NECCA - North East Contact Centre Awards, Evolve Business Centre, Houghton le Spring (2026)

09/09/2026

Behind the scenes and getting ready for the NECCA Big Bake Grand Finale 🎬🍰

Today Julie Mordue, NECCA Lead Judge and representing headline sponsor Greenbean, joined our brilliant ‘media team’ and Nichola Henry, Centre Coordinator at Xplor Technologies for a venue walk-through ahead of next week’s Grand Finale.

Julie and the team at Greenbean have been driving the very first NECCA Big Bake, so it was great to bring everyone together as the final plans start to fall into place.

Two of the team joined us virtually as they make their way back to the North East for the start of the new university term, but the whole group will be together on the night.

These talented second-year film and media students from universities across Newcastle and Sunderland have generously volunteered their time and skills to help us capture the Big Bake story. Not just to cover this year’s event, but to create something that will help us inspire even more contact centres to get in the mix next year.

The Big Bake has been a real passion project for Julie, bringing together the region’s contact centre community and raising vital funds for Business Beats Cancer North East ®, part of Cancer Research UK.

A huge thank you too to Xplor Technologies, our Grand Finale event sponsor and host, for getting behind the idea and helping us bring it all to life.

Eight contact centres. Thousands already raised. Plenty of cake. One brilliant cause.

We can’t wait to see how our media team tells the story of contact centres united by cake.

21/08/2026

We’re delighted to welcome IRIS Clarity as a new sponsor of the North East Contact Centre Awards 2026.

Developed in Formula 1 and now trusted by organisations including BT, Vodafone and British Gas, IRIS Clarity uses AI-powered audio technology to remove background noise and enhance voice communications in real time.

For contact centres, where every conversation matters, clearer communication can make a real difference. From improving customer and colleague experiences to supporting inclusivity, compliance and the protection of sensitive information, IRIS is helping organisations create better conversations at scale.

The team at IRIS said:

“W𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘈𝘵 𝘐𝘙𝘐𝘚, 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵. 𝘕𝘌𝘊𝘊𝘈’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯.”undefined

We’re delighted to have IRIS join the NECCA community this year as sponsor of the Service & Support Team Leader category, celebrating the people leading from the front, inspiring their teams and delivering exceptional experiences for customers and colleagues.

Welcome to NECCA 2026, IRIS!

17/08/2026

With so much discussion around agentic AI right now, separating genuine innovation from marketing hype can be a challenge.

That's why we're pleased to share the latest research from our research partner, ContactBabel.

Their new report, "The Inner Circle Guide to Agentic AI", provides a practical and independent view of one of the most talked-about developments in the contact centre industry.

Drawing on ContactBabel's primary research with hundreds of contact centres, the report explores:

• How agentic AI works in practice
• Where it can add value across agent assistance, self-service and analytics
• The commercial models currently available
• The latest UK and EU regulatory developments
• How to spot 'agent-washing' before making an investment

If your organisation is considering its next AI move, this report offers clear, evidence-based insights to help inform your decisions. The link to download a copy of your FREE report is in the comments below.

03/08/2026

As the North East Contact Centre Awards' research partner, ContactBabel continues to provide valuable insight into the trends shaping our industry.

Their latest report, "The 2026 Inner Circle Guide to South African Contact Centres", draws on research from more than 100 South African contact centre operations and benchmarks the country directly against the UK on the metrics that matter most.

Key findings include:
• Average speed to answer: 27 seconds vs 116 seconds in the UK
• First contact resolution: 86% vs 81% in the UK
• Competitive operational costs • More than 26,000 new international roles added in the past year

As the UK's largest offshore contact centre market, South Africa is attracting growing attention from organisations looking to balance customer experience, talent and cost.

Whether you're considering an outsourcing partner or simply want to understand a rapidly evolving market, this report is well worth a read and you'll find the link in the comments below.

24/07/2026

🚫Nominations are now closed for the 2026 North East Contact Centre Awards.

A huge thank you to every organisation that took the time to recognise its individual stars, celebrate its awesome teams and showcase its outstanding organisations.

We know how much thought, time and effort go into every nomination, and we cannot wait to discover the stories behind the people, teams and organisations making such a difference across our region.

We may go a little quiet over the summer as our judges begin the important task of carefully reviewing every entry as part of our robust and independent judging process.

The shortlist will be announced at various intervals across our social media channels on Friday, 11 September, so keep an eye on our pages.

Good luck to everyone who entered. The countdown to the shortlist starts now.

