CS & SUPPORT STAR                       

This award seeks to find a motivated frontline CS & Support Advisor who consistently delivers outstanding customer service and can demonstrate their considerable impact within a service and support role.

The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and should demonstrate and articulate the positive Impact that their outstanding service has had.

The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

Company

Performs exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Shows commitment and ownership of personal performance.

Customer

Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Demonstrates active listening, showing curiosity and empathy to understand the customer. Shows initiative and looks for ways to constantly improve the customer experience.

Colleague

An influential team member who contributes towards helping other team members development.
Is an active and observant team member that shows care and empathy towards colleagues. Participates positively to team/centre activities and is passionate about the wellbeing of colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

SALES STAR

This award seeks to find a motivated frontline Sales Advisor who consistently adds commercial value to their company whilst delivering outstanding customer service.

​The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive Impact that their sales service has had.

​The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

​Company
​Performs exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, demonstrating commercial acumen, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Shows a high level of tenacity, confidence and ambition. Owns personal performance and commits to new goals based on previous success.

​Customer
​Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Demonstrates active listening, showing curiosity and empathy to understand the customers needs in order to identify the appropriate solution.

Shows initiative and looks for ways to constantly improve the customer experience.

​Colleague
​An influential team member who contributes towards helping other team members development.
Is an active and observant team member that shows care and empathy towards colleagues. Participates positively to team/centre activities and is passionate about the wellbeing of colleagues.

​Role Model
​Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

CONTACT CENTRE INDUSTRY NEWCOMER

The award seeks anyone who is a newcomer to the Contact Centre Industry. They should have 12 months in a role in the Contact Centre. This Newcomer to industry Category is relevant for individuals of any age who join in any role, and can include those undertaking an apprenticeship. This award may be someone who is starting their first role, advancing their career in a new business or someone who has had a complete career change. It cannot be someone who has changed roles within an organisation.

​The nominee should describe What they have achieved in their time since joining the Contact Centre, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive Impact that their service has had.

​The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

​Company
​Shows dedication understanding, sharing and showcasing the company values. Performs exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Shows commitment and ownership of personal performance.

Customer
​Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Demonstrates active listening, showing curiosity and empathy to understand the customer and shows initiative and looks for ways to constantly improve the customer experience.

​Colleague
​Shows dedication to integrating themselves into a new team/company and collaborating with their colleagues.
An influential team member who contributes towards helping other team members development and success. Strong personal commitment to career progression through the Contact Centre industry.

Is an active and observant team member that shows care and empathy towards colleagues. Participates positively to team/centre activities and is passionate about the wellbeing of colleagues.

​Role Model
​Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

Acts as a role model showcasing the potential to others the opportunities offered within the Contact Centre industry in the North East.

RESOURCE PLANNING STAR

The award seeks to find a talented Individual who can successfully demonstrate their considerable impact and achievements within a resource planning function. This individual may be someone who works closely with other areas of the Organisation such as HR, Operations, L&D, Backoffice & Recruitment to best resource departments to maximise efficiency and customer experience.

​The nominee should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive Impact that their service has had.

​The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
​Performs exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, shows commitment and ownership, whilst achieving required efficiencies, quality and compliance.
Displays passion, innovation and a commitment to meet business challenges, helping front line teams achieve short/medium/ long term success against targets.

​Customer
​Delivers outstanding customer service to your customers, internal & external, ensuring that service levels are exceeded and efficiencies maximised.
Presents data to operation on shifts and ways to innovate & improve
Demonstrates active listening, working in partnership with other front and back office teams to look for ways to constantly improve the customer experience.

Works in real time to react appropriately to sudden peaks in resourcing needs to meet internal customer demands and SLA’s.

​Colleague
​An influential team member who contributes towards helping other team members development.

Is an active and observant team member that shows care and empathy towards colleagues. Participates positively to team/centre activities and is passionate about the wellbeing of colleagues, such as scheduling to accommodate time off for colleague development or last minute requests.

​Role Model
​Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

SERVICE & SUPPORT TEAM LEADER                       

This individual award seeks to find a truly amazing Service & Support Team Leader who continually creates and delivers vision with demonstrable results. The leader will typically have up to 12 direct reports, who handle enquires directly from customers and delivers outstanding customer experiences. This could be a leader in either voice or digital channels.

