I am a passionate custodian of the Customer Service industry and continuously strive to promote the ever-increasing importance of putting customer experience at the heart of every successful business.

I’ve been a loyal servant to the industry for the past 17 years of which 14 years have been in a managerial and leadership capacity. I have gained enormous amounts of experience implementing new Contact Centre systems, optimized workflows to boost productivity and implemented best practice processes within a Contact Centre environment. People are at the core of any Contact Centre and I’ve implemented several reward and recognition programs, incentive programs and leadership development programs to keep Contact Centre staff engaged and motivated.

Evidently the highlight of my Contact Centre career thus far is when I represented Sage South Africa at the Contact Centre World Awards in Las Vegas in 2013 and won a Gold medal for the Best Help Desk in the World for our Contact Centre.

South Africans are exceptionally brilliant in terms of their creativity, energy, and determination to improve upon pre-existing standards, and have a long history of innovation, which is once again reflected in the judging process – a process which ensures that exceptional talent receives the recognition it deserves.

An accomplished executive, leveraging over 25 years within the fast-moving consumer goods industry, Douwes Sorgdrager’s experience spans the entire value chain with a specific focus on Customer Experience, Commercial Development, Customer Interaction Centres, Master Data Management and Supply Chain optimisation. He maximises continuous improvement and profitable progress through forward-looking innovations that harness best practices and the latest developments in digital technologies.

SA truly has amazing talent in the form of its people, their creativity, passion and search for innovation and excellence. The judging process has reminded me of that and I am truly honoured and humbled by the opportunity to weigh in on recognising that talent.

I have been involved in the Service and Contact Centre industries, including BPO’s for around 18+ years and have worked through various roles ranging from Call Centre Agent, Project Manager, Learning and Development, Middle and Senior Management in Customer Experience, Sales, Service and Operations Contact Centres. The excitement of the Service Industry and the impact I have as a leader is what fuels the passion I have to live out my purpose; which is, making a difference in the lives of those I serve.