Webhelp Partner at CCA Leaders' Summit
We are delighted to announce our involvement as a partner in the 2021 Customer Contact Association (CCA) Leaders’ Summit, taking place in Glasgow on 1st December.
The event will welcome over 200 senior customer service and experience executives from some of the leading brands in the UK & Ireland, providing a platform to collaborate and connect with business leaders and discuss the latest customer experience innovations shaping the customer contact industry.
Webhelp will be represented by Mark Guest, Managing Director, Customer Solutions and Dave Pattman, Managing Director, Customer Experience, with both looking forward to sharing their knowledge in the customer experience space; including the re-imagining of the customer service model, the balance of technology and human support within customer experience design, and much more.
Commenting on the event Mark said:
“I’m looking forward to attending the CCA Leaders’ Summit to engage and network with like-minded businesses, particularly on the challenges and opportunities they face in their industry, and how this will shape their customer experience strategy for 2022.”
Dave continues:
“The summit promises to be a thought-provoking discussion on the future of CX. It will be great to hear first-hand how leaders in their respective fields are exploring the current state of service delivery and customer experience and to lend our expertise to the debate.”
As we countdown the final weeks of 2021, the CCA Leaders’ Summit should prove to be a timely opportunity to discuss and debate the trends and behaviours that will shape the next year ahead in CX – and to celebrate those organisations who are already delivering customer service excellence.
Webhelp appoints Emma Bouché to lead Healthcare expansion in the UK
We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Emma Bouché as Head of Healthcare for Webhelp in the UK.
Emma joins the business with extensive international experience in creating and scaling business segments for a large corporate and private equity-backed start-up. She has spent 15 years with General Electric (GE) where she had several leadership roles focused on Healthcare across marketing, finance and commercial. Most recently she led GE’s current business transformation, from selling products to value based integrated solutions.
“I’m incredibly excited to combine my experience scaling value-based solutions and my passion about healthcare with Webhelp’s expertise to expand its presence in Healthcare to the UK” said Emma. “I look forward to working with the team to help design and deliver journeys to shape patient-centered experiences. I’ve been so impressed by the unique entrepreneurial spirit and culture that I see across all areas of the business which I’m delighted to now be a part of.”
A commercially astute leader with extensive international experience in creating and growing business segments, Emma has worked in Europe and the United States of America, honing her industry expertise in Healthcare, Energy and more recently in Vertical Farming.
Commenting on the appointment, Webhelp’s Chief Customer Solutions Officer Helen Murray said:
“Emma is a fantastic addition to our business and senior leadership team, bringing a growth mind-set along with her exceptional knowledge and expertise in the Healthcare sector. I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we’re thrilled to welcome Emma to our team as she develops our strategy to grow our presence in the sector in the UK.”
Emma will extend the reach of Webhelp to the healthcare sector in the UK by developing partnerships with Pharmaceutical and Med-Tech companies as well as Start-up and Public Health Agencies to develop Go-To Market solutions, and Patient support programs.
As a key strategic market for the business, we’re able to combine our outstanding Customer Experience track record with Healthcare Expertise, to offer the industry innovative solutions to promote products, demonstrate outcomes and create better patient and Healthcare provider user experiences.
Final Farewell to the Bears of Sheffield
In support of The Children’s Hospital Charity, Webhelp sponsored our very own bear in the Bears of Sheffield sculpture trail.
From 12th July – 29th September, 60 big bear sculptures designed by artists and 100 little bears decorated by local schools hit the streets of Sheffield for this summer’s biggest bear hunt. Our very own Pastel Patchwork Pattern Bear was brought to life by Fun Makes Good, a Scottish design studio founded by textile designer Eleanor Young.
Despite restrictions, our colleagues organised initiatives as best they could to raise funds for the charity. It’s amazing to see their hard work pay off with a rewarding total of £3000 raised. This is set to increase, as colleagues are aiming to raise even more. With donations going towards the transformation of the Cancer and Leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, we are determined to raise as much as we can.
