“We plan to show the industry how to manage self-exclusion with our latest ICU demos”

(Exclusive interview).- Marcus Tiedt, Sales & Marketing Director, Innovative Technology, talked with Focus Gaming News before ICE London 2020.

ICE London 2020 will take place on February 4-6, and Innovative Technology (ITL) will be part of the most important event of the year.

Marcus Tiedt, Sales & Marketing Director, Innovative Technology, talked with Focus Gaming News before ICE London and shared the company’s plans for the event, as well as future expectations.

How important is ICE London 2020 for the company’s plans in 2020?

ICE is the biggest gaming show in the world and provides an ideal platform for us to preview new and exciting products to the market. The exhibition is a great opportunity to obtain important customer input to add to our field trials, ensuring we continue to produce products that exceed customer requirements in 2020 and beyond.

What do you expect to achieve at the show?

Networking with new and existing customers is a key aim of the show. Customer feedback is important to our product development process and something we value considerably at ITL. We also want to remind customers of the advantages of using Spectral Technology when validating and recycling cash. Security is and will remain a key focus for Operators and it is essential that we provide the right products to ensure the risk of fraudulent transactions is reduced. This includes the new Spectral Payout – our state-of-the-art recycler which is ideal for high volume applications requiring multi-denomination recycling at fast speeds with the highest level of security guaranteed. 

ICE London is one of the most important shows in the gaming calendar. Will you introduce new technology at the show?

We plan to show the industry how to combat underage gambling and manage self-exclusion with our latest ICU demos. Since the introduction of ICU age verification in 2019 we have been developing the product and can now offer facial recognition technology.  ICU uses artificial intelligence and ITL’s own algorithms to instantly verify age and the next iteration of ICU can now identify faces. ICU Age Verification can therefore ensure compliance to prevent underage gambling and safeguard children, while ICU Facial Recognition can allow Operators to identify VIPs and those who have willingly self-excluded or have been excluded. We are sure that these new technologies will attract lots of interest on the ITL stand N1-430.  

We’re continually investing in our people – our most important asset – and we are committed to developing them through a range of learning and training initiatives.

Last year you announced many changes in Human Resources like changes in the customer support area or even promoting Tony Morrison to Group Sales Director, have you seen an improvement in your operations thanks to such moves?

Absolutely. Tony is now heading up our Global Sales Operations and managing a Sales Team who each have their own areas and territories of responsibility. Our plan to expand first-line technical support facilities on a global scale is also still ongoing. Setting up dedicated teams in several of their office locations enables us to give our customers a more localised service.   

Our plan to expand first-line technical support facilities on a global scale is also still ongoing.

Last year we also gained the Investors in People (IIP) Accreditation which is an official standard for people management. The benefits of an IIP accreditation include the creation of better leaders, feedback you can measure, efficient structure with an effective team, continuous improvement and allows organisations to define their culture, employee branding and carry out benchmarking. We’re continually investing in our people – our most important asset – and we are committed to developing them through a range of learning and training initiatives. 

What are your plans for 2020 after completing a successful 2019?

Our aim is to ensure we provide customers with the ability to automate transactions in the most business efficient and cost-effective way – and we will continue to develop our product range accordingly.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to improve the customer experience and a means of organisation differentiation. We plan to continue to significantly invest in product development using machine learning and biometrics in a clever and secure way to benefit organisations from a wide range of industries.