Most of the time, the engineers and other professionals at software firm Olark are busy manipulating code as they try to push their product forward. But once a month, those computer gurus tackle a much different task: handling customer service inquiries from their users.

The company calls it their “All Hands Support” policy, intended to keep staffers throughout the organization in tune with the needs of clients. “Everyone in our 40-person company continues to contribute to our customer service efforts in some way,” says Karl Pawlewicz, the company’s spokesman.

Customer service is, in fact, at the very core of the San Francisco-based company. Founded in 2009, it offers a live chat platform that businesses large and small can use to address the real-time needs of their buyers. Today, more than 12,000 organizations around the globe use Olark’s easy-to-implement solution in order to address customer needs.

By giving all of its employees a taste of the customer service experience, they’re able to create a better product, Pawlewicz suggests. “It keeps our entire company in close contact with our customers' successes and frustrations, and ensures each department is aligned on customer priorities,” he says.

The idea originated from the early days when Olark’s four founders were living together in Palo Alto and developing the software platform. “They each took turns on customer service so they wouldn't burn out and so they could stay close to customer feedback,” according to Pawlewicz.

At a time when a lot of customer service is being automated through artificial intelligence and bots, Pawlewicz says it was important for Olark’s principals to create a solution that was simultaneously economical and person-oriented.

“We’re looking for ways to develop a hybrid approach, ensuring technology makes humans more efficient, rather than replacing them,” he notes.

Building Empathy

Creating a better customer service experience is about more than spreading the workload around ‒ it’s also about developing a culture that turns employees into advocates for the company. That can can be a challenge for a geographically-diverse organization, where many employees work from home throughout North America, South America and Europe.

To develop that cohesiveness, the company, which recently won the Gold Stevie Award in the 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service for Customer Service Department of the Year ‒ Computer Software, hosts in-person retreats once a year. There, the company leaders preach Olark’s core values. Among them: “assume good faith,” “practice empathy” and “help each other grow.”

But the most unconventional of the company’s axioms is “chill out.” As its website describes, Olark  wants its employees to “seek activities that recharge you and allow you to bring your best self to work.” So it’s no accident that the company has amateur musicians and even a couple of part-time farmers among its ranks.

Olark has some off-beat customs, to be sure. Its employees join in to sing Darius Rucker’s  “Wagon Wheel,” the firm’s unofficial anthem, whenever they get together. And they have secret, gift-giving gnomes to celebrate birthdays, since they’re apart for the other 51 weeks each year.

“Creating this positive environment helps our team maintain a healthy work/life balance and come to work every day refreshed and renewed,” explains Pawlewicz. (L1)

That balanced approach has paid off in the form of excellent customer service, decided by Stevie Awards judges. Pawlewicz says the honor has been a major shot in the arm for workers at the burgeoning company.

“It's a testament to the hard work that our customer service team puts in every day, and we hope it will be a compelling proof point for future candidates who consider working at Olark,” he says.

• Learn more about Olark
  
  
• Learn more about the 2018 Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service

Drug and alcohol testing mitigates the risk of injury and property damage to help companies establish a strong safety culture. Stevie Award winner Drug Tests In Bulk (DTIB) provides instant drug testing kits for businesses ranging from correctional facilities, corporate accounts, government offices and anyone who wants to detect the use of abused substances.

The company recently won the Silver Stevie for the e-Commerce Customer Service Award - All Other Industries in the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, in addition to gaining media attention for filling an invaluable need for organizations.

Sumant Vasan, Director of Digital Marketing at Drug Tests in Bulk told us, “We have been mentioned in many notable publications, such as Forbes, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, Chicago Tribune and Buzzfeed for our product selection, customer service, and marketing prowess. We are also recognized by DATIA, SAPAA, and SHRM and BBB with an A+ as an exemplary provider.”

The Best and Affordable

DTIB finds the change from lab testing to instant tests to be the most profound as of late. While most lab tests can cost up to $120, instant tests can go for as little as $2-$10 per test. This opportunity helps DTIB help businesses keep a safe workplace, without causing them the difficulty of choosing a sizable investment to do so.

Knowing Your Customer

Regular "Power Hour" meetings to review customer inquiries help address any concerns in a uniform and a thoughtful manner. They also look at customizing the best products for certain industry types, to reduce customer confusion and increase trust in their customer service team.

“We also have a catered lunch every Friday, where we all get a chance to eat, laugh and get to know our fellow team members better.” Said Sumant.