24/07/2026

⛔𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝗽𝗺. This is your last chance to enter the 2026 North East Contact Centre Awards.

Take one final look at your entry. Check the detail, strengthen your examples and make sure every word counts.

Whether you are celebrating an individual star, an awesome team or an outstanding organisation, do not let their achievements go unrecognised.

If your nomination is still sitting in draft, now is the time to finish it, review it, and press submit.

The nomination window closes at 5pm today. Don’t miss out.

23/07/2026

Will TP make it a hat-trick, or is a new champion ready to take the crown?

For the last two years, TP has been named People-Centric Organisation of the Year, setting the benchmark for putting people at the heart of a contact centre operation.

But with so many organisations across our region investing in colleague experience, wellbeing, development, inclusion and culture, could 2026 be the year we see a new winner?

The People Centric Organisation category celebrates contact centres that understand their people are their greatest asset. The organisations are creating environments where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

This isn't about having a few great initiatives. It's about embedding a people-first culture throughout the organisation and demonstrating the positive impact that has on engagement, retention, performance and customer outcomes.

❓So, what makes your organisation a great place to work?
❓How are you investing in your people?
❓How are you supporting their growth, wellbeing and success?
❓And what impact is that having across your business?

Whether you're aiming to defend your title, challenge the current champions or showcase the fantastic culture you've built, this is your opportunity to tell your story.

If your nomination is still saved in draft, make every word count and be sure to submit your entry before 5pm tomorrow.

22/07/2026

⏲️𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼. Will your organisation be crowned the North East’s Contact Centre of the Year?

The Contact Centre of the Year (Over 250 Seats) category celebrates the large-scale operations setting the pace across our region.

These are the organisations managing complexity every day. Delivering consistent customer experiences at scale, supporting and developing hundreds of colleagues, maintaining strong cultures and continuing to evolve in response to changing customer and business needs.

The judges want to understand what lies behind your success.

❓How are your leaders creating clarity and direction?
❓How are you engaging your people, improving performance and delivering meaningful outcomes for customers?
❓And what impact is your contact centre making beyond the day-to-day operation, across your wider business, community and industry?

Last year’s winner, Sage UK, demonstrated how customer focus, colleague engagement and operational excellence can come together to create something truly award-winning.

Could your organisation be next?

With nominations closing at 5pm this Friday, there are just two days left to make your case.

21/07/2026

⌛Just three days to go until NECCA nominations close. Could your contact centre be the best in the North East?

The Contact Centre of the Year (Under 250 Seats) category is one of the most prestigious awards in the NECCA programme, recognising smaller operations delivering exceptional results for their customers, colleagues, communities and businesses.

Because size does not determine success.

Some of the most innovative, agile and high-performing contact centres in our region operate with fewer than 250 seats, creating outstanding customer experiences while building engaged teams and strong cultures.

The judges will be looking for excellence across every part of your operation, from business performance and customer outcomes to colleague engagement, community impact and the role you play in championing our industry.

Last year’s winners, toob, impressed the judges with their commitment to customers, people and continuous improvement, setting a fantastic benchmark for others to follow.

So, what makes your contact centre stand out?

How are you creating great experiences, supporting your people and delivering success for your organisation?

With just three days left until nominations close at 5pm this Friday, make every word count and submit your nomination before the deadline.

20/07/2026

👆🏻Are you ready to press submit?

𝗡𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟰 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝗽𝗺.

And there is still time to make your nomination.

Also ... New for 2026, the Best Use of AI Award will recognise an organisation using artificial intelligence to solve real business challenges and create meaningful outcomes for customers, colleagues and the wider organisation.

Whether you are using AI to improve customer journeys, support advisors, strengthen quality, streamline processes, unlock insight or transform how work gets done, the judges want to hear your story.

❓What problem were you trying to solve?
❓How did you implement AI?
❓What measurable difference has it made?

As a brand-new category, there is no previous winner and no benchmark to beat. Your organisation could make NECCA history by becoming the first-ever winner of the Best Use of AI Award. This category is also available for sponsorship, offering a unique opportunity for a brand to align itself with innovation, transformation and the future of the contact centre industry.

And we have made it easier than ever to nominate:

✔️ A new, easy-to-use awards platform
✔️ No KPI tables
✔️ No complicated forms

Just choose your category, tell your story and make every word count.

Start, complete and submit your nomination before 5pm this Friday.

NECCA - North East Contact Centre Awards

09/09/2026

21/08/2026

17/08/2026

03/08/2026

24/07/2026

24/07/2026

23/07/2026

22/07/2026

21/07/2026

20/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request