Talk Direct's fantastic achievement
On 29 September Talk Direct were nominated for a prestigious award by the British Franchise Association in conjunction with the HSBC for its 'Project iCare'. Which was founded in 2014 to help people who are visually impaired get the most out of digital technology. We have helped so many people to keep in contact with friends and family with a mobile phone or tablet, even though they have little or no sight and have previously not been able to find the expert help they need. We were nominated by our franchisor O2, who have kindly recognised not only the work we have done with the visually impaired, but also the excellent customer service that Talk Direct provides on a daily basis.
The glamorous award ceremony was held in Birmingham at the Town Hall, and the atmosphere in the room really was fantastic and I felt very privileged to be there. Listening to some of the success stories that people had achieved just goes to show that hard work really does pay off. The award ceremony began and the head office team waited eagerly to see if we had been successful in winning an award that all our employees had worked so hard for. I have never felt so nervous as we sat and waited for our category to come up and there was tension from everyone sat around our table. We had been nominated for the Customer Service award and to say the competition was tough would be an understatement. We had got down to the final four companies in the UK so this on its own was an unbelievable achievement.
Unfortunately, we didn't manage to win the award and everyone around the table was really disappointed, especially after we had come so close by getting to the final four. However, then one of the most incredible things happened and really did take the whole room by surprise and left me in total shock! The two presenters began speaking about how a company could not be ignored for the work they had done within the community by helping visual impaired people to use a smartphone and a huge cheer started around me. The judging panel had said that the customer service award had been incredibly close, and felt that Talk Direct’s Project iCare really could not be ignored for its fantastic achievements. We were then awarded the Judges Choice Award and became only the second company in 16 years to do so and the first company from Yorkshire to receive it.
This was incredibly received by the rest of the audience and when our MD Zak Patel, was invited on stage to receive the award, he kindly took me with him.
As, we got to the stage it was incredibly humbling to see that the whole room was giving us both a standing ovation and the applause carried on ringing out for some time. I felt so proud to be part of what Project iCare had achieved and the huge part it had played in our customer’s lives. On a personal level the project came along when I was fearful for my working future and gave me a new lease of life. Losing my sight was a huge personal blow and the last 3 years have been far from easy, but I feel positively that through my own issue we have helped so many others. The fact that the BFA recognised the project by giving us this special award really means the world to me and shows how far we have come since we started. I would like to thank every member of staff at Talk Direct who have been helping our visually impaired customers on a daily basis and the award is for all your hard work.
Also a huge thanks to Zak for giving me the chance to carry on and to Linda Jones for encouraging and supporting me regularly.