Growing Up With The Company

DTIB believes they’re much more than a drug testing company.  Implementing drug testing policy, protocol, and regulations is a serious responsibility. They also design exercises that include friendly competitions, collaborative projects and focus group sessions to maintain their family oriented environment that sets them apart.

“Our team members have ‘grown up’ with the company. Many of us have gotten married, had children, and bought homes while working here.” Recalled Sumant, “The company definitely has a family feel to it, and we often do things in the community together. For example, we support local food banks, girl scouts, boy scouts, drug rehab centers, and animal shelters.”

Passing With Flying Colours

DTIB customers constantly save on service that matches expensive lab based tests, with an instant solution that delivers the results in less than 5 minutes without sacrificing the quality of the test itself. With more than 15,000 businesses and clients in the U.S., DTIB has definitely tested positive for stellar customer service.

Learn more about Drug Tests in Bulk and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. 

When a company needs protection from issues related to safety, quality assurance and loss prevention, streamlined data can make a world of difference.

RizePoint is a global leader in enterprise compliance for both internally imposed standards and externally imposed regulations. Their software builds and protects brand equity by enabling a consistent customer experience. Considered the industry standard for food service, hospitality, and retail, RizePoint mobile and cloud-based solutions serve nearly 2 million audits with 200 million questions answered annually. 

Rising to The Challenge

2016 was a whirlwind year for RizePoint. The company rebranded themselves (formerly Steton Technology Group) and brought on a new executive team that launched two major software updates—a first for the company.

They took their motto to heart by hiring the "best and the brightest" and that strategy paid off with awards, increased revenue and low turnover rates.

Their successful transition lead them to winning the 2016 Silver Stevie Employer of the Year Award in the Computer Software category and the Silver Sales and Customer Service Award in the Business Intelligence category for 2017.

The 2018 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service opens in June. Request your entry kit here.

“Winning the Stevie validates our efforts to create industry-leading business intelligence solutions. It helps us talk about our software to potential clients, partners, and investors.”

A Special Thanks

The compliance software industry is a growing space. RizePoint has nearly 20 years of experience in this industry but there are now more than 5 dozen startups doing some form of compliance software. Rizepoint attributes a lot of their success to Jesse Dowdle’s award-winning leadership style for paving the way for success at Rizepoint. They also thank continued partnerships with their clients in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

While RizePoint works with the world’s most recognized brands to deliver audit tools and reports, they make it their mission to give clients their full attention and address any concerns in their day-to-day operations. RizePoint believes their unique culture can be best understood by watching their introductory video exemplifying their dedication to making clients feel RizePoint is their “home away from home.”

Providing the best customer service for homes and businesses is what Stevie Award-winner Signs.com is all about.

Signs.com is the industry leader in a variety of indoor and outdoor custom signage options for businesses and homes. They also offer one day turnaround time on most of their products. If clients need assistance, they proclaim, “no problem!” by providing free design services and “world-class customer service.”

This is how they garnered such high customer satisfaction rates all the way to win the Gold Stevie Award for Customer Service Department of the Year.

Interested in entering the 2018 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service? These are the top customer service awards, sales awards, business development awards, and new product and service awards around the world.

Request the entry kit here and it will be emailed to you in June.

No Small Parts

Signs.com believes each of their team members bring unique qualities to the table. Whitney Pikula (nee Matagi) is their “bubbliest” customer experience agent on the Signs.com chat service. Whitney was hired as a temp while she finished school and immediately charmed everyone, leading her to land the Customer Experience position.

“She's helpful, sweet, and endearing...Her vivacious spirit is infectious. She's such an asset to our customer service team!”

Whitney has also been a professional dancer for most of her life. She danced for the University of Utah (her alma mater), the Utah Jazz basketball team and the Arizona Cardinals football team. She also traveled through China cheering on the United States Basketball team. Whitney has made it her mission to always keep clients happy and her co-workers laughing.

Smooth Strides to The Stevie Awards

Signs.com made the UVEF (Utah Venture Entrepreneur Forum) top 25 companies under five years old for the second year in a row, before placing sixth in the top ten.

In 2015, they were awarded "Utah's Emerging Elite," an award that honors Utah's fastest growing companies.

In 2017, they plan on applying to be on the INC 500 list.

“We pride ourselves on being on the forefront of these innovations. Who knows where the future of printing will take us.”

