20 May 2017

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, has tasted success at the INSIGHTS Middle East Call Centre Awards. The annual competition is now in its 12th year and sets the regional benchmark for remote customer interaction success.

The airline collected two prestigious awards at the ceremony held at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dubai on 16th May 2017. They were awarded with Best Large Call Centre for their three UAE Contact Centres and Call Centre Manager of the Year awarded to Ahmed Murshed, the Al Ain Contact Centre Manager. 

Ruth Birkin, Head of Global Contact Centres for Etihad Airways, said: “I am delighted that the team has again been recognised for their service quality and their commitment to constantly developing the services we offer further. As well as providing tailored solutions to guests, we’re always looking for ways how we can improve business efficiencies while continuing to provide high-quality services to our passengers and trade partners around the world.”

The airline operates four contact centres including two in Al Ain and one in Abu Dhabi, plus a further facility in Manchester in the UK. The Al Ain Keshi Pearl and Abu Dhabi contact centres operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and employ multi-lingual staff from all over the world. 

The other unit at Al Ain is called the Black Pearl centre and opened in 2011. In line with the company philosophy of Emiratisation, it is wholly managed and operated by Emirati ladies. The female only environment of the Black Pearl makes it possible for ladies to work and develop their careers, whilst maintaining a sustainable work and home balance, which is supportive of their family and cultural consideration.

Ahmed Murshed, Al Ain Contact Centre Manager for Etihad Airways, said: “It is an honour to have received the award but it’s one that has been supported by the hard work of all the teams in Al Ain. We will continue to drive the performance of the contact centres for the benefit of the company while supporting our guests with quality services as they make their travel plans on the airline’s network.” 

In 2017, the company also launched an Etihad Airways Partners (EAP) Shared Services centre in Belgrade, Serbia. The new facility performs contact centre and loyalty operations in Europe for Etihad Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles and Etihad Regional.