Meet James, our Customer Support Manager

You’ve been with ai for almost 7 years; can you take us back to the beginning? What first drew you to this field, this industry, and what convinced you that ai was the right place to build your career?

I've always enjoyed solving problems and understanding how technology can make a real difference to businesses and customers. The payments and fuel management industry appealed to me because it's fast-paced, constantly evolving, and directly impacts customers' day-to-day operations.
When I joined ai, what stood out was the opportunity to work closely with both technology and people. It was clear from the beginning that the company values growth, innovation, and giving people opportunities to develop their careers. That combination made it an easy place to invest my time and build a long-term career at ai.

How has your career evolved over the years at ai, and what have been the biggest turning points in your journey?

I joined ai as a Second Line Support Analyst, focusing on technical troubleshooting and helping customers resolve complex issues. From there, I moved into a Service Delivery Manager role, which helped me to build strong customer relationships and operational management skills.
I then became aiEazyFuel^® Support Manager, where I was responsible for leading the support function for one of our key products and helping scale the team and processes as our customer base grew. More recently, I was promoted to Customer Support Manager, overseeing wider support operations and working across multiple teams and customers.
The biggest turning points have been each of those transitions. Every role challenged me to learn new skills, whether technical, operational, or leadership-focused, and each one helped shape the way I approach customer success today.

What does a typical day look like for you now, and how different is it from when you first joined?
No two days are ever quite the same. Today, my focus is split between supporting our teams, working with customers, managing service delivery, reviewing operational performance, and helping drive continuous improvement initiatives.
When I first joined, I spent most of my day investigating issues, analysing logs, troubleshooting systems, and resolving incidents. While I still enjoy getting involved in technical challenges when needed, my role now focuses more on leadership, strategy, customer relationships, and ensuring our teams have what they need to succeed.

How do you find working with ai’s B2B customers? 

Building strong relationships with our customers is one of the most important aspects of my role. We work with organisations across multiple regions, and understanding their business needs is essential to delivering a great service.
One highlight has been the opportunity to travel abroad and work directly with our customers. Being on-site gives valuable insight into how our solutions are used in the real world and strengthens the partnerships we build. Those face-to-face interactions often lead to better collaboration, stronger trust, and ultimately better outcomes for everyone involved.

Tell us about your team. What makes it special, and how do you work together to drive innovation?

I'm fortunate to work with an incredibly talented and dedicated team. We have a strong mix of technical expertise, customer focus, and collaborative problem-solving. What makes the team special is people's willingness to support one another. Whether we're responding to a critical incident, delivering a major customer project, or improving our internal processes, everyone works together with the same goal in mind: delivering the best possible experience for our customers. Success isn't measured solely by resolving incidents. It's also about continuously improving our services, sharing knowledge, developing talent, and building long-term customer trust.

How have you kept up with changes in the industry? 

Technology never stands still, so continuous learning is important. Throughout my time at ai, I've had opportunities to develop both technical and leadership skills through training, certifications, and hands-on experience.
A lot of the learning comes from working closely with customers, colleagues, and industry developments. Every project, customer challenge, and new technology initiative presents an opportunity to learn something new.

Looking back over the past 7 years, what achievement or moment stands out as your proudest, and why?

Over the past seven years, we've had many memorable moments, but the one that stands out most is being part of a project that successfully went live with more than 100,000 fuel cards for an organisation’s B2B fleet customers. It was a significant achievement and a great example of what we can accomplish through strong collaboration and teamwork.  

For the project, I travelled abroad to work alongside their team to complete final validation activities, configure a complex contract structure spanning up to seven levels of hierarchy, and ensure our aiEazyFuel^® issuing platform was fully prepared to support one of the largest implementations I have been involved with. 
 
Another highlight during my time at ai, has been travelling to Europe to work with another global fuel retailer customer of ours. Building relationships with our customers face-to-face, understanding their challenges first-hand, and seeing the impact our solutions have on their businesses has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the role.

More broadly, though, I'm proud of the journey itself. Starting as a Second Line Support Analyst and progressing to Customer Support Manager has given me opportunities I could never have imagined when I first joined. I've been fortunate to work alongside talented colleagues, support major international customers, and contribute to projects that make a real difference. Looking back, it's the combination of those experiences, the people I've worked with, and the challenges we've overcome together that makes me most proud of my time at ai.

What do you love most about your role today?

The people. I genuinely enjoy working with both our customers and our teams.
Every day presents different challenges and opportunities, and I enjoy bringing people together to solve problems, improve services, and deliver positive outcomes. Knowing our work directly impacts our customers' success is incredibly rewarding.

If you had to describe ai in three words, what would they be, and why?

Supportive, Innovative, Ambitious.
Supportive because people genuinely want each other to succeed.
Innovative because we're constantly looking for ways to improve our products, services, and processes.
Ambitious because we're always pushing ourselves to grow, improve, and deliver more value for our customers.

How would you describe the culture at ai to someone considering joining the team?

I'd describe it as collaborative, welcoming, and growth-oriented.
People are encouraged to share ideas, take ownership, and develop their careers. There's a strong team spirit, and while we're all focused on delivering results, there's also a genuine willingness to help each other succeed.
It's a place where you can make a real impact and where your contributions are recognised.

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in this industry?

Stay curious and never stop learning.
Technical skills are important, but communication, adaptability, and relationship-building are just as valuable. Don't be afraid to ask questions, get involved in new challenges, and step outside your comfort zone.
Many of the best opportunities in my career came from saying yes to something new and being willing to learn along the way.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

Most people know me through my work in technology, customer support, and large-scale operational projects, but outside of work, I'm a passionate pianist. I've played for years and still find it one of the best ways to switch off and recharge.
I'm also a firm believer that life shouldn't always be taken too seriously. Anyone who's worked with me for a while knows I have a soft spot for karaoke and, after a few drinks, I'm usually far more confident with a microphone than I probably should be.