Rosaline Raj is the founding principal of Creative Chaos Communications, a boutique agency in Silicon Valley that helps brands discover, create, optimize and share high quality multimedia content.  Raj first became a Stevie Awards judge in 2012. She now works to create engaging social media content and conversations for the six world-recognized Stevie Award programs. We asked Rosaline to share her insights and experience in judging the Stevie Awards.

Find out more on how to become a judge for the International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards program, here.

Beyond Inspiration

Rosaline tells us that she first started judging entries for the Stevie Awards  purely for inspiration and to see how big brands and agencies were achieving success amidst the ever-changing communications landscape.  She very quickly learned that this was beyond inspiration. “Judging the awards became a dynamic professional development tool for me. This was the best way for me to gain deep insight into a campaign, project or event from top companies across the world.”

The Content Perspective

We asked Rosaline what role content plays in the entries. “To win an award, not only does the strategy need to be exemplary, but the content needs to break through the chaos. That doesn’t mean creating content for the sake of content. But instead creating high-quality content that is strategic, audience-focused, optimized and has measurable results. The impressive content in the entries - from both big and small brands – have helped build trust and drive awareness, differentiation and preference for their businesses.”

Extraordinary Teams

A winning entry shows how a team’s efforts have positively impacted a business. “I enjoy the stories that illustrate how a great leader creates the vision, builds an extraordinary team and empowers them to deliver exceptional results to their customers. Strong employees definitely build a strong business and it is exciting to see how companies build a successful brand from the inside out.”

Leveling Up the Playing Field

The Stevie Awards programs attracts everyone from the most influential brands to small businesses and non-profit organizations. Time, budget and talent are huge challenges for everyone. “I was particularly impressed with the level of creativity and amazing results from smaller businesses. I loved seeing their ingenuity in overdrive. I think the Stevie Awards level up the playing field and honors remarkable work regardless of company size and budget.”

On Judging Entries

We asked Rosaline on how she judges the entries. “Strategy and results weigh heavily. But I also look at the level of creativity and that extra “something” that takes an entry from great to outstanding.”

The Perks

Judging any awards competition is time-consuming but there are a ton of benefits.  “By judging the Stevie Awards, I have been able to break free from my “comfort zone,” weigh in on the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of projects, benchmark my work against renowned brands in the industry and gain validation that I am on the right track.”

About Rosaline Raj

Rosaline Raj is the founding principal of Creative Chaos Communications and has over 15 years of integrated experience spanning marketing, public relations, employee communications and journalism. She is the editor-in-chief of Contentology, the Creative Chaos monthly publication on all things content and how to grow your business with it. She’s a former board member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC-Silicon Valley) where her work was honored with a Chapter Management Award (2013). She writes a column for the chapter’s monthly publication, The Communicator, which reaches 500 targeted communicators in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Previously, she worked for Spansion, a global flash memory company in the automotive, industrial, consumer and communications markets. She was recognized in 2010 with the Vice President Spotlight Award.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in politics from San Jose State University.

About Creative Chaos Communications

Creative Chaos Communications is a boutique agency in Silicon Valley that helps brands discover, create, optimize and share high quality multimedia content.  We believe that a holistic approach to communications drives customer value, business growth and leadership. We believe in giving, sharing and teaching to empower entire communities and work with local non-profits to advance their work.  www.creativechaosgroup.com

First Winners in Newest Stevie Awards Program to Be Honored in Seoul on 30 May

29 April 2014 – Fairfax, VA USA: Winners in the new Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the only business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region, were announced today.  The complete list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners is available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world's premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in the workplace over the past 12 years in programs such as The International Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be created in seven years.

Stevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards at a gala banquet at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, 30 May.  Tickets for the event are now on sale.

Stevie Award winners include, among others:

• AirAsia Berhad, Malaysia
• ABS-CBN, the Philippines
• Billabong International Ltd, Australia
• Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, Japan
• Huawei Technologies, China
• Hyundai Steel, South Korea
• Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd, Singapore

All organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region were eligible to submit entries.  Nominations of more than 500 organizations were considered for the awards this year.

More than 50 executives around the world participated in the first round of judging to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.  A second judging panel will choose a very few Grand Stevie Award winners beginning the first week of May.

The Stevie Award trophy, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, is among the world's most coveted prizes.

For more information about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, visit http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business 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.