All too soon, the trail ended last month. Our colleague Cherelle Atkin, Operations Manager, attended the Farewell event and had a great time meeting all the Bears before they were auctioned off.
At the auction, we were determined not to part with our bear. As a result, we successfully out-bid others to win Pastel Patchwork Pattern Bear, bringing our total fundraising donation to £6500. It’s fantastic to learn that overall £525k was raised from the sculpture auction, which surpassed the Heard of Sheffield (elephant trail) in 2016.
After so much time apart during lockdown, this art exhibition has brought the Sheffield community together. We are proud to have been part of this initiative, and look forward to seeing the outcome of all sponsors donations.
Keep an eye out for our #PatchworkBear, which will set up home at our newly refurbished Nunnery Square site alongside our elephant statue from the 2016 trail.
To find out more about our sculpture and the creative process behind the design, read our interview with artists Eleanor Young here.
Webhelp installs community defibrillator in Dunoon
Webhelp has installed a community defibrillator in Dunoon as part of an initiative to install Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) on all of its UK sites.
The crucial piece of life-saving equipment has been made available in the event of an emergency outside Webhelp’s Caledonia House office which is next to Sandbank Primary School. Anthony Sinclair, Director of Resilience and Property, explains:
“As a business focused on putting our people first, our health and safety strategy isn’t just about protecting our colleagues, but the communities we’re part of as well. To help safeguard our colleagues and indeed the communities where we work, Webhelp is installing AEDs at a number of our UK sites, including one in Dunoon which comes with paediatric pads. All of the sites were chosen where there are currently no AEDs registered on the national circuit near these locations, so by installing publically accessible AEDs on the exterior of our buildings, we feel we can help make a difference the wider community.”
Installation of the Dunoon defibrillator was complete on 31st of August 2021 and joining the free training on the day, delivered by Webhelp’s Health and Safety Manager, Craig Rooney, were first aiders from Sandbank Primary School. Head Teacher, Jamie Houston commented:
“When we were contacted by Craig, we didn’t hesitate to get involved. We are delighted that this life-saving equipment has been made available to us. We can’t thank Craig and the Webhelp team enough for the training provided.”
The Caledonia House defibrillator comes with an additional set of Paediatric Pads designed for use on children between one and eight years old, or under 25kg/55lbs in weight is registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service and will be available 24/7 meaning even when the Webhelp building is closed, it will be accessible.
According to the British Heart Foundation, around 30,000 people in Britain every year suffer from sudden cardiac arrest in the community, and when an AED is used within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest, the survival rate increases significantly from 7% to 64%.
As part of Webhelp’s Health and Safety strategy, refresher defibrillator training is underway with trained first aiders across their UK sites.
Webhelp to host talk at Retail Week’s Consumer Week 2022
We are delighted to confirm we are taking part in a fireside chat for Retail Week’s Consumer Week 2022.
Running from September 13 to 17, Consumer Week 2022 will allow retailers and brands to access exclusive strategic insights across free virtual masterclasses, exclusive consumer research and free online content to identify and influence tomorrow’s shopper.
Webhelp UK’s Chief Customer Solutions Officer, Helen Murray, will host a discussion with Bloom & Wild CEO, Aron Gelbard, to discuss direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales and how retailers can make their offerings stand out to shoppers in a crowded market.
In the chat, Helen – who is responsible for leading Webhelp UK’s business development function and the delivery of client differentiation through enhanced customer experience – will share insight on listening to customers and how maintaining a focus on customer experience is key to delivering sustainable growth.
Helen will also explore how partnerships can support brands to deliver brilliant customer experiences, exceptional brand advocacy and loyalty, all at scale.
Aron will share Bloom & Wild’s customer centric strategy for consistent growth, the changing DTC market and what to expect in the future as well as key learnings retailers can take from their journey.