Signs.com considers the Stevie Awards a great place to share their company success.

“What a great place to showcase our amazing company. Upon learning of the Stevie Awards' tremendous reputation, we couldn't think of a better match! We became obsessed with creating the best submission out there!”

All Work and No Play...

Working hard but also playing hard is very important to Signs.com. Team building activities include escape rooms, games of darts, nerf gun wars and frequent pranks keep a sense of play for a company in the business of creative council for signage.

“To shake things up, we always play a game after each meeting! We've done some crazy things we aren't really proud of, including putting nylons on our head, eating donuts from a string and playing aggressive games of Spoons. We even have gold and silver medals to hand out to the weekly winners. Yeah, not competitive at all. And TOTALLY normal.”

Samantha, their resident baker, always makes snacks for meetings and birthday celebrations. Because of this, they have sage advice:

“Invest in treadmill desks.”

A common thread among successful, enduring brands is always putting the customer first. Selling to existing customers is much more inexpensive than attracting new ones. Research shows that companies spend five times more to attract a new buyer than to retain a previous one.

Yet a primary mechanism for delivering customer service – a large call center operation – can be limiting. Often, these facilities are trying to lure local job seekers who have little attachment to the brand. And that becomes evident in their interactions with the customer.

Arise Virtual Solutions is trying to fundamentally change that paradigm. The Miramar, Florida-based company provides a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to utilize a network of “micro” call centers around the country. Often, these are semi-retired adults, stay-at-home parents, or even people with disabilities who work out of their homes.

Because the talent pool isn’t confined to a small geographic area, companies can look for individuals who have a higher level of work experience or who possess specific skills, such as the ability to speak a foreign language.

It also enables organizations – whether they’re manufacturers, retailers or service providers – to recruit representatives who share their values and interests. That aspect resolves some of the high turnover issues that plague a lot of traditional call centers. It also turns those individuals into advocates for the brand.

A cycling equipment maker, for instance, is able to staff people who are avid fans of the sport. As a result, they have a clearer understanding of the questions that customers have and are able to suggest products that will fit their needs.

In the 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, Arise was recognized for its innovative solution. The company was awarded the Gold Stevie® in the Best Use of Technology in Customer Service - Business Services category.

Want to submit entries in the 2018 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service? Request your entry kit here and it will be emailed to you when it's available. 

A more flexible workforce

For firms that use the Arise platform, the advantages go beyond the talent level of the customer service workers. The technology also provides a flexibility that traditional call centers don’t offer.

Based on call volume, for example, companies can increase or decrease the number of on-duty reps in under an hour. As a result, users can turn a fixed cost into a variable cost – and save money in the process. The company calls it being “right-staffed.”

Consequently, an industry that was once dominated by large brick-and-mortar operations is undergoing a seismic transformation.  A trade group survey found that as many as 70 percent of call center managers intend to move to a cloud-based infrastructure in the near future.

As one Stevie® Award judge put it, technologies like those offered by Arise offer a “desperately needed” tool that can “accommodate a flexible workforce.”

The array of benefits has led to impressive growth for the company, which was founded in the mid-90s. Today, the Arise network includes thousands of micro call centers throughout the United States as well as in Canada and several European countries. Those individuals provide support for companies in a wide range of industries, from healthcare to retail and banking.

Arise has garnered a number of recognitions over the past few years, including accolades from the Outsourcing Institute and the International Customer Management Institute, or ICMI. Arise CEO John A. Meyer indicated the Stevie Award represents a major achievement for the organization.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by the Stevie Awards and our peers,” Meyer said in a statement following the ceremony in Las Vegas.

Learn more about Arise Virtual Solutions.

Winners in the eleventh annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, recognized as the world's top customer service awards and sales awards, were unveiled on Friday night at a gala ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada attended by more than 650 executives from around the world.

The complete list of Stevie Winners by category is available at http://www.StevieAwards.com/Sales.

DP DHL, with Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award wins for activities worldwide, in Argentina, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, and the U.S.A., among other nations, was the most honored organization this year, earning the top Grand Stevie Award trophy for the fourth consecutive year. Other Grand Stevie Award winners, in descending order, include Visualize, HomeServe USA, Delta Air Lines, GuideWell Connect, IBM, VIZIO Inc., Carbonite, Inc., WePay Inc, and Concentrix.

