Annual awards recognise individuals and organisations raising customer experience standards across a sector employing over 20,000 people
Over 20,000 people work across Northern Ireland's contact centre industry. On 6 November, their achievements took centre stage at the eighth annual Contact Centre Network NI (CCNNI) Awards, held at Belfast City Hall and hosted by actress and comedian Diona Doherty.
Gold award winners spanning 17 categories demonstrate the breadth of talent and the critical economic contribution of a sector that continues to raise the bar for customer experience across the region.
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Danske Bank UK claimed the evening's top honour, Business of the Year, whilst BNP Paribas Personal Finance was recognised for Specialist Team of the Year and Energia Group won for People & Culture. Other winners included Allstate NI, EE, Power NI, NIE Networks, ScreenCloud, Hub NI, Fibrus, Ulster Bank, Echo Managed Services, Capita, and Firstsource Solutions, reflecting the diversity of organisations driving excellence across the sector.
Adoreboard, CEO Chris Johnston, who support customer experience for brands such as Allstate, Amazon and Zoom and presented the Team Leader of the Year and Trainer of the Year awards said:
“Northern Ireland's contact centres work at the sharp end of every customer interaction, shaping real results for local communities and businesses. The sector's impact reaches far beyond first impressions, it underpins retention and growth. Every winner shows what happens when teams focus on genuine outcomes for customers; not just solving problems but turning each contact into a chance to build long-term loyalty.”
The Team Leader awards went to Lucinda Smith of Allstate NI (in-house) and Kevin Thompson of Firstsource Solutions (outsourced), whilst Ali Gammell of Fibrus was named Trainer of the Year. In the senior leadership category, joint Gold awards were presented to Harry Spence of ScreenCloud and David Keys of NIE Networks, with Marcus Young of Ulster Bank taking Customer Contact Leader of the Year.
The importance of customer experience to business performance is increasingly recognised. Research from Forrester found that customer-focused organisations achieve 49% faster profit growth and 51% better customer retention than their competitors. Contact centres play a crucial role in this equation, sitting at the frontline of customer interactions that directly influence loyalty and lifetime value.
Jayne Davies, Director of Contact Centre Network NI, said: "It's vitally important to recognise the people and companies that make this industry thrive. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists who have excelled in these rapidly changing times. Our finalists have set new benchmarks for excellence and we are proud to showcase their talent and innovation."
The CCNNI Awards thank their event sponsors and supporters including: Adoreboard, Allstate, Danske Bank, Honeycomb Jobs, Invest NI, Power NI, Premier CX, Ulster Bank and Wellington IT.
The full list of winners is available at www.ccnni.com/awards/winners
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