Stevie® Awards to Be Presented This Fall in Paris

The Stevie® Awards today issued the call for entries for The 11th Annual International Business Awards, the world’s premier business awards competition, which attracts nominations from organizations in more than 50 nations and territories each year.

All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – may submit nominations to The International Business Awards.  The entry deadline is 14 May.  Late entries will be accepted through 11 June, and results will be announced in mid-August.  Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA.  

Stevie Awards will be conferred at three levels of distinction: Gold, Silver and Bronze.  Several Grand Stevie Awards also will be conferred as best-of-competition prizes.  Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, are among the world’s most coveted prizes. Stevie Award winners will be selected by an international judging panel of more than 200 executives.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace.  Categories include:

• Management Awards
• Company of the Year Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• Public Relations Awards
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

Because 2014 Stevie Award winners will be celebrated on Friday, 10 October at the Westin Vendôme Hotel in Paris, France, all organizations in France may submit an unlimited number of entries to the IBAs this year without having to pay the entry fees.  French organizations should use the promotion code “Paris” where indicated in the online entry process.

The 10th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2013 in Barcelona, Spain.  Top Stevie winners last year included Accenture (USA), Best Doctors, Inc. (USA), Burson-Marsteller (Australia and the UAE), Coca-Cola Turkey (Turkey), Finansbank A.S. (Turkey), Ignacio de las Cuevas S.A. (Spain), Jack Morton Worldwide (UK and the USA), KW Digital (Sweden), LLORENTE & CUENCA (Spain), Maras Group (Australia), Nu Skin Enterprises (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Reading Room (Singapore), RTR Rete Rinnovabile (Italy), and Weber Shandwick (Hong Kong and the UK). 2013 results are summarized here.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  A sixth program, the German Stevie Awards, will debut later this year.  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. 

The final entry deadline for The 2014 (12th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is this Wednesday, April 23.  Complete details on the ABAs are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

Maybe you haven't entered yet, and you're swamped this week, or you're not sure of the benefits of participating, or haven't yet made the case to your boss or your colleagues about why you should make the investment in time and money to submit nominations to the ABAs.

Here are 10 great reasons why your organization should enter The American Business Awards.

1. Entering the ABAs is a cost-effective way to thank and honor your valued employees and to build or burnish your brand.

2. The entry process itself is valuable.  You'll research and write succinct, compelling stories of achievement within your organization that you can use in other ways.

3. Small companies have just as much chance to win a Stevie as big companies do.  Every year, household-name companies such as Apple, Delta Faucet, and Ford Motor Company are joined in the winners' circle by small and medium-size organizations that are still building their brands.

4. There are scores of categories covering every aspect of business, from management and finance, to marketing and public relations, to product development, customer service, and human resources.

5. If you’re a marketing consultancy or media production company, your work will be reviewed and honored by potential clients, not just your competitors, and there are many categories for web sites and apps, marketing campaigns, video productions, and other media.

6. Many of the world's top business leaders will review your nominations during the judging process.

7. If you win a Gold Stevie Award you’ll get to make a 30-second acceptance speech…before an audience of hundreds of executives from across the country…during a nationally-broadcast awards dinner…that will also be streamed worldwide over the Internet.

8. The Stevie Award is one of the world's most impressive trophies - it will wow clients, partners, colleagues and staff.

9. We'll promote your win across our web site and media.  We get more than 70,000 visitors to our site every month, have more than 24,000 weekly email newsletter subscribers, and many thousands of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter followers.

10. As an honoree you'll get a range of free tools that you can use to promote your award.

Need more reasons?  Need help choosing categories?  Contact us.

We won't officially extend the entry deadline, but if you need a few extra days to submit your entries you may have them, but you must request a brief extension in writing.

We received such a large, late influx of entries for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards that we've had to change the announcement date for the winners.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will now be announced and notified on Tuesday, April 29 - not on April 23, as originally planned.

The reason for the change is that we've had to extend the judging for a week to ensure that all entries are fairly judged.  The judging, originally scheduled to end on April 18, will now conclude on April 25.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be introduced in seven years.  This new business awards program is open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.  More than 400 entries were submitted this year.

Currently more than 100 executives are reviewing the entries in the first-round of judging, which will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners to be announced on April 29.

A second round of judging, to be conducted in early May by another international panel of executives, will choose a handful of Grand Stevie Award winners from among the Gold Stevie winners.

The Stevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on Friday, May 30 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.  Tickets for the banquet will go on sale on April 29.

