Customer Service Awards Blog

Vote Now for Your Favorite Providers of Customer Service

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Jan 26, 2015 @ 06:05 PM

Voting for the 6th edition of the People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service is now open. Voting will conclude at 11:59 pm ET on Friday, February 13.

VOTE NOW

Peoples_Choice_Cus_ServiceAll companies named as Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories in the 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top awards for contact center, customer service, business development, and sales professionals, are automatically included in people's choice voting.  You're invited to vote for your favorites in the following 11 categories:

  • Airlines, Distribution & Transportation
  • Computer Hardware and Services
  • Computer Software
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals & Related Industries
  • Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism
  • Public Services & Education
  • Retail
  • Telecommunications
  • All Other Industries

Nominees will have the opportunity to win two awards: a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award, as determined by professionals on the sales awards, customer service awards, and contact center awards peer-review judging committees, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as determined by the public vote.

Winners of the crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be celebrated at an awards gala at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on February 27, 2014.

Tags: customer service awards, stevie awards

How to Win Two Stevie Awards for Your Great Customer Service

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Dec 30, 2014 @ 03:05 PM

Most people are taking some time at the end of the year to relax and reminisce about the year that has passed.  We here at the Stevie Awards, however, are busy preparing for a busy 2015.  Among the things that will keep us busy right after the turn of the year is the January 13 final entry deadline for the 9th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top contact center and customer service awards program.  Each year this competition attracts more than 1,500 nominations from top organizations all over the world.

There are many categories to choose from in the competition, and you'll find a complete listing of the customer service and contact center categories and their requirements below.

It's pretty simple to submit entries to this or any other of our awards programs. Before we get to the subject of how to win two Stevies with a single entry, here's a brief description of the entry process.

1. Choose your categories.

The question we get most often from prospective entrants is, How do I choose the categories that are right for me? We answer that question with another question: What do you want to be recognized for? Your answer to that question will steer you to the appropriate categories. We invite you to contact us at help@stevieawards.com for suggestions if following that bit of advice doesn't do the trick, though.

2. Prepare your entries according to the category instructions.

Most categories in the 2015 Sales & Customer Service awards require only the submission of an essay of up to 650 words, describing the nominee's achievements since the beginning of July 2013. (Depending on the category, the nominee can be an entire organization, a department or team, an individual... even a product or service or achievement.) You have the option to upload with your essay any number of supporting documents and files to help make your case to the judges. These can include work samples, videos, images, press clippings... whatever you think will convince and impress.

3. Upload your entries through the website.

The website at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales is open 24 hours a day to accept your entries. You can even pay your entry fees online by credit card (or choose to pay by check or wire transfer). If you've already written your entries and gathered your supporting materials, it won't take you more than a few minutes to start and finish the online entry process.

PCSAFCSNow, back to that bit about how to win two Stevies with a single entry. One of the most popular features of the Sales & Customer Service awards is called the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service. This is a worldwide public vote in which the general public gets to cast their ballots for their favorite providers of customer service in a number of industry categories. (See the list of 2014 winners here.) All entries that are chosen as Finalists in any of the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will automatically be included in people's choice voting, which will open to the public on January 22, the day that the Finalists are publicly announced. People's choice nominees will receive from us a set of tools they can use to encourage their customers, employees, shareholders, friends and followers to vote for them. The top vote-getter in each category will receive a beautiful crystal People's Choice trophy.

So that's how you can win two Stevies with a single entry:

1. Submit a great entry to any of the Customer Service Department of the Year categories in the 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. If that entry is chosen as a Finalist, it's assured of ultimately being named a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie Award winner.

3. Promote the heck out of your automatic People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service nomination to all of your customers, employees, friends and followers, and you might also walk from the awards gala on February 27 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with a People's Choice Stevie Award as well as a Gold, Silver or Bronze Stevie.

Categories

Here are all the categories related to customer service and contact centers in the 2015 Sales & Customer Service awards. There are many other categories as well in the competition, for sales, business development, new products and services, and suppliers. (Look here for a complete list of categories.)

CUSTOMER SERVICE & CONTACT CENTER INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES
The customer service and contact center individual categories recognize individual contact center and customer service professionals.
Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee’s accomplishments since July 1, 2013. 
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

55. Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals who directly engage customers. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of professionals in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
   d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of professionals in all industries not covered by the other Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year categories.

56. Back-Office Customer Service Professional of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals who work behind the front lines of customer service organizations for their achievements since the beginning of July 2013.

57. Young Customer Service Professional of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of customer service professionals under the age of 30.

58. Customer Service Manager of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of customer service managers and service professionals with a managerial role at organizations of any size, of any type.

59. Customer Service Leader of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of senior customer service and call center executives.

60. Contact Center Professional of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of non-executive professionals who work in a call or contact center.

61. Contact Center Manager of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of contact or call center managers for their achievements since the beginning of July 2013.

