The 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service Name Chairs for Final Judging

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jan 28, 2016 @ 11:24 AM

The Stevie Awards are delighted to announce the seven distinguished professionals who will chair the final judging committees of the 2016 (10th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service competition.

The Stevie Awardsfor Sales & Customer Service are the world's top sales awards, customer service awards, business development awards, contact center awards, and more.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie placements from among the Finalists will be determined in final judging, which is ongoing  Results will be announced at the 10th annual awards dinner in Las Vegas on March 4.  Tickets are on sale now.

The seven committee chair selections are based on the categories being judged. Final judging chairs helped to form their committees, each of which will be comprised of 5-20 other executives.  Here are this year's final judging committee chairs.

SALES TEAM/SALES ACHIEVEMENT/SERVICE PROVIDER
Chair: Rob Jeppsen, Senior Vice President & General Manager, HireVue Accelerate

HireVue, Inc., South Jordan, Utah

Rob-Jeppson.jpgRob Jeppsen is a senior executive at HireVue, a fast-growth technology company that is launching a game-changing tool for Sales Leaders worldwide, and aims to revolutionize how sales leaders coach their teams and develop the world's greatest sales teams. Prior to joining HireVue, Rob was the SVP of Sales at Zions Bank from 2005 to 2015, where he helped lead a team of about 300 commercial bankers in a full-service offering of products to help grow and manage businesses.

Rob loves moving the Sales needle and has worked for, and consulted with, many organizations on sales, sales processes, leadership development, and the commercialization of new products and services, with emphasis on the technology and financial services sectors. Rob also enjoys building and driving growth of emerging organizations. He sees relationship development, business development, marketing, and corporate strategy as key ways to engineer value in organizations.

Rob is invited to speak at over 100 events each year. His 6-course training series, The Business Performance Series, was recognized as "Sales Training Curriculum of the Year"​ in the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and has been successfully taught to over 900 businesses. Since 2007, Rob has received 15 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in categories such as Sales Team of the Year, Sales Coaching Program of the Year, Sales Process of the Year, Sales Director of the Year, and Senior Sales Executive of the Year.

SALES DISTINCTION/NEW PRODUCT & SERVICE
Chair: Mike Hart, Vice President, Sales, Lennox Residential

Lennox Industries, Inc., Richardson, Texas

Mike Hart serves as the Vice President of Sales for the residential division of Lennox International. Mike joined Lennox in 1994 and is responsible for leading the residential sales, business development, national account, and customer service teams in the United States and Canada.

16-SASCS-SD_NP-Chair-Mike-Hart.jpgMike has over 30 years of experience in sales, sales leadership, brand management, distribution, retail, general management, M&A, operations, and coaching with multiple brands and channels in the heating and air conditioning manufacturing industry. Mike also volunteers as a board member of the Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Education and Training Committee. He also contributes as a board member on the sales advisory board and the marketing advisory board at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Marketing from the University of Maryland, and a Master’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. He spends his time mentoring and developing his team, profitably growing and exceeding sales, margin, and earnings objectives, implementing effective people processes, creating a culture of growth, accountability and teamwork, improving productivity and efficiency, providing effective sales leadership and coaching, as well as exceeding market share objectives. His 762 member sales team is responsible for $1.65B in revenue.

CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCCESS & CUSTOMER SERVICE/CONTACT CENTER ACHIEVEMENT
Chair: Jo Wimble-Groves, Business Support Director

Active Digital, Lamberhurst, Kent, United Kingdom

Jo Wimble-Groves is a Director of the successful Kent-based company Active Digital, an award-winning business mobile communications company. Jo has spent the last 20 years of her career working on customer experience and team strategy. Her commitment to delivering an exceptional level of service and building her successful team has led to a number of European and global awards.

16-SASCS-CSA-Chair-Jo-Ann.jpgSince starting the company aged just 16, Jo credits her success to an innate passion, dedication, and zeal for business, along with an intuitive ability to identify good opportunities. Jo was voted “35 under 35” in Management Today magazine in 2010. Active Digital also named one of the “Top 6 Customer Service Business Leaders in Europe” at the European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards in 2013. The company also won the Gold Stevie Award for Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Technology Industries in the 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Established in 1996, Active Digital clients include Olympic teams and rugby clubs. Its core business is providing mobiles, tablets, fixed line, and apps to UK organizations of all sizes.