Join the mailing list for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and you'll be emailed the entry kit as soon as it's available this fall.

We have published the full-text of the Gold Stevie Award-winning entries from the 2014 (8th Annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's premier sales awards and customer service awards.

READ THEM HERE.

Here’s a preview of some of the Gold Stevie-winning entries you'll find online now:

Company: Strategy to Revenue, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Category: Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year
Nomination Title: DHL Global Forwarding - Quest for Sales Excellence

Strategy to Revenue (STR) was engaged by DHL Global Forwarding (DGF) in September 2012 to transform the global sales force to become the number one in the logistics industry as part of their 'Good to Great' business strategy.

In order to fully understand the current situation, STR worked in collaboration with the DHL Global Sales Training team to analyze the sales process, existing selling models and concepts used in the field, and identify the gaps to drive high performance...

The Kohl’s Charge Contact Center, a 900+ seat environment with four locations, provides Retail & Customer Service and Operational Support to 25+ million Kohl’s Charge Card customers and 1,158 retail store locations. 3 balanced elements define the Kohl’s unique Contact Center Strategy…

Company: PostNet, Denver, CO
Category: Sales Growth Achievement of the Year
Nomination Title: PostNet

PostNet CEO Steve Greenbaum, and co-founder Brian Spindel led PostNet’s re-imagined franchise model from its origins as a mail and parcel store to a full-on Neighborhood Business Center. When consumer sales declined in the recession, PostNet seized an opportunity in a new breed of customers: laid-off workers who decided to go into small business ownership. Validation of this new target customer came from extensive market research and an analysis of the top-performing franchises that were already mainly focused on servicing the needs of small businesses in their communities...

Chris Kyle, a United States Navy SEAL, known as the most lethal sniper in American military history, was tragically shot and killed on February 2, 2013 at a shooting range in Texas. To honor this war veteran, Mr. Greg Marra, known as America’s Sculptor, completed a life-size sculpted image of Chris Kyle and was raising funds to have it transported from Sarasota to Dallas/Ft. Worth, where it would be cast in bronze and eventually presented to Mr. Kyle’s family.

Business partners of Mr. Marra contacted Delta to make flight reservations to attend a ceremony where the statue would be viewed. When Dallas/Ft. Worth Specialist Rachel Bible heard the story, she inquired if Mr. Marra also needed reservations. Rachel offered to conference in Mr. Marra to assist him but was told he wasn’t ready to make his reservation due to lack of funds. Rachel realized quickly that the flight had a limited number of seats left on it, and overwhelmed with compassion for the situation, elected to pay for Mr. Marra’s ticket herself...

Company: Turkish Economy Bank, Istanbul, Turkey
Category: Best Use of Technology in Customer Service
Nomination Title: TEB SME TV

TEB SME TV is the first internet television of the banking sector in Turkey. The objectives are to help development and growth of SMEs in Turkey, to offer suggestions to expand their visions, to share success stories and growing trends in business. It presents these facilities by providing hot news on many topics including marketing & sales, foreign trade, information about industry, R & D incentives, meeting the SME’s needs of information and training focusing on the latest developments...

Company: CGS, New York, NY
Category: Contact Center Leader of the Year
Nomination Title: Tom Walsh, Executive Directory

Tom Walsh is an outstanding call center site director for CGS’s Edison, NJ call center, where he is responsible for the 170 person technical support help desk for a multinational photography and imaging company. Through thick and thin, he manages his people with enthusiasm and care while managing the business with attention to results. He thinks creatively and works within the constraints of a call center operation to constantly re-invent and improve...

Company: FreshBooks, Toronto, ON Canada
Category: Customer Service Management Team of the Year
Nomination Title: FreshBooks Management Team

FreshBooks’ customer service management team consists of Senior Support Manager, Steve Bujouves and Support Managers, Grace Antonio and Tim Chan (lovingly known 'round these parts as Chim).

This past year presented a difficult challenge for the team. To meet the needs of a growing user base, the Support Team needed to double (yes, double!) its size this year to 22 people. The hardest thing to keep intact when growing the team so quickly is ensuring customers *consistently* receive extraordinary experiences every time they contact FreshBooks. The focus for 2013 was consistency...

Globe Telecom in Manila, the Philippines won a Gold Stevie® Award for New Product or Service Introduction of the Year in the marketing awards categories of The 2013 International Business Awards, the world’s only international, all-encompassing business awards program. (Entries to The 2014 International Business Awards and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are now being accepted.)