The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer &  Colleague

The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

Company

Leads a team to perform exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, effectively using customer data and insight to deliver demonstrable results, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Focuses on customer experience which results in clear financial benefits to the organisation and drives improvements in other areas of the business (including recruitment, training, management, technology etc).

Customer

Leads a team, takes ownership and role models customer obsession to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Implements Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

Colleague

An inspirational coach and developer of others who builds capability to always achieve the best from others across own team and the wider organisation.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale, and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

SALES & RETENTION TEAM LEADER                           

This individual award seeks to find a truly outstanding Sales & Retention Team Leader who continually creates and delivers vision with demonstrable results. This individual consistently drives commercial success while fostering customer trust, loyalty, and long-term engagement.

The leader will typically have up to 12+ direct reports, who add measurable commercial value to the business by delivering exceptional customer service and tailored, effective sales conversations. This could be a leader in either voice or digital channels.

The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and is able to demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer &  Colleague.

The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

Company

Leads a team to perform exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, effectively using and analysing performance data to deliver demonstrable commercial results whilst achieving required quality and compliance. Demonstrates and practices, credible, customer focused sales techniques that enables the team to have personalised conversations with customers, leading to them identifying the appropriate solution.

Customer

Leads a team, takes ownership and role models customer obsession to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Implements initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

Colleague

An inspirational coach and developer of others who builds capability to always achieve the best from others across own team and the wider organisation.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale, and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

This award seeks to find a truly inspirational Senior Leader who continually creates and delivers vision with demonstrable results within their team and organisation. The leader will typically be a head of a business unit or function and are a leading light in the contact centre industry. This category is open to senior leaders in both front office and back office support roles.

​The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and is able to demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague.

​The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

​Company
Develops strong, clear business plans that ensure delivery of short/medium/long term success against objectives through authentic and inspirational leadership, they galvanize teams to succeed, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
An influential leader who has a drive and determination to deliver ambitious plans for sustained growth, challenges methods of working to improve performance and value, building relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining quality and compliance.

​Customer
A customer obsessed leader who inspires others to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Creates and brings to life the customer vision and strategy, driving initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

​Colleague
A forward thinking, inspirational leader renowned for building capability to deliver a high performing organisation and help individual achieve career goals.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others, genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond, displaying role model stewardship.
Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre.
Champions the role of the contact centre within the broader organisation and community.
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.

QUALITY MANAGER of  THE YEAR               

The award seeks to find a talented Quality Manager who is responsible for the Quality team or operation of a contact centre.

This category recognises exceptional Quality Managers who play a vital role in ensuring service excellence within a contact centre. Responsible for leading quality assurance frameworks, they work closely with teams to embed best practices, drive compliance, and enhance customer experience. With a strong focus on coaching, data-driven insights, and continuous improvement, they ensure high standards are met while fostering a culture of development and accountability. Over the past 12 months, they have demonstrated outstanding leadership, making a measurable impact on quality performance, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency.

The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer &  Colleague

The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

Company

Leads a team to perform exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, effectively using customer data and insight to deliver demonstrable results, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Focuses on customer experience which results in clear financial benefits to the organisation and drives improvements in other areas of the business (including recruitment, training, management, technology etc).

Customer

Leads a team, takes ownership and role models customer obsession to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Implements Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

Colleague

An inspirational coach and developer of others who builds capability to always achieve the best from others across own team and the wider organisation.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale, and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

CONTACT CENTRE MANAGER OTY
INDIVIDUAL STAR

The award seeks to find a talented Contact Centre leader who is responsible for the daily operations of a contact centre.

This category recognises outstanding leaders responsible for the daily operations of a UK-based contact centre. Overseeing a team of Team Managers or equivalent, they drive the successful delivery of the contact centre’s operating plan while fostering a positive and engaging workplace culture. With a strong focus on performance, they ensure targets are met and exceeded, creating a motivated, customer-focused team. In the past 12 months, they have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, making a measurable impact on their team and overall performance.

​The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and is able to demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague.