CUSTOMER SERVICE/CONTACT CENTER INDIVIDUAL
Chair: Michael Anthony, Managing Director

OnForce (a division of Beeline), Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Michael_Anthony_Cus_Service_CSI.jpgMichael D. Anthony is General Manager of OnForce, a strategic business unit of Beeline. He is an innovative leader with more than 20 years of experience in the technical services industry. He is a passionate customer advocate who believes that a client-focused culture is the key to growing a successful business.

Michael joined Beeline in 2005 and recently transitioned from his role as VP, Client Services with Beeline to lead the OnForce business unit. Michael is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematical economics from the State University of New York at Oswego.

SALES INDIVIDUAL/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Chair: Jackie Coffey, CHIE, Vice President, Telemarketing
GuideWell Connect, Jacksonville, Florida

16_SASCS_SI_BDChair.jpgAs Vice President of Telemarketing, Jackie Coffey is responsible for the overall direct-to-consumer telesales capability serving numerous clients in the health care vertical for GuideWell Connect. Coffey leads the multi-channel sales contact center specializing in new acquisition, welcome programs and retention for Medicare, Under 65, small group, and ancillary products.

Prior to GuideWell Connect, Jackie worked with Florida Blue for 22 years holding leadership positions in sales, marketing, and communications with Florida Blue. Before Florida Blue, Jackie held advertising and marketing positions with Shepherd Advertising Group, Mease Hospital, and other health care companies.

Coffey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Tampa, and she is a Certified Call Center Manager through Purdue University’s College of Call Center Excellence. Coffey is a Certified Health Insurance Executive (CHIE) and a 2013-14 graduate of the Executive Leadership Program sponsored by America’s Health Insurance Plans. In The 2014 International Business Awards, Jackie won the Bronze Stevie Award for Executive of the Year–Health Products & Services.

CUSTOMER SERVICE/CONTACT CENTER TEAM
Chair: Kadir Mustafa Öztürk, Executive Vice President, Alternative Delivery Channels & Digital Banking Projects

Intertech A.Ş., Istanbul, Turkey

After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Istanbul Technical 16-SASCS-CST-Chair-Kadir-Mustafa.jpgUniversity in 2000, Kadir worked at various companies on website development. In 2003, he started at DenizBank A.Ş. as a software engineer. In 2005, Kadir joined Intertech A.Ş. as a software engineer, fulfilling his duties in Internet Banking and Web Projects at Alternative Distribution Channels Department. He was named ADC Department Head in July 2010. In this position he has led many successful projects in Internet/Mobile Banking and CRM fields.

In August 2012, Kadir was promoted to the position of Executive Vice President in charge of ADC and Digital Banking Projects at Intertech A.Ş. He is responsible for Channel Management, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, ATM and Kiosks, Call Center, User Experience, and Design Teams under the globally awarded inter-Vision product of Intertech A.Ş. He is currently running local and international banking projects.

Kadir is married with two children. He enjoys spending his leisure time on world cinema and history of moviemaking.

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT
Chair: Rebecca V. Eclipse, Chief Customer Experience Officer, 
Globe Telecom, Inc., Bonifacio Global City, The Philippines

16-SASCS-CSD-Chair-Rebecca-Eclipse.jpgRebecca V. Eclipse is the Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Experience Officer of Globe Telecom, Inc., and heads the Office of Strategy Management and Customer Experience.  

Responding to the speed of change and evolution of the telecommunications space, Rebecca draws wisdom and insight from 5 years in consulting and over 25 years of experience in the telco industry–from financial management, revenue assurance and fraud, internal controls, and business operations to strategy development and management, process and quality management,and, more importantly today, customer experience transformation.

Topics: customer service awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, contact center awards, business development awards, solution provider awards

The People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service Are Open for Voting

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Fri, Jan 22, 2016 @ 10:00 AM

Consumers the world over now have an opportunity to tell the world’s best providers of customer service just how much they love them, by voting at https://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com in the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service.

PCSAFCSAwardImage_medium-1.jpgThis worldwide public vote is open through February 12, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners in 13 industry categories. All organizations honored in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories of this year’s Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are candidates for the people’s choice awards.

Winners will receive the coveted crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award at a gala ceremony in Las Vegas on March 4. Industry categories include:

  • Computer Hardware and Services
  • Computer Services
  • Computer Software (<100 employees)
  • Computer Software (100+ employees)
  • Distribution & Transportation
  • Financial Services (<100 employees)
  • Financial Services (100+ employees)
  • Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals
  • Leisure & Tourism
  • Public Services & Education
  • Retail
  • Telecommunications.
  • All Other Industries

All customers, employees, fans, and followers of the nominated organizations are invited to vote.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at the 10th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service on Friday, March 4 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the event are now on sale. More than 450 executives from around the world are expected to attend.