Among other Stevie winners, Carbonite Inc., HomeServe USA, IBM, and iHeartMedia won four Gold Stevie Awards, the most from all organizations. Cisco Systems, ClearVision Optical Company, Optum Consumer Sales and Services, UNOX, Vivint Smart Home, and WePay Inc took home three Gold Stevies. Winners of two Gold Stevie Awards include Ally Bank, CAC 2000 Ltd, Delta Air Lines, Inc., Dow Jones & Co., GuideWell Connect, Imparta Inc., Inci Akü GS Yuasa, Infinity, John Hancock Financial Services, ListenTrust, Network Alliance, Odeabank, VIZIO Inc, and Wilson Learning.

Winners in the People’s Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, as determined by more than 149,000 public votes, were also awarded at the event to organizations including Bombardier Aerospace, Chewy, CommonBond, CubeSmart, Distinguished Programs, FieldEdge, GPS Insight, j2 Global, Inc., Marriott Vacation Club Owner Services, Ultimate Software, Unitrends, and Zelis Payments.

The presentations were broadcast live via Livestream, and are still available to watch online..

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 American Business Awards.

More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition, an increase of 10% over 2016. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 77 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 61 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; 53 categories for sales and business development achievements, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Business Development Executive of the Year to Sales Department of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

More than 75 members of several specialized judging committees determined the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging, that took place January 23 - February 1.

Sponsors of the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships, Inc. and ValueSelling Associates, Inc.

The 11th annual Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service - the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals - will be staged this Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.  More than 650 professionals from around the world will attend, making it one of the largest Stevie Awards events ever staged.  

The awards presentations will be broadcast live - look here for the details.  

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards in the business development, new product and service and solution provider categories will be presented at 5:15 pm Pacific Time.  After a reception and dinner, awards in the sales and customer service categories will be presented beginning at 7:40 pm PT.

Here's the list of organizations that have already confirmed their attendance this Friday.