GCASH is a mobile money service of G-Xchange, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom, one of the leading telecommunications companies in the Philippines. It allows subscribers to convert their money to GCASH (stored automatically in the subscriber’s “GCASH wallet”) and use this to purchase airtime load, send money, and pay their bills—all at the speed of a text message.

Operating as an innovative mobile money service in the Philippines, a traditional, third world nation, is very challenging. To illustrate, a good 80% of Filipinos transact in cash and only 20% actually venture into the convenience of credit and debit cards - for safety (less exposure to fraud), and because Filipinos shun the thought of being in debt.

We asked Paolo Baltao, president of G-Xchange, Inc., what he saw as the biggest challenges to online shopping in The Philippines in 2014.

“Only a small percentage of Filipinos own credit cards which can be used for online shopping,” said Baltao, “while those who do are hindered from shopping from foreign websites (i) because of the hassles and fees required when the package reaches Philippine grounds; and (ii) because not all foreign merchants ship internationally.”

Continued Baltao: “We developed GCASH American Express Virtual Pay to respond to the growing customer preference for online shopping and e-commerce, and to ensure that the product will guarantee security, convenience, and the promise of package delivery straight to the Philippine doorstep.”

Meeting the Challenge

“As GCASH goes deeper into the world of payments, it is constantly faced with the challenge of innovating to fit the consumer’s ever-changing lifestyle,” added Balata. “Winning the Stevie® Award in 2013 provided international recognition of GCASH as one of the world’s best when it comes to product and service innovation. It also strengthened the value proposition of GCASH as the leading mobile money service in the Philippines.”

“We are elated with the global recognition that winning the Stevie® Award has given the brand,” concluded Baltao. “Not only does it add value to our innovation: it also serves as an inspiration to continue to innovate.”

Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Baltao is exited by the prospect of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards. “Given the growing number of excellent businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “These Awards will provide an opportunity for more Asia-Pacific players to gain recognition for superb business practices and innovative services.”

Innovation and Security

GCASH American Express® (GCASH Amex) Virtual Pay gives subscribers a virtual account linked to their GCASH wallets. The first of its kind, GCASH Amex Virtual Pay introduces a secure way of shopping from sites that accept American Express as a mode of payment. All subscribers are automatically assigned an American Express card bin linked to the subscriber’s GCASH wallet, and a security code, which they can change anytime for security. As an additional account safety measure, an SMS is sent for every successful transaction made using the service. This way, subscribers are alerted when someone tries to use their accounts.

End-to-End Shopping Experience

Having assured Filipinos that the service is secure, G-Xchange proceeded with developing an end-to-end shopping experience tailored for the Philippine market. A partnership with a reliable freight forwarding company was formed: My Shopping Box (MSB) issued personalized U.S. addresses to all subscribers, enabling Filipinos to have foreign packages delivered straight to their doorsteps at affordable rates.

The Filipino proclivity towards U.S. goods had been dampened somewhat by the extra steps (and fees) they needed to take in order to receive their foreign purchases. Now, MSB settles local duties and delivers the packages that could otherwise only have been acquired by waiting for big brown boxes packed lovingly by any of the 9.5 million overseas Filipino workers—or by purchasing it locally for three times its value.

Outstanding Performance

To date, GCASH Amex Virtual Pay has performed outstandingly and achieved the following results in the first year of its launch:

-        Grew its subscriber base over 200 times in the span of 6 months from 895 subscribers in October 2012, to 195,560 subscribers in April 2013;

-        Enjoyed a 180% increase in the subscriber’s average daily transaction count;

-        100% positive feedback on social networking sites—a first-ever for Globe Telecom in 2012;

-        Second highest ROI contributor to total Globe Telecom’s publicity efforts in 2012.

While still conducting its operations in a conservative local environment, GCASH Amex Virtual Pay is slowly gaining a bigger reach over its market because of the relevance of the service in addressing local concerns. It is, after all, a service built for Filipinos, by Filipinos. Through this, Globe Telecom is able to bridge another gap and connect its subscribers not only to each other, but also to the rest of the world.

Future Innovation

Concludes Baltao: “Seeing the Philippines adapt more and more to technological advancements, especially in the mobile money industry inspires me to constantly offer newer product and service innovations that will all work towards creating a wonderful world for our consumers.

