Major new employers across the North East are set to compete against established international brands for a number of prestigious awards this year in the North East Contact Centre Awards (NECCA).
Following a successful launch in May, nominations have now opened for the 2021 North East Contact Centre Awards, which are set to attract over 150 entries from individuals, teams and organisations operating from Tees Valley to Northumberland. The contact centre industry employs over 50,000 people across the region and is recognised as a key sector, making a huge contribution to regional prosperity as the economy recovers from the pandemic. The North East Contact Centre Awards are now in their 17th year, recognising and celebrating the dedication and success of this sector. Nominations for this year’s Awards close on 30 July with the shortlist to be announced on 9 September. Winners will be revealed at a glittering Awards ceremony on 11 November at Lancastrian Suite, Gateshead. BGL Customer Services is a leading distributor of motor, home and life insurance products in partnership with several of the best-known brands in UK financial services. Helen Richardson, Senior Operations Manager, said: “We have been involved in the Awards many times over the years. It is a great way to reward the hard work of our colleagues and to benchmark against others in the industry. The virtual Awards ceremony was fantastic last year, and we’re really looking forward to getting back together in person in November.” Ocado have recently set up a new contact centre operation at The Beam in Sunderland, creating over 300 jobs. They are set to enter the Awards for the first time in 2021. Kelly Swinney, Customer Operations Manager, said “It’s been incredible to see the pace of growth here at The Beam – as an organisation we have been really impressed with the talent here. After a very busy first year, we’re really looking forward to taking part in the region’s contact centre awards- it’s fantastic to be part of something bigger and to benchmark ourselves against other leading operators based in the North East.” Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council which is the Awards’ Event Partner said: “Sunderland and the wider North East is home to a growing cluster of fantastic contact centres. It’s only right that they – and the highly-skilled people who make this such an attractive place for them to operate from – are celebrated. It will be great to see some of the new arrivals to the region join more familiar faces to compete in this year’s Awards. It’s all shaping up to be the biggest year yet for NECCA.” Leanne Chambers, Managing Director of greenbean who are Headline Sponsor of the Awards said “As a provider of scalable and flexible recruitment solutions, greenbean is delighted to support the Awards again, which are dedicated to raising standards and recognising the world-class people working within this growing industry in the region.”
