NI Contact Centres Applauded for Excellence

Contact centres from across Northern Ireland were honoured recently at the fourth annual Contact Centre Network NI Awards.

Hosted by comedian Colm O’Regan at the Hilton Hotel Belfast, the event was attended by 160 industry professionals gathering together to celebrate excellence and innovation.

Organized by Contact Centre Network NI (CCNNI), Director Jayne Davies said: “The 2021 CCNNI Awards celebrated the outstanding achievements of both individuals and companies working within the NI contact centre industry. We were thrilled to receive so many excellent nominations from organizations across Northern Ireland which is a testament to the talent within the industry.”

“NI contact centres are now an employer of choice, offering great places to work and excellent opportunities across inclusive and resilient organizations and we were delighted to shine a light on some of the top performers in their field.”

Headline sponsors Jabra presented four of the most prestigious awards, including Contact Centre Manager of the Year, Senior Manager of the Year, Small to Medium In-house Contact Centre of the Year and Large In-house Contact Centre of the Year.

John Nesbitt, Sales Director Ireland at Jabra, added: “Jabra were proud to be the headline sponsor of the CCNNI Awards again this year. These awards are vital to showcase the phenomenal talent of the people working in the contact centre across Northern Ireland and highlight what an important sector this is within the region.

“With the last eighteen months having been some of the most difficult for contact centre employees, as they adapt to working from home or between home and office, whilst ensuring exceptional CX at all times, everyone at Jabra is in awe of how well staff have coped and maintained KPI’s during the most testing of times. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists.”

Other event sponsors included: Sensée, Allstate NI, Echo Managed Services and Ulster Bank.

2021 CCNNI Awards Winners List

Seventeen categories plus two special achievement awards were presented during the gala evening event.

Individual Winners:

Covid Hero of the Year – Catherine Hull, BNP Paribas Personal Finance
Support Person of the Year – Aodhán Liddy, Danske Bank UK
Apprentice/Newcomer of the Year – Maria Fyfe, Power NI
Advisor of the Year – Rachel Shaw, Ulster Bank
Rising Star (Joint Winners) – Jacqueline Jefferies, NFU Mutual + Rachel O’Brien, Capita PIP
Trainer of the Year – Jason Topping, Intelling
Team Leader of the Year – Leanne Milne, Ulster Bank
Support Manager of the Year – Julia O’Neill, Firstsource
Contact Centre Manager of the Year – Fiona Williamson, BT
Senior Manager of the Year – Joanne Wilson, Ulster Bank

Winner of the Contact Centre Manager award Fiona Williamson said: “I am so delighted to have won Contact Centre Manager of the Year for 2021. This was an award for my people and my site who do amazing things everyday… they create brilliant personal experiences with each and all our customers truly making Enniskillen a great place to work. CCNNI have been an amazing platform to allow us to celebrate our success.”

Contact Centre Manager of the Year Fiona Williamson, BT, presented by John Nesbitt, Jabra

Winner of the Senior Manager award Joanne Wilson said: “I am humbled and privileged to have been chosen for this award. I couldn’t do what I do without a great team around me who do wonderful things for customers and each other. I see it as a personal ambition to build the profile of the contact centre industry in Northern Ireland and to make it a career of choice. Working in the contact centre industry opens up so many career opportunities and it is where colleagues can develop a wide range of life skills.”

Senior Manager of the Year Joanne Wilson, Ulster Bank, presented by John Nesbitt, Jabra

Individual Silver awards were presented to:

Silver – Advisor of the Year – Claire Quigley, Santander
Silver – Rising Star – Vic Leeson, BT
Silver – Trainer of the Year – Chris Phillips, Firstsource
Silver – Team Leader of the Year – Debra Dobbin, Concentrix
Silver – Senior Manager of the Year – Sabrina Lynch, Allstate Northern Ireland

Company Winners:

People Development – Firstsource
People Engagement – BNP Paribas Personal Finance
Business Transformation Strategy – Power NI
Best Covid Strategy – Invest NI Business Support Team
Customer Engagement – BNP Paribas Personal Finance
Support Team of the Year – Allstate Northern Ireland
Special Recognition Award – Corporate Social Responsibility – Power NI
Special Recognition Award – Outsourced Services – Echo Managed Services
Contact Centre of the Year Small to Medium – Danske Bank
Contact Centre of the Year Large – Allstate Northern Ireland
A Company Silver award was also presented to Translink for Best Covid Strategy.

For further information about Contact Centre Network NI Awards please visit: www.ccnni.com/awards

Author: Rachael Trickey