areas of investment in his industry and the changes he has seen in the last 12 months.
Describe your current job role.
I am very proud to say that I have recently been promoted to CEO of our company, Avdor CIS.
My main goal with the capacity of my new role as CEO is to drive the international business growth of our company. Our plan is to expand our engagements with both new and existing sales channel and technology ecosystem partners.
I am also working closely with the heads of our internal departments to improve the efficiency and performance of our sales, marketing, development, support and accounting teams.
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement?
The most memorable experience for me at Avdor CIS was the first time we closed an agreement with a new customer to use our call recording solution in a mission critical operation.
Any time we onboard a new customer that is using our solution for critical operations, especially for the benefit of the public, this provides me with immense personal satisfaction. Examples of recent customers include emergency medical service providers and national fire and rescue authorities.
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position?
My preference is a hands-off approach to management. We have our overall company objectives and strategy that I am leading as CEO of the company. Micromanaging is the last thing that I want to get involved in or be known for as the leader of our company. My management philosophy is to give our department managers, team leaders and staff the freedom to succeed for both the benefit of the company and the personal development of each.
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in your industry?
The call recording space is currently investing heavily in cloud environments and cloud technologies.
For us, the cloud is allowing our go-to-market partners to offer more complex, multilayered call recording services with better pricing and service for their customers.
Our near-term R&D roadmap includes expanding our cloud offering for our partners to include hybrid and multitenant options.
We also see that end-user organisations are starting to understand the value of Big Data and are asking for solutions.
If you could go back and change one career decision, what would it be?
There is not one particular event that I can pinpoint. However, in general, I can say that some of the management decisions I took at different points in my career could have benefitted from external input, including those of outside consultants. The lessons of these decisions have influenced the management philosophy that I follow today.
What advice would you offer somebody aspiring to obtain a C-level position in your industry?
Innovation and new technologies have changed the face of the call centre and unified communications markets in recent years. These changes are spurring growth and creating attractive career opportunities at technology vendors, service and solution providers and end-user organisations.
Patience and persistence are required to advance to an executive management or C-level position. The opportunities are there for those that want to pursue them. Relying on the advance of external consultants and constantly learning are also important for career advancement.
What behaviour or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
The three main personality traits I would like to think are part of my personal strengths are patience, perseverance and the ability to listen. These three traits I have developed over time and have helped me be able to develop a long-term vision and build comprehensive strategies. This benefits me in both my professional career and personal life.
What’s your go-to productivity trick?
My approach to productivity is to always follow organised and regulated processes. This is not a trick, but more importantly, an approach for maintaining productivity and facilitating successful outcomes in both the short and long terms.
What changes to your job role have you seen in the last year and how do you see these developing in the next 12 months?
Over the past 12 months or so, we have improved the organisation structure of our company and are now experiencing measurable improvements to the performance of many of our business units and departmental functions with a new ERP system. We are pleased to say that we are managing our operational processes in a much smarter way.
Going forward, we are currently expanding our relationships with sales channel and go-to-market partners. On a product level, we are investing in expanding the cloud and hybrid system capabilities of our call recording solutions and adding AI technologies as well.