Apps and Websites of Note: Our Website Awards Team's Recommendations

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jul 31, 2014 @ 04:05 PM

Once a month in this space we highlight apps and websites that we think might help to make your workday a bit more productive or enjoyable.  Here are this month's suggestions.

Repic

Get early access to this new app that lets you see people's reactions to photos you send to them.

Dragon dictionDragon Dictation

An app that allows you to speak and instantly see the text transcription for everything from email messages to blog posts on your iPad™, iPhone™ or iPod touch™. FREE

eFax

The fax may become a popular tool again with this app which enables fax-sending from your iPad, iPhone or Android.  From $12.95.

SugarSync

An app that allows users to share and continuously back up files in real time, providing access to files and folders anytime, anywhere, from any PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device. From $18.95.

Have a favorite app, blog, or website? Nominate it for our app awards or website awards in the Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Topics: app awards, website awards, stevie awards, web awards, best websites

11th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business Issues Call for Entries

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jul 30, 2014 @ 11:25 AM

All Female Entrepreneurs, Executives and Employees Worldwide Are Eligible to Be Nominated; Entry Deadline August 27, 2014

The Stevie® Awards for Women in Business have issued the call for entries for its 11th annual competition. Entry kits and complete details on the competition are available at Women in Businesshttp://www.StevieAwards.com/Women.

This year the Stevie Awards for Women in Business will honor women in more than 80 categories including, among others, Entrepreneur of the Year, Executive of the Year, Maverick of the Year, Mentor or Coach of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Employee of the Year and Most Innovative Company of the Year. The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards.

All female entrepreneurs, executives, employees, and the organizations they run, worldwide, are eligible to be nominated.

The entry deadline is August 27 and late entries will be accepted through September 24 with payment of a late fee. Winners of the 11th annual competition will be announced at a gala awards dinner at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on November 14, 2014.

Award category groups for the 2014 competition include Company Awards, Public Relations Awards, Marketing Awards, New Product Awards, Event Awards, and more.

Many Stevie winners over the years have commented on how their win has positively impacted their business. Niamh Barker, founder and managing director of Britain’s The Travelwrap Company, said: “Winning the Stevie Award was an enormous achievement for me and my business and continues to prove beneficial to our operations every day. I had no idea of the impact that winning this award would have on our business until I checked my e-mail from my hotel room the next morning and online orders had flooded in from across the USA. We now have a growing and loyal customer base in America via online and retail outlets. The Stevie Awards have definitely helped elevate our U.S. presence.”

Winners of the 2013 Stevie Awards for Women in Business included, among others:

  •     Eileen Howard Boone, President of CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
  •     Chandra Clements, Director of One Legacy Pty Ltd, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
  •     Sharon Virts Mozer, Founder and CEO of FCi Federal, Leesburg, Virginia
  •     Irene Corpuz, Consultant and Operations Advisor of CMI, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  •     Elise Foster Vander Elst, Executive Director of Asia Arts Projects, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
  •     Linda Carolyn McCall, Founder & CEO of EasyJet, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
  •     Daina Middleton, Global CEO of Performics, Chicago, Illinois
  •     Mitchell Theresia Gouw Ranzetta, Partner of Accel Partners, Palo Alto, California
  •     Weili Sandi Smith Levya, President of Ultimate Accounting vCon,  Plano, Texas
  •     Women Presidents Organization, New York, New York
  •     Vaco Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
  •     Cenergy International, Houston, Texas

The 2013 Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners reflected a diverse group of large and small organizations from around the globe. Organizations that won more than one Gold Stevie Award included Accenture, Child’s Play Communications, Final Salute Inc., CVS Caremark, FCi Federal, Influence and Co., Laserfiche, other, Pivot Communications, TalkSession, Inc., and VerticalResponse.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business are judged each year by women entrepreneurs, executives and luminaries worldwide. Last year more than 240 professionals participated in the process.

About the Stevie® Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.


Topics: marketing awards, women awards, event awards, company awards, new product awards, public relations awards

Stevie Awards Winner Rockwell Automation Improves Customers’ Productivity Worldwide

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jul 23, 2014 @ 03:27 PM

Rockwell Automation in Singapore won a Silver Stevie Award in the Company of the Year Awards categories of the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  (The 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards will begin accepting entries this September from organizations through throughout the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. Get your entry kit here.)

