Winners and Losers – June 2015

This month we bring you news from Sabio, Plantronics, Convergys, Newport City Council and Wales & West Utilities.

Gas distribution network wins customer service award

Wales & West Utilities has won the Customer Service Award at the 2015 Gas Industry Awards for the fifth time since 2008.

The gas distribution operator received the award for the excellent standards of customer service it provides to its 7.5 million customers across Wales and the south-west of England.

The awarding judges commented that the business had set itself apart from other gas networks by not only providing excellent customer service but also measuring the quality of that service in innovative ways.

“This award recognises our efforts and performance in driving outstanding service and in putting our customers first: building trust by listening and taking action on what they tell us,” said Mark Oliver, Wales & West Utilities Director of Business Services. “We continually challenge ourselves to do better, looking for new ideas and innovative solutions, and are proud that across the wider UK utility sector our innovation and consistent performance has once again been recognised.”

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Convergys celebrates 10 years in Belfast

Convergys has marked its 10th anniversary operating in Belfast, with an event attended by senior leadership, local dignitaries and clients.

Since opening its first contact centre in Belfast with just 35 employees in 2005, the company has grown its presence to now employ almost 1,900 people across sites in both the East and West of the city.

“Convergys is proud to have been part of the Belfast community since 2005,” said Cormac Twomey, Senior Vice President for Convergys in EMEA. “The Belfast team has worked hard to establish its strong reputation, which is testament to the positive outcomes they deliver for our clients and their customers each and every day.”

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Council shortlisted for innovative channel shift award

Newport City Council has been recognised for transforming the way it delivers its services.

More people are now using the council’s online services than the more traditional ways of contacting the council such as through its contact centre or face to face. This is as a result of the changes the council has made to its website, as well as increasing the availability of online services.

The council has been shortlisted in the Municipal Journal 2015 awards category of innovation in channel shift.

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Sabio named in UK’s Best Workplaces

Sabio has been named as one of the UK’s Best Workplaces by the Great Place to Work Institute’s annual survey of great workplaces.

This is the first time that Sabio has entered the programme, ranking 39th in the 2015 UK’s Best Workplaces – Medium Category (for organisations with between 50 and 499 employees).

The Programme has been running in the UK for 15 years. Ranking follows an in-depth assessment of a company’s Employee Trust Index survey and a Culture Audit.

“We’ve always been determined to make Sabio the kind of business where people want to come and work,” said Sebastian Henkes, Managing Director at Sabio. “Entering the Best Workplaces programme is particularly valuable for us as it provides an expert and objective measure of our performance in terms of employee engagement.”

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Plantronics wins two Red Dot Awards

Plantronics has won two Red Dot Awards for Product Design.

The 38-member jury awarded the stereo Bluetooth headphones BackBeat FIT in the category Consumer Electronics/Headphones, as well as the office headset EncorePro 510/52 in the category Communications/Headsets.

The main criteria for the evaluation were the degree of innovation and the quality of the product designs.

The product competition will culminate in the Red Dot Gala in Essen, Germany, on June 29th, 2015. The winning products will be presented for four weeks in the exhibition “Design on Stage” before being included in the permanent exhibition of the Red Dot Design Museum.