Proving industry professionals with a pathway to higher performance optional excellence.
The Contact Centre Standards Framework provides leaders of contact centre operations the opportunity to better understand where they are exceptional and to discover gaps in capability with the intention of increasing contact centre performance. It’s an opportunity to become an Accredited Contact Centre, becoming widely recognised as the de facto standard for contact centres, and helping to drive the industry forward.
Developed by industry-leading consultants, and governed by the Standards Advisory Board, the CCMA Contact Centre Standards Framework is a highly regarded, credible and genuinely independent programme, developed by the industry, for the industry. The team of Appraisers are hand-picked based on their experience and recommendations from within the market.
- Independent or self-assessment against the robust Contact Centre Standards Framework
- Insights with a personalised report with practical recommendations
- Short circuit your learning curve and accelerate your contact centre’s development
- Deliver better outcomes for customers and colleagues
- Gives you authority to make informed decisions and influence beyond the operation
Top performing Accredited Contact Centres have the opportunity to be nominated for the Contact Centre Excellence Award at the UK National Contact Centre Awards.
Contact centre leaders from in-house or outsourced operations that seek accreditation are demonstrating their commitment to achieving the highest standards of customer and colleague experience, for the benefit of their organisation.
The Standards Framework
Why be independently assessed and accredited?
A personalised report with recommendations.
Undertaking independent assessment provides insights into your contact centre operation. Your personalised report will show you where you are now and how you can achieve excellence for customers and colleagues – supporting your business case for investment with clear areas of focus.
Short circuit your learning curve.
With a personalised assessment at your fingertips, you will have the information you need to accelerate your operation’s growth and development. You will have the insights to create your strategic pathway to excellence, unlocking your contact centre’s potential and showing you where you can deliver an ROI.
Customers and colleague’s benefit.
With insights across all key areas of your contact centre operation, you will be equipped to deliver better outcomes for customers and colleagues. As a result, you will be able to deliver exceptional customer experiences and boost colleague retention. Ultimately, creating a more cost efficient operation.
Your achievements are acknowledged.
With the knowledge that you gain about your contact centre operation, and the achievement that you are accredited with, you develop the authority to make informed decisions confidently. You will be a credible influence on the contact centres strategic position in your organisation.
What’s next?
To start your journey, check-out the self-assessment tool below. The tool is available to members only. If you are not yet a member, you can find more information about membership here.
For more information about becoming an Accredited contact centre, please click below. To apply, please email the CCMA team info@ccma.org.uk or enquire here.
FAQs
Preparing for your Contact Centre Standards Assessment
Your journey to accreditation begins with a discovery meeting with our Accreditation Manager, Mel. She’ll take the time to understand your key drivers for accreditation and how it aligns with your future plans. Mel will also walk you through the process, outlining key milestones and providing ongoing support along the way.
You’ll be given a list of documents and processes to provide which will evidence your organisation’s commitment to the five pillars: Strategy, Customer, Colleagues, Operations and Culture.
Next, you’ll be assigned an independent appraiser who will review your evidence through our secure portal. This is followed by an on-site visit, where you’ll have the opportunity to showcase your contact centre in action, demonstrating how your team brings your policies and processes to life.
Using our assessment framework, the appraiser will evaluate all evidence and observations to generate a comprehensive report. This will highlight your strengths and provide tailored recommendations under each pillar, helping you take your contact centre to the next level.
What happens on the assessment day?
Following review of your evidence, your appraiser will arrive on-site at 8:45 (unless otherwise advised) on the agreed date to start your in-person assessment. You’ll have already received an agenda outline, but the first key moment of the day will be a presentation from your senior leadership team. This is your opportunity to walk the appraiser through the evidence submitted and showcase how your team brings policies and processes to life every day.
Next, you’ll take your appraiser on a tour of your contact centre to enable them to get a feel for the culture whilst experiencing a day in the life of your contact centre. They may wish to observe a team huddle or focus session, engage with team leaders and front line colleagues, and may have questions that they drafted when reviewing your evidence portal.
This is your chance to showcase your contact centre. Think of it as presenting your contact centre as you would for an industry award.
The visit will ideally end around 4:00-4:30, your appraiser will have gathered everything they need to craft your tailored report, highlighting strengths and opportunities to elevate your contact centre even further.
How much does the accreditation cost?