Helen said: “I’m delighted to be taking part in Retail Week’s Consumer Week 2022 and to have the chance to hear first-hand from retailers about the challenges and opportunities they face in their interactions with shoppers as the sector continues to evolve.
“I’m particularly excited to host Bloom & Wild’s CEO for a fireside chat. We’ll discuss the importance of listening to the customer and the positive impact this can have on customer experience, alongside understanding more about Bloom & Wild’s customer-focused approach to achieving consistent growth.”
The fireside chat, ‘Tapping into the DTC opportunity: Learning from a retail disruptor’, will be available to view from September 16 and will include questions from registrants throughout.
To register your place, visit retail-week.com/consumer-week.
Lighting our way to “Our greener future”
As part of our on-going aim to reduce energy consumption and in line with our Greenhelp targets, we are thrilled to see our Derby site switching to 100% LED lighting. The project will see the site using 100% energy efficient lights, which will considerably reduce consumption and continuously improve energy management across our estate.
Advantages of LED Lights:
- 25% – 80% less energy consumption
- 3 – 5 times longer lifespan
- Negligible heat emissions
It’s amazing to learn how much we are cutting down on our carbon footprint as an organisation by just replacing the lights at Derby and we can continue to further reduce this with your support. If a light is turned on and no one is there – you could turn it off and make a great impact to our carbon footprint.
Installation of the LED lights began on Monday 2nd of August. While the project was greenlit way back at the beginning of 2020, the onset of Covid-19 delayed plans so it’s fantastic to see a return to action on our green initiatives.
With our Falkirk and Glasgow Hope Street sites almost at 100% LED lighting, we will be looking to upgrade more sites around the region to this more efficient and environmentally friendly option.
Webhelp UK is progressing on our journey to improve our environmental performance. We are truly committed to “Our Greener Future” and this initiative is a positive step towards enhancing our environment.
Webhelp’s internal trainer development program validated by City & Guilds
Our Operational Learning & Development team always aim to deliver the highest level of service for our colleagues across the region, so that means making sure our trainers are supported to be the best they can be.
Based on feedback from our annual survey Your Call, the L&D team were inspired to develop an internal trainer development program that offers a 9 to 12 month evidence led, blended-learning model to enable our trainers to become learning professionals, honing their skills and delivery. Now after collaborating with the City & Guilds Group, a global leader in skills development, the program has been validated. This now means that our colleagues who train others as part of their role, can work towards a professional qualification accredited by the City & Guilds.
Declan Hogan, Director of Learning & Development, commented:
“Our front-line facilitators are central to our operational learning strategy on our journey to 2024. This program challenges our people to enhance the way they look at designing and creating learning content, expand their skills into facilitation/coaching skills and embedding practices. Learning stakeholder management skills to partner the Operations to deliver key objectives is also a key part of their learning journey. I am excited and proud of the gifted Operational L&D team that scoped this program and look forward to seeing the success over the next 18-24 months”
Our first cohort of pioneers have already started their journey and we will keep you updated on their progress.
Sam Egerton UK Sales manager, City and Guilds:
“City & Guilds has been at the forefront of skills development for over 140 years, and we are proud to provide assurance to Webhelp’s Trainer Development programme. To gain City & Guilds assurance is an extremely rigorous process and Webhelp operational Learning did so really quickly and seamlessly, this demonstrates the quality of the programme the front-line facilitators will be working towards. We look forward to seeing all the learners progressing and proudly sharing their Digital Credentials once they have completed their programmes of learning”
The creative process behind Webhelp’s sponsored bear
In just a few days’ time, the bears will hit the streets of Sheffield for this summer’s sculpture trail. Ahead of the launch on 12th July, we caught up with Eleanor Young, the artist of Webhelp’s Pastel Pattern Patchwork Bear to learn more about our bear sculpture and the creative process behind the design.
First of all, tell us a little bit about your background as an artist?
