Route 101 On Building Resilient Businesses Through Uncertain Times

If you are listening and you're responsible for security or IT, you will know the reality that most of your risk now sits inside SaaS apps and browser activity. That gap is exactly what Nord layer is addressing with its new business browser. So instead of bolting security on from the outside, it builds it directly into the browser itself. This means you can control access, monitor activity, enforce policies and reduce shadow IT all from one single place.

And most importantly, it does it without adding deployment headaches or complex onboarding. You get things like browser -based data loss prevention, SAS access control and zero trust browsing, but delivered in a way that your team can actually use. So if you've been trying to simplify your stack while improving visibility, please check it out at Nordlayer .com slash browser.

But now it's time for me to introduce you to today's guest. What does success really look like after you've already bought and sold a multi -million pound company? Well, for many founders, the dream is the exit. But my guest today chose a very different path.

because after navigating the brutal realities of the 2008 financial crisis, rebuilding his business under immense pressure and ultimately selling it successfully, he could have comfortably stepped away from the world of entrepreneurship for good. But instead Russell Atwood decided to start again from scratch and in today's episode he will share the start -up story behind building Route 101. A company now delivering customer experience tech to major UK government departments and household brands including Southwestern Railway, Centreparks and so many others.

But the conversation today goes far deeper than growth metrics and enterprise deals because we're going to talk about resilience, survival, leadership under pressure and why some entrepreneurs are wired to keep building no matter how many scars they may have collected along the way. and we'll also talk about where AI can genuinely improve operations today, and of course, why human connection still matters more than any boardrooms would like to admit. So if you're building a business, recovering from setbacks, wrestling with AI strategy, or simply curious about what leadership looks like after decades in the game, this conversation has plenty of hard -earned lessons worth hearing.

But enough from me, let me introduce you to my guest now. So a massive warm welcome to the show. Can you tell everyone listening a little about who you are and what you do? Yeah, sure.

Yeah, I'm Russell Atwood and the CEO of Roo101. We're a cloud -based SI. We focus our efforts around, specifically around customer experience and delivering contact center solutions to organizations who are principally headquartered in the UK but have presence globally. Business has been going now for 14 years and yeah, having lots of fun.

Awesome. Is there a story behind the name there? Obviously, I'm going to leap to a few conclusions, but what's the story behind the company name? Is there one?

Yeah, there is. When I sold my first business, my family was quite young and I took six months out and we hired an RV and we went down Highway 101 or Route 101. from the very very top of the US right to the well I finished in Vegas actually but um but had the most amazing time so for me that that name always resonated and then I can remember I sat sat with a bottle of wine once wondering what the name of the business could be and I went online try and find a website whether the .

com for route101 .com was available and bingo it was so that that made the decision it was it was an easy one Wow, an incredible story behind it. I'm surprised you got the domain so easy as well. Fantastic, you managed to pick that.

It cost a few quid, but it was worth it. Brilliant, yeah, and it is worth it when you've got that rich story behind it as well. Absolutely brilliant. Obviously, you're someone that's lived through multiple versions of entrepreneurship from launching a company in a cupboard room to selling a multi -million pound business, then starting over again from scratch.

For people listening, they're going to want to follow in your footsteps. It really is an inspiring story and a great journey you've been on. What drives someone to take that leap a second time when they could comfortably walk away or sit drinking cocktails on a beach? I suspect you can only do that for so long, but tell me more about that.

Yeah, I mean, that's the first thing, isn't it? I like to think I am an entrepreneur. I am incredibly competitive and I love what I do. I love the industry.

So for me, I mean, I certainly with the six months we took out, that was awesome. But obviously, when you get home, and the stark reality of life hits home, managing your list of things to do, coming up with a list of things that you need to collaborate with the wife on. It's not too long before you really need to start thinking about what you're going to do next and I was not ready to hang my boots up. For me, it was obvious we've got to go again.

And I had great relationships with the company that I sold the business to they were quite supportive of me Moving back into the industry and actually pretty shortly afterwards. They became a client of mine So yeah, and we were ready to go and I built some great relationships up and we started the foundations with some really really good Some great people from the from the get -go so that that made that made life a little easier Wow, incredible. Love it. And a lot of founders that I talk to often speak about growth, but not too many talk so openly about survival.