62. Contact Center Leader of the Year
Recognizing the achievements of senior contact or call center executives for their achievements since the beginning of July 2013.

CUSTOMER SERVICE & CONTACT CENTER TEAM CATEGORIES
The customer service team and contact center awards categories recognize the members of individual teams within your overall customer service department or contact center organization.   For example, the team may service a particular customer segment or a single client, or may work in a particular call center. 
Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the customer service team’s accomplishments since July 1, 2013.
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

65. Customer Service Team of the Year – Recovery Situation
Recognizing service teams who have demonstrated exceptional skill in recovering either an individual case or in rebuilding an underperforming service department.

66. Customer Service Complaints Team of the Year
Recognizing service teams whose primary focus is to address and resolve customer complaints.

67. Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year.
Recognizing service teams that directly engage customers. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of teams in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
   d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in all industries not covered by the other Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year categories.

68. Back Office Customer Service Team of the Year
Recognizing teams that provide service functions that do not directly engage customers, such as billing, credit and collections, payments, security and support services. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of teams in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
   d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of teams in all industries not covered by the other Back-Office Customer Service Team of the Year categories.

69. Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats)
Recognizing call and contact centers that have no more than 100 seats. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of contact centers in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
   d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in all industries not covered by the other Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats) categories.

70. Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats)
Recognizing call and contact centers that have more than 100 seats. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Business Services Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in business services industries such as advertising, consulting, marketing, public relations, recruiting, etc.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes the achievements of contact centers in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in services industries such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality & leisure, legal, media & entertainment, real estate, retail, etc.
   d. Technology Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in technology industries such as computer software, computer services, computer hardware, internet/new media, and telecommunications.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievements of contact centers in all industries not covered by the other Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 Seats) categories.

71. Customer Service Management Team of the Year
Recognizing the leadership teams of customer service organizations and contact centers for their achievements.

72. Customer Service Training Team of the Year
Recognizing teams that develop and deliver training to customer service organizations and contact center personnel.

CUSTOMER SERVICE & CONTACT CENTER ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES
Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing the nominee’s accomplishments since July 1, 2013 in the area covered by the category.
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

75. e-Commerce Customer Service Award
Recognizing customer service and contact center organizations for their innovative use of online technologies and social media to service the needs of customers.

76. Best Use of Technology in Customer Service
Recognizing customer service and contact center organizations for their use of technology that has directly improved customer service delivery, provided real business benefits, and shown system adoption across the entire customer service function.

77. Award for Innovation in Customer Service
Recognizing new ideas and developments within customer service that enabled organizations to meet the needs of their customers more effectively, leading to increased satisfaction and loyalty. This category is split into five separate categories:
   a. Computer Industries: recognizes achievement in the internet/new media, computer hardware, computer software, computer services, etc. industries.
   b. Financial Services Industries: recognizes achievement in the accounting, banking, financial services, insurance, etc. industries.
   c. Other Service Industries: recognizes achievement in all service industries except for financial services.
   d. Telecommunications Industries: recognize achievement in all telecommunications industries.
   e. All Other Industries: recognizes achievement in all industries that are not covered by one of the other Award for Innovation in Customer Service categories.

PCSAFCS logoCUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT CATEGORIES
In addition to the possibility of receiving a peer-reviewed honor in these categories, all nominated customer service departments that are chosen as Finalists also will be included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service.  Online voting will open to the public worldwide in mid-January and will continue through early February.  We will provide Finalists in these categories with tools to help you encourage your fans, followers and customers to vote for you.  The nominee with the most votes in each category will receive a special crystal People's Choice Stevie Award.

The customer service department categories recognize everyone who works in customer service in your organization, regardless of their role or location. 
Information required for entries in these categories include:
(a) An essay of up to 650 words describing your customer service department’s accomplishments since July 1, 2013.
(b) Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges. At the very least you should provide a link to the organization's website.

80. Customer Service Department of the Year – Airlines, Distribution & Transportation
81. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Hardware
82. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software. This category is split into two separate categories:
   a. At Organizations With Up to 100 Employees
   b. At Organizations With 100 or More Employees
83. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Services
84. Customer Service Department of the Year – Financial Services
85. Customer Service Department of the Year – Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Related Industries
86. Customer Service Department of the Year – Leisure & Tourism
87. Customer Service Department of the Year – Public Services & Education
88. Customer Service Department of the Year – Retail
89. Customer Service Department of the Year – Telecommunications
90. Customer Service Department of the Year – All Other Industries

Need help with any of this? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com or +1 703-547-8389.

Final tip: Check out our free tipsheet on How to Win Customer Service Awards.

Apply Now

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence

Customer Service Awards Winner Goes the Extra Mile for His Clients

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Fri, Aug 08, 2014 @ 03:46 PM

Kashif Rasheed of dinCloud in Los Angeles, California, USA won a Gold Stevie® Award for Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year in the 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the top customer service awards and sales awards.