​The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

​Company

Leads a team to perform exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, effectively using customer data and insight to deliver demonstrable results, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Focuses on customer experience which results in clear financial benefits to the organisation and drives improvements in other areas of the business (including recruitment, training, management, technology etc).

Customer

Leads a team, takes ownership and role models customer obsession to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Implements Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

Colleague

An inspirational coach and developer of others who builds capability to always achieve the best from others across own team and the wider organisation.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale, and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

CUSTOMER RELATIONS COMPLAINTS MANAGER OTY     

The award seeks to find a talented Complaints or Customer Relations Manager who is responsible for the Complaints/ Customer Relations teams or operation of a contact centre.

This category recognises exceptional Complaints or Customer Relations Managers who play a crucial role in resolving customer issues and enhancing trust within a contact centre. Responsible for leading complaints management strategies, they work closely with teams to ensure fair, efficient, and customer-focused resolutions while driving continuous improvement. With a strong focus on root cause analysis, coaching, best practice and regulatory compliance, they champion service recovery and long-term customer satisfaction. Over the past 12 months, they have demonstrated outstanding leadership, making a measurable impact on complaint resolution processes, customer outcomes, and operational effectiveness.

The nominee should describe What they have delivered, How they achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer &  Colleague

The nominee should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning individual will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of the following criteria:

Company

Leads a team to perform exceptionally in all aspects of their role, consistently meeting or exceeding performance objectives, effectively using customer data and insight to deliver demonstrable results, whilst achieving required quality and compliance.
Focuses on customer experience which results in clear financial benefits to the organisation and drives improvements in other areas of the business (including recruitment, training, management, technology etc).

Customer

Leads a team, takes ownership and role models customer obsession to deliver outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Implements Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey.

Colleague

An inspirational coach and developer of others who builds capability to always achieve the best from others across own team and the wider organisation.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale, and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Professionally leads their team with enthusiasm, energy, determination, and inspiration.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Team of people who are customer obsessed and can successfully demonstrate their considerable impact and achievements through collective effort and outstanding team working.

​The nominated team should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your customer initiatives and focus have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance.
Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

​Customer
Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets.
Displays passion, innovation and a commitment to meet business customer challenges, working alongside front and back office teams to improve overall customer experience. Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc. that have led to improved customer experiences.

​Colleague
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your customer initiatives have positively impacted the colleague engagement and experience.
Helps grow skills and develop capability to achieve career goals.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

SUPPORT TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Team of people who are obsessed with exceeding the expectations of their internal customers and can successfully demonstrate their considerable impact and achievements through collective effort and outstanding team working.

​This category includes all teams who are working in a support or back office function, such as those working in administration, resource & planning, finance, learning & development, quality, change, audit, compliance, HR, IT or Risk.

​The nominated team should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your teams role or initiatives have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance.
Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

​Customer
Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets. Internal or external customers.
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your initiatives have positively impacted the customer experience.

​Colleague
Displays a passion, innovation and a commitment to working with internal colleagues, supporting frontline and meeting business colleague challenges, working alongside front and back office teams.
Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc that have led to improved colleague engagement and performance.

Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement.
Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond.
Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

RESOURCE PLANNING TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Team of people who are responsible for all aspects of planning in their organisation.

This category includes teams who plan and deliver for the frontline and Customers across the Contact Centre. The team can include multi channels(Voice, Social, Digital, Email, Correspondence, Payments & Billing)
The team must demonstrate a clear view of how they are working with the rest of the organisation to provide multi-channel forecasts, plan work and resources, provide real time information that supports the organisation to achieve SLA’s and key metrics.

The nominated team should describe:

What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models.

The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

Company
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your teams role or initiatives have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance.
Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

Customer
Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets. Internal or external customers. You will be expected to describe and evidence how your initiatives have positively impacted the customer experience.

Colleague
Displays a passion, innovation and a commitment to working with internal colleagues, supporting frontline and meeting business colleague challenges, working alongside all teams.
Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc that have led to improved colleague engagement and performance.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement.
Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre.

Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Team of people who are responsible for delivering training and development programmes in their organisation. Responsibility for initiatives that foster employee growth, enhance skills and ultimately drive both individual and organisational success.

