Customer Service Awards Blog

Michael Gallagher

Recent Posts

Q&A with Ron Essiq, Customer Service Awards Judge

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Jan 20, 2011 @ 02:49 PM

Ron Essig is VP, Global Owner Products and Services, Marriott Vacation Club International, and member of the Board of Judges of the 2011 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which recently announced the Finalists in its 5th annual competition.

Ron EssigWhat item of news recently caught your eye and why?
I followed with interest all of the legislation that was approved in Washington, D.C. during the recent “lame duck” session of the U.S. Congress.  I find it amazing that people can accomplish many things when they put their minds to it.

What New Year’s resolution have you made and why? 
Stay focused on what is truly important: Family.

What book are you currently reading?
It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, by Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins.

What was the last movie you saw, and would you recommend it?
The Fighter.It was both a motivational and a feel-good movie—just the kind of movie we were in the mood for when we went to see it.

What is your favorite sport or hobby?
Following my son’s interests of baseball and music, and hiking in the mountains with my two Siberian Huskies.

Who (apart from close family) is your favorite living person?
While I can’t say he is my favorite person—I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting him—I really admire the work done by John Wood, founder of Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that has helped to educate over four million children around the world.

If you could choose another profession, what would it be?
I would be involved in some sort of nonprofit organization that could help give opportunities through mentoring to young adults and could help open doors into business and careers for the less fortunate.

What quality or qualities do you most value in your business associates?    
Honesty, creativity, and drive.

What do you think is the worst bad habit to have at work?
Apathy.

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
Working with a team of professional associates who are genuinely focused every day on delivering customer service excellence and the awesome experiences that make vacation dreams come true.

What do you consider has been your greatest achievement in business?
Being able to learn and grow in a variety of positions over 25 years with one incredible company.

What advice or useful tip would you give to someone who is just starting out in business?
Learn from the ground up, and don’t ever forget where you came from.

About Ron Essig
Ron Essig is the vice president, Global Owner Products and Services, for Marriott Vacation Club International. As a member of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service Board of Judges he will be helping select the customer service award winners in the 2011 competition. Essig is a 24-year Marriott veteran, and began his career as a Management Trainee at the Chicago Downtown Marriott Hotel.

About Marriott Vacation Club International
As the interval ownership division of Marriott International, Inc., Marriott Vacation Club International is a premier provider of vacation and leisure experiences for more than 400,000 Owners and Members. Since entering the timeshare industry in 1984, Marriott has earned its position as a leader and innovator in vacation and fractional ownership products worldwide. The company has since segmented the industry to offer distinct vacation and real estate offerings, each based on the unique needs and desires of customers. The brands are: Marriott Vacation Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, as well as select whole ownership developments. For information visit www.marriottvacationclub.com or www.ritzcarltondestinationclub.com.

Tags: customer service awards, stevie awards, good customer service, excellent customer service, customer service award

People's Choice for Favorite Customer Service Awards Return

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Jan 04, 2011 @ 11:51 AM

PCSAFCS LogoThe final entry deadline for the 2011 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is extended through January 7, and after Finalists are announced next week, voting will open on January 14 for the second annual edition of the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service. To be notified when voting opens, click here.

For the general public, this means you get to help decide who should be honored for providing you with great customer service over the past year.  For nominees in the awards, this means that you have an opportunity to win two awards: a Stevie Award, as voted by business professionals, and a People's Choice award, as voted by the general public, including your own customers.                   