Topics: best customer service, customer service awards, American business awards, People's Choice Stevie Awards

Final Deadline Approaching to Recognize the Best in Business in Germany

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jan 21, 2016 @ 11:17 AM

The organizer of the world’s leading business awards programs invites you to submit nominations to the 2016 (second annual) German Stevie Awards. Welcoming nominations from all organizations with operations in Germany, the final entry deadline is five days away on Tuesday, January 26.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

German_2016_group.jpgThe German Stevie Awards is the second national Stevie Awards program, after the 14-year-old American Business Awards.  The first German Stevie Awards was a great success. “In 2015 we received a great variety of compelling entries from organizations all over Germany. We look forward to even more companies and individuals being recognized for their innovations this year”, said Michael Gallagher, the president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

The German Stevie Awards welcome nominations from all organizations operating in Germany – large and small, for-profit and non-profit, publicly-held and privately-held - with a wide range of categories to choose from, including

New categories this year include Best E-Book and Best Business Book.  The Startup of the Year and Technology Startup of the Year categories have a small fee of only 35 Euros.

Judging for the competition will be conducted in two rounds.  The first round will determine Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in each category.  Those winners will be announced on February 24 at a press conference.  All of the Gold Stevie Award winners will then compete in the second round of judging for the right to be named the Grand Stevie Award winner in their category groups.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will be honored, and Grand Stevie Award winners announced, at a gala awards banquet in Munich at the Hotel Vier Jahrezeiten Kempinski on April 8, 2016.

Applications to judge the German Stevie Awards are still being accepted.  Those interested in participating in the judging process may also apply at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Deutschland. If your application is accepted, you will be assigned to a category based on your experience. As a judge you'll see how individuals and organizations are achieving success, and you'll receive a certificate of appreciation suitable for framing

Some of last year’s German Stevie Award winners included Black Lane GmbH, CCC, JUNIQE, Feingold Technologies GmbH, Emanate PR, Coca-Cola Germany, Sky Germany, SATTLER, and MID GmbH, among others.

To learn more about the German Stevie Awards, visit our Frequently Asked Questions webpage at http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/gsa/about/514_2923_24742.cfm.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: The American Business Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. 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 www.StevieAwards.com, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.

Topics: marketing awards, German Stevie Awards, management awards, German Business

Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service Announce Finalists in 10th Annual Competition

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jan 21, 2016 @ 11:00 AM

Finalists in the 10th Annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are crucial to business success, were announced today.    

Deutsche-Post-DHL.jpgA diverse group of organizations and individuals around the world are among those recognized in the customer service awards, contact center awards, business development awards, and sales awards categories. Organizations with five or more Finalist nominations include Carbonite, Inc., Cisco Systems, Delta Air Lines, DHL Express, Digital Risk, eMoney Advisor, LLC, GuideWell Connect, HomeServe USA, Human Resources Development Fund, iHeartMedia, Inc., John Hancock Financial Services, Lennox Industries, Inc., LiveWatch Security LLC, Marriott Vacations Worldwide, MTM Inc., Nuance Communications, Odeabank, Revana, Sales Partnerships, Inc., SoftPro, SurePayroll, Inc., Turkiye Is Bankasi A.S., Visualize, VIZIO, Inc., Wells Fargo, WePay Inc., and Wyndham Vacation Ownership. For a full list of Finalists by category, visit www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be announced during a gala banquet on Friday, March 4 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are now on sale.

The awards are presented by the Stevie Awards, which organizes several of the world’s leading business awards shows including the prestigious International Business Awards and American Business Awards.

More than 2,100 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition, an increase of 11% over 2015. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 115 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 59 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Consulting Practice of the Year; more than 50 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Business Development Achievement of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

More than 60 members of seven specialized judging committees will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, to begin January 25.

Beginning today through February 12, the general public may vote for their favorite providers of customer service in the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service. Voting is open at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com. Winners of the People’s Choice Stevie Awards in multiple industries will be determined in mid-February and honored at the awards gala in Las Vegas on March 4.

Sponsors of the 10th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships and ValueSelling Associates.

 

Topics: customer service awards, Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, contact center awards, business development awards, Finalists

Meet the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service First-Round Judges

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jan 20, 2016 @ 12:24 PM

The following professionals participated in preliminary-round judging of the 10th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service from November 2015 to January 2016.  Their average scores determined the Finalists in the sales awards, contact center awards, business development awards, and customer service awards categories.  We thank them for their time, insights and interest.

