This month’s ‘good news’ round up

It seems to be a positive time for the call centre industry as we continue to receive lots more good news stories this week.

Here is a quick round-up for you…….

A Cardiff contact centre worker could be taking calls about more than customer service after reaching the final of Miss British Isles 2009.

Cardiff contact centre worker reaches final of Miss British Isles

Cindy Stewart-Whyte, 20, of Tonypandy was thrilled when she found out she had made the last round of the pageant- and hopes her phone will ring red hot with modelling offers if she wins.

The account manager, who has worked at outsourcer Conduit for the past two years, first modelled as a young girl but gave up a life in front of the lens to concentrate on her studies.

But after being talent-spotted in the street by a model scout, the brunette hopes success in the competition can help her make a career out of the catwalk.

Cindy said: “I did some work for catalogues when I was about 7 or 8 but I gave everything up and forgot about it, to be honest.  Then I was walking down the street 2 years ago when a random guy stopped me and told me he thought I could be a model. I didn’t think much of it but when I checked out his credentials it turned out he was from an agency and they signed me up straight away.

“I heard about the competition and sent my pictures off to the judges in March. I didn’t hear anything back for nearly 6 months and was really surprised when the call came through to say I was the regional winner for Cardiff.”

After hearing of her success, Cindy had an appointment for a photo-shoot with a photographer which took place in a most unlikely location- the local pub. She said:

“The photographer wanted to do the shoot in a convenient location so it took place upstairs in The Liberal in Tonypandy. I hadn’t done much of that kind of thing before and it was quite strange but I really enjoyed the experience.”

Cindy is now preparing her routine for the grand final of the competition, which is run under the supervision of the modelling industry watchdog Alba, in Southport’s Prince of Wales Hotel on October 25th.  During the gruelling 12-hour show, she’ll compete with 19 other regional winners in categories including evening gown and bikini wear. She said:

“I fit any modelling jobs around my day job and Conduit are really flexible with my rota to ensure I can juggle the two. I can’t wait for the final. My long-term ambition is to have a successful modelling career. I’ve got a girly holiday booked to Fuerteventura in Spain for the day after the final and I hope to be able to celebrate becoming Miss British Isles with a few glasses of Sangria!”.

Pictured above: Cindy Stewart.

Kwik Fit Insurance’s investment in its staff has been recognised at one of the biggest awards ceremonies for the insurance industry.

The Uddingston-based insurance intermediary won the ‘Investment in People’ award at the UK Broker Awards. The award recognises the investment made in both people and resources by brokers and intermediaries operating in the general UK insurance market.

It comes in a year when Kwik Fit Insurance was ranked 17th in the ‘Sunday Times 100 best companies to work for’ list and was also honoured with a Healthy Working Lives Gold award by the Scottish Government, confirming it as one of the healthiest and safest places to work.

Brendan Devine, Group Managing Director of Kwik Fit Financial Services said: “The staff we have at Kwik Fit Insurance are what makes this company such a success. Our aim is to make their working lives as rewarding and enjoyable as possible. We are delighted that this has been recognised.”

KFI aims to be an employer of choice through its work/life balance approach to its 990 employees. It runs bespoke training courses to allow them to progress in their careers as well as deliver first class customer service.

Staff also benefit from flexible working, on-site subsidised restaurant and nursery provision, plus regular health advice.

KFI’s success is reflected in the 98% of surveyed customers who cited their staff’s knowledge and willingness to help as a major reason for renewing their policy.

Pictured above: Lynne Miller, Head of HR with Brendan Divine, Group MD.

A former Call Centre Manager made redundant in 2008 has shrugged off the gloom and doom of the past 12 months to set up a company that challenges the way call centres think about their resourcing strategy.

Rob Wilkinson

Rob Wilkinson earned his call centre credentials by working his way up from Telesales Agent to European Operations Manager over 9 years.

When describing his first 12 months as his own boss he says:

“I feel like I now work for the whole industry not just one call centre.  My background is in improving efficiencies and what we’re doing helps any call centre reduce costs and positively impact the customer experience.”

His company, CallCentreConnect.co.uk, has an alternative approach to recruitment firstly because they don’t charge any placement fees.

They also pre-train and assess all candidates online saving time spent interviewing and reducing the risk of staff attrition.

The online solution is already proving popular having secured preferred supplier status for two large call centres in the northwest.

What does he think is the reason for this early success?

“Everyone is looking at the bottom line and we charge less for our entire service than most agencies charge for one candidate, we’ve proven the process adds value and we’re very excited about the next 12 months.”

The Welsh entrepreneur was honoured by Wales Business Insider as a recipient of its annual Rising Star Awards.

Stella Jones

Each year the magazine unveils the country’s 25 most promising young entrepreneurs aged 40 or under. Now in their 4th year, the Rising Star Awards recognise business people who have ‘shown the grit and flair that Welsh business needs more than ever’.

Stella and the other award-winners will attend the Rising Star dinner on Tuesday 22nd September, where the very best in young Welsh business talent will be celebrated.

Stella Jones said: “This accolade is a tremendous honour and one that I’m very proud to have won. I accept it on behalf of everyone who’s helped me get to where I am today, and my team at B2B Contact Marketing. As a young woman, getting on in business isn’t always easy, but here in Wales we have some fantastic female entrepreneurs, and I’m looking forward to meeting some of the other winners at the Rising Star dinner.”

B2B Contact Marketing is a highly-focused multilingual direct marketing company based in Flintshire, North Wales. It provides a fully integrated contact strategy which allows companies to enjoy joined up marketing. Through telemarketing, email, SMS and social media campaigns the company drives existing sales, and helps clients to gain new business.

Jones started her own telemarketing business aged 30 in 2000 having been made redundant, and with a young family to support on her own. Today, she is one of the UK’s leading businesswomen and has featured in the Daily Post, Daily Express and Management Today.

The Insider is the only pan-Wales business magazine. Previous winners of the Rising Star Awards include Matthew Burge, CEO of mobile phone company Communications Direct, and Lyndon Wood, Chairman of Commercial insurance broker Moorhouse Group.

Related Pages

Call Centre News round-up

  

Call centre good news round up

  

Movers and Shakers for the month of March

  

Agent of the Month – January 2011

  

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