I’m a designer maker based in rural Perthshire, where I run my design studio Fun Makes Good. Having studied textile design at Glasgow School of Art I now specialise in contemporary patchwork, creating bold, bright, design-led interior products and upholstery as well as large scale bespoke textile pieces for commercial spaces and the public realm. Although primarily specialising in textiles I’ve enjoyed evolving my practice to include murals and pieces of public art too, all in my signature colourful graphic style.
How did you come across the call out for artists to design a Bear for the trail?
I was privileged enough to be asked by The Children’s Hospital Charity’s team to submit a design as I was already working on a project with Sheffield Children’s Hospital. I jumped at the chance, as it seemed a nice way to develop on the work I was already creating for them, bringing the work out of the hospital and into the wider city for people on the street to enjoy.
How did you feel when your design was chosen by Webhelp?
It’s really lovely to have a company behind it who feel passionate about the cause and want to support the sculpture trail. I’m delighted my design was selected!
What inspired you to choose the patchwork theme for the bear?
I chose to create a design that takes direct reference from the textile work that I had been working on for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. I’d recently been making bespoke cushions for seats and seating areas in the hospital that featured soft patchworks of flowing shapes in ice-cream colours. I wanted to use the same colour pallet and reference the same pattern but as if the shapes continued on into one large patchwork, that could wrap around the bear. It was nice to expand on the design and take it into a 3-dimentional space!
How many weeks did it take you to complete the sculpture, did you hit a creative block?
It was very good timing as the bear arrived just days before the very first lockdown last year. It provided me with a very calming activity to work on whilst everything else seemed to be so uncertain. It was really lovely just taking the time to work on it bit by bit unpressured.
Fun Makes Good has created work for unusual and interesting places, what has been the most memorable place?
One of my favourite projects actually took one of my pieces out on tour, to help promote live performance across the Highlands and Islands. I upholstered some theatre chairs in bespoke digitally printed velvet. The chairs travelled across country on the top of a yellow car and were placed in some of the most beautiful locations across the Highlands including beaches, hills and beside lochs. It was such a fun idea!
Can you tell us about your collaboration with Artfelt when you created bespoke textiles and interior decoration within Sheffield Children’s Hospital?
I feel very privileged to have worked with Artfelt, the charity arts programme at Sheffield’s Children’s Hospital, on a few different commissions after meeting Jade Richardson the Arts commissioner at a Christmas Market at the Hepworth in 2018. After seeing my cushions at the market I was asked to make some in a hospital suitable material, that could add an element of ‘home’ and comfort in some of the seating areas. Working with healthcare grade vinyl, I made a number of patchwork designs that tied in with the existing interior decoration.
From there, I worked on designing a whole scheme for one of the parent’s rooms, bringing together textiles with hand painted murals and wall art. It was a fantastic experience and I received great feedback from the staff who were all involved in the design process, making sure all the elements were right for the space. I also really enjoyed the experience of coming into the hospital to paint, as I was able to meet some of the parents who would be using the room and could see how much they appreciated having an area designed for them.
Around the same time, I was commissioned to design some large-scale cushions to be fitted into internal windows within the newly completed ward. The scale of the large internal windows provided an opportunity to create a space within the corridors for seating. These individual pods could provide semi private, quiet spaces for waiting and contemplation and I designed some complimentary soft seating pads.
Will you be visiting Sheffield to see the Bears?
Yes! I’m very much hoping to make a trip later in the summer with my family as my wee boy has been asking ‘where has the bear gone’ and I know he’ll love hunting out the others across the city.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Eleanor’s designs check out Fun Makes Good amazing product selection here.
As proud sponsors of the trail, Webhelpers across our three Yorkshire sites have various actives planned to raise funds for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. We can’t wait to see what they have in store!
In the meantime, let the bear hunt begin #PatchworkBear.
Peer Hackman joins as Managing Director of Telecommunications, Media and Technology Practice
Webhelp and Gobeyond Partners are pleased to announce the expansion of their Telecommunications, Media and Technology Practice, under the leadership of Peer Hackman.