​The team must demonstrate a clear strategy for developing colleagues, alongside in-depth knowledge of methodologies and L&D techniques. They will be able to demonstrate the impact that they have had on the organisation in the last 12mths.

This category includes teams who deliver frontline, induction, ongoing, mentoring, academy and strategic .

​The nominated team should describe:

What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models.

The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your teams role or initiatives have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance. Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

​Customer
Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets. Internal or external customers. You will be expected to describe and evidence how your initiatives have positively impacted the customer experience.

​Colleague
Displays a passion, innovation and a commitment to working with internal colleagues, supporting frontline and meeting business colleague challenges, working alongside all teams.

Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc that have led to improved colleague engagement and performance and Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement.

Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre.

Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

COMPLAINTS TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Team of people who are responsible for managing customer complaints in their organisation.

The team must demonstrate a clear strategy of how they are working with the rest of the organisation to reduce complaint volumes, timescales, redress and creating opportunities to improve customer journeys. They will be working within a clear and defined framework, with SLA’s and any regulatory requirements.

​They will have processes in place to analyse data and demonstrably used the insight to drive improvements across the contact centre and wider organisation to improve the overall customer experience in the last 12 months.

The nominated team should describe:

​What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your teams role or initiatives have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance.

Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

​Customer
Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets. Internal or external customers. You will be expected to describe and evidence how your initiatives have positively impacted the customer experience.

​Colleague
Displays a passion, innovation and a commitment to working with internal colleagues, supporting frontline and meeting business colleague challenges, working alongside all teams.

Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc that have led to improved colleague engagement and performance.

​Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement.

Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre.

Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM
AWESOME TEAMS

The award seeks to find a talented Digital or Social Media Team of people who are responsible for all aspects of the social channels, live chat, emails, WhatsApp chat

This category recognises teams that lead and drive their organisation’s social media and digital contact centre strategy. These teams have a deep understanding of customer needs and digital engagement, working closely with the wider organisation to create seamless, responsive, and impactful customer interactions across social and digital channels. With expertise in multi-channel communication, they ensure best practices in online customer service, balancing speed, tone, and resolution while maintaining brand integrity. By leveraging data, insights, and emerging digital trends, they have successfully enhanced customer engagement, streamlined processes, and driven measurable improvements over the past 12 months.

This award celebrates teams that set the standard for excellence in social media and digital contact centre operations.

 

The nominated team should describe: What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact in the following sections Company, Customer & Colleague & how they are Role Models

The nominated team should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win

Company

You will be expected to describe and evidence how your team’s role or initiatives have positively impacted the Company’s commercial performance.
Challenges processes and ways of working to improve Contact Centre (or Customer Service Operation) performance and value.

Customer

Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience and satisfaction targets. Internal or external customers.
You will be expected to describe and evidence how your initiatives have positively impacted the customer experience.

Colleague

Displays a passion, innovation and a commitment to working with internal colleagues, supporting frontline and meeting business colleague challenges, working alongside all teams.
Supports or initiates programmes around recruitment, training, technology etc that have led to improved colleague engagement and performance.

Creates a culture of high engagement, morale and motivation, through empowerment and involvement.
Passionate about the wellbeing of others and genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond. Acts as a role model for others and has a positive impact on the image of the Contact Centre. Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism.

OUTSOURCED CONTACT CENTRE OF THE YEAR (under 250 seats)
OUTSTANDING ORGANISATIONS

This award seeks to find a Contact Centre that demonstrates leading practice for all their stakeholders. The judges will focus on key aspects of your contact centre and for this reason, you may enter on a per site basis (i.e. any contact centre operation with less than 250 seats in any particular site in the North East may enter this award and we can accept more than one entry per organisation to reflect these different sites).

​NB: The size criteria refers to the specific call centre operation, not the wider organisation it may form part of.

​The nominated Organisation should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer, Colleague, Community & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated organisation should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

​The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

Company
Develops strong, clear business plans that ensure delivery of short/medium/long term success against objectives, consistently meeting or exceeded performance targets.
Delivery of ambitious plans for sustained growth, challenging methods of working to improve performance and value whilst building relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining quality & compliance.

​Customer
Creates and brings to life the Customer Vision & strategy, driving initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey. Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience & satisfaction targets.