About Paolo Baltao

Paolo Baltao is the President of G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Globe Telecom. GXI pioneered a cardless and cashless mobile commerce service called GCASH. Launched in the Philippines in October 2004, GCASH has over 1 million subscribers today.

Before he became President, Paolo held several positions in GXI, including International Remittance & Banking Business Development Head, Financial and Government Services Segment Head, and OFW & Money Remittance Segment Head. He was responsible for the formulation of the product strategy, management of product portfolio, creation and implementation of business strategies, and acquisition of international and domestic partners.

Prior to working for GXI, Paolo had 13 years of experience in product management and business development in the pharmaceutical, banking and remittance, and telecommunications industries.

About Globe Telecom

Globe Telecom is a leading full service telecommunications company in the Philippines, serving the needs of consumers and businesses across an entire suite of products and services including mobile, fixed, broadband, data connections, internet and managed services.  Its principals are Ayala Corporation and SingTel who are acknowledged industry leaders in the country and in the region. For more information, visit www.globe.com.ph.  Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/talk2Globe and Facebook: http://facebook.com/GlobePH.

The final entry deadline for the 2014 (first annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the first business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region, has been extended through 31 March.

Information about the program is available online at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world's premier business awards programs.  The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.

Entries will be accepted in the following categories:

• Technology Company of the Year
• Manufacturing Company of the Year
• Services Company of the Year
• Government or NGO Organization of the Year
• Fastest-Growing Company of the Year
• Exporter of the Year
• Management Team of the Year
• Customer Service Leader of the Year
• Technology Executive of the Year
• Manufacturing Executive of the Year
• Services Executive of the Year
• Government or NGO Executive of the Year
• Woman of the Year
• New Technology Product of the Year
• New Consumer Product of the Year
• New Consumer Service of the Year
• New Business Product of the Year
• New Business Service of the Year

The awards will culminate with a gala awards banquet at the Lottel Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, 30 May.

We are pleased to share that the acceptance speeches and winner interview clips from the awards gala celebrating the 2014 (8th Annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's premier sales awards and customer service awards, are now available to view on YouTube. The gala took place on February 21 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

• Watch the winner interviews
• Watch the acceptance speeches
• Download the awards dinner program book
• Browse and download photographs of the awards banquet

A complete list of all Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards by category is available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Here are some of the Gold Stevie-winning interviews you'll find online now:

Kohl's Department Stores - Credit Division, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats) All Other Industries

Revana, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Sales Oursourcing Provider of the Year

FreshBooks, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Customer Service Manager of the Year, Customer Service Team of the Year - Business Service Industries, and Customer Service Management Team of the Year - All Other Industries

(mt) Media Temple, Winner of the Gold Stevie® Award for Contact Center Solution - New Version

Box, Inc., Winner of the Gold Stevie® Awards for Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year - Technology Industries - Computer Software - 100 or More Employees

Winners in the eighth annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, an international competition recognizing excellence in disciplines that are vital to business success, were unveiled last night at a gala ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada attended by more than 470 executives from around the world.

DP DHL, with Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award wins for activities worldwide, in Mexico, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S.A., among other nations, was the most honored organization this year, thus earning the top Grand Stevie Award trophy. Other Grand Stevie Award winners, in descending order, include VIZIO, Inc., Delta Air Lines, John Hancock Signature Services, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, Turk Economy Bank, Salesforce, Richardson, EMKAY, and PetRays Veterinary Telemedicine Consultants.

Among other Stevie winners, Blinds.com, CubeSmart, FreshBooks, Lennox Industries, and RBS Citizens won three Gold Stevie Awards each. Winners of two Gold Stevies include Akbank, AMD, and Marriott Vacation Club.

A complete list of all Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards by category is available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

Winners in the fifth annual People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, as determined by more than 430,000 public votes, were also awarded at the event to organizations including CardioVet, Constant Contact, JobVite, and India’s TATA Motors Ltd., among others.

The presentations were recorded and will be broadcast by the Biz Talk Radionetworks (http://www.biztalkradio.com) at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, February 26.

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

Over 1,500 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition, an increase of 36% over 2013. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 129 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 43 categories for customer service and contact center achievements, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 43 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

More than 130 members of seven specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, that took place January 27 - February 5.

About The Stevie Awards
The Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. A sixth program, the German Stevie Awards, will be introduced later this year. 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 follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.

Sponsors and supporters of the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include the Biz Talk Radionetwork, Competence Call Center, and ValueSelling Associates.