And looking at your backstory there, how did that 2008 financial crisis maybe reshape your thinking around things like cash flow, financial discipline, and building a company that can withstand turbulence? Because right now we're all obsessed with growth, et cetera, but it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride, isn't it, the startup love? Oh yeah, look, 2008 was brutal and we had a great business. We were one of the largest providers of what was call centre technology at the time.

We employed 180, 190 people. We were a big family. We're a very, very close business. But the reality of the situation was that the volume of business literally dropped off a cliff.

And of course, back in those days, much of what we did was premise -based, project -based. And so from a cash flow perspective, obviously you were living from the proceeds, from the revenue that you were generating from the projects that you were completing, and you had a sort of a long late -flee pipeline. That disappeared. So we needed to make some pretty tough decisions.

And the reality was we needed to cut back the business. We made a significant loss in 2008. And we were staring down the barrel of a gun. We needed to make some tough decisions.

We had to let quite a few people go. But the reality of it was that that was that was the right thing to do to make sure we protected the interests of the business moving forward and obviously the livelihood of a lot of people moving forward. We employ great people so we knew that those individuals would find employment and actually some of those individuals that we had to let go, we've re -employed in the new business. So that shows that they understood what was going on and the need.

the tough decision we needed to take. We turned that business around from a significant loss to break even to a significant profit inside three years, which was an amazing achievement. And at that point, I think we kind of realized that as an entrepreneur, and I'm sure I'm no different to many other entrepreneurs who have invested everything. in that business.

The concept of saving money, building a pension and all that, that was out the window. All I was interested in was obviously building my businesses at some point that would turn into some sort of capital event. So we worked 15 years I was running that business. We could have lost the law.

So when we turned the business into a significant healthy profit and we soon attracted the interests of potential acquirers, we felt the time was right to to do that and then and cash in as it were. And that was the right thing to do. Yeah, I mean, just looking at that timeline there, successfully rebuilding and selling that first business by 2011, which is an incredibly short recovery window after, let's face it, a global financial crash and some tough decisions along the way.

Well, I'm curious, what did it teach you about leadership under pressure in startup life there? Because you probably look back now, fond memories, but obviously it was an incredibly tough time. What did you learn back from that experience? Well, definitely resilience and also you had to underline leadership.

You were responsible for the livelihood of quite a number of people and they're looking to you to help guide that business through those really, really difficult times. What it also taught me was really lean into the team that you have in the organization. There were some really experienced individuals that they knew and understood the challenges that we faced. We also took the opportunity to bring in some additional support, particularly actually from some senior finance resourcing, to be able to just make sure that we made the right decisions as we made that transition from significant loss to significant profit.

So I guess in summary, yeah, you've got to show leadership. But you've also got to really lean into your team because they're the ones that can really, really help you navigate the choppy waters. Yeah. Yeah.

And from there, starting a second company after a successful exit, that must come with a different relationship to risk. So how was your attitude towards decision making, investment and personal accountability? How's that changed this second time around where you took that time out? You look in a bounce, but it changed this time around.

I mean, I guess the first thing is that after what we had been through over those that sort of three year period, people thought I was completely mad doing it all over again, a glutton for punishment. But I think that what I realized was that the market was changing and that there was this new thing called software as a service that was coming to the fore. And for me, what it represented was the sort of panacea of business and operations where you're building a recurring revenue base that can incrementally grow.

And as long as you keep adding more clients and you ensure that you keep those clients rather than the leaky bucket that sees a higher level of attrition, then you can scale a business reasonably quickly. So for me, that was really, really attractive. And also, there was a lot of real excitement around some of the tech that was coming to the market that we could see could have absolute fundamental change, business impact to organizations that were running these call centers that I felt could offer some significant differentiation.

So I did sit back and think to myself, do I want Do I want to move into something outside of what I know best? And I think that's probably a mistake a lot of people can make, because you kind of think, well, I've built a successful business, sold a successful business. That must mean I can do anything. And of course, there are people that can do that.

But for me, it was, now look, I know this market really, really well. I've got great connections. I've got good contacts, both potential resources that I could draw on and customers I can approach again and vendors who know and trust me. Why make life difficult?

Just lean into that and get going. And fast forward to present day Route 101 now works with major organizations including UK government departments, rail operators and hospitality brands. What have you learned about customer experience that many businesses maybe still underestimate especially as another big change that you've found yourself now is in the eye of the storm of this AI driven world too. Yeah, I think that customer experience is simple really.

Right. Or customers, consumers, you and I, all we're looking for is a frictionless experience. When we contact our suppliers is generally because we've got a problem that needs a resolution. And the real knack is being able to do that in the most expedient way possible.

