Appello are delighted that the Manager of the Year award at the UK Contact Centre Forum (UKCCF) awards went to Dave Kinane, Customer Services Manager for Out of Hours at Appello.
Dave joined the team in 2022 and manages a distributed team of 55 telecare operators and three supervisors, who manage calls dealing with the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities. He additionally oversees the training department with a Head Trainer and two Trainers and also acts as the B2B client manager for over 25 customers.
When Dave entered the role he identified areas of opportunity within the departments including:
Training needs – Creating a long-range plan to ensure staff were sufficiently skilled to deliver the level of service required.
The impact Dave has had on training, is highlighted by Imogen Phelps, Control Centre Training Lead.
“Since Dave arrived the department has changed for the better. No stone was left unturned, with new supervisors, new contracts, new team leader positions, new training team and more. Dave is always happy to help out and get stuck in, no matter how many other things he has going on.”
Performance expectations and delivery – Setting clear expectations for all operators and supervisors in terms of performance levels across; call quality, adherence to schedule, resource utilisation and behaviour on shift.
“Dave is reliable, trustworthy and efficient. He’s organised and presents stats in a clear, simple way. Our contract can be very unpredictable. Dave is solution oriented, he handles any issues and is very proactive in terms of anticipating potential problems before they arise.
One of Dave’s biggest strengths is that he is very friendly. He’s incredibly easy to work with. It’s a great pleasure to work with him.” Clair Walker, Customer Experience Team Manager, Southern Housing
“Having worked with Dave over this last 9 months we have built a close working relationship which has strengthened over time, and I can honestly say I have always found him to be totally professional and extremely dedicated to the service provided to us and our customers. Dave is our main contact in terms of queries, and he attends all regular Contract Performance Meetings. He provides a speedy response to enquiries and ensures he delivers on all actions agreed during meetings etc. He communicates all required actions to his team in a timely manner which supports the delivery of an effective service to our customers. A very approachable and professional manager who is committed to delivering an excellent service to us and our customers.” Jackie Harris, Longhurst Group
Employee morale – Clear direction from Dave, performance improvements and dedicated employee management, has seen no need for employee recruitment since January 2023.
These significant improvements by Dave have not only led to employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction, it has also lead to the great achievement of Manager of the Year award from the UKCCF.
Dave said: “I was delighted to be nominated in the first place and even more so when I was announced as the winner. A lot of credit should go to my team as both their knowledge and willingness to work hard for me were the main contributors to the success of the department over the last year.”
