• - Telecommunications leader hosts millions of subscribers worldwide and pilots new network capabilities in Azerbaijan
•  
• - Azercell Telecom is an industry expert and the biggest investor in the country focused not only on company growth but individual/societal needs
•  
• - Azercell’s COVID-19 response helped individuals from all walks of life stay safe during the pandemic

About Azercell Telecom

Azercell Telecom is the leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer, and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan. Over 4.5 million subscribers worldwide choose Azercell services.

Azercell was the first to pilot 5G network in the country and South Caucasia regions. As a pioneer in the industry, Azercell introduced a number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advanced payment systems, mobile internet services, 24/7 call center service, and online customer care. 

Azercell’s 4G network covers nearly 60 regions of the country and is top-rated in mobile operators of Azerbaijan. They are the only company in the country to be awarded the Gold Certificate of International “Investors in People” Standard. 

Azercell’s COVID-19 Response

When the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, Azercell uploaded 50 AZN to the balance of active roaming subscribers who were in countries with limited transportation in order to provide them with uninterrupted communications with their families and relatives. They also added 50 AZN to the balance of over 600 medical workers. In addition, calls to the State Agency were waived of charges for all Azercell subscribers. A 5GB internet package was presented to more than 25,000 teachers and staff who were forced to work online during the pandemic. Nearly 600 students of the Azerbaijan Technical University were provided with discounted internet packages. 

They donated 2 million manats to fund the Support Fight Against Coronavirus. Azercell’s preventative measures included caring for vulnerable people in society by giving nearly 6,000 product baskets to low-income families. During the month of Ramadan, 4,000 low-income families received food aid. Hundreds of Azercell employees joined the blood donation campaign to help children suffering from thalassemia, hemophilia, and other inherited blood diseases. The Children’s Hotline provided thousands of children with necessary psychological, legal, and social assistance during this time. 

Prioritizing subscribers’ health, Azercell has organized various campaigns to keep people safe at home while spending time productively. They offered 50% discounts for language-learning applications and free mobile internet music applications. 

Azercell Telecom won a Gold Stevie for Company of the Year - Telecommunications, a Bronze Stevie for Most Innovative Company of the Year, and a Bronze Stevie for COVID-19 Response Categories - Most Valuable Corporate Response in The 2020 International Business Awards®. 

Interested in The 2021 International Business Awards? 

• - Backwoods Promotions, Inc. provides staff and brand ambassadors to top-line outdoor and motorsport clients
•  
• - This staffing agency prides themselves on genuine relationships with companies through passionate, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic event staff who go above and beyond to promote products

Backwoods Promotions specializes in motorsports, outdoor, and automotive event staffing across North America. Founded in 2012 by Jessica Kline, the company provides ongoing service to a number of large corporations, primarily focused on supplying brand ambassadors and event staff to outdoor festivals, trade shows and more.

Since 2019, Backwoods Promotions has successfully trademarked its motto: Promote What you Love® and Enthusiasts First® to use in marketing and commerce. Backwoods Promotions was also certified as a Woman Business Enterprise by WBE Canada. In addition, its founder and CEO, Jessica Kline, was accepted into the Forbes Business Council. 

In terms of clients and services, Backwoods Promotions has demonstrated an ability to maintain its existing client base for years. This year, the company celebrates its sixth year providing service to Bombardier Recreational Product brands (i.e. Ski-Doo), its sixth year working with Fox Factory Inc., and now its second year working with Harley-Davidson Canada and Anheuser-Busch. In total, the company has provided thousands of event staff to work at 500 events across North America. 

What makes Backwoods Promotions unique is an emphasis on sourcing staff who are passionate about the companies, products, and services they represent at events and trade shows. While a number of staffing agencies and modeling agencies exist, none have successfully dominated the motorsports and outdoors industries with the same specialized approach that Backwoods Promotions has. Since the beginning, they have touted the fact that they are not a typical staffing agency, resulting in a rich niche of opportunity to supply skilled staff for motorcycle demo tours, off-road ride and drive events, corporate product launches, trade shows, and more. Backwoods Promotions’ unique approach to staffing is one that consistently adapts to North American motorsport and outdoor markets. 

