Equiniti has become one of only a handful of contact centres in the UK to hold a coveted global accreditation after being awarded the Customer Contact Association (CCA) Global Standard© Version 6.
Equiniti was the very first share registrar to be awarded with the original Global Standard in 2010 and successfully won the new accreditation following a two-day on-site assessment last month.
“In 2013, the CCA began work on the new level 6 accreditation, collaborating with the customer contact industry to define the standard,” explains Darren Charles, Head of Equiniti’s Contact Centre.
“As soon as the new standard was released, we applied for it as we want to be regarded as one of the best contact centres in the UK. We already had a great base to build on from our previous accreditation.”
The on-site assessment took into account how Equiniti is improving customer service, how complaints and compliments are monitored, and how customer satisfaction is defined as well as gauging employee engagement. “Before the assessment, the team did three months of preparation to ensure we met all the criteria,” continues Darren. “The Global Standard covers nine modules in total, from how we ensure our team is engaged, how we manage risk and regulation to how we implement technology now and for the future.”
Gaining the new accreditation follows huge investment by Equiniti in extensive training, a £1m telephony infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology at the contact centre. This, combined with the accreditation, shows Equiniti’s clients that it is committed to delivering an industry leading service with highly professional staff.
“From a client’s point of view, they generally don’t have day-to-day involvement with the contact centre, so the accreditation gives an independent recognition of quality – it shows we are delivering the service our clients expect,” says Darren. “As for end users, it reinforces the high level of service they receive day-in, day-out.”
As Darren continues, the accreditation couldn’t have been won without the hard work of the contact centre’s team: “Winning the first accreditation back in 2010 was very exciting. This one felt extra special because it was so much harder to achieve. We had to redefine various processes and rethink working practices. To then be awarded the accreditation with such a glowing review meant a lot to us all. It illustrates our team’s passion and commitment to deliver the very best customer service possible.”
As the industry rapidly changes, the accreditation will also stand Equiniti in good stead for the future: “I think the customer contact industry is in the biggest period of change for the last 10 years, particularly in how customers want to interact with companies. Having the Global Standard© 6 moves us with that change. It’s vital for our future development.”
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E-Zine issue: April 2015