Finalists will be announced tomorrow (January 21), and the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists announced during a gala banquet at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas on Friday, March 4.  Tickets are now on sale.

 

Asburche Adalan, Sr. Manager, Business & Sales Development, DHL Express USA, Plantation, FL USA
Maryam Alhashmi, Deputy Representative of Quality, Fujairah Police GHQ, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Amal Al-Najjar, HR Manager, FLUOR / FDH JV, Ahmadi, Kuwait
Yeshiyah Amariel, Executive Consultant, Initiated Marketing, Chicago, IL USA
sascslogo.gifTirupathi Anand, Strategy Advisor, Motivaluate Consulting & Training, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
David Araujo, DP DHL, DHL Express, São Paulo, Brazil
Heather Arthur, Director, Business Care, Rogers Communications Inc., Brampton, ON, Canada
David Ashton, Chief Revenue Officer, Jonckers, Boulder, CO USA
Tristan Averett, Associate Manager, Allscripts, Salem, OR USA
Jamal Ayyad, Vice President- Service Delivery, SurePayroll, Glenview, IL USA
Stuart Bankey, Manager, Community Management, Rackspace, Windcrest, TX USA
Nick Broadbent, VP Global Support, DataCore Software, Reading, GA USA
Steve Butler, Vice President, CXACT, Arlington, VA USA
Pembe Candaner, Founder, President, Pro-To-Cool, Istanbul, Turkey
Lucia Caron, Manager, Customer Support, Verint Systems Inc., Herndon, VA USA
Beth Castro, AVP - Commercial Enablement, AT&T, Energy Business Solutions, Dallas, TX USA
Deepak Chawla, Vice President of Worldwide Support, Nutanix, Fremont, CA USA
Lebin Ebru Cokisler, Head of Corporate Communications, ANADOLU GROUP, Istanbul, Turkey
Jeanne Conger, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing Operations, Rausch Coleman Homes, Fayetteville, AR USA
Jason Copeland, Vice President - Sales, SurePayroll, Inc., Glenview, IL USA
Tom Cross, CEO, TECHtionary, Boulder, CO, USA
John Cushman, Vice President & Chief Business Strategist, Tech Mahindra, Dallas, TX USA
Amjad Daoud, Program Coordinator - Archival Program, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Arab Emirates
Churchill Dass Prince, Founder & CEO, Sales Intelligence Services, Inc, Silver Spring, MD USA
Karla Davis, General Manager, Plantation Resort, Surfside Beach, SC USA
Robyn Davis, Owner, When I Need Help, Columbia, SC USA
Luis Deza, General Manager, Canto Rodado Consulting, Miraflores Lima, Peru
Brent Dierking, Director, Business Development/Strategic Planning, NorthStar EMS, Birmingham, AL USA
Liliya Dimitrova, Customer Service Manager, Provident Financial Bulgaria, Bulgaria
Sheryl Dobson, Director of Customer Support, J2 Global Cloud Services, Customer Support, Ottawa, ON Canada
Teresa Dos Santos, Director, Business Interiors, Pensacola, FL USA
Alan Dowler, Operations Manager, Hamilton Jewelers, Princeton, NJ USA
Eve Dumovich, Publisher, Snowline Publishing, Ashford, WA USA
Laura Edgerton, Director, US Marketing, Manulife Asset Management, Boston, MA USA
Jessica Eker, Senior VP, Global Life Sciences Practice, Transperfect, New York, NY USA
Ed Ellsasser, President, PrimeGroup Insurance, Tampa, FL USA
Andrew J. Filipowski, Executive Chairman & CEO, SilkRoad Technology, Winston Salem, NC USA
Osman Firat, Customer Lifecycle Management Director, B/S/H Turkey, Istanbul, Turkey
Mark Fleming, Performance Manager, Delta Air Lines, Sales Support, Minneapolis, MN USA
William Garrick, Vice President, OptumRx, Costa Mesa, CA USA
Stephen Gill, President, Stephen Gill Associates, Derby, United Kingdom
Allison Golsby, CEO, ConsultMine, Brisbane, QLD Australia
Jeanine Greer, Inside Sales Representative, En Pointe Technologies, Chicago, IL USA
Robert Gregory, Senior Director - Hosting Support, GoDaddy, Scottsdale, AZ USA
Ankush Gupta, Vice President - Marketing, QEDBaton Enabled Services Pvt Ltd, Pune, India
Nabyl Hassain, Director Telesales Americas, DHL Global Forwarding, Miami, FL USA
Mary Henson, Membership Care Coordinator, United States Equestrian Federation, Customer Care Center, Lexington, KY USA
Phillip Horvath, Senior VP - Professional Services, Merchant Partners, Redmond, WA USA
Ozan Hunler, Senior Account Manager, AkzoNobel Coatings, Automotive and Aerospace Coatings Izmir, Izmir, Turkey
Linden Ingram, Executive VP Sales, Imparta Inc, Austin, TX USA
Jaimon Jacob, Associate Director - Customer Service & Business Excellence, UAE Exchange Centre LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mary Beth Jenkins, Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, UPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Becky Johns, Senior Vice President, MarketBridge, Bethesda, MD USA
Rod Jones, Chairman, Strategy to Revenue, Farnham Common, Bucks, United Kingdom
JoAnn Kay, Customer Care Director, GraduationSource, Port Chester, NY USA
Umut Kececioglu, Mobile Services Manager, Yapi Kredi Bank, Turkey
Joshua Kelley, Supervisor, Leadership Operations Training, MTM, Inc., West St Paul, MN USA
