HUNDREDS of the region’s shining lights in the contact centre industry turned out last night to celebrate their success at a glittering annual awards ceremony.
The North East Contact Centre Awards, held on Friday [November 20] at the Ramside Hall Hotel, saw Sunderland-based Fusion scoop the overall ‘over 250-seats’ Crowning Glory award, and Newcastle-based Home Group win the same overall award for the under 250-seats category.
In all, 15 contact centres were shortlisted for the awards, organised by Sunderland Live on behalf of Make it Sunderland, ranging from Customer Experience Champion to Inspirational Leader. Full details of the winners and runners up can be found at www.necontactcentreawards.co.uk.
Headline sponsor Sage UK took home two awards, including Best New Talent with advisor Katie Powell named the winner, and Recruitment Champions with their sales recruitment team.
Lee Perkins, EVP MD at Sage, said: “The evening was a great success and we were very proud to be part of it.
“To have our staff recognised for their fantastic achievements really was the icing on the cake. We know we attract talented people, but having their skills and performance benchmarked against other businesses in the region is fantastic, and the outcome goes to prove just how well they’re doing.”
Overall winner Fusion also took home the coveted award of Outstanding Contribution to Community, sponsored by MAKE it Sunderland.
Councillor Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “The North East Contact Centre Awards is always a fantastic event for everyone who attends. Whether they leave with awards or not, it’s a great opportunity for the industry to be recognised for the driving force that it is in the North East.
“Applications for this year’s awards were up by nearly 50 per cent, so there can be no doubt that the judges had a very difficult task on their hands to select winners in each category. Congratulations to Fusion, Home Group and all of the other winners. I am sure this next year will see even more growth for the industry as it continues to create jobs and benefit from the sales and customer care talent we have here.”
The awards were sponsored by a variety of businesses across the region, including Penshaw View Training Ltd, contact centre training and consultancy CCP Ltd, Hadrian’s Recruitment, NRG recruitment and HR organisation, GEM Partnership recruitment solutions, and Call Centre Helper magazine.
For more information on the awards and the categories, visit www.necontactcentreawards.co.uk or email enquiries@necontactcentreawards.com.
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