1407RockwellRockwell Automation (RA) is the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information. Its Asia Pacific Business Center (APBC) in Singapore serves as the company’s global development headquarters

We asked Co Gia Nguyen, APBC’s Vice President & General Manager, what winning a Silver Stevie at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards had meant to him and his team.

“Winning this award is a testament to the effectiveness of the Rockwell Production System. This allows our leaders and employees to work together efficiently, achieving process and production excellence in our manufacturing facilities to better fulfill our customers’ needs,” he told us. “It also serves as a well-earned recognition and appreciation of our team of research and development, engineering, and manufacturing experts at APBC.”

Delivering Results

The business center was established in November 2005. Currently over 600 employees work at APBC on the following RA automation-control product lines: CompactLogix™; SLC™; Distributed Input/Output; Micro Controllers; PanelView™ Component; and Component Drives.

Nguyen praised the hard work of his team. “The team has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to help the company leverage its end-to-end integrated supply-chain-management process,” he told us. “This award acknowledges Rockwell Automation’s ability to deliver innovative products that command customer loyalty and drive actions, results, and accountability for a competitive edge.”

Positive Brand Awareness

In addition, Rockwell Automation wrote and distributed a press release announcing their win. Nguyen told us that it received “significant coverage in many of the top-tier industry publications across Asia—driving positive brand awareness among our target audience.”

Continued Nguyen: “The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have provided a platform for good exposure for Rockwell Automation’s brand—not only with the panel of judges and other Stevie Awards winners, but also among our partners and customers, thanks to the media coverage we gleaned through the prestige attached to the awards in the U.S. We believe that by building more brand awareness of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the competition’s clout in this region will grow incrementally, adding greater benefit to companies in this region.”

Looking to the Future

The APBC’s research and development, engineering, and manufacturing experts are conveniently located near machine builders in Asia-Pacific, a market vital to RA’s growth.

We asked Nguyen what new technologies he thought would most affect his customers in the future.

"Rockwell Automation’s vision is to leverage technology to transcend industrial business barriers and add value to the connected enterprise, as well as to the industrial ecosystem," he told us. “New commercial technologies will seamlessly connect people, processes, devices, and data so industrial operations can be integrated, optimized, collaborative, sustainable, and secure.

“The evolution of a smart, Internet-enabled architecture that transforms data into practical knowledge will lead to sustainable competitive differentiation with enhanced plants and supply networks.”

Improved Operations

Nguyen explained that, in a connected enterprise, plant personnel could capitalize on the business value of possessing the right information at the right time with visibility into production data and supply-chain information.

“The convergence of new technologies that securely connect plant information with enterprise IT systems results in greater productivity, better utilization of assets, and improved decision making,” he added. “By bridging the gap between production and enterprise networks, Rockwell Automation shows how the connected enterprise enjoys intuitive and improved operations, as well as a lower total cost of ownership.”

A More Secure Environment

Nguyen noted that as the historical disconnect between enterprise and production networks is bridged, manufacturers, producers, and utilities will need to understand potential security risks and best practices for developing a more secure environment. As he put it: “Rockwell Automation helps companies protect their industrial control and information systems with effective security strategies.”

Sustainability

With more industrial firms seeking sustainability, automated real-time reporting and monitoring allows on-demand viewing of data that can be transformed into actionable information. “With an eye on energy savings, Rockwell Automation can help operations managers and business leaders design, monitor, and control their energy usage,” concludes Nguyen.

About Co Gia Nguyen

Co Nguyen is Vice President and General Manager of the Rockwell Automation (RA) Asia Pacific Business Center.  He is the head of this legal entity located in Singapore and is responsible for its profit/loss and for managing all relationships and interactions with the Singapore government and other related agencies.

Nguyen joined Rockwell Automation in October 2007. Prior to accepting his current position in October 2010, he was the Business Director responsible for the Distributed Input/Output and Small Controller businesses located in Singapore.

Nguyen has had extensive general management, product development, operations, and account management experiences and has worked for multi-national companies such as Johnson Electric, Honeywell, General Electric, AVX Tantalum and ITT Cannon.  Nguyen also had strong multi-cultural experiences having lived and worked in the United States, Brazil, and Hong Kong. 