Lynn Kiser, Manager, Customer Service, MedCost, Winston-Salem, NC USA
Sandra Lynch, Account Manager, John Hancock, Boston, MA USA
Scott MacGregor, Founder & President, SomethingNew, LLC, Madison, CT USA
David Madacsi, Senior Technical Customer Support Engineer, GrassValley, Lakewood, CO USA
Omar Martínez, Human Resources Manager, DHL Express, Mexico
Wessam Massoud, Programme Delivery Manager, Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Center (ADSIC), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rowena Maxwell, Senior Manager, Accenture, London, United Kingdom
Serkan Memisoglu, Manager, Forte Consultancy Group Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Altug Merhap, Senior VP, DenizBank Turkey, DenizBank Genel Müdürlügü, Istanbul, Turkey
Judy Mod, Founder, CEO, & Chief Adoption Officer, RevenueSphere, Atlanta, GA USA
Thomas Moor, Global Director, Strategy and Planning, Sartomer (a business unit of Arkema), Exton, PA USA
Heather Moreland, Commercial Services Executive, Brett Martin, Newtownabbey, Antrim, United Kingdom
Ann Moreth, Sr. Customer Service Engagement Manager, UPMC Health Plan, Pittsburgh, PA USA
Zine Moufakir, Global Sales & Key Account Development Manager, 3M Global Sales Operations, Maplewood, MN USA
Pat Mussieux, Founder, Steps2Happiness Inc., London, ON Canada
Tracy Neiser, Customer Service Manager, Active Exhaust Corp, Toronto, ON Canada
Leticia Padilla, Corporate Recognition and Citizenship, Concentrix, Fremont, CA, USA
Tracy Parco, Director of Training, East West Bank, El Monte, CA USA
Leslie Phillips, Channel & Product Support Manager, GoDaddy, Customer Care Center, Scottsdale, AZ US
Dennis Reno, Senior VP, Customer Service, Proofpoint, Inc., Customer Services, Sunnyvale, CA USA
Peter Rifkind, VP, Client Services, UltraLinq Healthcare Solutions, Inc, New York, NY USA
Bruce Rosenblatt, Senior Housing Consultant, BR Consulting Group, Bonita Springs, FL USA
Sharon Rudd, Organisational Development & Sales Consultant, TNT, Mascot, NSW Australia
Jeremy Santiago, Senior Manager, Cisco, Global Virtual Sales Organization, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Paula Seeger, Information Support Specialist Sr, ASU Libraries, Tempe, AZ USA
Randy Selleck, Sr. Director, Call Center Operations, Assurant Solutions, Atlanta, GA USA
Priyanka Shah, Vice President, BNY Mellon, Albridge, USA
Dr. Shih Wei Sheu, China Zhi Gong Party:Jiangsu Explore Award, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Karishma Singh, Manager - Business Analyst, Fareportal, Gurgaon Haryana, India
Bella Slade, Consultant, Accenture, Financial Services, London, United Kingdom
Calvin St Juste, Customer Care Executive, CapitalOne, Retail Banking, Ellicott City, MD USA
Alec Stern, Founding Team, Vice President Strategic Innovation, Constant Contact, Waltham, MA USA
Michel Stevens, Senior Consultant, Futurelab, Willebroek, Belgium
Manfred Stockmann, President, Call Center Verband Deutschland e. V., Berlin, Germany
Joshua Strahler, Support Center Manager, Network Alliance, Parkersburg, WV USA
Lori Sullivan, Senior Director, Planning & Logistics, Phoenix Brands, Stamford, CT USA
Rochelle Sutton, Specialist, Customer Experience Management, Accenture, Financial Services, Tarvin, Chester, England
Kate Talbot, Director of Communications, Klick Communications, Santa Monica, CA USA
Anika Tannebaum, Head of Customer Service, Brands4friends, eBay inc., Berlin, Germany
Will Tarrant, Managing Partner, Service Metrics Group, Plano, TX USA
Özge Tekalp, Director, Türk Ekonomi Bankasi A.S - Alternative Sales Channels, Istanbul, Turkey
Rachael Thomas, Consultant, Accenture, Scotland, United Kingdom
Julie Thomas, President and CEO, ValueSelling Associates, Rancho Santa Fe, CA USA
Thomas Thuerling, Customer Service Consultant, Serviceberatung Thuerling, Germany
Emily Truslow, Annuity Customer Service Manager, Securian Financial Group, St Paul, MN USA
Irem Tüzünalper, Founder & CEO, EXTRA Loyalty Solutions Co. Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Richard Tyrrell-Ead, Director, Grass Valley Customer Services, Lakewood, CO USA
Lori Van Dyke, Manager, Customer Care, Access One Inc, Chicago, IL USA
Patrick Van Tolhuyzen, Independent Consultant, Antwerp, Belgium
Naveen Venkat PV, Director - Support Services, Replicon Inc., Bangalore, Karnataka India
William Wade, VP Business Operations, Synapse Group Inc., Stamford, CT USA
Sunil Wadhwa, VP - Customer Success, Druva, Sunnyvale, CA USA
Jim Wagstaff, Managing Director, Jam Factory, Pte. Ltd., Singapore
Charles White, Principal Administrator, International Relations Officer (retired), European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Lisa Woods, Product Manager, WIN, Madison, WI USA
Leanne Yenush, Non-Cash Compensation Manager, MFS Investment Management, Sales Compliance, Boston, MA USA
Claudia Zacharias, President & CEO, BOC, Pompano Beach, FL USA
Tarek Ziadeh, Customer Service Manager, DHL Express, DP DHL, Beirut, Lebanon

