“AI should primarily create space for human contact”
Sagar Schoneveld (Head of Product at Conversed.ai) speaks with Denise Meijdam (Director of ZekerArbo) about the role of AI within the organization, improving services, and how technology can actually contribute to more human interaction.
At SureArbo good, fast, and personal service are central. As director, Denise Meijdam continuously looks for ways to make the organization smarter and more future-proof. AI plays an increasingly important role in this.
We spoke with Denise about her vision for AI, her collaboration with Conversed.ai, and why she believes technology should actually create more space for the human aspect of work.
“AI can make our work smarter and better”
ZekerArbo primarily supports SMEs with occupational health and safety services, assisting organizations with issues related to absence, health, and sustainable employability. For Denise, it's clear that AI can play a valuable role in this.
“My feeling about AI is primarily that it can make many things easier,” she says. “It can speed up processes, support employees, and help organizations work smarter.”
At the same time, Denise doesn't see AI as an end in itself, but as a means to further enhance the quality of service.
“Our higher purpose is ultimately always better and faster service. Happy customers and happy clients, that's what AI should contribute to.”
An organization that wants to move forward
When ZekerArbo launched Conversed.ai in 2024, Denise primarily saw an opportunity to gain experience with a technology that is becoming increasingly relevant.
“I thought it was incredibly cool from the beginning,” she says. “Precisely because you know: this is going to play a big role in how organizations work in the future. Then you don't want to wait and see, but discover what it can mean for you.”
The approach fits well with how Denise views innovation: not just talking about renewal, but also truly experiencing what works.
“It was truly a learning experience for us. We learned a lot not only about AI itself, but also about how to implement it as an organization, how to train it, and what agreements to make with each other.”
Fay: 24/7 customer support
Within ZekerArbo, AI now plays a concrete role in customer contact. Their AI assistant Fay is available 24/7 to handle initial customer inquiries.
“This allows us to always provide an immediate initial response,” Denise explains. “This greatly helps the speed of our service.”
Fay primarily handles the first, common questions, allowing the support team to focus on more complex issues.
“This allows us to switch gears faster and gives our employees more room to focus on providing in-depth customer guidance.”
A pleasant collaboration with Conversed.ai
Denise also has positive things to say about the collaboration with Conversed.ai. She describes the process as educational, open, and valuable.
“Together, we've really taken steps forward in how you use AI within an organization,” she explains. “Not just technically, but also in how you practically implement it within your teams and processes.”
According to Denise, the strength of collaboration lies mainly in building, testing, and improving together.
“What's great about Conversed.ai is that it's not just about the technology itself, but also about thinking along with you on how to make it work in practice. That makes it valuable, precisely because you learn and develop together.”
AI as support for employees
What Denise finds important is that AI isn't just about efficiency, but especially about support.
“A lot of our work revolves around connecting with people,” she explains. “Healthcare professionals prefer to spend their time on guidance and personal contact, not on repetitive administrative tasks.”
She sees great added value in AI.
“If AI can take over repetitive work, there will be more room for what truly matters: attention to the customer, the client, and the conversation. That, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful aspects of this development.”
Pride within the organization
One moment that stuck with Denise was during an internal meeting where a colleague proudly stepped forward as an AI Champion.
“The colleague enthusiastically talked about the collaboration with Fay and about the trends that became visible in customer inquiries,” says Denise. “That was a really great moment for me. You see that people aren't just participating, but also genuinely feel ownership.”
For Denise, that clearly shows what's needed for AI to be successfully implemented within an organization: attention, commitment, and room to work with it.
AI as an integral part of tomorrow's work
As Denise looks ahead, she doesn't see AI as something separate, but as something that is becoming increasingly interwoven with daily processes throughout the organization.
“I think you won't be able to avoid it anymore,” she says. “Not just in customer service, but across the organization. Wherever there's repetitive work, there are opportunities to provide smarter support.”
For the coming years, she sees many possibilities, from support in customer contact and email to applications related to transcription, consulting, and process optimization.
“I hope that in a few years, AI will truly be a self-evident part of our daily work. Not to replace people, but to support them better.”
Building the next step together
Denise describes the collaboration with Conversed.ai as positive and future-oriented.
“We have learned a lot together and truly laid a foundation for further development,” she says. “That makes it not only interesting for now, but also for the future.”
Within ZekerArbo, we are continuing to build on the next step in customer contact. In addition to the use of Fay, we are looking at an expansion with Mail AI and Voice AI, so that customers can be helped quickly and smartly through multiple channels.
With that future in mind, ZekerArbo continues to build services where technology and human contact reinforce each other.
“More time for the things that really matter,” Denise summarizes. “That's ultimately what AI is all about for me.”