Peer joins Webhelp as Managing Director for TMT. He brings a wealth of knowledge to the business with over 20 years’ experience in leadership, consulting and operational roles with CSPs, technology vendors, management consultancies and media start-ups.
He is supported by a global team of industry consultants, customer experience specialists, customer engagement operations experts, analysts, data scientists and engineers, who work with our clients to transform and create value from customer engagement and experience engineering. This practice brings together specialists who transform customer experience excellence into profitable growth and run your customer operations at greater efficiency and lower costs.
Commenting on the TMT expansion, David Turner, CEO of Webhelp UK said:
“Telecommunications is a diverse and hugely important sector of the global economy, which has provided a crucial role during the pandemic in keeping individual and businesses connected, media companies entertaining and informing us, and technology vendors providing the devices and infrastructure. However, the gap between these sectors in shareholder returns has widened. All businesses have realised that customer engagement, experience and trust is THE decisive enabler to produce sustainable growth and expansion in uncertain times. Peer and his practice are working with leading operators, media businesses and technology vendors to help them mature their digital transformations across strategy, customer engagement, operations, culture, technology and data, to build sustainable, resilient and highly profitable future-facing businesses.”
Peer Hackman, Managing Director for TMT, continues:
“Webhelp and Gobeyond Partners provide end-to-end capabilities – from assessing our clients’ digital and CX maturity, to helping them to shape their customer engagement strategy to drive business performance, to engineering profitable customer experiences and providing holistic customer engagement solutions. We are uniquely placed to deliver transformative programmes which help clients grow the value of their existing customers, open new market opportunities, drive down the cost base, increase revenue and improve customer satisfaction.
“I’m delighted to be joining the team at Webhelp and Gobeyond Partners and look forward to bringing customer engagement transformation solutions to the often complex challenges faced by their prestigious client base.”
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Webhelp announces partnership to help the hospitality industry bounce back with award winning fintech Yoello
Webhelp, a global leader in customer experience and business solutions, is supporting Yoello as it accelerates its growth in the UK and into Europe.
Yoello’s simple and secure mobile ordering solution allows customers to order food and drink from the comfort of their table by scanning a QR code, using any phone and without downloading an app. With COVID safety in mind, Yoello minimises unnecessary contact, removes queues and replaces physical menus.
Webhelp is providing the order and pay platform with B2B outbound sales support and will be helping the company onboard new clients to meet the spike in demand following the new measures introduced to the hospitality sector.
Yoello, which is offering new clients a free 3 month trial of its mobile table ordering platform, will benefit from Webhelp’s highly-skilled experts, a bespoke sales model, market intelligence and analytics.
David Turner, Webhelp UK Region CEO, said:
“Our people bring unrivalled expertise and a start-up mentality that is essential for innovative and ambitious firms like Yoello. It’s exciting to partner with a fast-growing fintech that is helping the hospitality industry adapt by keeping employees and guests safe. From the beginning Webhelp embraced an entrepreneurial spirit which remains at the very heart of everything we do, even 20 years later. Our founders are still as passionate to this day, and their continued leadership enables us to help exciting technology innovators like Yoello to prosper in their own journey.”
Sina Yamani, CEO of Yoello, said:
“We’re so pleased that Webhelp is able to provide valuable insight and support for our business at this exciting time. Yoello is helping the hospitality industry move seamlessly to a safe and easy way to serve food and drink and Webhelp is a perfect partner – together we’re enabling even more operators to take a data-driven approach to social distancing.”
The fast growing fintech received recognition last week (Thursday 1st October) at the Wales Start-up awards, picking up the award for Fintech Start-up of the Year and Mobile and Emerging Technologies Start-up of the Year. Now in their fifth year, the awards are exclusive to Welsh companies that have launched within the last three years and provide a unique opportunity to recognise the achievements of those entrepreneurs that are making an incredible impact on the Welsh economy.
Find out how Yoello is supporting thousands of hospitality businesses through mobile order and pay technology – yoello.com