Topics: stevie awards for sales and customer service

Identifying Challenges in the Asian Century: Profile of a Stevie Awards Judge

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Tue, Jan 12, 2016 @ 02:55 PM

Jim Wagstaff is the Managing Director of Jam Factory Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based consulting and education technology firm. He is also an active judge for the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. In 2015, he participated in judging for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

The 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards is currently accepting entries. Find out how to enter here.

We asked Jim about the Stevie Awards judging process, what it is like running a business in Singapore, and for his insight into the contrasts between working in Asia-Pacific and the West.

1512jamfactory.jpgA Strong Endorsement

Jim would most definitely recommend being a Stevie Awards judge to others. As he told us: “I was initially invited to be a judge by someone who is a friend and colleague. The judging process really gives you a sense of the variety and creativity in how companies are approaching business challenges and opportunities in various parts of the world.”

Jim Wagstaff has called Singapore home since 2007. He had been living and working in Shanghai for a number of years when an opportunity to relocate to Singapore with Hewlett-Packard came up. Since 2010, he has been the Managing Director of Jam Factory in Singapore. We asked him about his decision to relocate to Singapore.

There were a number of professional reasons I chose to move to Singapore,” Jim explained. “The job, the breadth of the role, and a promotion … but also, from a personal perspective, I really enjoy the quality of life in Singapore: the year-round warm weather, the food, the location, and the concentration of so many businesses’ regional headquarters in one city.”

The Asian Century

Jim is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in business administration with a research emphasis on cross-cultural leadership and organizational development. We asked him if he could provide us with some insight into differences between the ways companies operate in the Asia-Pacific region that Western businesses should be aware of (and vice versa).

Commented Jim: “As an American who has spent half my career in various cities in Asia, the need for cultural intelligence and cross-cultural leadership skills has been close to my heart for quite some time.”

“As a source of research, study, and practice during my doctoral studies, there are a few important points for anyone looking to do business internationally … but especially in Asia, or moving out from Asia,” continued Jim. “The twenty-first century has often been characterized as the ‘Asian Century.’ Rapid economic growth in East Asia has created opportunities and challenges for multinational corporations, particularly Western multinationals. Western businesses have largely been predisposed to using a “one-size-fits-all” approach to management in their international locations. This strategy can pose a number of particular cultural contradictions for team members in East Asia.”