The 2015 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are now accepting entries.  Learn more how submit your entries here.

dinCLOUDKashif Rasheed is a high-energy, goal-driven individual who has created a dynamic services organization capable of consistently delivering high-quality services and creating customer loyalty at dinCloud, a cloud services provider.

Customers have dubbed dinCloud’s help desk, the “Kashif Care Program”. It has been said that Kashif combines the Boy Scouts’ Law—A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent—with the unofficial USPS creed—“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds”—with the availability of a 7-Eleven.

“Kashif happens to be one of the most dedicated members on our team,” said Shannon Severijn, IP Engineer at telecommunications carrier Airespring. “Kashif works tirelessly days, nights, and weekends. He is an outstanding troubleshooter and problem solver. He also happens to manage three different departments on two different sides of the world. Kashif is a great contributor and we are grateful to have him on our team.”

Helping Resolve Future Challenges

We asked Kashif what winning the Gold Stevie means to him. "We are honored to be recognized by one of the world's top customer service awards, as this further validates dinCloud's focus on providing customers with great value and service to make sure they can achieve a great deal more in their day-to-day business activities," Kashif told us.

We asked Kashif what he thought about the future. "dinCloud has a dynamic services organization, capable of consistently delivering high-quality services,” he explained. “We will remain proactive in our customer service approach and commitment to providing exceptional service and support for our customers."

Bringing Value to Customer Service

As operations manager for the company’s Global Service Desk (GSD), Kashif supervises and manages all help desk staff and projects. Additionally, as Implementation Manager, he designs and builds customers virtual environments, then works with each customer’s IT staff to implement the technology.

Kashif ensures quality execution throughout these service touch points, including implementation services (with superior white glove treatment during the onboarding process), training, education, and ongoing account management.

Kashif brings a great deal of value to dinCloud’s customer service division with his multi-faceted talent and unmatched dedication. His colleagues, partners, and customers have all achieved a great deal more in their day-to-day business activities because of his involvement and the personalized touch he provides. Kashif always goes the extra mile.

In 2013, for example, dinCloud was planning a rollout of its Hosted Virtual Desktops (HVDs) in Los Angeles.  At the same time, a client purchased new physical desktop systems. To address a shortage of resources, Kashif took technicians onsite, setting up hardware and software for 80 systems in just two days. Kashif also worked nights on the hosted desktop configurations.

Excellent Customer Retention

Customers receive a monthly report detailing how many help desk tickets have been opened or closed and which issues are still open or pending.

Kashif holds quarterly calls with each and every customer to review open tickets, to resolve outstanding issues, and, more importantly, to help the end user resolve future challenges on their own. Additionally, Kashif holds daily meetings with his team to discuss the status of any tickets generated that day.

When the company started a few years ago, its first call resolution ranged from 25-30%. Today, that number has grown to 80%, with almost all customer issues handled successfully on the first call. At the close of each ticket, customers are sent an optional survey. On average, dinCloud scores 4.3 out of 5, and has a near perfect customer retention rate. They credit much of this to Kashif and his team’s help desk operations and customer support program.

About Kashif Rasheed

As operations manager for the Global Service Desk (GSD) at dinCloud, Kashif Rasheed supervises and manages all help desk staff and projects (customer specific, managed services, etc.). This includes customer specific projects and those relevant to managed services (managing employees’ Exchange Server, Active Directory, additional application servers, etc.). He is also the Implementation Manager, responsible for designing and building a customer’s virtual environment, and working with the customer’s IT staff throughout implementation.

Kashif holds many certifications including: A+, N+, MCP, CLA, and CLE, and has a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. Over the past year, Kashif earned four additional certifications: ITIL (ITIL V3 Foundation), MCITP and MCSE (Microsoft), and VCP (VMware). In addition to his Gold Stevie® Award he also received the Continuous Support Award from En Pointe Technologies (a dinCloud reseller) at one of its National Sales Meetings.

About dinCloud

dinCloud is a cloud services provider that helps both commercial and public sector organizations rapidly migrate to the cloud through business provisioning, provided via its strong channel base of VARs and MSPs. Each customer’s dedicated private virtual data center provides hosted virtual desktops, hosted virtual servers, and cloud storage services, which are controlled by the customer through dinManage, dinCloud’s web-based management tool. dinCloud provides subscription-based services tailored to fit a range of business models resulting in reduced cost, enhanced security, control, and productivity.  For more information, go to www.dincloud.com.

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, excellent customer service, customer service excellence, dincloud

Vote Now in the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Jan 27, 2014 @ 05:22 PM

Voting is now open for the 5th edition of the People's Choice Stevie® Awards for Favorite Customer Service, a feature of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top customer service awards and sales awards.

Vote now for your favorite providers of customer service at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com.