But understanding the customer that you're dealing with, making sure that the journey that you're taking them on is one that they're comfortable with. That I think for me underpins everything that we do. Recognizing that AI is not the answer to everything. Maybe we'll explore that in the time that we've got remaining.

that ultimately a human touch and human contact is still incredibly important. So a special thank you to Denodo for supporting the Teptalks Network and helping us keep these conversations going because moving beyond AI pilots all starts with connecting your models to trusted enterprise data. So if you're ready to move beyond AI pilots, Denodo can help you connect your AI models to trusted enterprise data in real time. So you can scale faster and reduce risk.

So if you're interested in turning AI into business value, simply visit denodo .com. No matter what you and I think, AI is transforming contact centers, customer engagement, service automation, incredibly quickly, sometimes for the good, but very often the bad. And from your perspective, what are companies getting wrong when they're rushing into introduce AI, be a part of that AI narrative and push it into customer experience strategies?

What are the biggest mistakes you're seeing there? I think your first thing you hit the nail on the head rushing into it. Yeah. Yeah.

So actually trying to trying to go too hard too early. I think there's some fundamentals that you've got to get right. And the first thing is you've got to make sure that you've got the knowledge that underpins, that absolutely is one of the cornerstones of AI, is making sure that you have the knowledge of your customer and your organization. and making sure that that's in a structure that the AI tools that you deploy can leverage to be able to surface the right information to those customers based on the journey that they're taking and of course the answers that they're seeking.

So I see a lot of organizations going straight in, deploying these chat bots. without the guardrails that you really, really need to have and the consequences can be disastrous or certainly embarrassing and certainly some well -known cases. For us, there are some quick wins in the deployment of AI in customer experience in Contact Center. Things like, for example, auto summary, the ability for the agent to engage with the customer, to focus their efforts on listening to what the customer's asking and helping them through that journey.

And then at the end of the call, rather than they've had to sit and scribble and make notes and not really listening to what they're being told, actually the AI platform is already listening to the conversation and the journey and it's providing the summary to the agent at the end of the call. the agent reviews that call and then that's the summary done. That's a brilliant way of deploying AI and loads of us are using Copilot in Microsoft Teams and whatever. We know what that experience feels like.

Other things are our true Copilot. capabilities. So I'm listening to my to my customer asking me what I need to do and what it's providing me with is a guide, a step -by -step guide on what action I need to take next. Now what that means is that you don't necessarily have to lean into high levels of expertise within the customer contact center because actually a lot of that is built into the guidance that the the platforms provided to the agent.

So very, very quickly, the ramp up for new starters is much quicker rather than having to lean into people that have a lot greater depth of expertise. You start deploying those sorts of things. And the last example is the quality assurance, making sure that the experience that customers are getting from all of the agents and resources is the very, very best it can be. Whereas before in a contact center, you might do that four times for one person each month.

That probably represents about half a percent of their call or contact. Now we can deploy AI to do that literally at 100 percent of all calls. That provides unbelievable insight into the reasons why customers are contacting you. There's a massive amount that you can then do to really revolutionize the journey that you're providing to your customer.

sorry a bit of a waffle there but listen hopefully that was those just three examples of those those are quick wins you don't need to go into a full -blown voice bot etc if you don't want to you can you can dip your toe in the water and start building confidence up and then and then work with people like ourselves to be able to then take you to the next level They were great examples, and I think one of the reasons that make your insights so valuable is that this isn't your first rodeo.

You've built businesses through multiple technology ways, from traditional communications infrastructure, then the move to cloud, automation now, of course, conversational AI. How do you separate the genuine long -term innovation from hype when deciding where to invest time, where to invest your resources? Because right now everybody's talking and excited about AI, about generative AI, conversational AI, and it's easy to get lost in all that hype and the shiny promises there.

But as you've been through this before, how do you navigate that hype? Well, I spend a lot of time talking to customers. I spend a lot of time talking to suppliers and vendors and of course they will have a very one -sided view on where they see the real market activity. But I think that the reality of the situation is you've got to make sure that you know your customers and what they're looking for and then make sure that you've got the solutions of the services that meet those requirements.

It was inevitable. I mean, if we look back when Amazon Alexa was first launched, and people were very, very reticent of using that as a concept, but the reality of it now is that it's just become the norm. And so therefore, I mean, voice self -service has been available for 15 years. It's really only accelerated in the last two to three because people have become more accepting of it.