Working Outside the Cultural Comfort Zone

“My research has uncovered a number of specific areas that can be used as a model for leadership development by local, regional, and global managers,” Jim explained. “The model centers on the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to align, relate, and communicate more effectively by anyone who needs to work within and outside their own cultural ‘comfort zone’ in a multinational environment–particularly as a local subsidiary of a Western multinational company.”

Solving the Tough Issues

With the start of a new year, we asked Jim what he most looked forward to in the year ahead. “I love working with my clients,” he told us. “Since moving out of HP, I have become an entrepreneur and an active board member in a number of companies. The variety of work and its challenges really keeps me motivated. I am constantly looking for opportunities to help my clients solve their toughest issues … cost, complexity, process, organization, leadership … and to put them in a better position to be successful in their markets.”

About Jim Wagstaff:

Jim Wagstaff is the Co-Founder, Managing Director, and Content Guru of The Jam Factory in Singapore. Jim leads the consulting part of the business, and has a wealth of experience in executive roles in various companies. He loves working with clients to help them identify their learning needs and map their plans so as to positively impact their business. He also leads content development, and has designed many training programs for different customers and industries.

Jim also serves as Managing Director of Renewtrak Asia, a fully managed, white-label renewals platform-as-a-service where the business model is 100% focused on helping clients increase their service contract renewals at no additional operational cost to the client. In addition, Jim is an active board member at Up 2 Speed Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based organization focused on crafting customized learning and development approaches for multinational and global companies.

Jim was previously Vice-President and General Manager of the StorageWorks Division for Hewlett Packard in Asia Pacific and Japan. His responsibilities while leading this business unit encompassed all aspects of the organization including sales, marketing, finance, operations, public relations and analyst relations, delivering around $800 million in revenue annually.

Prior to HP, Jim was at Dell in Shanghai, where he was General Manager of the server and storage business for China and Hong Kong. Jim was also responsible for Dell's alliance with EMC across Asia Pacific and Japan.

Jim has a BSc, an MBA, and is currently a doctoral researcher in the management school at the University of Liverpool with emphasis on the practical application of cross-cultural leadership approaches in multinational corporations. He is a runner and loves to travel.

About Jam Factory:

The Jam Factory enables businesses to enhance their workforce through training and development. Jam Factory provides learning and enablement solutions to businesses and professionals. The company believes in an integrated learning approach that is interactive and engages learners. It enables businesses to leverage technology to enable employees to learn, experience and engage. For more information, go to: www.jamfactory.net

Topics: best customer service, customer service awards, technology awards, sales awards, judges, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Ideas Worth Spreading: Stevie Award Winner’s TEDx Presentation Outlines Why and How She is Improving the Lives of Women and Minorities

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jan 06, 2016 @ 02:29 PM

I Change Her Life, a social business enterprise that is creating phenomenal changes in the lives of women in conflict-ridden regions of Pakistan and among the refugees in Turkey, won the Stevie Award for Community Involvement Program of the Year in the Company/Organization Awards categories of the 2015 Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Dr. Ambreen Zaman Riaz, the founder of I Change Her Life, was in New York for the gala awards presentations at the Marriott Marquis on November 13, 2015. Just before the presentation, however, she gave a talk at TEDxKinnaird, Lahore, Pakistan, outlining her beliefs and motivations.   She has shared the official link to this presentation with us, and you can view it at:

1512Change.gifhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYb2TtEmSdc

The objective of I Change Her Life is to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged women by employing and training them. The induction program has been updated over the past year to include a breakthrough “Life Coach” training manual that helps women overcome their suffering and enables them to become productive contributors to their communities.

In Pakistan, the outreach and visibility of I Change Her Life increased tremendously thanks to a collaboration with local non-profits and sister organizations. As a result of relentless efforts to improve the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable and weak women, the organization was able to increase the scope of positive social impact from 20 to 85,849 women in Pakistan.

Dr. Ambreen Zaman Riaz, the founder of I Change Her Life, tells us that this expansion was the direct result of collaboration with many organizations already working in the region such as Nida Pakistan, Blue Veins, and Sawera Pakistan.

“We are also in the process of initiating a joint program with the prestigious Agha Khan Foundation to work alongside their organization CIQAM to increase the scope of social impact,” added Dr. Zaman.   “In Pakistan, we have increased our presence and visibility, and managed to penetrate into the heart of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) region in the Northwest, by establishing close ties and creating relationships based on mutual trust and a strong belief in the process of positive social change.”  