Colleague
A forward-thinking Contact Centre that builds capability and skills to deliver a high performing organisation & help individual achieve career goals.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale & motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others & genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Community
Champions the role of the contact centre within the broader organisation and community. Displays a positive impact on the local community by improving and advancing the economic, environmental and/or social conditions within the area.
This category offers an opportunity to showcase your corporate social responsibility campaigns, fundraisers and sustainability initiatives.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond, displaying role model Stewardship.
Acts as a role model in the Contact Centre Community, often sharing best practices and learning from others Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism.

OUTSOURCED CONTACT CENTRE OF THE YEAR (over 250 seats)
OUTSTANDING ORGANISATIONS

This award seeks to find a Contact Centre that demonstrates leading practice for all their stakeholders. The judges will focus on key aspects of your contact centre and for this reason, you may enter on a per site basis (i.e. any contact centre operation with more than 250 seats in any particular site in the North East may enter this award and we can accept more than one entry per organisation to reflect these different sites).

​NB: The size criteria refers to the specific call centre operation, not the wider organisation it may form part of.

​The nominated Organisation should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their service in the following sections Company, Customer, Colleague, Community & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated organisation should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

​Company
Develops strong, clear business plans that ensure delivery of short/medium/long term success against objectives, consistently meeting or exceeded performance targets.
Delivery of ambitious plans for sustained growth, challenging methods of working to improve performance and value whilst building relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining quality & compliance.

​Customer
Creates and brings to life the Customer Vision & strategy, driving Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journey. Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience & satisfaction targets.

​Colleague
A forward-thinking Contact Centre that builds capability and skills to deliver a high performing organisation & help individual achieve career goals.
Creates a culture of high engagement, morale & motivation, through empowerment and involvement. Passionate about the wellbeing of others & genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

​Community
Champions the role of the contact centre within the broader organisation and community. Displays a positive impact on the local community by improving and advancing the economic, environmental and/or social conditions within the communities the area.
This category offers an opportunity to showcase your corporate social responsibility campaigns, fundraisers, and sustainability initiatives.

​Role Model
Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond, displaying role model Stewardship.
Acts as a role model in the Contact Centre Community, often sharing best practices and learning from others.
Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration and professionalism

PEOPLE CENTRIC ORGANISATION
OUTSTANDING ORGANISATIONS

This award seeks to find an Organisation that puts their people at the heart of their business. The winning organisation will demonstrate how developing, nurturing and protecting their workforce has led to improved organisational performance and a happier workplace.

​We are looking for organisations to demonstrate their people centric agenda against a few key areas:

​Employee Engagement & Development
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Health & Wellbeing
Flexible working

​Nominees will have a good understanding of the impact that strong employee engagement has on the performance of their team / organisation, and on the levels of service provided to their customers. Takes a proactive approach to designing and embedding a positive employee experience as an essential part of their HR Strategy. Opens the door to feedback (both negative and positive) and creates an agile approach to employee experience, learning from this and evolving and developing their approach. Can articulate initiatives that have a direct impact on employee engagement results.

​Organisations should be able to demonstrate how they have introduced effective and innovative approaches that have created a culture of diversity & inclusion in the Contact Centre. The organisation will be able to demonstrate their Diversity & Inclusion strategy including communication & training and evidence that they have created an environment where everyone feels valued, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, religion or disability.

​Organisations will have successfully implemented a health & wellbeing programme across their organisation. The organisation will be measured against how successful the programme has been implemented, the benefits that are being realised across the contact centre and the impact the programme is having on colleague engagement measures.

​Organisations are invited to describe their flexible working / homeworking programme. The nomination will be measured against the successful implementation of the model and the benefits that are being realised across efficiency and effectiveness, customer experience and colleague experience. Organisations will be able to demonstrate the impact that programme has had on their overall culture and business model.

​The nominated team should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate their positive impact on the above 4 areas & how they are Role Models.

​The nominated organisation should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

BEST CUSTOMER CX STRATEGY & TRANSFORAMTION                         

This award seeks to find an Organisation that demonstrates leading practice in their CX strategy and transformation.

The judges will focus on key aspects of your strategy and transformation.

Any particular site in the North East may enter this award.