Backwoods Promotions won three Stevie Awards for Company / Organization Categories: a Silver Stevie for Company of the Year - Diversified Services - Small, a Silver Stevie for Company of the Year - Business or Professional Services - Small, and a Bronze Stevie for Company of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure - Small in the 2020 International Business Awards®. 

Interested in entering the 2021 International Business Awards? 

• - Laos’ mostly rural population does not have access to traditional banking services
•  
• - Star Fintech Sole Co. (Star Telecom) developed “u-money” which is easy to use, low-cost, and accessible via mobile devices

About Star Fintech Sole Co. 

Founded by Star Telecom (Unitel) in 2019, Star Fintech Sole Co. is the first “u-money” mobile phone service in Laos. This provides nationwide financial services that are quick and convenient, low-cost electronic payments. 

Modern Money in Laos

Laos is a developing country where most areas are rural. Most people live in mountainous areas and do not have bank accounts, thus access to financial services is quite limited. As a leader in telecommunication and digital transformation, Star Telecom is committed to investing and concentrating its resources to people who would benefit the most. 

Unitel engaged with the Bank of Lao PRD (BoL) and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in 2014 to develop “u-money”, a digital financial service product. U-money now takes an active part in the development of Laos and allows people in rural areas to access financial services via mobile devices. In 2019, Star Telecom became the first company to receive a legal license for e-wallet services in Laos.

Startelecom (Star Fintech Sole Co.) won a Silver Stevie for Innovation in Product Design & Development - Consumer Products & Services in The 2020 Asia-Pacific Awards®. 

Interested in entering The 2021 Asia-Pacific Awards? 

• - Customer service tools with AI-based technology improve sales, marketing, and overall customer satisfaction
  
  
• - Grazitti Interactive’s SearchUnify platform simplifies complex issues and provides tools and personalized search results 

About SearchUnify

SearchUnify is a flagship product of Grazitti. This unified cognitive search platform revolutionizes information discovery, fuels an insight engine, and makes for a robust platform for AI-based apps like customer-facing and agent-assisting chatbots. It’s AI powers relevant and personalized search results for customer support and self-service. 

Grazitti’s Product Inception

Grazitti Interactive is a digital innovation leader with extensive experience in developing solutions for CRM, marketing automation, online communities, and analytics. With over a decade of experience enabling businesses to improve marketing, sales, and support outcomes, Grazitti Interactive witnessed businesses struggling to put information in the hands of end-users. SearchUnify was built to unify diverse content sources and provide a seamless user experience and to simplify tools and requirements in one extensive platform.

AI is being seen by support leaders as a possible solution to many complex issues. AI-powered apps built on SearchUnify equip agents with tools they need to delight customers. As a one-stop solution, SearchUnify helps to increase case deflection and expedite case resolution. It helps community managers drive self-service success by showing smart recommendations to users based on their search behavior to help them find the most relevant answers quickly. 

SearchUnify’s customers have seen exponential success: 

• 12% month-to-month increase in site visits 
  13% increase in search conversions
  15% increase in agent productivity
  21% increase in case deflection
  28% reduction in searches without results 
  Over 8 million cumulative total searches 

SearchUnify won a Silver Stevies for Innovation in Customer Service - Innovative Use of Technology in Customer Service - Computer Industries and a Silver Stevie for Innovation in Product Design & Development - Innovation in Business-to-Business Products & Services in The 2020 Asia-Pacific Awards®. 

Interested in entering The 2021 Asia-Pacific Awards?

• - Australian-based digital advertising company paves the way for new revenues in traditionally untouched spheres
•  
• - Hoppr creates a new way to advertise on the small screen while still reaching massive audiences
•  
• - Advertising with Hoppr allows customizability and flexibility for businesses of all sizes
•  

About Hoppr

Hoppr is a startup company focused on creating technology solutions for the global advertising sector. Their flagship technology solution - HopprTV - creates ad space in a new place. This world-first turnkey solution can be seamlessly integrated with any TV service to display personally tailored and targeted ads to audiences of the small screen. Hoppr’s innovations are visible through their strategic partnership with leading global media groups including Technicolor, a global media giant with access to 700 million set top boxes worldwide. 