Access One Inc Chicago IL
Achievers Toronto ON Canada
Acquia Inc. Boston MA
Adestra New York NY
Adobe Systems San Jose CA
Aflac Columbus GA
Albridge Lawrenceville NJ
Allianz Global Assistance Richmond VA
Ally Bank Detroit MI
Arcelik Istanbul-Turkey
ArmadaGlobal Hunt Valley MD
Auspac Business Advantage Maroochydore QLD Australia
AWeber - Email Marketing Chalfont PA
BCM One New York NY
BiggerPockets Denver CO
Billhighway Troy MI
Black Knight Financial Services Jacksonville FL
Blue Ocean Contact Centers Halifax NS Canada
Board of Certification/Accreditation Owings Mill MD
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft Customer Services Toronto ON & Montreal and Mirabel PQ
Borusan Otomotiv Istanbul Turkey
Box Inc. Redwood City CA
Brainier Solutions Inc. Minneapolis MN
CAC 2000 Kingston Jamaica
Camp Bow Wow Broomfield CO
Carbonite Inc. Lewiston ME
CareerArc Burbank CA
CareerBuilder Chicago IL
Casper New York NY
Chewy Dania Beach FL
Choozle Denver CO
Cisco Systems Diegem Belgium
Cisco Systems Inc. San Jose CA
CLEAResult Tempe AZ
ClearSlide San Francisco CA
ClearVision Optical Company Hauppauge NY
Clio - Practice Management Software Vancouver BC Canada
Comcast Philadelphia PA
Concentrix Fremont CA
Conectys Bucharest Romania
Convergys Corporation Cincinnati OH
Cricket Wireless Atlanta GA
CrunchTime! Information Systems Boston MA
CubeSmart Malvern PA
DataCore Software Fort Lauderdale FL
Daxko Birmingham AL
Dell Technologies Bangalore Karnataka India
Delmarva Trailer Sales and Rentals Inc. Elkridge MD
Delta Air Lines Atlanta GA
Delta Defense West Bend WI
Delta Vacations Minot ND
DHL Express Plantation FL & Tempe AZ
DHL Global Forwarding U.S.
Dicom Transportation Group Dorval QC Canada
Digital Native Agency Prague Czech Republic
Donan Louisville KY
Dow Jones & Co. Princeton NJ
Druva Inc. Sunnyvale CA
Dun & Bradstreet Malibu CA
EFG Companies Irving TX
Elite Wealth Group San Jose CA
EMKAY Inc Itasca IL
eMoney Advisor LLC Radnor PA
EventMobi Toronto ON Canada
EXTRA Loyalty Solutions Istanbul Turkey
ezCater Boston MA
Festival Walk Hong Kong
First American Database Solutions Santa Ana CA
FirstEnergy Akron OH
FIS Global New York NY
FIS Jacksonville FL USA
Forrest Performance Group and The Pacific Institute Fort Worth TX USA:
FreshBooks Toronto ON Canada
Garanti Emeklilik ve Hayat A.S. Istanbul Turkey
Globoforce Southborough MA and Dublin Ireland
GMC Software Boston MA
GoDaddy Scottsdale AZ
Google Fiber Mountain View CA
GPS Insight Scottsdale AZ
Grovo New York NY
GuideWell Connect Jacksonville FL
HomeAway Inc. Austin TX
HomeServe USA Norwalk CT
Humana Inc. Louisville KY
IBM Armonk NY
ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd Mumbai India
IHG Salt Lake City UT
Imparta Inc. Austin TX
Inci Akü GS Yuasa Manisa Turkey
Infinity Cedar Rapids IA
Invenio Solutions Austin TX
ISN Dallas TX
j2 Global Inc. Ottawa ON Canada
Janek Performance Group Las Vegas NV
John Hancock Financial Services Boston MA
Kohl's Credit and Customer Service Menomonee Falls WI
KT Seoul South Korea
L A Mortgage Team, Mortgage Intelligence Burlington ON Canada
Lennox Industries Richardson TX
Lhasa OMS Weymouth MA
ListenTrust Portland ME
LiveOps Inc. Scottsdale AZ
Lucernex Plano TX
MarkitTrack Chicago IL
Marriott Intermediary Partner Care Omaha NE
Marriott Vacation Club International Orlando FL
MediaRadar New York NY
Mercer Consumer Des Moines IA
MetTel New York NY
Migros Istanbul Turkey
Mixpanel San Francisco CA
ModusLink Waltham MA
Moody's Analytics New York NY
Mozy by DELL Draper UT
MTM Lake St. Louis MO
NCR Atlanta GA
Netchex Covington LA
Network Alliance Reston VA
Nuance Communications Burlington MA
Oi Rio de Janeiro Brazil
OmniUpdate Camarillo CA
OpenLink Financial Uniondale NY
Optum Eden Prairie MN
Optum Consumer Sales and Services Horsham PA
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics Raritan NJ
PGi Atlanta GA
PlanGrid San Francisco CA
Prov International Inc Tampa FL
Pushpay Holdings Limited Redmond WA
QNB Finansbank Istanbul Turkey
Qstream Burlington MA
Qualtrics Salt Lake City UT
Response Lindon UT
Revana a TeleTech Company Tempe AZ
Richardson Philadelphia PA
Rimini Street Las Vegas NV
Riva International Inc. Edmonton AB Canada
RizePoint Salt Lake City UT
Runzheimer Waterford WI
Salary.com Waltham MA
Sales Partnerships Broomfield CO
Sandler Sales Institute Overland Park KS
SAP Newtown Square PA
SAVO Group Chicago IL
Scribendi Inc Chatham ON Canada
Securus Technologies Dallas TX
Selling Energy Burlingame CA
SGEi Las Vegas NV
Sharegate Montreal QC Canada
ShopKeep New York NY
Signs.com Salt Lake City UT
SMTP2GO Christchurch New Zealand
SoftPro Raleigh NC
Sonnet Toronto ON Canada
Standard For Success Indianpolis IN
Statewide Intake Austin TX
Sun Basket San Jose CA
Symantec Ltd Dublin Ireland
Tarion Warranty Corporation Toronto ON Canada
TCL Corona CA
Telogis Inc. Aliso Viejo CA
The Horton Group Chicago IL
Transitions in Progress LLC Winchester VA
Travelzoo New York NY
Ultimate Software Weston FL
United States Equestrian Federation Lexington KY
University of Oregon Eugene OR
Unox, Inc. Belmont NC
UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh PA
UserTesting Mountain View CA
USHEALTH Advisors LLC Forth Worth TX
ValueSelling Associates Rancho Santa Fe CA
Velocity Advisory Group Philadelphia PA
VENZA Roswell GA
VIPRE (ThreatTrack Security) Clearwater FL
Visualize, Inc. Birmingham MI
Vivint Smart Home Provo UT
VIZIO Inc. Irvine CA
VMWare Palo Alto CA
Warshaw Group Inc. New York NY
Wayfair Boston MA
Webhelp Istanbul Turkey
Webroot Broomfield CO
Wells Fargo Treasury Management Client Delivery San Francisco CA
WePay Inc Redwood City CA
WP Engine Austin TX
Wyndham Vacation Ownership Orlando FL
Young Living Lehi UT
Zebra Technologies Lincolnshire IL
Zelis Payments Clearwater FL

Entries for the 2018 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service will open in July.  Interested?