Continued Dr. Zaman: “In Turkey, we have formed key alliances with Women Entrepreneurship group Kadiger Turkey, and with Macka and Flying Bloom. The vision and goals of these organizations are closely aligned with our own values and beliefs.”  

I Change Her Life is using these platforms to fight against gender violence in Pakistan. “We are actively involved in the process of drafting a legislature to modify the bill against honor killings and Sharia law in Pakistan that demeans the status of women in society and constricts their rights and civil liberties,” Dr. Zaman told us. “We are now actively involved in the process of social and legal change to create a positive atmosphere for women to flourish. Through our cooperation with WEF (Women Empowerment Forum) in Pakistan, we have been able to bring about subtle changes in the network of Pakistani society and institutions. The subject of gender violence is our priority, but it must be handled very delicately so as to not offend certain segments of society.”

“We have learned to create small but meaningful changes through our workshops, to create awareness against gender violence, and to focus on gender development,” concluded Dr. Zaman. “Our unique approach has helped us win over critics as well as conservative members of the institutions that we want to change. This is an unprecedented accomplishment: most other organizations have failed because they could not negotiate and ended up being attacked or abolished by fundamental groups. By combining good negotiation skills with open dialog, rather than pushing our agenda in the face of rigid opposition, we have managed to dissolve the boundaries of gender discrimination, leading to an overall change in the perception of the general population.”

I Change Her Life is also using its platform to voice concerns about the violation of the rights of minorities living in Pakistan.

About Dr. Ambreen Zaman Riaz:

Dr Ambreen Zaman Riaz is a medical doctor, social entrepreneur, renaissance scholar, and polymath. She left her successful career as a cosmetic dermatologist to help disadvantaged women because she firmly believed that educated people needed to get actively involved in the social-service sector. Dr Zaman has worked as a volunteer for non-profits both in Pakistan and Turkey. This has further enhanced her enthusiasm to serve vulnerable and weak women.

Dr Zaman is an active advocate of women's rights and participates in highlighting the rights of Christian, Agha Khani, and non-Muslim minorities in Pakistan. Her commitment to change the lives of underprivileged women has enabled her to achieve the status of "change maker" in international circles.

About I Change Her Life:

I Change Her Life is a Social Business Enterprise committed to changing the lives of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Pakistan and refugees in Turkey. The organization creates positive social impact in the lives of the vulnerable and weak. Its aim is to create awareness about issues such as gender violence and the rights of minorities. To find out more, go to: www.ichangeherlife.com

Topics: stevie awards for women in business, women awards, company awards, organization awards, company of the year

Last Chance to Enter the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Jan 06, 2016 @ 01:41 PM
 
Final Entry Deadline Is January 12

The countdown is on. The final entry deadline of the 10th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service is less than a week away. Organizations and individuals worldwide have only a few days left in which to compete for the Stevie, the highest honor in the business world. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service attract more than 1,100 nominations from organizations in more than 30 nations and territories each year.

sascsentrykit.gifAll companies, organizations and individuals worldwide may participate: public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. Participants may choose from a wide variety of categories for excellence in sales, business development, contact centers, and customer service.  “The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service offer more than 100 awards categories,” explains Stevie Awards president Michael Gallagher. There are several new categories this year. “For example, we have an entirely new set of categories to recognize organizations that provide great customer service yet don't have a formal customer service department.  We've named these Customer Service Success categories.  We also have a new set of Sales Distinction categories.”

Gallagher emphasizes that it’s possible to create high-quality nominations in the time remaining to entrants. Interested organizations may get the entry kit and other details at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales and select the categories suitable to their achievements. “The heart of each entry is an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominee’s achievements since the beginning of July 2014. The more precise and compelling the story of those achievements, the better.” advises Gallagher. 

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be selected during the judging process by more than 200 professionals worldwide. Finalists will be notified the week of January 18, and the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will be announced on March 4, during a gala awards ceremony at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. The Stevie Award trophy, designed by the same company that manufactures the Oscar, is one of the world’s most coveted prizes.

Learn more about Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the benefits of entering in a short video interview with Michael Gallagher.

Categories are available in the awards to recognize

  • Individual Sales Performers
  • Sales Teams and Departments
  • Sales Achievements
  • Individual Customer Service and Contact Center Performers
  • Customer Service/Contact Center Achievements
  • Customer Service Departments
  • Individual Business Development Performers
  • Business Development Achievements
  • Solution Providers to Sales and Customer Service Professionals
  • New Products and Services used by sales and customer service professionals
  • and More

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in six programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. 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.

 

Topics: customer service awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service, business development awards