ECCCSA guests show great compassion

• Pusula Call Centre, Turkey, get standing ovation when they are awarded the Judges Special Humanitarian Award
• £7,560 raised for ECCCSA charity JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity for children

Guests at the European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs) were all heart when Pusula Call Centre in Turkey were awarded the Judges’ Special Humanitarian Award on Tuesday night by giving the organisation a standing ovation.

Ann-Marie Stagg, Chair of the Judges, presented the award to the contact centre from Ankara, Turkey. She said: “Sometimes the judges see something unique and outstanding that isn’t reflected in the categories but deserves special recognition.”

Pusula Call Centre is a multi-lingual contact centre operating across multiple channels to help solve problems. And the work that they do is extraordinary. This organisation works directly with refugees to offer help and guidance with visas, and work and residence permits. They deal with medical emergencies and directly with law enforcement agencies to stop human trafficking.

Ann-Marie explained: “We have all seen the harrowing media coverage coming from the Middle East as refugees struggle to find safety – I was one of several judges that listened to recorded calls from refugees in boats taking in water, begging for help. And they were handled calmly, professionally and respectfully. When we asked the team what their main KPIs were – they told us that they only had one KPI and that was to save lives.”

When the team from Pusula were invited to the stage, the 1,100 guests around the room gave the organisation a standing ovation. A truly remarkable and emotional moment at the ECCCSAs. You can download a photo here.

Also during the evening, guests were invited to donate to JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity for children and £7,560 was raised for the charity.

Fiona Finnegan, the JDRF representative attending the awards, thanked all the guests: “We were delighted that the ECCCSAs decided to support JDRF this year, and thank everyone that donated what they could to this really worthwhile cause. Type 1 diabetes is growing in the UK by about four per cent each year, particularly in children under five – the UK has the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world. Our research is aimed at finding a cure, helping with treatment and identifying the causes to prevent it. So, thank you.”