Frequently Asked Questions

Key dates

What date do nominations open?

Nominations open 4 May 2018.

What date do nominations close?

Written entries must be submitted and paid for by midnight Friday 13 July.

When is the finalists announced?

The shortlist of organisations that have made it through to the second round of judging will be announced 10 August 2018. If you are one of these we will be in contact with you to arrange a panel presentation or site visit.

When are the winners announced?

Winners are announced at an Awards Evening on 27 November 2018, at Evolution, London, hosted by the BBC’s Fiona Bruce.

When is the awards evening?

The Awards Evening is on 27 November 2018, at Evolution, London, and is hosted by the BBC’s Fiona Bruce.

Entering the ECCCSAs

Who is eligible to enter the awards?

Any organisation that is headquartered in, based in, or which operates a contact centre or customer service programme in Europe.

How much does it cost to enter?

There is a fee of £295 (approx. €340) per entry.

Why is there an entry fee?

Part of the robust judging process of the ECCCSAs includes site visits or panel presentations with our judges. There is considerable cost involved in organising and carrying these out, which the entry fee helps to cover.

When is the entry fee due?

For your entry (or entries) to be eligible, we must receive your fees in full before midnight on Friday 13 July.

How do I enter the awards?

To enter the awards the first step is to register here www.ecccsa.com/enter, submit your written entry and pay for it before midnight 13 July. You can pay for your entry (or entries) at any time and continue to edit them right up to the deadline.

Are there word limits on the written entry?

Yes, each section has a word limit between 100 and 500 words. The limit for each section is indicated on the online form.

What should I include in my entry?

You should include the specific information requested for the category that you choose. In general, the judges will be looking for evidence of exceptional merit in:

  • Business impact
  • Operational effectiveness
  • Innovation and creativity
  • Customer centricity
  • Employee engagement
  • Industry best practise

How can I pay the entry fee?

You can pay the fee of £295 per entry on our website by credit card or debit card. Once you have Submitted your entry (or entries) to the Shopping Cart, choose the PayPal payment option. You don’t need a PayPal to pay by credit or debit card. We take:

  • Mastercard
  • VISA
  • American Express

You may also choose the Invoice option. In this case we will send you an invoice and you can choose to pay by bank transfer, or by telephoning us to pay by credit or debit card.
For your entry to go forward we should receive your full payment before midnight of 13 July.

Is the business information in my award safe and secure?

We use a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform called AwardForce to manage the awards programmes, including your written entry. This platform is fully encrypted, which means any confidential data you enter is fully secure and only visible to you and us.

Judges are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement before receiving the award entries to judge. Please also review the ECCCSA Privacy Policy.

Judging

How are the awards judged?

The ECCCSAs are the most prestigious industry awards in Europe because the judging process used is very rigourous. There are two rounds of judging:

  1. Assessment of each company’s written entry by a panel of over 50 expert judges drawn from leading companies and organisations across Europe.
  2. Panel interviews or site visits with a select panel of judges, at which nominees are expected to demonstrate the best practice and innovation outlined in their written entries.

It’s not for nothing that previous winners have said that receiving an ECCCSA is like getting an Oscar – only more difficult!

What is the judging process?

Round 1 – The Entry

The first round of judging is carried out entirely online allowing nominating organisations to work on their submissions 24/7 and to keep refining them right up until closing date on 13 July.

Round 2 – If you’re shortlisted

The ECCCSAs shortlist will be announced in mid-August and this will lead to the shortlisted nominations either being called for a panel interview in London towards the end of September or a site visit from a panel of expert judges.

What are the judging criteria?

The judges will be looking for evidence in a number of areas, including:

  • Initiated with a solid rationale and with engaged key stakeholders throughout.
  • Delivered a significant benefit to the business either in savings, reassigned resources or increased revenues.
  • Has the improvement in the customer experience been incremental or transformational?
  • Has the solution had a positive impact on the day to day role of the front line Advisor?
  • Has it lead to the operation being more efficient and effective?
  • How successful has the solution/initiative been overall; was it worth the resources applied?
  • Does this initiative improve the image of our industry through doing the right things?

Some previous winners

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