CENTRAL TELECOM SHORTLISTED IN THE GROWING BUSINESS AWARDS
Communications specialists Central Telecom have capped the most successful period in their 18 year history after reaching the finals of the prestigious Growing Business Awards, which are organised by the CBI in association with Real Business Magazine.
The company, which is one of the UK's leading systems integrators and CRM specialists, was shortlisted in the Customer Excellence category at this year's Awards, which were presented at a Gala Dinner at the London Hilton, Park Lane on 4 December.
Central Telecom, whose headquarters is in Burton On Trent, were joined in the category by felllow finalists Masters London, Weatherbys Group, QAS Ltd and eventual joint winners HotelConnect Ltd and Innocent.
Central Telecom's customer focus and commitment to its innovation has already been rewarded this year with a series of industry and business awards. It scooped both Convergence Awards at the Comms Channel Awards and recently reached the final in the E-Business Category at the 2003 East Midlands E-Commerce Awards and two categories at the 2003 Channel Network Awards.
Its customer base has grown by 35% over the past 12 months and as a result turnover is set to top the £20 million mark this year for the first time in the company's history. Jobs have been created at all levels and across all of the company's operating bases and its recruitment programme is set to continue into 2004.
The company is committed to customer care and its innovation in managing customer service issues has resulted in the development of customer management policies that are the envy of the telecommunications industry.
Central Telecom is the first company in the telecoms sector to implement a true CRM strategy and recently invested £650,000 in the latest Siebel CRM solution that gives the company a 360 degree view of its customers. This will give staff a better understanding of their customers' needs and expectations and help the company tailor its marketing, account management and support services to service those needs.
It has also implemented an innovative new back office system called Microsoft Great Plains, which manages all customer accounts and incorporates a state-of-the-art Fault Logging System. In addition, it is developing a multi-media contact centre to allow it to report on all customer interactions.
Innovative companies are the backbone of British industry but all too often they are unsung heroes," commented Digby Jones, judge and Director General of the CBI.
These awards are an invitation to share their success stories with us and help pave the way for even greater achievements," added Digby.
Central Telecom is committed to providing an unsurpassable level of quality, value and personalised service to all of our existing and prospective customers and we are delighted that our efforts have been rewarded with a place in the final of such prestigious Awards," commented Central Telecom's Managing Director Andrew McDougall.
We will continue to invest heavily to ensure that we remain the first choice for our customers by providing them with flexible, dedicated solutions and support tailored to meet their total communication needs," added Andrew.
The Growing Business Awards attract the biggest names from the world of high finance, industry and commerce and in previous years guest speakers have included Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and retailer Philip Green, who was listed as the fourth highest earner in the recent Sunday Times Pay List 2003. This year's event was compered by former Conservative Leader William Hague.
Central Telecom was founded in 1985 and is widely acknowledged as one of the UK's leading integrated communications specialists. The company, which employs 190 staff across its four sites in Burton-on-Trent, Manchester, Guildford and London, has more than 200,000 end users throughout the UK, ranging from SME's to blue chip and public sector organisations.
