Hammersmith, London. Sensée and Bupa are pleased to announce that their customer service homeworking team was named ‘Outsourced Contact Centre of the Year - Medium’ at the 2023 Northern Contact Centre Awards gala dinner on Friday night.

Cheryl Whitfield developed Clive, an onboarding chatbot. Clive handled over 4,300 interactions in 11 weeks, helping new agents settle in quickly. He reduced managers’ workloads, improved information access, and boosted agent confidence. Cheryl’s work showed how simple automation can make a big impact.

OVO needed offshore support that felt like one team. Firstsource made it happen—quickly. Service levels jumped, response times improved, and culture thrived. They trained together, chatted daily, and built trust across borders. A great example of people-first operational change.

Outsourcing is a tricky balancing act. Get it right, and it can transform your business. Get it wrong, and it can turn into a never-ending headache. Companies outsource for many reasons, like saving money, gaining expertise, or increasing scale. But success largely depends on managing the relationship well. To make outsourcing successful, follow these tips and avoid common mistakes. Also, learn why some businesses choose multiple outsourcers to spread their risk.