Our pricing is calculated based on the scale and operational structure of your contact centre, so please contact mel@ccma.org.uk for a quote.
How long does the accreditation last?
Your Standards Accreditation rating will last for 2 years. This is because whilst some of the recommendations provided in your report may be quite tactical, some may be more strategic and will need building into your 90 day plans.
Are the results shared?
No. We keep all Standards Accreditation ratings confidential. We do however have some members that love to share the fact that they are accredited, and some even share their star rating. If you wish to share in the public domain, feel free to tag CCMA.
Lead Appraisers
Becky Simpson, Managing Consultant, Improvement Solutions
Having gone up through the contact centre ranks, Becky has worked across most industry sectors and led award-winning centres. Becky now specialises in designing and delivering transformation programmes.
Her experience in developing, training out and assessing contact centre vocational and degree level qualifications has been invaluable in supporting the development of our standards framework.
Jason Roberts, Founder and Director, Appropriate Consulting Limited
The originator of ‘appropriate handling time’ Jason found a way to engage colleagues to adjust more than just their language, focusing every colleague to deliver appropriate outcomes for customers and drive improvements.
As Customer Transformation Advisor, Jason has supported many businesses including introducing Ocado Retail to his Customer Hub framework and is currently supporting DFS Furnishing Group & several other businesses through both technology and organisational change programs.
Jason also supports several UK and European award programs as Judge across People and Technology, having both competed and won multiple awards with his teams over the years.
Standards Framework Advisory Board
Catherine Lindsay, Operations Director, Newcastle Strategic Solutions
Catherine has a wealth of Senior Contact Centre and Customer Experience leadership experience gained across multiple industries and from previous roles which she held with GE Capital, Santander, Hermes and Hitachi Capital.
Ketan Hindocha, Group Director of Customer Care, Lyca Mobile Group
Ketan is an accomplished senior executive with over 20 years’ experience and a proven track record in driving award winning customer experience in the mobile and telecoms industry. He is a dedicated customer service and contact centre professional leading teams and driving large scale operational performance and change management.
Paul Greenwood, Customer Service Director, Ocado Retail
With 30 years experience in leadership roles, Paul’s approach is pragmatic. Paul focuses on developing and engaging people whilst implementing clear policies that create or reinforce team culture. He has a successful history of transforming underperforming operational teams with a record of inspiring culture change, and developing teams which exceed business expectations – he loves what he does!
Paul Whymark, COO, Sensée
Paul is Chief Operating Officer at Sensée, the UK’s leading pureplay homeworking BPO, having joined the business in January 2020. Prior to this Paul has spent most of his career in financial services contact centres, with senior leadership roles at Hastings Direct, Royal and Sun Alliance (RSA) and Direct Line Group.
Sabina Onwuka, Head of Customer Service, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Sabina heads the Customer Services department at The London Borough of Barking & Dagenham. She has worked in the Customer Services industry for over 20 years. She started in the private sector and then moved across into the public sector in 2012.
Her philosophy has always been about serving others, and being the voice of the residents, and staff is where she thrives. Sabina has been a mentor to her team members, as she believes in providing a safe place for her staff to feel supported, grow at work and outside of work. Among her notable achievements, she spearheaded a remarkable transformation within her department, transitioning from a solely office-based setup to a fully remote work model through the implementation of cutting-edge cloud technology. Continually seeking fresh and innovative approaches, Sabina remains vigilant in exploring innovative ways to enhance the experiences of both customers and employees.
Case Studies
Dialect discovers pathway to excellence through accreditation
Dialect Communications were looking for a holistic assessment of their operation that would provide focus for the future.
Cadent Gas becomes an Accredited Contact Centre
Cadent Gas were keen to learn from industry experts and gain valuable insights to enhance their performance.
Who is it for?
- The Framework is open to all contact centre operations in the UK.
- Organisations that are assessed will be Members of the CCMA, and can join at the point of application.
- BPOs may be accredited. There are some in-bulit adjustments to the assessment to ensure it is relevant to the outsourcing setting.
- Contact centres may operate in a hybrid or homeworking setting; the assessment caters for this.
- A single site may include multiple brands or multiple clients.
- A contact centre may request just a single brand or client to be assessed.
Pricing
Please enquire for assessment options and pricing.
Pricing is based on contact centre size and operational structure.
Take advantage of
- Free events
- Discounts on training
- Member hotline
- A huge peer network
Join today for immediate access.