HML won the award for its Derry call centre. It is only the seventh company in Ireland to have been granted CCA accreditation and is the sixth in Northern Ireland.
The Derry site has been open for little over one year and is HML’s first venture outside mainland UK. The move to Northern Ireland bucked the trend of many financial services companies and other businesses that have chosen to relocate their contact centres and other back office functions to India and the Far East.
Steve Haggerty, managing director HML commented: “We are thrilled to have been given this accreditation, and it just goes to illustrate the great success of our Derry venture. We are particularly proud to be one of the first financial services firms in Ireland to achieve CCA status. Many companies operate call centres, both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic, and HML is leading the way in its field by obtaining such independent recognition and endorsement.
“We process mortgages on behalf of over 30 major UK and Irish lenders, and it is essential for us to provide excellent service to each and every one of our customers. Derry was an ideal choice of location for us as we require a high level of technical skill and a good understanding of the mortgage market, which the high quality local labour force is able to provide.”
Anne Marie Forsyth, chief executive officer of the Contact Centre Association, commented: “The CCA is delighted to have HML accredited. Having set up its Londonderry operation only 15 months ago, HML has demonstrated how, with a well motivated and talented team, it is possible to achieve an internationally recognised standard in a short space of time. HML’s is the first financial industry contact centre in Northern Ireland to achieve this award. The CCA is growing and the inclusion of HML in Derry is a natural development for us, especially given the high quality standards they are maintaining there.”
The assessment for accreditation was conducted at the Derry site over four days. From the evidence presented, the CCA concluded that the culture and ethos within the Derry contact centre is one which promotes staff engagement and involvement. During the assessment, management and staff were interviewed both collectively and individually. Staff expressed high levels of satisfaction and loyalty towards the organisation.
In addition to the accreditation HML has also won an external award from the City of Derry Business Awards for People Development and Training Practice. HML is currently short listed for a National Training Award.
Andrew Duff, director of Irish Operations at HML added: “We are firmly committed to providing our employees with a positive working environment and creating real opportunities for progression and development within our organisation.”
“In the past call centres have tended to have a bad reputation as places to work but we have shown this does not have to be the case. When asked to rate HML as a place to work, our Derry staff gave us an average score of 8.5 out of 10. In our opinion the importance of investing in staff motivation and welfare cannot be emphasised enough.”
