GVB boosts customer service for its 5,000+ staff with Dynamics 365 Contact Center

“When you work in customer service, you essentially become the listening ear for the people you serve. And when those people are the entire population of Amsterdam and millions of tourists—well, then you need all the help you can get to make sure you're being the best possible listener.”

Karen Wever, Customer Service Manager at Amsterdam public sector operator GVB, is describing customer service operations at her company and the game-changing role that technology is playing in elevating them.

"We run a service that's been around for more than 125 years," says Wever. “That comes with nearly 900,000 people every day, all of them having their unique needs. It's our first and foremost priority to ask ourselves: how do we serve them better?” she adds.

It's a question that GVB recently found the answer for in Dynamics 365 Contact Center. One that's since now led them to greater efficiency, unified communication tools, employee empowerment, and even the chance to set the stage for AI.  

“Our mission is to connect people in the Amsterdam region with each other through public transport, and do it in a way that’s accessible, reliable and sustainable,” says Wever. “With support from Microsoft, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

A new opportunity to drive transformation

Covering anything from tram to ferries, buses and metro, GVB serves an average of 900,000 people a day in the Dutch capital and its surroundings. 

As one of the largest employers in the Netherlands, the organization has more than 5,000 employees. Of these, around 30 work in telephone customer service, and approximately 50 more are based at four Service & Tickets locations in Amsterdam.

In an effort to empower them all and drive even better customer services across its base, in 2024 the company saw a chance to modernize its services by implementing a new legacy telephony system. 

“The goal was to bring together our fragmented tools, improve efficiency, and further support our mission of accessible, reliable, and sustainable mobility,” says Henk Pieters, Sales and Service manager at GVB. 

“Dynamics 365 Contact Center with Omnichannel Voice and Microsoft Copilot Studio were exactly what we needed to implement a modern, integrated contact center,” he adds. 

The deployment, supported by the Microsoft FastTrack team and partner BusinessBase, ensured a smooth rollout. GVB opted for Dynamics 365 Contact Center because, as Pieters explains, "Microsoft had a very suitable solution for us, an efficient platform that allows us to combine CRM with customer service and also support our goals in marketing automation.”

“On top of that, we received crucial support from BusinessBase, who brought their deep subject matter expertise to make sure everything was delivered within budget, on-time, and with the expected quality,” Pieters notes. “The collaboration—even in challenging situations—was pleasant, and the partners’ subject matter expertise was a clear added value. This way, we truly benefit from an integrated system.”

From fragmented tools to an integrated platform

Before changing the system, agents used separate ones for voice, WhatsApp, knowledge base (information about their services and how to use them) and quality monitoring. This slowed down operations and complicated reporting. “We had a lot of different systems, so the agent constantly had to switch between them and have several applications open,” says Wever.

With Dynamics 365 Contact Center, GVB consolidated these tools into one platform, streamlining workflows and improving visibility. Manual processes like spreadsheet-based tracking were replaced, and telephony operations migrated from the previous system to Omnichannel Voice. "The knowledge base is now integrated in Dynamics 365 Contact Center. We had another system for that, so now everything is a lot more efficient and clearer,” Wever adds.

Enhancing employee experience and onboarding

The 30-person customer service team at GVB quickly adapted to the new system. Pilot groups and feedback loops ensured smooth adoption. “The team is especially satisfied with the fact that they have everything in one place," Wever shares.

Agents now access performance data and AI-powered support, including Copilot-generated summaries and suggestions. As a result, onboarding is now faster, and junior agents work more autonomously, reducing reliance on supervisors. While that doesn’t mean supervisor support is decreasing, this allows GVB to have a more complete overview and manage stock more efficiently.

Beyond that, the team is also enthusiastic about the role Microsoft Copilot Studio is playing in supporting GVB’s vision for intelligent service. It helps agents process cases faster and draft consistent responses. 

"We’re still figuring it out,” Wever states. “How can AI help us even more when it comes to finding knowledge articles? Or formulating well-written emails? There’s still a lot of work we need to do on that, of course, but I expect to be able to make some more efficiency gains there in the near future.”

For example, GVB plans to expand AI use with intent-based routing and enhanced article handling, allowing customers to describe issues in their own words and be routed efficiently.

Driving measurable impact

Since going live in May 2024, GVB has seen efficiency improve significantly across its customer service operations. Agents save time by working in a unified system, which is expected to allow the organization to operate 10% more efficiently and have more space to support customers with more complex issues.

Average handling time was previously 11 minutes, split between 5.5 minutes of conversation and 5 minutes of post-handling. While the core conversation time remains stable, the new system has dramatically reduced the time agents spend on system navigation and post-call wrap-up. 

And with customer issues becoming more complex, GVB can now have a stronger focus on self-service to keep handling times stable. The new system has reduced friction and improved transparency, with agents now able to track their own performance and collaborate more effectively. "You can just see that it benefits efficiency, because you have everything in one system, so you don't constantly have to switch between different platforms," Wever explains. 

A foundation for continued innovation

GVB’s transformation marks a strategic shift toward smarter public service in the Netherlands and beyond. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 as its foundation, the organization is ready to expand into new channels, improve customer satisfaction, and scale sustainably, setting a benchmark for modern urban mobility. 

Pieters concludes, “We are very satisfied and happy with the solution, and it has brought us all advantages, mainly in the fact that we have an integrated platform where everything comes together.”