The People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service is a worldwide public vote in which the general public get to choose their favorite provider of customer service in 11 industry categories including:

  • People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer ServiceAirlines & Transportation
  • Computer Hardware & Services
  • Computer Software (Up to 100 Employees)
  • Computer Software (100 or More Employees)
  • Financial Services
  • Healthcare & Related Industries
  • Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism
  • Public Services & Education
  • Retail
  • Telecommunications
  • All Other Industries

All companies named as Finalists in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories are automatically included in voting for the People's Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite Customer Service. Thus Finalist organizations will have the opportunity to win two awards: a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award, as determined by professionals on the sales awards, customer service awards, and contact center awards peer-review judging committees, and a crystal People's Choice Stevie Award, as determined by the public vote.

Winners of the 2014 crystal People's Choice Stevie Awards will be announced at the awards banquet at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on February 21.

Voting closes at 11:59 pm ET on February 14.  Vote now for your favorite providers of customer service at http://peopleschoice.stevieawards.com.

Tags: customer service awards, stevie awards, peoples choice awards, favorite customer service, peoples choice voting

5 Tips for Winning Customer Service Awards: New Tipsheet Available

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Jan 06, 2014 @ 09:29 PM

Our "How to Win" tipsheets have proven to be popular and helpful to prospective nominees in our various Stevie Awards programs.  And we've just published a new one, entitled "5 Tips for Winning Customer Service Awards in the Stevie Awards." 

Download the Tipsheet

The publication is timely, as the final entry deadline for the 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service is January 14.

This brief tipsheet outliness the five best ways that customer service and contact center professionals can be honored in the Stevie Awards programs in 2014.  The Stevie Awards are considered the world's premier business awards competitions, and there are many customer service awards opportunities in our five programs, which are

  • The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service
  • The American Business Awards
  • The International Business Awards
  • The Stevie Awards for Women in Business
  • The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

There are categories for customer service departments, teams, and individual performers, categories for various kinds of customer service achievements, and much more.  This tipsheet will help you to choose the categories and competitions in which you'll have the best chance of winning a Stevie Award.


Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence

Best Practices for World Class Customer Care, from a Stevie Awards Judge

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Dec 17, 2013 @ 01:33 PM

Sanjeev Garg, Global Head of Customer Care at the Commercial Vehicles Business Unit of TATA Motors in Mumbai, India, will chair the final judging committee for the individual performance categories in the customer service awards section of the 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Entries for the competition will be accepted through January 14 - get your entry kit here.

As someone in charge of a global customer care department, Sanjeev told us about what he believes are the top three best practices that should be implemented to make a customer service group world class. 

Sanjeev Garg“A world class customer care group should ensure a strong and profitable relationship with all of its customers,” Sanjeev told us.  To achieve this, Sanjeev recommended:

- Maximum usage of IT for all service offerings;

- Continuous engagement with customers to improve processes and products; and

- Benchmarking of practices with the best in the industry.

Sanjeev won a Gold Stevie Award for Customer Service Leader of the Year in the 2013 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. (See the full list of 2014 awards categories here.)  “The Stevie Award has come to me and my department as a testament to our commitment to the customer care industry,” Sanjeev commented. “It has motivated us to take innovative steps to further enhance the customer experience we offer and build long term relationships with our customers.”

Positive Feedback

The inspiration for Sanjeev and his team is very simple.  As he puts it: “Happy customers and their positive feedback on our actions.”  Sanjeev is very much aware that customer expectations are changing day by day. “It is mandatory now that we anticipate these changes and act promptly on them,” comments Sanjeev. “This poses a new challenge every day which can be overcome only if everybody in the organisation works towards it.”

Continues Sanjeev: “The process involves a lot of decision-making at the top management level and I love to challenge my own decisions. I encourage my team to express their views on my decisions, and that helps me reconsider my assumptions, contradict, or even refute my positions—and finally identify creative alternatives.”

New Beginning

Sanjeev loves his work.  “This daily process of self-challenging is enthralling,” he told us.   In his senior customer care role, he feels that he still has a lot to learn and to contribute to society, which can be achieved through this profession.

To sum it up, as Sanjeev told us on winning his customer service award: “This is not the end, this is not even the beginning of the end, this is just perhaps the end of a new beginning.”

About Sanjeev Garg
Sanjeev has been the Global Head of Customer Care for the Commercial Vehicle Business Unit of Tata Motors since December 2011. His customer care group is spread across four continents and supports more than 3 million Tata Motors vehicles through 2,300-plus service touch points and over 33,000 retail networks of spare parts.