In each of the seven competitive, peer-judged Customer Service Department of the Year categories in the 2010 awards, voting was also opened to the general public for the first People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service. More than 87,000 votes were cast from January 13 through February 12. Winners of the first People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service are:

Airlines, Distribution & Transportation: Fedex, Memphis, TN
Financial Services: Family Heritage Life Insurance Company of America, Cleveland, OH
IT & Telecommunications: Qualtrics Labs, Inc., Orem, UT
Leisure & Tourism: Hilton Worldwide, McLean, VA
Public Services & Education: U.S. Postal Service, Washington, DC
Retail: Macy's, Cincinnati, OH
All Other Industries: PetRays Veterinary Telemedicine Consultants, The Woodlands, TX

Tags: sales excellence, customer service awards, sales awards, customer service excellence, sales award, customer service award

Video: How to Enter the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Jan 04, 2011 @ 11:36 AM

With the final deadline for the 2011 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service extended through January 7, we thought you should have one last opportunity to view the recording of the webinar we held back in October about how to enter the the world's premier sales awards, call center awards, and customer service awards.

The video is about 50 minutes, and covers the history of the awards, the types of categories they include, how to choose categories, how to write great nominations, how the judging process works, pitfalls to avoid, and tips to adopt.

The entry deadline won't be extended past this week, so get your entries in now.  Finalists will be announced next week, and the final results announced at a banquet at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach on Monday, February 21.

Tags: sales excellence, customer service awards, sales awards, customer service excellence, sales award, customer service award

Customer Service Awards Judges Announced

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Fri, Dec 17, 2010 @ 01:39 PM

The following professionals have joined the customer service awards final judging committee for the 2011 (5th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's leading competition for sales awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards.

The final entry deadline for the 5th annual competition is December 31.  Get your entry kit here.

Bob Botelle, Executive VP - Merchant Services & Chief Customer Officer, Litle & Co.
Ana Castellanos, VP-Human Resources, Oakwood Temporary Housing
David Cuthbert, CEO, Alteva
Kevin Dominque, VP-Customer Services, TRUMPF Inc.
Ron Essig, VP-Global Owner Products & Services, Marriott Vacation Club International
Paul Everett, Senior VP-Customer Service, Ceridian
Gina Giordano, VP-Customer Feedback, Macy's
Jennifer Mullins, Business Systems Analyst, ADTRAN, Inc.
James Nagle, VP-Card Services, Kohl's Department Stores
Jo Phillips, Assistant VP-Operations Quality Assurance  & Compliance, Marsh U.S. Consumer
Raul Ruiz, Director-Operations Center, Virtual Radiologic
Anita Samojednik, Director of Customer Service, TheLadders.com
Vin Seunath, Director of Training and Professional Development, SMART Technologies
Alec Stern, VP-Strategic Market Development, Constant Contact
Chris Tepas, Chief Marketing Officer, EMKAY Incorporated

These distinguished customer service professionals join the Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors that will perform the final judging in late January to determine the 2011 Stevie Award winners, who will be announced at a banquet in Miami Beach, Florida on Monday, February 21.

Tags: customer service awards, customer service excellence, customer service award, service excellence

Customer Service Awards, Sales Awards Deadline Approaching

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Dec 02, 2010 @ 12:01 PM

SASCS10 PresentationDecember 31 is the final entry deadline for the 2011 (5th annual) Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. There is no guarantee at this point that the deadline will be extended, so be sure to enter before the end of the year. If you need a short deadline extension, however, you may request one.

Get your 2011 entry kit online.

There are more than 80 customer service awards, call center awards, and sales awards categories to choose from, including new categories this year that honor Solution Providers and New Products and Services. Judging will take place in November-January, Finalists will be notified in mid-January, and the awards presented at a banquet in Miami Beach, Florida in February. Attendance is not required to win.

We recently held a webinar entitled HOW TO ENTER THE STEVIE AWARDS FOR SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE. You may access a recording of that webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/287304313.

If you're ready to submit your entries, begin here. Otherwise, don't hesitate to contact us with your questions about how to prepare and submit entries to the 5th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Tags: customer service awards, call center awards, sales awards, call center award, sales award, customer service award

Why MVCI Won a Call Center Award in the 2010 Stevies

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 22, 2010 @ 04:13 PM

With December 31 looming as the final entry deadline for the 2011 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, we take a look back of one of the 2010-winning entries.  Marriott Vacation Club International, based in Orlando, Florida, has been a leader in the timeshare industry for more than 25 years.  MVCI won won of the customer service awards, for Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats), and here's their Stevie Award-winning nomination, entitled :Marriott Vacation Club International Owner Services - Making Vacation Dreams Come True!"