The nominated Organisation should describe What they have achieved, How they have achieved it and demonstrate and articulate the positive impact of their CX delivery in the following sections

Company, Customer, Colleague, Commercial & how this has made a change to the delivery of CX in the organisation and wider industry.

The nominated organisation should also describe what makes them Stand Out & why they should win.

The winning team will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

Company

Develops strong, clear business strategy/plans that ensure delivery of short/medium/long term success against objectives, consistently meeting or exceeded performance targets.

Delivery of ambitious transformation plans for customers, creating advocacy, retention and customer satisfaction.

The nomination should include how the changes/transformation benefited the growth, of the company and challenging methods of working to improve performance and value whilst building relationships with key stakeholders and maintaining quality & compliance.

Customer

Creates and brings to life the CX strategy, driving Initiatives to improve customer satisfaction and advocacy, challenges processes and procedures to improve customer journeys, making them simple and easy.

Delivers outstanding customer service, consistently meeting or exceeding customer experience & satisfaction targets.

Colleague

A forward-thinking organisation that builds employee advocacy and skills to deliver a high performing culture & help individual achieve career goals, evidenced by decreased attrition & sickness and increased employee engagement.

Actively manages attrition – Lowers overall but measures internal attrition through career development & lowering early attrition to improve perception of the industry.

Creates a culture of high engagement, morale & motivation, through empowerment and involvement.

Passionate about the wellbeing of others & genuinely shows care and empathy towards colleagues.

Creates a genuinely supportive DEIB culture

Commercial

A commercially-minded organisation that effectively balances performance, profitability, and customer outcomes to drive sustainable business success.

Demonstrates strong commercial acumen through effective budget management, cost control, and revenue generation.

Clearly shows how initiatives have contributed to the bottom line—whether through increased sales, operational efficiencies, improved customer retention, or maximising return on investment.

Evidence of robust forecasting, data-led decision-making, and a culture of financial accountability across the team.

Role Model

Demonstrates a willingness to go above and beyond, displaying role model Stewardship. Acts as a role model in the industry, often sharing best practices and learning from others. Champions Contact Centres as a career of choice internally & externally Demonstrates enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, and professionalism

BEST PARTNERSHIP APPROACH                       

This award seeks to recognise an organisation that has built an outstanding partnership that has driven significant business impact—whether through customer or people programmes, culture, technology, or outsourced relationships.

The judges will focus on the strength, effectiveness, and outcomes of the partnership, and how it has created positive transformation across key areas of the business.

Any particular site in the North East may enter this award.

The nominated organisation should describe what they have achieved, how they have achieved it, and clearly demonstrate the impact of the partnership across the following areas:

Company, Customer, Colleague, Commercial—and how the collaboration has changed the delivery within the business and potentially across the wider industry.

The entry should also outline what makes this partnership stand out and why it deserves to win.

The winning partnership will have demonstrated outstanding achievement against some, or all, of these criteria:

Company

Formed a strategic, values-led partnership that aligns with organisational goals and vision.

Delivered sustainable improvements or transformation through joint planning, trust, and shared ownership.

Proven collaboration in areas such as service delivery, compliance, innovation, or transformation.

Demonstrates agility, transparency, and strong governance throughout the partnership journey.

Customer

Enhanced the customer journey through the partnership—simplifying processes, improving service delivery, or introducing new channels/technologies.

Delivered measurable improvements in customer satisfaction, advocacy, or loyalty.

Ensures that customer feedback and insight are embedded in partnership activities and improvements.

Colleague

Fosters a collaborative culture between internal and partner teams, where knowledge, skills, and best practices are shared.

Supports learning and development opportunities across both organisations.

Demonstrates inclusive and cohesive team engagement, wellbeing, and shared recognition.

Commercial

Demonstrates joint success through clearly defined outcomes such as efficiency, growth, cost savings, or revenue generation.

Achieved shared goals without compromising service quality or employee/customer satisfaction.

Strong commercial governance, with performance tracking, reporting, and value realisation.

Role Model

Showcases how true partnership working can elevate standards in the contact centre or CX industry.

A transparent, trusted, and inspirational relationship that others can learn from.

Promotes innovation, shared learning, and challenges the norm to create long-lasting impact