The in-house contact centre that supports Busy Bees centres and enrolment enquiries has been shortlisted for two prestigious industry awards.
The Central Enrolments Team (CET) were nominated in the Call Centre Management Association awards, which recognise excellence in contact centre operations. Busy Bees is the only childcare group to be shortlisted, competing against big-name brands like HSBC, Virgin Media O2 and Bupa.
Head of Customer Enrolments Jenna Birkinshaw is shortlisted for the small contact centre manager of the year award, while Customer Enrolments Team Leader Kirsty Miles is being considered for a team manager of the year prize.
Jenna Birkinshaw has worked for Busy Bees for 10 years, while Kirsty Miles joined the company in 2017.
Chris McCandless, European Chief Executive Officer for Busy Bees, said: “Our ambition is to give every child the best start in life, but to achieve that we needed to have a responsive and efficient enquiries process for families.
“We established the in-house Central Enrolments Team to create a professional enquiry handling hub, with knowledgeable staff who make it their mission to help families access the quality early years care and education they need for their children.
“In just a few short years, CET have improved the speed and quality of service offered to our centres, parents and other enquirers, delivering a smooth and enjoyable customer experience that reflects the Busy Bees brand.”
The team of 15 is based at Busy Bees’ National Support Centre in Burntwood, Staffordshire, and provides comprehensive customer advice, offering information on nursery place availability, fees and funding.
Jenna Birkinshaw said: “We have a brilliant group of committed professionals in the CET, all dedicated to providing exceptional customer service to our centres and families.
“We are very proud to be shortlisted for these awards, competing against some huge national and international brands. To be recognised in this way, after only operating as a call centre for three years, makes us feel like we are winners already!”
Now in their 28th year, the highly respected CCMA awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony in London on Monday 19 June.
The contact centre manager of the year award recognises someone who has demonstrated key leadership skills, responsible for the centre’s operating plan and guiding a motivated, successful and customer-focused contact centre team.
Responsible for a team of customer-facing colleagues, the team leader of the year is expected to excel in their daily role, having a positive impact on team members and performance.
Founded in Staffordshire in 1983, Busy Bees has grown into a worldwide success story with the company now caring for almost 100,000 children every day across 10 countries – the UK, Ireland, Italy, Canada, USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Busy Bees released a short film looking back at its heritage and reaffirming its commitment to delivering high quality childcare and early years education.