A Viral Kindness Scotland campaign is being relaunched to help Scots with loneliness and isolation as coronavirus restrictions return.

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Business service centres like ours can be at the forefront of the recovery as Britain’s economy dusts itself down from COVID-19.

And with our latest initiative we’re putting our money where our mouth is.

go-centric is offering all new customers impacted by the pandemic the first month of services for free.

We want to help businesses now so we can all thrive in the future, because that’s what will be needed if the country is to get back to normal as lockdown restrictions ease.

Contact centres are diversifying and that’s largely because consumer behaviour is changing.

The pandemic has accelerated that change, with more and more people purchasing vital services online.

For example, the “live chat” function in websites is becoming more commonplace. Our skilled staff are on stand-by to help those most in need access the crucial services they have no choice but to pursue online.

But it’s not only our customers who we’re going over and above to help in these unprecedented times.

For now, our staff are working from home, and we’ve supplied them with all the material they need to keep up our usual first-class service for clients.

And when it’s time to come back into the office, we’ll have measures in place to ensure people can go about their businesses safely and effectively.

Some have predicted the coronavirus crisis may spell the end for contact centres.

But for go-centric, we’re determined to make it the beginnings of an exciting new future.

It’s sometimes difficult to think of positive things which have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But one really encouraging development has been the many acts of charity displayed both by individuals and organisations since the start of the outbreak earlier this year.

When it was pitched to us, we couldn’t wait to get involved in Viral Kindness Scotland – a campaign to put vulnerable people in touch with those who could help.

Since then, go-centric has taken hundreds of calls and handled thousands of emails and social media requests to make a difference in people’s lives at the very worst of times.

That includes assisting with food deliveries and linking those most isolated during lockdown with people who could help them through the loneliness.

Our staff worked 24/7 as part of this scheme and took huge satisfaction from doing so.

For a business like ours, engaging in voluntary work isn’t just fulfilling, it can provide staff with vital skills for the future too.

We would also like to thank our partners who made this project happen: the Sarwar Foundation; Galactic Media Group; Day-Today and USave.

We will continue co-ordinating Viral Kindness Scotland, and would urge other businesses to get involved with this magnificent initiative too.

To find out more, visit: www.viralkindness.scot

David Harper, chairman of Glasgow-based Go-centric, believes that the sector has a positive future that can drive recovery. He points to work underway to retrain people who have lost their jobs, the growth of online business and projects being carried out to help isolated, vulnerable people.

His upbeat assessment comes amid fears the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown and physical distancing measures could negatively impact a call centre industry that employs an estimated 100,000 people in Scotland.

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A Glasgow contact centre has co-ordinated thousands of calls from volunteers and vulnerable Scots during the Coronavirus crisis.

Go-centric is running the Viral Kindness Scotland operation for free, helping Scots amid the public health emergency.

The customer communication specialists continue to operate a 24/7 freephone helpline, with staff working around the clock to link volunteers with vulnerable people in their local area.

Read the full article here

We are bringing communities across Scotland together to spread kindness. Our goal is to help anyone who is vulnerable and struggling with self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak.

Contact us on 0800 054 2282 or visit the website at viralkindness.scot