Hoppr allows businesses of any size to deliver messages to highly engaged TV audiences, targeted personally or geographically, thus unlocking new revenue while generating detailed information about audience habits. By integrating HopprTV, platforms can instantly offer digital advertising solutions that compete with online rivals, creating a new ecosystem of advertising on the small screen that opens the doors for small businesses to connect with audiences closest to them.

HopprTV’s Solution

In the modern media landscape, nothing compares to the reach and prestige of advertising on television. But in the digital age, most advertisers are turning from the traditional, expensive contracts on the small screen to more targeted, flexible, and cost-efficient messaging found online. 

This trend has only accelerated with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, wherein TV advertising revenues plummeted worldwide despite more people than ever watching streaming and free content online. To adapt and thrive in this new media environment, TV advertisers need to adopt the tactics and techniques of online digital marketers. HopprTV was designed to bridge the gap between TV’s prestige and digital’s flexibility, creating ad space in a new place to unlock revenue, rich audience data, and targeted exposure like never before. 

Hoppr won a Gold Stevie for Innovation in Technology Management, Planning & Innovation - Telecommunications Industries in The 2020 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards. 

Interested in entering The 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards?

• - Humidity and condensation cause serious problems for PepsiCo sales including lack of visibility, water leakage, and risk of electric shock
•  
• - PepsiCo’s BLU cooler lowers the cost of cooling and creates a condensation-free, 100% visible case for beloved products

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has since grown into one of the largest multinational corporation food and beverage businesses in the country. The company is dedicated to continuously improving all of their products, operating responsibly to protect the planet, and empowering people around the world to create long-term success for society. 

Keeping Cool

Tropical countries in Asia and Africa have extreme weather conditions with temperatures over 41 degrees celsius and humidity over 75%. During the rainy season, humidity rises to nearly 90%, which leads to many of Pepsi coolers’ glass doors to drip with heavy condensation and subsequently block the products’ visibility, leading to a serious loss of sales and high risk of leakage and electrical shock. 

BLU Cooler was introduced as a super workhorse, robust design cooler with efficient temperature management. The full-length glass door doubles the visibility and lowers the cost of cooling by 20% compared to existing coolers. Patented Hot Air-Flow Management ensures 100% condensation-free see through experience in any environmental conditions, even in the highest humidity. 

PepsiCo India won multiple awards for Innovation in Product Design & Development: both Gold and Silver Stevies for Consumer Products & Services and a Silver Stevie for Energy & Sustainability in The 2020 Asia-Pacific Awards®. 

Interested in entering The 2021 Asia-Pacific Awards? 

• Red Hat’s Quarkus framework modernizes Java software by making it cloud-native
  
  
• Revolutionary open-source project helps applications consume 1/10th the memory and startup 300x faster when compared to traditional Java
  
  
• Quarkus helps Java maintain its platform leader status through modern innovation designed to meet the fast-paced, ever-changing demands of today’s businesses

About Red Hat 

Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open-source software solutions. They use a community-powered approach to deliver reliable and high-performing Linux, hybrid cloud, contained, and Kubernetes technologies. 

Modernizing Fundamental Technology 

Red Hat’s Quarkus framework makes Java relevant where it otherwise may have been dismissed. Despite Java’s age, there are still millions of Java developers and numerous mission-critical enterprise applications running in Java in some of the world’s largest organizations. Quarkus is a Kubernetes-native Java framework tailored for GraaIVM and HotSpot, crafted from the best Java libraries and standards. The goal of Quarkus is to make Java a leading platform and serverless environment while offering developers a unified reactive and imperative programming model to optimally address a wider range of distributed application architectures. In recent years, there has been a massive investment in Java, but without Quarkus leading Java into cloud-native, modern app development, Java would run the risk of not being able to adequately meet the changing needs of businesses today. 

Quarkus

Quarkus represents a fundamental shift in modern application development and is designed to address some of the shortcomings that Java faces in cloud-native application architectures. Java developers are able to use Quarkus to build apps that have a faster startup time and take up less memory than traditional Java-based microservices frameworks. Quarkus includes flexible and easy to use APIs that enable developers to build cloud-native apps and best-of-breed frameworks. 