At MVCI Owner Services, the term “Spirit to Serve” reflects our genuine desire
to provide the highest standards of service to almost 400,000 timeshare Owners
representing more than half-a-million weeks.; It’s a philosophy we inherited
from our namesake and founder—Bill Marriott, Sr.—who believed that our
company’s success depends on our ability to understand our Customers and
exceed their expectations.;

Whether planning a perfect vacation or helping an Owner keep their maintenance
fee and loan accounts on track, each interaction between an MVCI Owner
Services Associate and our Owners is supported by this deep-routed Spirit to
Serve philosophy.; This standard operating procedure distinguishes us from
every other brand in the timeshare industry and enables us to establish and
maintain unforgettable relationships that last a lifetime.
;
2009 Year-to-Date Successes

MVCI Owner Services main call center is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and
employs almost 500 associates.; Examples of 2009 year-to-date successes
include:

MVCI Timeshare Owners and Weeks;391,217 Owners ¦ 527,231 Weeks
MVCI Owner Services Associates in Salt Lake City, Utah; 481
Overall MVCI Timeshare Owner Satisfaction; 93.6% out of 100%
Phone Calls Handled; Almost 1 million
Average Speed of Answer; 36 seconds
Marriott Hotel Reservations Made; 72,122(over and above timeshare reservations)
Marriott Hotel reservations revenue generated from MVCI Owner Services; $8.3M
New Timeshare sales generated from MVCI Owner Services;;;;;; $2.6 million
Associate Engagement Survey results administered by the Gallup Organization
 4.67% out of 5.0% (Considered World-class)
Turnover Rate;19% compared to 65% industry standard

Read the rest of this article...

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, sales awards, contact center awards, call center award, marriott vacation club, mvci

New Product Awards in the Stevies for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 @ 05:16 PM

One of the big changes/additions to the Stevie Awards this year is in our 5th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.  In the past this program honored only the achievements of sales, customer service, and call center professionals: individuals, teams, and entire departments.

For the 2011 aSASCS10 Awards Presentationwards (entries are being accepted now through the end of 2010), we've added a slew of new product awards categories in the SASCS.  We now have new product of the year categories as follows (the numbers are our internal categories codes):

 

90. Collaboration Solution – New
91. Collaboration Solution– New Version
92. Contact Center Solution – New
93. Contact Center Solution – New Version
94. IVR or Web Service Solution – New
95. IVR or Web Service Solution – New Version
96. Marketing Solution – New
97. Marketing Solution – New Version
98. Relationship Management Solution – New
99. Relationship Management Solution – New Version
100. Workforce Management Solution – New
101. Workforce Management Solution – New Version

Read the rest of this article...

Tags: product of the year, product awards, product award, new product awards, new product award, best product of the year, new product of the year

Update on 2011 Sales & Customer Service Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 01, 2010 @ 04:58 PM

I'm getting very excited about our next edition - the 5th - of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's premier program of sales awards, customer service awards, and call center awards. 

Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service PresentationWe had the early-bird deadline a few weeks back and entries submitted through that deadline were up about 25% from last year.  We have another deadline on November 12, and then we'll continue to accept late entries through the end of the year.  (The late penalty is just $35 per entry.)  If you don't have your entry kit yet, get it here.

I wrote the other week about all the new categories we have in the competition this year - check them out on the awards' web site.

Finalists will be announced in mid-January, and the program will culminate with an awards presentation and banquet at the lovely Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida on Monday, February 21.  Some people have asked why we would schedule the event on a holiday (it will be President's Day in the U.S.A.), and we did that so that attendees can make a long weekend of it in the sun and surf of Miami Beach, without having to miss full day in the office!

Read the rest of this article here...

Tags: sales excellence, customer service awards, business awards, sales awards, valueselling, sales award, customer service award