Sanjeev started his career with Novartis and Godrej Soaps Ltd in 1990 .He then joined DCM Daewoo-Toyota. There he was instrumental in launching the Cielo, India’s first premium car, in 1994-95. He also created a dealer network for DCM-Daewoo Motors in India and went on to head the export vehicles business for that company. In 1996, Sanjeev joined General Motors Ltd and was instrumental in launching new initiatives for the customer satisfaction index and new Competitive Intelligence processes. His work at GM encompassed global geographies including South East Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Under his leadership, GM was ranked No. 1 in customer satisfaction in the Middle East, ahead of Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. He is also credited for the successful launch of the Chevrolet brand in India.  Sanjeev worked briefly for Force Motors, India as President-Sales, Service & Marketing, and was instrumental in launching Force One, the first SUV from Force Motors.

A Gold Medalist from the College of Agriculture Engineering in Jabalpur, Sanjeev went on to complete an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Based in Mumbai, India, Sanjeev is married and has one son. He has a strong interest in sports, especially Formula 1, tennis, and golf.  He loves travelling, reading, and understanding different cultures.

About TATA Motors Ltd
Tata Motors is India's largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of Rs. 1, 88,818 crores ($34.7 billion) in 2012-13. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, and Indonesia. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, the business comprising the two iconic British brands. It also has an industrial joint venture with Fiat in India. With over 8 million Tata vehicles plying the roads in India, Tata Motors is the country's market leader in commercial vehicles and among the top in passenger vehicles. It is also the world's fifth largest truck manufacturer and fourth largest bus manufacturer. Tata cars, buses, and trucks are marketed in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, South America, the CIS, and Russia.

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence, tata motors

Portrait of a Stevie Award-winning Customer Service Professional: Joe Greco of HomeServe USA Corp

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 04, 2013 @ 04:29 PM

HomeServe USA’s Joe Greco won the Gold Stevie Award for Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year in the customer service awards categories of the 2013 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top honors for sales, business development, contact center, and customer service professionals.  The entry deadline for the 2014 edition of the awards is November 13 - get your entry kit here.

Joe Greco joined the HomeServe USA family in November 2011 as one of the company’s 150 proficient inbound sales and service agents. He made an instant impact on the department.

Joe GrecoFrom his very first month on the phones, it was clear Joe was going to do great things in the world of sales and customer service as he exceeded his sales goal at 169% to target, hit 173% of his upgrade goal, and hit 148% of his continuous conversion goal—all while maintaining an average quality rating of 99.31% on screened calls against an extensive compliance and customer service screening criteria. Not bad for the new kid on the block!

Impressive Performance

His impressive performance didn’t stop there. Joe quickly became one of HomeServe USA’s elite sales and service agents and averaged the following performance against his key performance indicators over the last year:

• 124% to new sales goal: Joe has welcomed over 1,050 new service plan holders to HomeServe USA;

• 204% to upgrade goal: Joe has achieved over 1,150 cross sales worth over $115,000 of revenue to the business;

• 97.1% quality rating across all calls screened versus a 95% goal;

• 96.3% adherence to time scheduled on phone versus a 93% goal.

Setting Records

Joe is a model employee and has achieved the impressive performance levels above with a perfect attendance record.  He continues to set the benchmark of what an excellent customer service and sales executive looks like. As a result, Joe has been recognized twice in the past year as the Inbound Department Employee of the Month, a feat that no other HomeServe USA agent has ever achieved in a 12-month period.

Customer Commendations

Joe’s most impressive achievements, however, lie away from the statistics. He has received an unprecedented seven customer commendations in the past year from delighted customers who have gone out of their way to pass on their feedback to the HomeServe USA supervisors, thanks to the high standards of best customer service Joe provides when handling inbound sales and service calls. All of these commendations mentioned Joe’s professionalism, patience, and extensive knowledge together with his ability to ensure that HomeServe USA customers gained a true understanding of the products and services they were using or about to purchase.

A Mentor and Coach

Joe is equally supportive, considerate, and respectful amongst his peers, and he is always willing to help. He is regularly used as a mentor and coach by the leadership team for incentive programs to benefit both new and existing staff.  His humility and expertise are perfectly balanced to complement this learning method.

The management at HomeServe makes every effort to deliver a world-class customer service and are incredibly proud of all the company’s sales and service agents, but when they look at Joe and what he has achieved in his career at HomeServe, they know they have a true industry-leading front-line customer service professional.

A Milestone for HomeServe USA

2013 is HomeServe USA’s 10th anniversary serving customers. This milestone recognizes when the company signed with its first US partner, which opened the door for the company to begin enrollments and ultimately to serve customers in the United States. The company’s parent, HomeServe plc, has been around for 20 years, and was founded in the UK in 1993.

About Joe Greco
Joe is a true customer service professional with over 30 years experience in sales and customer service, including 10 years in automobile sales and 20 years in telemarketing for church directories. Since joining HomeServe USA in 2011, Joe has become an integral part of the team and is very popular and respected by his peers. Joe enjoys the challenge of building rapport with callers and striving to exceed their expectations, whether resolving an issue they have or selling them a new product or service.