As an open source project, Quarkus has gained attention because of its revolutionary approach to running Java in the cloud, its native use of containers, and its ability to provide a true serverless runtime for Java. This framework is designed to work out-of-the-box with more than 80 popular Java extensions. Developers can choose the Java frameworks they want for their applications, which can be run in JVM mode or compiled and run in native mode. Quarkus also includes developer productivity capabilities, such as live coding so that developers can immediately check the effect of code changes and quickly troubleshoot them, unified imperative and reactive programming with an embedded managed event bus, unified configuration, and easy native executable generation. Quarkus builds applications to consume 1/10th the memory when compared to traditional Java and to have 300x faster startup times, both of which greatly reduce the cost of cloud resources.

Quarkus is designed to spark developer joy, meaning that tried and true Java developers are able to continue working in the language they know and love. Quarkus is changing the game when it comes to driving the future of Java. 

Red Hat won the Bronze Stevie for New Product & Service Categories - Business Technology - Software Development Solution in The 2020 American Business Awards®.

Interested in entering The 2021 American Business Awards?

• Global software company provides the leading low-code platform for process management 
  
•  
• Creatio has been highly recognized as a market leader by key industry analysts 
  
  
• Operating in over 100 countries worldwide, the Creatio platform provides cutting-edge technology and out-of-the-box ideas

About Creatio

Creatio (formerly bpm’online) is a leading low-code, process automation and customer relationship management (CRM) company. Creatio’s intelligent platform accelerates sales, marketing, service, and operations for thousands of customers and hundreds of partners worldwide. Their mission is to help organizations accelerate by providing a platform to automate their business ideas faster and easier. 

In addition to three CRM products for marketing, sales, and services, Creatio offers solutions that allow apps to be built and processed quickly and effortlessly. Their low-code platform embraces the “Everyone’s a Developer” concept, a cutting-edge idea that provides solutions for businesses to shrink the IT delivery gap. With the market for low-code platforms growing by an estimated 40% annually, it is estimated that by 2024, low-code platform development will be responsible for more than 65% of application development activity. Therefore, Creatio moves with the times to provide its customers with cutting-edge technology to gain a competitive advantage in their markets. 

Studio Creatio

The platform has two editions: Studio Creatio, Enterprise Edition and Studio Creatio, Free Edition. 

Studio Creatio, Enterprise Edition is an intelligent low-code and process management platform enabling businesses to provide non-IT employees with the ability to build apps and processes that they need. Creatio’s robust and flexible low-code tools enable users without deep technical skills to build user interfaces as well as design business logics, define data models, and set up machine learning models for better decision making. 

The Free Edition was launched in June of 2019 and has since gained thousands of users. It is a tool for collaborative process design and is completely free to use. Studio Creatio, Free Edition allows users to build process diagrams easily using visual tools, standardized process management, and simplified process documentation. It enables teams to edit, comment on, and view designs in real time - a level of collaboration that ensures the best results possible. By releasing the Free Edition, Creatio has been able to expand their presence as a brand by differentiating their product portfolio in comparison to their numerous competitors. 

Creatio’s products enable organizations to accelerate their transformation thanks to the platform’s unique synergy of low-code, business process automation, and CRM. The release of Studio Creatio has made a substantial impact on the recent market. The regular updates to the software ensure that they provide a leading platform with a broad set of out-of-the-box functions, best industry practices, and an exceptional user experience. By extending the platform’s low-code process automation capabilities this year, Creatio was also able to send a stronger message about the “Everyone’s a Developer” concept they fully believe in. As a result, Creatio has become closer to making this concept a reality for many companies around the world. 

Benefits of Using Studio Creatio: 

1. Providing non-IT employees with the ability to build apps and processes they need
2. Creating business processes of any complexity as easily as playing with LEGOs: moving elements, engaging colleagues, commenting on actions, and managing all processes in a single environment
3. Easily integrating solutions an organization already uses into its digital ecosystem with extensive integration capabilities  
4. Accelerating app development with solutions and templates that can be used immediately instead of building from scratch 
5. Boosting apps delivery and maintenance with robust tools for successful app deployment and upgrades

Creatio won the People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite New Products - Digital Process Automation Solution in The 2020 American Business Awards®.

Interested in entering The 2021 American Business Awards?

