Call centre competition uncovers stars of the customer service industry

Staff from The Listening Company turned to Simon Cowell for inspiration by holding their very own ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ style competition in Portsmouth.

Katie McDonald

Katie McDonald, 22, from Newcastle beat nine other finalists from around the UK to win ‘The Listening Company’s Got Talent’. McDonald, who works in the company’s Sky Customer Service team, took the title after a sensational performance of Anastacia’s “Not That Kind”. She was rewarded with a selection of retail vouchers of her choice to go on a shopping spree.

The ten competition finalists were chosen to compete in the Portsmouth final from over 30 acts, following a series of local heats that were held at various company sites across the UK. Over 80 staff from around the country attended the grand finale to support the acts.

Just like the television version, the evening included an eclectic selection of talent ranging from singers, guitarists and dancers keeping the audience entertained.

Neville Upton, CEO of The Listening Company and head of the judging panel, said: “There was some tough competition, but Katie’s performance blew us away. It’s become very clear to me that there are an exceptional number of talented musicians within the company and we wanted to do something to recognise that. The evening was a great success and the support from people who came to watch their colleagues take part was a pleasure to see.”