About HomeServe USA
HomeServe USA Corp (HomeServe) is an independent provider of home emergency repair service plans. For over a decade, the company has protected homeowners against the expense and inconvenience of water, sewer, electrical, HVAC, and other home emergencies by providing affordable coverage and quality service. HomeServe serves over 1.4 million homeowners in the US and Canada and dedicates itself to being a customer-focused company providing best-in-class emergency repair plans through leading utility partners and directly to consumers. For more information about HomeServe, please go to www.homeserveusa.com, follow us on www.twitter.com/homeserveusa, and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/homeserveusa.

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence

Portrait of a Stevie Award-winning Customer Service Professional: Edgar Perez of Delta Air Lines

Posted by Michelle Rutkowski on Mon, Oct 07, 2013 @ 03:30 PM

Edgar Perez is an Atlanta Elite Sales and Service Assist Specialist for Delta Air Lines Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  Edgar was awarded the Gold Stevie Award for Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year in the customer service awards categories of the 2013 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, and sales professionals. The early-bird entry deadline (with discounted fees) for the 2014 edition of the awards is this Wednesday, October 9. Get your entry kit today.

Edgar Perez of Delta Airlines Stevie Award winnerEdgar Perez is one of those employees who embraces change and the importance of customer service every day. He always remains positive and ready for a challenge, and never loses his focus on the customer.

Internal Support

Edgar supports many internal departments, assisting with booking, ticketing, research, and service-recovery decisions for Delta customers. He’s received the highest Delta honor, the “Chairman’s Club” award, which is given by his peers, largely because he is so supportive of those around him. One of Edgar’s supervisors commented: “Edgar exudes such positive enthusiasm that you can feel the electricity when he’s in the room.”

Customer Comments

Edgar has received numerous customer compliments and has turned many customers’ perspectives around. One customer wrote: “Edgar, you renewed my confidence in my favorite airline and gave me trust that you are really taking this gloried airline back up where she belongs.” Another customer wrote, “What an asset to the company. Thank you for hiring Edgar—his dedication to Delta and its customers is commendable.”

But none of these compliments adequately capture the passion Edgar has for Delta and for its customers. The following touching story is a better example:

Helping a Special Family Member

Recently, a family with two small children and their dog Chechito was relocating from Honduras to Missouri. They all checked in with Chechito in a hard-sided pet carrier, but the container wouldn’t fit under any seat. Because of the summer heat, the dog could not travel in the cargo hold, and the family was not able to postpone the trip, so they were forced to leave Chechito behind with a family friend in Honduras. The plane departed with Chechito still in his pet carrier on the tarmac and distressed parents and crying children staring out the airplane window knowing they might never see their special family member again.

Edgar made strenuous efforts to resolve the issue, working with the family in Missouri and the friend who had kept Chechito in Honduras. He worked with other divisions of Delta to have the health certificates returned to Honduras so the dog could be reunited with its family.

Finally, to make sure that everything went smoothly, Edgar decided to personally travel to Honduras and bring the dog back with him to the U.S. It took him 72 hours and a 4,000-mile journey to do so, but ultimately he reunited Chechito with his family.

Making A Difference

This is just one story of many where Edgar has made the difference for Delta’s customers. Allison Ausband, VP-Reservation Sales and Customer Care, commented: “Edgar, there are unsung heroes, and you certainly are one of them. What you did for this family was so representative of who you are as a person and so representative of the best we see in Delta employees. I can’t thank you enough for having this customer’s back and going way above the call of duty.”

Edgar truly pours his heart and soul into his work, which echoes through the words of thanks from his many satisfied customers.

About Edgar Perez:
Edgar Perez is currently a member of Delta’s Elite Sales and Service Assist desk, providing support to many internal departments and assisting with booking, ticketing, research, and service-recovery decisions in support of Delta’s external and internal customers. He joined Delta in February 1994 as a General Sales Agent and has held positions in International Sales and International Customer Service, and on the Customer Service Coordinator Desk and Elite/Executive Desk. Along the way, Edgar’s expertise and knowledge of processes and policies, together with his exceptional service, have made him a highly sought-after resource, especially by Delta’s Board of Directors and executive team.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline-industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 317 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta


Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, sales awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence

Beyond-Satisfaction Customer Care: A Stevie Award Winner Shows How It’s Done

Posted by Michelle Rutkowski on Thu, Sep 26, 2013 @ 11:30 AM

Earlier this year, Wolper Information Services took the Gold Stevie Award for Front-Line Customer Service Team of the Year in the customer service awards categories at the seventh annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service(The 2014 edition is now accepting entries - get your entry kit today.) In 2012, Wolper received the Bronze Stevie Award in the same category. Here we look at how the company has maintained its high levels of success.

 Susan Wolper of Wolper Information ServicesWolper Information Services functions as the intermediary between publishers and content aggregators and its mutual corporate and institutional customers. As those customers increasingly transition their information resources from print to electronic, Wolper’s customer service team is on the front lines dealing with the realities of a myriad of new and complicated formats, including digital and mobile.