• In the next decade, over 170 million electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to be on the road
• To meet the coming need for charging stations and electricity, EV Connect is proactively leading this transformation 
• By working with electric utilities, EV Connect links all parties from EV drivers to utilities and brings simplicity to the EV revolution

About EV Connect

EV Connect is home to the most innovative, robust, and feature-rich, cloud-based software platform for managing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The world’s largest companies ranging from enterprise, to hospitality and retail, to universities and government facilities, leverage the EV Connect platform to bring simplicity and flexibility to their personnel. As the demand for EVs surges, so does the need for charging stations and the electricity to fuel them. The number of EVs on the road is expected to increase from 3 million in 2017  to over 170 million by 2030. The energy required to support this unprecedented fuel transition is expected to exceed a staggering 500 terawatt-hours of electricity, compared to less than 10 terawatt-hours as of 2017. To deliver this energy to individual cars, the number of charging stations must grow exponentially as well. 

The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) found that most utilities are not prepared for the load of EV fueling at scale. However, utilities that proactively lead this transformation will reap the benefits of higher revenues from EV electricity demand, greater rigid stability, and overall better customer experience. There are a number of business models to choose from when deploying an EV charging network for customers: full ownership, make-ready, or incentive-based. The EV Connect platform makes these and derivative business models simple so that individual utilities do not have to become software companies and spend millions of dollars developing and testing complex software platforms. 

EV charging will place untold new demands on the electric generation and distribution systems. Through EV Connect, electric utilities will have detailed insights into when charging loads are most pronounced and how much electricity they have to provide during those times to avoid disruptions to the energy grid. To ensure that utilities have this insight, EV Connect works with utilities to find organizations and businesses that join and participate in transportation electrification programs. By working with electric utilities, EV Connect uses EV Cloud to close the loop on EV charging, linking all parties from EV drivers to utilities, and enabling utilities to centrally manage EV charging loads according to the demand on the grid at any given time. 

In 2019, EV Connect partnered with multiple utilities including Detroit-based DTE Energy to provide technical expertise surrounding EV network management and fleet deployment for participants of various programs. Under DTE’s “Charging Forward” program, EV Connect empowers Michigan residents to realize the full benefits of EVs by producing business opportunities and jobs for charging network operations, improving the EV ownership experience for EV drivers, and efficiently integrating EV charging loads with DTE electric distribution systems. 

As consumers, we can  enjoy the vast diversity of options offered by a competitive market as long as those options do not make life difficult for users, operators, and utilities. The EV revolution is at risk of becoming an unmanageable failure if the industry does not build a streamlined, efficient, and effective user experience from drivers to utilities. EV Connect is doing just that. 

EV Connect won the Gold Stevie for Energy Industry Innovation of the Year in The 2020 American Business Awards®.

Interested in entering The 2021 American Business Awards?

Look around you; automation is everywhere. From checking bags in at the airport to ordering pizza, booking a hotel room, or arranging a doctor's appointment, artificial intelligence is being used worldwide. Customer service is no different. By the end of this year, experts predict 85% of all customer exchanges will be done without human interjection. 

The automation of customer service radically reduces human input in repetitive, manual tasks, saving time, effort, and, ultimately, monetary resources. This means the addition of processes that let customers ask and have queries answered instantaneously without the need for any contact with a human representative. It works so well because the customer has to jump through fewer hoops to find a resolution.

Automated customer service removes the need for context or secondary explanations, and gets to the heart of a problem without much fuss. It's not limited by industry either, having potential use cases for retailers, manufacturers, IT pros, and even a Saas marketing agency. 

Are you looking to integrate automated customer service into your organization? Or, do you still need to convince those around you of its uses? RingCentral is here to help, and here's why your business should invest in automated customer service. 

Source: Finances Online

AI can preempt a problem

Through automation, you gain a level of responsiveness that just isn't humanly possible. In the not too distant future, a virtual assistant will know what a customer wants by understanding how most people interact with a business and using that data to guide the customer throughout his or her journey. 

An AI assistant will know who makes up your customer base and give them what they want before they even know they need it. AI-embedded systems can monitor an infinite amount of websites and data sets, identifying distress indicators and customer experience blockers. It can then respond instantaneously through pop-ups or virtual service agents that function across platforms. 