Votes Determined Public's Favorites for Customer Service Excellence

Winners of the 2017 People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a worldwide public vote, were announced today. Voting was conducted from January 20 through February 10, with the highest number of votes deciding the winners in 12 industry categories.

All organizations honored in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories of this year’s Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service were eligible to be included in voting for the people’s choice awards. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, now in their 11th year, are the world’s top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals.

This year’s people’s choice winners, who will each receive the coveted crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award, are:

        Airlines, Distribution, Transportation: Bombardier Aerospace                            
        Computer Hardware: Unitrends
        Computer Services: Ultimate Software
        Financial, Less Than 100 Employees: CommonBond
        Financial, More Than 100 Employees: Distinguished Programs
        Healthcare/Pharma: Zelis Payments
        Leisure & Tourism: Marriott Vacation Club Owner Services                
        Retail: Chewy
        Software, Less Than 100 Employees: FieldEdge
        Software, More Than 100 Employees: GPS Insight
        Telecommunications: j2 Global, Inc.
        Other Industries: CubeSmart

More than 149,000 votes were cast this year.

Nicknamed the Stevie® for the Greek word “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards banquet on Friday, February 24 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets for the event are now on sale. More than 600 executives from around the world are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live via Livestream.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, 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.

Sponsors of the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include Sales Partnerships and ValueSelling Associates.

We're pleased to share with you the first photographs of the Silver and Bronze Stevie® medals that will be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners in all of our 2017 competitions.

Evocative of the crystal pyramid held aloft by the Stevie trophy, the medals are triangular, as were the 2016 medals.  The awards are distinguished from the 2016 versions by the shades of blue and green used, respectively, on the Silver and Bronze medal boxes.

The medals will first be presented to Silver and Bronze Stevie winners at the 11th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in Las Vegas on Friday, February 24.

As in the past, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners will automatically receive one medal.  They'll have the option to purchase additional medals, or corresponding Silver or Bronze Stevie Award trophies, through the Stevie Awards Store.

ValueSelling Associates has been a sponsor of the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service for nine consecutive years

We spoke with Julie Thomas, President & CEO of ValueSelling Associates. Julie will be presenting awards at the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service gala in Las Vegas on February 24. She shares her thoughts and sales industry insights.

The 2017 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service announced finalists last week. People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service voting is now open through February 10. If you missed the Sales & Customer Service entry deadline this year, check out The American Business Awards Customer Service Awards categories. 

What does ValueSelling do?

ValueSelling Associates offers its customers a conversational, question-based sales methodology that is simple, logical and scalable. We offer customized training on the ValueSelling Framework®, interactive reinforcement tools and consulting services that empower sales organizations around the globe with a proven formula to qualify prospects, accurately forecast and close more deals. We work with business-to-business sales organizations who are working to improve their sales productivity. Some of the challenges that we address with our clients include reducing discounting, improving forecast accuracy, more effective qualification, and selling the breadth of the product line.

What is the organizational vision?

The vision is to continue growing our well-respected global business. We’re motivated by our clients’ results. Witnessing the effectiveness of the ValueSelling Framework when working with world-class sales teams such as Adobe, Alere, Kamstrup, Autodesk, Cisco, Google, Monster, NCR, Rockwell Automation, Servicemax, Siemens, and ServiceNow, keeps us fired up. 

We invest in and integrate the most current adult-learning concepts into our customized classroom instruction, on-demand courseware and tools, leading to thousands of participants each year developing skills that measurably increases sales productivity. We know adults learn more when they are having fun,  so we strive to deliver unique and exciting experiences for our clients.

What sets your company apart in your industry?

The ValueSelling Framework is easily applied to complex B2B sales. Our methodology gives you a framework to have a conversational, question-based dialogue. So, instead of pitching, you’re engaging. Instead of presenting solutions, you’re collaborating and competing based on value, and by that, I mean the value confirmed by the individual and the organization.