  “Our goal is to exceed customer expectations every day and we do this by supporting our customer-facing staff and empowering them with regular training and constant communication,” said Susan Wolper, President and CEO of Wolper Information Services.  “We are honored to be recognized by the Stevie Awards for our best-in-class Front-Line Customer Service Team.”

Rising to Meet Challenges

The Wolper Front-Line Customer Service Team has to be on the leading edge in order to:

 - understand new requirements;

- help Wolper update its internal systems to accommodate new realities; and

- internalize every detail of the new workflows (licensing instead of purchasing, managing access issues as opposed to claiming missed issues).

The team has risen to these steep challenges and has made Wolper even more relevant to the industry and a better adviser to its customers.

Company-wide Commitment

Customer service is in the Wolper DNA. It’s a company-wide commitment, not the purview of a single department. Lots of vendors say that they provide great customer service, but Wolper has independent, third-party verification that proves it. The company maintains a Dun & Bradstreet Open Ratings PPE score of 97-98 out of 100, based on customers’ satisfaction in dealing with Wolper staff, their attitude, courtesy, and professionalism.

Seamless Transitioning

As Corporate America increasingly implements enterprise-wide e-procurement systems to increase efficiency and to capture and control spending, Wolper’s systems have to “shake hands” with the gamut of e-procurement platforms its customers are using. The company’s versatility applies to software as well as the one-on-one, personal support its customer service team provides. The company employs similar initiatives (in-house training, refined internal processes) for all of its accounts with high integration needs and consequently has developed a swift, seamless transitioning process and ongoing support for those customers.

Additionally, because of budget and staffing pressures everywhere in the transaction channel, Wolper’s customer service department increasingly absorbs workload overflow from both the publisher and customer sides of its business.

Commitment to Customer Care

Veronica Malitzki, Customer Service and Accounts Manager, is the Front-Line Customer Service team leader.  With more than 19 years of experience in customer service at Wolper, Veronica oversees all aspects of customer interactions and management of the Customer Service department. She also oversees Wolper’s trade show and conference schedule and meets with both customers and prospects at shows and on-site for business review meetings.

While Wolper’s customer service representatives use highly technical systems, they engage people in a “high touch” way, remembering their contacts by first name, and in many cases knowing their account history (if not their children’s names or favorite sports teams) by heart.

At Wolper, there’s never an auto-attendant. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions. There is always a commitment to personalized, beyond-satisfaction customer care.

About Susan Wolper:

Susan Wolper, President and CEO of Wolper Information Services, has led the company for more than two decades, during its greatest period of growth and success. A former corporate attorney specializing in real estate, Susan earned a Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve School of Law after graduating Cum Laude with honors from the University of Rochester.  Susan serves on the Executive Committee of The Association of Subscription Agents & Intermediaries and the Advisory Board for the Easton Area Neighborhood Center. In 2011, Susan was honored by the Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal with its Executive Spotlight Award, and in 2013 she was named a “Champion of Diversity” by DiversityBusiness.com and a “Woman of Influence” by Lehigh Valley Business.

About Wolper Information Services:

For more than 35 years, Wolper has been a one-stop information management resource.  The company provides selection, service, and savings to academic, research, medical, corporate, government, public, and consortia customers.  Wolper’s High Tech, High Touch® approach delivers the perfect balance of next-generation technology and time-proven, personalized service.  Besides serials, Wolper also handles books and e-books, print and electronic, domestic and foreign, site licenses, e-resource access, and management (ERM) and other information solutions.  Recently, Wolper was named a Bronze Winner in the 2012 Best in Biz Awards for the Most Customer-Friendly Company of the Year, following multiple honors in 2011-12, from inclusion in the EContent 100 list of “companies that matter most in the digital content industry” to finalist for KMWorld magazine’s KM (Knowledge Management) Promise Award. Learn more at www.wolper.com.

Tags: customer service awards, business awards, stevie awards, sales awards, excellent customer service, contact center awards, customer service excellence

The Future of Postal Services: Q&A with Stamps.com Director, Dawn Stevenson

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Apr 16, 2013 @ 12:06 PM

Dawn Stevenson, director of customer service at Stamps.com in Los Angeles, California, will Chair the Committee for Final Judging Committee of the customer service awards categories and the support awards categories in The 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards competition in the USA. (April 24 is the final entry deadline for this year’s competition. If you haven’t already done so, you can request an entry kit here and it will be emailed to you right away.)

We asked Dawn about the role of postal services in business, and got an enthusiastic response.

Dawn Stevenson, Manager, Customer Retention, Customer Service & Inside Sales, Stamps.comAs senior director of customer service at Stamps.com, what thoughts do you have on the future of postal services for businesses, and how will your department be able to help?