This preemptive problem solving can significantly lower customer abandonment rates within a purchasing cycle, while at the same time improving the customer journey and satisfaction. 

This type of preemptive problem solving is referred to as "intent prediction." It's an algorithm that figures out where the customer came from, should go next, and what they'll need when they get there. Inputs like clicks, scrolling speed, views, and prior purchases are translated into data that determines intent and selects the right kind of support. 

For example, the tech can recognize patterns based on web activity and route the incoming customer call to the right agent or department. Intent prediction lets customer service teams be there at the exact point they're needed.

24/7 365

Not limited by public holidays, sick days, or time zones, an organization with AI-empowered customer service means it can handle customer queries at all times, every day. Meaning, no waiting times for a response. No waiting times suggest better customer satisfaction, thus reduced churn. It also proves a brand's customer commitment - valuable for both trust and reputation. 

No need for training or repetition 

Onboarding and then training staff is an expensive and time-consuming process. A customer call center operator in the US can cost upwards of $4000 to hire and nearly $5000 to train them on your systems, call center workforce management software, and more. Never mind stationery and office other office expenses.

Automation solutions solve both cost and space problems, which are common issues within a call center. AI can empower team members with the resources they need to serve your customers and find more job satisfaction. 

An automatic dialer, for example, can arm agents with all they need for any specific call. Simultaneously, computer telephony integration software links all data into a single dashboard and gives the agent a myriad of methods to help answer customer queries. Such features are just part of the reason why RingCentral is a Stevie Awards winner.  

Rather than retraining your entire workforce, the software can be reconfigured and everything else automated. More still, AI-powered customer service platforms free up employees from tiresome and often dull tasks and allow them to focus more on challenging customer issues and think of creative, dynamic solutions. 

Source: Superoffice 

An easier way to personalize 

By combining big data, machine learning, and AI, companies can create an intimate personalization level across a customer’s journey. This can be as simple as using past purchases to suggest new products, or as complicated as detailed website layouts laid out in real-time to match a user’s browsing habits and reading comprehension. 

This sort of personalization improves customer experiences; it encourages conversions as well as repeat purchases. AI and automation also give human employees more context as to who they’re talking to, by understanding their purchase history, search preferences, and past experiences with your business. With this information on hand, service professionals are more prepared to give your customers better and more tailored output. 

Guaranteed reliability 

AI-powered customer service technology unlocks a level of reliability that human counterparts cannot match. Chatbots don’t have the same affiliations and biases humans may have. Chatbots don’t show up to work late. They don’t get irritated with customers or crack inappropriate jokes. 

They can also be designed to escalate matters to a human manager if they’re not providing adequate service. All of this improves customer service interactions, which is one of the best ways to generate repeat business. 

When queries are escalated to a human agent, they’re able to handle the past-call data in an instant and can pick up the baton where it was dropped. As opposed to the customer having to repeat themselves. There’s no need for siloed information or separate databases. Customer service reps, working alongside virtual assistants, can provide consistent, reliable, and friendly service. 

Source: Artificial solutions

The ability to scale quickly 

AI-powered technology allows businesses to scale customer service up or down with ease and speed, even when resources are limited (like during a pandemic). Upon launching a new product or service, a business can release FAQs or video-based solutions that can handle countless customer questions without human interjection. 

Chatbots make it easy to respond to customer inquiries even during a surge, and learn and grow from every interaction. Businesses can break into new markets without limitation or the need to hire and train a mass of staff who speak the language needed in this new market. You can keep your workforce connected, no matter where they are or where they’re working from. 

AI is not here to replace human teams but to support them. It can compile massive amounts of data and present it in an easy to read and action format, ultimately for the customer’s benefit. It makes work smarter, not harder, and has already changed customer service forever. 

John Allen, Director, Global SEO at RingCentral, a global UCaaS and VoIP provider. He has over 14 years of experience and an extensive background in building and optimizing digital marketing programs. He has written for websites such as MarketScale and E-Spirit.

RingCentral won a Gold Stevie for Innovation in Human Resources Management, Planning, & Practice in the 2020 Asia-Pacific Awards®.