But equally, we also knew that generative AI would really, really accelerate its adoption because all of a sudden, the experiences that you can gain from engaging from a really well -executed conversational AI platform is incredible. I'm not joking. It is like talking to a human with empathy, understanding the nuances of our languages, and getting to the root of what the ask is nowadays is incredibly powerful. We're seeing conversational AI platforms handling 60%, 70%.

of inbound customer contact for okay granted more often than not the obvious areas to deploy it are sort of lower value but higher volume contact but increasingly we're seeing it deployed for the higher value lower volume contact but remembering that you keep the agents you keep your people for the more complex contact or to be available for the more vulnerable members of our community that that maybe not necessarily is confident to be able to engage with a bot as maybe you or I might.

So yeah, look, it's basically just get out there and keep talking to your customers and make sure that what the vendors are telling you, what the analysts are telling you are really what your customers are looking for too. And looking back across your entrepreneurial journey now from that cupboard room startup to a leading a large scale enterprise deals today, what advice would you give to that founder listening today at the beginning of their journey about things that they are going to need to pick up like resilience, reinvention and knowing when to bet on themselves again.

Any advice that you would offer there? Yeah, sure. I think Recognize of course that if you're starting a business and you're running a business and you're the CEO of that business, it can be a lonely place if you want to make it a lonely place. So you've got to make sure that you have really built yourself some great relationships, both vendor, both client, but also within your own organization.

And don't underestimate the experience that they can bring to bear. in terms of helping you shape the direction of your business moving forward. So definitely don't think that you've got the answers to everything. But at the same time, you've got to make the ultimate calls on what you do.

Along the way, we've made decisions to bid for business that nobody in their right mind thought that we as the organization of the scale of organization that we were would have any chance whatsoever in being able to win but you've got to back yourself and and ultimately you're the shareholder the ultimate shareholder you're the one who you're accountable if it if it doesn't go the right way and so therefore rightfully so you've got to get there get in there and make that decision for yourself so having the bold confidence to be able to ultimately make make a call even if everybody else is telling you that's not the right decision.

So that sounds like a bit of a contradiction that I guess maybe but you know you've got to choose the right times when ultimately you've got to make that final call. So have the confidence to do it. I love that, and I think it's a great moment to end on. But before I do let you to go, Route 101, there might be people listening that you might be able to help there.

I know your technology reduces operational costs, enhance efficiency, and helps deliver next generation customer experience. A lot of great tech there. For people listening wanting to find out more about that, or indeed connect with you if they feel inspired by your story, want to run a few ideas by you, where would you like me to point everyone listening to? Probably the best places on LinkedIn.

Yeah So, you know, and you can connect to me directly. There's a there's a ton of stuff available there We're pretty active in terms of posting posting content also on the website route 101 comm There's a there's a there's a ton of interesting stuff on there and there's a contact us page as well So again depending upon what what your interest or inquiry is? either one of those and you'll get to the right place. But yeah, we'd love to hear from any client, prospective client who's maybe wrestling with some of those challenges about how they respond to AI ask from their CEO or anyone else from a business challenge point of view.

If I could help, I'd love to help. Awesome. Well, I'll include links to everything there. Make it nice and easy for people to get hold of you.

Pop over to techtalksnetwork .com. There'll be a blog post associated with this interview, all the links that you need. And I'd love to hear from you as well.

What did you take away from this conversation? Keep it going and please, by all means, contact your good self. I'd love to hear more about that and keep this conversation going. But more than anything, thank you for joining me today, sharing your inspiring story.

Hopefully it will resonate with people listening all around the world, especially other founders. But thank you. Cheers, Neil. Thank you.

So much I learned about the conversation we had today. I think one of the things that really stood out was the honesty behind the success story. because so often we hear entrepreneurs talk about scaling, disruption and growth, but not enough about the people that talk openly about survival. And Russell has lived through the highs of successful exits and the pressure of staring down financials' uncertainty during one of the toughest economic periods in recent history.

And I think it's these experiences that clearly shape the leader that he is today. But perhaps the biggest takeaway from the episode there, whether we're talking about entrepreneurship, leadership, customer experience or even AI adoption, the takeaway is there are very few shortcuts that replace experience, resilience and human relationships. So if you enjoyed today's conversation, please check out techtalksnetwork .com.

I'll be back again real soon. Thanks for listening. Bye for now.