UK Collection/Contact Center Claims Top Contact Center Prize

Garlands Call Centres and Vodafone UK have picked up the top prize for "Best Work by a Contact Center" at the 2006 Marketing Direct SMART awards.

The prize went to the Garlands’ Vodafone Quality Team for their achievements in implementing a new Quality strategy and plan. The plan, which focused on people development and training as well as on techniques to build closer customer relationships, led to a 16% rise in customer satisfaction, an 11% rise in ‘Customer Delight’, dramatic reductions in both customer complaints and sickness absence, and improved employee morale.

The contact center category was one of the most highly contested categories at the event with stiff competition from five other finalists. In the words of the judges, the work of the Garlands Quality team was "an excellent example of how a client and contact center can work together."

Mark Cheshire, Garlands’ Operations Director picked up the prize at a gala dinner at London's Grosvenor House hotel on Tuesday 17th October - an event attended by over 400 marketing professionals. “The Garlands and Vodafone Quality teams have worked tirelessly all year to implement an ambitious plan that ensures that the customer is firmly at the center of everything we do” said Mark Cheshire. “It’s a fabulous reward for all their efforts.”

Jane Hext, Customer Management Director for Vodafone UK commented “we have an excellent relationship with Garlands. This award is recognition of the commitment that we have shown to giving our customers the best possible customer experience. It’s of huge credit to everyone who works within the partnership.” Garlands and Vodafone have enjoyed one of Britain’s longest-lasting outsourced customer contact partnerships. The two companies have been successfully working together since 1997.

About Garlands
Garlands is a leading UK provider of outsourced customer contact services via phone, email and the Web.

Garlands' services range from customer service to outbound customer acquisition, debt collection, customer retention, technical assistance, cross-selling, upselling, staff accounts, activations, credit management, customer registrations, customer lifecycle management and many other back office functions. Garlands believes that people are the key to delivering superb customer service. It provides comprehensive and innovative programs with a holistic focus to develop the skills of its staff - programs that extend beyond the call center and into the local community.

The company owns six prestigious contact centers, three in Hartlepool Marina, one in Middlesbrough town center and two at a new Contact Center Village development in Stockton. Garlands was named ‘North East Company of the Year' at the 2005 National Business Awards; and ‘North East Contact Center of the Year’ at the 2005 North East Contact Center Awards.