South Wales contact centre Connect Assist is celebrating a win at the annual Welsh Contact Centre Awards for its innovative helpline for the Deaf community, Sign Assist.

The prestigious Award celebrates excellence and innovative practice from individuals and companies across Wales, with some of the finest teams within the contact centre industry being recognised.

Connect Assist is a market-leading provider of contact centre and digital services. Since launching in 2006, Connect Assist, which is based in Nantgarw in South Wales, has been working with organisations in the public, private and third sectors, ensuring the delivery of high-quality contact centre services that have a positive impact on thousands of people every day. It currently employs more than 400 people.

The award, in the ‘Best Inclusion Strategy’ category, was presented by Richard Ayoade, and recognises the ground-breaking innovation offered through Connect Assist’s British Sign Language (BSL) video helpline, Sign Assist. Launched in April 2022, this unique service is designed to remove barriers for those in the Deaf community, allowing BSL users to access support and communicate in their native language.

As the first UK contact centre to offer the service, Sign Assist uses their live video engagement platform to connect Deaf and hearing-impaired people directly to staff fluent in BSL and those with lived experience from the Deaf community, to offer a truly inclusive experience for all.

Ron Moody, CEO at Connect Assist, said:

“Our mission has always been about helping people facing challenging circumstances. With Sign Assist, we want to be able to support the Deaf Community by giving them the help and support they need by communicating with them in the right way.”

Amanda Mullans, Sales Director at Connect Assist, said:

“We are absolutely delighted that the team at Welsh Contact Centre Forum have recognised this service and our colleagues with the Best Inclusion Strategy award, for the outstanding contribution we offer to the Deaf community. We hope to inspire others to organise their own contact strategies to be more inclusive and truly accessible for all.”