Nguyen received his Bachelor of Science, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs about 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, company of the year, Asia-Pacific, rockwell automation

Marketing Awards Winner KOSAF Improves the Lives of Korean Students

Posted by Clara Im on Mon, Jul 14, 2014 @ 04:55 PM

The Korea Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF) in Seoul, Korea, won two Gold Stevie® Awards in The 2013 International Business Awards: in the marketing awards categories with their National Scholarship PR Campaign; and for Best Twitter Feed.

(Entries for The 2015 International Business Awards will open next January, while the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards will begin accepting entries this September. Get your entry kit here.)

We talked with Mr. Byong-Sun Kwak, Chairman of KOSAF, about what winning Stevie Awards has meant for his organization.

KOSAF“It has been an honor for KOSAF to be recognized in The International Business Awards for the past three years,” Chairman Kwak told us. “We received it as a sign of encouragement and support to increase our efforts for the development of our future human resources here in Korea.”

Reforming the System

Kwak told us that the people of Korea were still in deep shock following the recent Sewol-ho ferry disaster. “It took the lives of many young high school students who had not yet blossomed,” he told us. “As the representative of an organization working to improve the future of young people—as well as a Korean—I felt tremendous regret. Learning from this accident, however, the government and public institutions are seeking ways to reform our social systems, and there are headlines about these reforms every day. KOSAF will also be participating aggressively in this movement, and we will be doing our part to build an even more impressive organization. The disaster has given us renewed incentive to earn the trust of our customers and to build a better future for the young people of Korea.”

Opening Doors for Korean Talent

We asked Kwak how The International Business Awards (IBAs) could be of help in broadening support for Korean students and their post-graduate careers in countries outside Korea.

“KOSAF aims to be a world-leading scholarship aid organization for the development of human resources,” Kwak told us. ‘We hope that by winning in the IBAs we will have an opportunity to share KOSAF’s vision and goals with businesses and organizations all over the world. We want to spread a similar system to other countries as being an exemplar of a scholarship aid organization. Our aim is to build momentum in constructing an international network for global human resources.”

According to Kwak: “We will explore every opportunity for talented Koreans to use their abilities, and to take an active part on the international stage, such as working for a major international corporation that may itself be an International Business Awards winner. We will open every possible door to achieve this, and would certainly like to hear from any foreign organizations interested in our Korean talent.”

Building for the Future

Kwak told us of his hopes for the future. “Not long ago, we held a writing contest for students who had received a scholarship or a student loan. It was really a meaningful event. I was deeply impressed at seeing how so many students had a true appreciation for the national scholarship and student loan system. Their essays showed us their determination to be capable men and women who would strive to repay this social aid.”

Added Kwak: “The contest led us to forget about the financial statistics (2014 budget of 3.7 trillion won—nearly $3.7 million—of scholarship support and 1.2 million scholarship students) and to feel each student’s passion to pursue his or her dream.”

Concluded Kwak: “I think what KOSAF should do is to provide the students with more opportunities to serve our society—not as the object but as the subject of our society. We plan to form a virtual circulation structure that will encourage beneficiaries of national scholarships to voluntarily return their benefits to society so that more students could be supported.”

“The fundamental purpose of a scholarship is sharing. The culture of voluntary participation and sharing should be encouraged if Korean society wants to become more advanced. Since our foundation’s job is not merely working as a public institution but building the future of our country, we will encourage our talented students to achieve their dreams, but with a full understanding of their debt to society.”

About Byong-Sun Kwak

Since Mr. Byong-Sun Kwak was appointed chairman of KOSAF in May of 2013, he has greatly expanded national scholarships to lower the burden of college tuition – and to free college life of worries about tuition fees – by creating the “conversion loan” program and others which substantially cut the existing borrower’s loan rate, along with the stabilized operation of the college student loan. He was awarded the Happiness Deoham Contribution Grand Prize in 2014 for his contribution to society, and he also faithfully fulfills his own social obligation by donating 50% of his private income mainly to scholarship funds.

Before joining KOSAF, Kwak was president of the Korea Education Development Institute (KEDI); a member of the Presidential Commission on Education Reform, Republic of Korea; a member of the Board of Education Sub-Committee of UNESCO Korea; a member of the Presidential Commission on Education and Human Resource Development; and he served as a President of Kyungin Women’s University. He has been awarded the National Medal of Merit from the Korean Government (1986), National Medal for Excellent Service from the Korean Government (2003), and the Pacific Circle Consortium’s Peter Brice Award. His major publications include Curriculum Theory and Textbook, Civil Society and Citizenship, and Search for an Educational Paradigm for the Future of Co-Existence and Cooperation with Focus on the East Asian Situation, among many others.