How did you first become acquainted with the Stevies?

I met Michael Gallagher, President of The Stevie Awards, over 10 years ago. We became involved with the Stevie Awards at the very beginning. We welcome the opportunity to recognize our clients’ individual and organizational impact through this prestigious organization.

What’s it like for your clients to win the Stevie Award?

We put a lot of thought into which clients to nominate for the Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service. It’s thrilling to be with them at the gala in Las Vegas, celebrating their achievements.  There are high fives, champagne toasts and lots of celebrations when the awards are announced. Our clients prove time and again the power of the ValueSelling Framework and correlate that to their outstanding results. During the Gala, we get an opportunity to toast and applaud their dedication and successes.

What inspires you to continue your work?

It’s fun! Each organization is unique. There are many different challenges: meeting revenue numbers, forecasting more accurately, growing strategic accounts, and difficulty accessing high-level executives, among others.

What’s inspiring is watching how our team and the ValueSelling Framework methodology is a wonderful solution to enabling our clients to resolve their business issues. It’s transformative, not only for individuals, but for entire teams and organizations. We pride ourselves on enabling the entire organization to wrap around our framework, create a common language and leverage a common toolset. When everyone inside a company is focused on value for their customer, then, they are well positioned to develop long-standing customer relationships.

What changes do you expect in your industry in the future?

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of emphasis on sales software solutions and technology tools such as sales asset management and marketing automation platforms. Used well, these are great tools for supporting the sales effort.

Another key trend is the increase in inside sales – not telemarketers, but true inside sales professionals who build relationships and sell products and services solely over the phone and the web. The tools and techniques to become proficient and communication are different when you never build a face-to-face relationship.  That said, the inside sales professional will continue to need and leverage a successful sales methodology.

In the end, it comes down to people connecting with people virtually and social selling is a technique that is needed by sales, but success in sales requires having real conversations  either in person or by phone about the business issues and problems a buyer is facing.

On-demand courseware will become more prevalent, but the critical success factor will be presenting information in a way that keeps adults tuned in. That means smaller chunks of learning and just-in-time learning. That’s why our eLearning modules include interactive quizzes and scenarios. It’s not enough to just show a canned video or slide with a talking head. Gamification and user-centric learning is here to stay.

Given the uncertainty in the world, I expect that businesses are going to seek tried and true solutions. For over 25 years, the ValueSelling Framework has been helping organizations around the world maximize their sales productivity, better qualify prospects and improve win rates.

Is there an inspirational story related to your organization that might appeal to our blog readers?

Market Track, the leading provider of timely market intelligence solutions serves more than 1,700 brands, retailers, manufacturers, and agencies. Market Track supports clients with comprehensive analysis of the advertising, promotional, and eCommerce landscape to optimize engagement with consumers throughout their purchase cycle.

Business Issue: How do you get an entire sales team on the same page with a single methodology given the requirements of a steep growth trajectory and the continual addition of new sales professionals with various sales training and backgrounds?

Problem: In 2008, Market Track’s value proposition was murky. There was no proactive client or prospect engagement. The close rate low.

The management team knew sales would fuel future growth plans. And because the sales team was selling an intangible—tech-enabled service—they had to sell on value. Market Track called on ValueSelling Associates to install a sales methodology that could be implemented consistently to drive rapid growth.

Solution: Market Track has quintupled its revenue since adopting ValueSelling Associates’ proprietary sales methodology. Such sales improvements have allowed the firm to make 11 acquisitions in 8 years and broaden its portfolio.

The resulting, expanded organization successfully integrates new sales executives and managers with a consistent methodology and approach across each of the acquisitions so the company is supported, not stymied by additional team members.

Market Track's overall adoption is stellar because the sales methodology and tools are easy to apply in a war room or deal review. With a common sales process, the team maximizes their weekly gatherings, sharing best practices—new templates, better conversations, more innovative strategies—all honed to engage Market Track’s buyers.

Market Track continues to organically grow as they keep a pulse on their clients’ advertising, promotion, and eCommerce initiatives. In 2016, the firm had its best first half ever. Justin Hartanov, Market Track EVP (recently appointed to lead Market Track’s international expansion) and 10-year ValueSelling practitioner, swears by his team’s consistent practice of ValueSelling principals.

To learn more about ValueSelling, visit http://www.valueselling.com/