Chairman Kwak graduated from the college of education at Seoul National University, and received a Master’s Degree in education at the same university. He also attended the College of Education at Marquette University graduate school in the United States, majored in education, and received a Ph.D.

About KOSAF

The Korea Student Aid Foundation (KOSAF) is a quasi-governmental agency under the Korean Department of Education. Its mission is to help anyone to be a capable human resource by operating the financial fund consigned by the government, by bonds issued on the capital markets, and the funds donated by enterprises or individuals. To achieve this mission, KOSAF implements projects such as a national scholarship for low-income students, a scholarship for academic excellence, a scholarship in conjunction with work programs, and a low-interest tuition loan project. Since its inception in May 2009, about 6 trillion Korean won (approximately of scholarships and over 20 trillion won of tuition loan has been supported, and up to 7.8% of the tuition loan interest prior to the organizations foundation has been reduced to 2.9% to ease the student’s burden. The foundation is also building boarding houses to lower students’ living costs, and operating a system which enables more than 400 celebrities to mentor the college students—and for those students in turn to help the studies of elementary, middle, and high school students. At present, about 30,000 college students who receive benefits from KOSAF are participating in the knowledge-mentoring program for younger students from low-income and multi-cultural families, as well as families that have defected from North Korea. 

Topics: business awards, marketing awards, International business awards, Korea Student Aid Foundation, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Entries Now Open for 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Jul 14, 2014 @ 01:48 PM

Top Sales Awards, Customer Service Awards, and Business Development Awards Have October 22 Early-bird Deadline

Today we've opened entries for the 2015 (9th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top honors for contact center, customer service, business development, and sales professionals.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE

SASCS LogoThe early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is this October 22.  The final deadline will then be November 19.  After that, late entries will be accepted through January 13, 2015 with payment of a $45/entry late fee.

Finalists will be announced on January 21, and Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be honored during a gala banquet at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Friday, February 27.

Here's a summary of what's new and different for the 2015 awards:

Increase in Entry Word Limit

  • The word limit for the essay portion of entries has been increased from 525 words to 650 words.

Elimination of Biography Requirement

  • The requirement to submit a short biography as part of each entry has been eliminated.

New Categories

When you're ready to submit your entries, begin here: Register

2015 will see the return of two popular features of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

PCSAFCS LogoIn addition to the possibility of receiving a peer-reviewed honor in the Customer Service Department of the year categories, all nominated customer service departments that are chosen as Finalists also will be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service.  Online voting will open to the public worldwide in mid-January and will continue through early February.  We will provide Finalists in these categories with tools to help you encourage your fans, followers and customers to vote for you.  The nominee with the most votes in each category will receive a special crystal People's Choice Stevie Award.

The Top 10 Awards are ten best-of-competition prizes that will be presented to the organizations that submit the best collection of entries to the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, in their own name or in the names of one or more clients.  The winners of these prizes are awarded the Grand Stevie Award trophy.  Grand Award winners in 2014 were:

#1: DP DHL

#2: VIZIO, Inc.

#3: Delta Air Lines

#4: John Hancock Signature Services

#5: Wyndham Vacation Ownership

#6: Turk Economy Bank

#7: Salesforce

#8 (tie): EMKAY and Richardson

#10: PetRays

Contact us with your questions about how to participate in the 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Pushing the Envelope for its Customers Pays Off for Stevie Awards Winner TELUS

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Jul 08, 2014 @ 05:43 PM

The National Field Support division of TELUS Communications in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, won the Gold Stevie for Support Department of the Year in the Support Awards categories of TELUSThe 2013 International Business Awards.

(The 2014 International Business Awards is still accepting entries.  Review the entry kit here.)

According to Mark Klotz, Director of TELUS Communications’ National Field Support, winning a Stevie Award represented an international acknowledgement of his team’s formidable accomplishments, and has contributed to further success in three areas. “First, the team achieved an all-time high team-engagement score, 7% above the ‘best employer’ index that we benchmark ourselves against,” Mark reported.

“Secondly, it elevated our already amazing culture to a level where front-line agents are driving unprecedented levels of continuous improvement. Lastly, it greatly benefited our customers, because the hope of being recognized by the Stevie Awards for a second year in a row has driven my team’s desire to push the envelope on all our key metrics.”

Providing Technical Support
The TELUS National Field Support (NFS) department trains specialists that capture and resolve anomalies that prevent orders from automatically provisioning in the myriad of complex systems.  They repair these anomalies to meet the customer needs prior to their due date.

These specialists also provide technical support to field technicians by aiding the installation and repair of TELUS products and services for consumer and small business markets in a timely and responsive manner.

The Pressures of Constant Change

Communications service providers are under continual pressure to optimize operational costs, gain agility, and offer superior services to customers. The business of providing voice, data, and TV services requires specialized skills on advanced provisioning systems in order to provide customers with the best possible service in a highly competitive telecommunications industry.

Making Life Simpler for the Customer
The constant evolution of technologies also puts pressure on the team to proactively evolve their skill sets. This evolution has enabled NFS to remain the support team of choice.

We asked Mark what changes in technology he thought would most affect telecommunications customers in the future.

“I see the integration of services, applications, and content as one of the biggest changes coming down the pike,” Mark observed. “This will allow customers to take advantage of more flexible and personalized services and will make their lives simpler than ever before.”

Driving Continuous Improvement

Setting extremely high standards has enabled the National Field Support Department to answer 91% of customer calls within 20 seconds with an average speed of 15 seconds. All calls are directed to a live agent, and 99.6% of all proactively resolved orders meet the service level agreements, demonstrating the TELUS commitment to the customer. Any orders not meeting the level required are handled in real-time by an agent to maintain customer commitment.

As Mark puts it: “The high quality training, the 365-days/year availability, the stringent service level agreements, and the ‘no phone call goes to voice mail’ policy have made the NFS team into a premier support team.”

Enhancing the Customer Experience
Mark reports that his team continues to challenge the status quo and bring forward innovative ideas to help enhance the customer experience. Says Mark: “Despite the unremitting evolution of technologies and processes, the team continues to deliver high levels of success.”

Staying Organized
Mark’s favorite business app is Evernote. “It helps me stay organized using ‘notebooks’, which can include images, photos, and notes,” he told us. “I can seamlessly sync Evernote on my Windows, iOS, and Android devices. There are also several other useful apps that integrate easily into Evernote.”

Inspired By Change

Mark is excited about the future. “The constant pace of change and emergence of new technologies inspires me every day,” he told us. “With that change comes the challenge to constantly prepare and anticipate methods and processes to integrate new technologies with existing ones while making it seamless and transparent for our customers.”

About Mark Klotz:
Mark Klotz has led the National Field Support team through the optimization of office locations and the implementation and integration of the outsourced portion of the team. He is the department’s biggest advocate of change and has instilled within his leadership team a culture of constant evolution.  His thought-provoking challenges continue to raise the bar for the department. Mark brings to the team experience from Information Services, and from Consumer and Business Marketing, Marketing Communications, Channel Management, Strategic Planning, Sales Incentive Management, and Call Center Operations.

About TELUS:
TELUS is Canada’s fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $11.4 billion of annual revenue and 13.3 million customer connections. In support of its philosophy to “give where we live,” TELUS, its team members, and its retirees have contributed more than $350 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 5.4 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. TELUS was honored to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

Topics: customer service awards, communications awards, business awards, International business awards, stevie awards, TELUS, Mark Klotz

Vote Now in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Jul 07, 2014 @ 12:13 PM

Today we've opened voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products, a feature of The American Business Awards in which the general public can vote for their favorite new products and services. 

Voting is now open at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com

People's ChoiceVoting concludes on 11:59 pm on Friday, August 8. The winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be announced the week before the September 12 awards banquet in San Francisco, California and presented their awards at the event.

There are 42 categories in which the general public can vote for their favorite new products and services of the year. Some of the categories this year include:

Business-to-Business Products
Consumer Electronics
Health & Pharmaceutical Products
Software - Cloud Infrastructure
Software - Web Services
Business-to-Business Services
Consumer Products
Financial Services
Media & Entertainment
Software - Collaboration/Social
Software - Relationship Mgmt
Telecommunications Products
Transportation

Anyone can vote one time in any or all of the 42 categories.

Make your voice heard, vote now at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com

Topics: business awards, American business awards, stevie awards, product of the year, new product awards, People's Choice Stevie Awards, people's choice