Great question!  The future of postage services for businesses is incredibly bright.  At Stamps.com we offer an easy-to-use solution for small business, enterprise, and high-volume shippers that allows our customers to:

  1. Control and manage their postage needs right from their office with their PC and printer;
  2. Save time and money by avoiding trips to the post office;
  3. Avoid paying those overpriced and expensive meter fees; and
  4. Receive discounts on mail classes that they can’t receive at the post office.

Our Customer Care teams are here to help customers optimize their savings and efficiencies by educating them on how to use all of the time- and money-saving features in our award-winning software; and we have a highly trained professional team of mailing and shipping consultants who are focused on helping our customers win in the postage arena.

It’s an exciting time to be in this industry and to be able to support America’s small businesses.  We’re proud to play a part in making it easier, better, and more affordable for our customers to mail and ship their products all around the globe; and we’re grateful to have an amazing partner in the USPS, the best solution for mailing and shipping needs. 

What item of news recently caught your eye and why?
The USPS announcement in February that it was going to cease Saturday first-class mail delivery in August was big news in our industry. The USPS said it would continue to deliver packages, mail-order medicine, and express mail on Saturday, but not letters, bills, cards, and catalogs.  This would allow for significant savings for the USPS and it sounded like they would be able to do it without layoffs.  Generally speaking, Saturday delivery of first-class mail doesn’t seem to be a critical service component to our customers so, from what I could see, it seemed like a smart move.  But it was recently announced that Saturday first-class mail delivery would continue until "legislation is passed that provides the Postal Service with the authority to implement a financially appropriate and responsible delivery schedule.”

What is your favorite business app?
I have two.  I use LinkedIn to connect with other professionals in my industry, ask questions, get insights, read interesting articles, and source folks to hire for my team. Plus I love the opportunity to endorse my colleagues’ skills and talents.  It’s a great business tool.

We began using Yammer, a social networking tool for enterprises, in October 2012.  It’s basically Facebook for your company, and I’ve just been blown away by the positive impact it’s had on our organization. Folks are collaborating, communicating, sharing information, building community, and connecting.  It’s truly been an amazing experiment and we’re just beginning.  It’s a business tool that has effectively changed our culture. I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the next 6 months as we drive more focus, training, and initiatives around usage. I highly recommend it.

If you were to meet young people starting out in customer service, what career advice would you give them?
First, join SOCAP, the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals. It’s a global community of professionals/experts who work together to educate and collaborate, connecting it’s members with the essential professional tools and networking opportunities to make you and your organization more successful.  I’ve served as a volunteer on the Southwest Regional Chapter board for the past 3 years and it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve met so many incredible colleagues, stretched my comfort zone by speaking at several events, learned invaluable information, and been inspired by key note speakers at both the national and chapter levels. I’ve had many ideas sparked through the networking connections and information sharing amongst peers. It has been an invaluable resource.

Second, this is an AMAZING career that can open up so many opportunities for folks who demonstrate their value by showing up every day engaged, ready, and on top of their game.  (Our front-line team is THE talent pool at Stamps.com, and we take pride in the number of team members we’ve promoted to other teams within the organization.) So do all that you can to grow: Dress for the part and act like you already have it, and people will be knocking down your door to promote you; and find someone who is willing to mentor your professional development. 

Finally, don’t ask for permission: just go for it!  I started my career as a front-line team member, answering phones. On my own time I created the first training manual for the customer care department.  Soon I found myself promoted to Corporate Trainer—and the rest is history!

As someone at the top of your profession, what keeps you inspired or makes you hit the ground running in the morning?
Another great question!  It’s for sure my team that keeps me inspired.  I truly am blessed with THE best team.  I’ve worked hard to build this great team, and they are the ones who make it work, make it rock, motivate me—and keep me on my toes 24/7.  I love learning new things about our industry and finding creative ways to make this rewarding and challenging career even better. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE to push folks beyond their boundaries and inspire them to do great things.  I am always looking for ways to improve our culture and make our company the best company to work for.  It’s my family: I love being here, and my aspiration is that everyone working here feels that way too.

About Dawn Stevenson:
Dawn is a visionary leader with over 18 years of highly successful leadership in retention, Tech support, customer service, inside sales, training, quality assurance, and collections/fraud prevention.  She is committed to manifesting a strong profit while creating an engaged and results-oriented team.  Dawn is a creative and resourceful professional with a proven record of success in assuming increasing levels of responsibility and in improving employee morale, productivity, and profits.  She has worked in various industries including service contract, online media, and postage.  She is passionate about creating an exceptional customer experience through creating an exceptional team member experience.

Dawn serves as VP of Membership on the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals Southwest Regional Board.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University and recently completed a 3-year master's degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. 

About Stamps.com:
Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP) is a leading provider of Internet–based postage services. Stamps.com enables small businesses, enterprises, and consumers to print U.S. Postal Service–approved postage with just a PC, printer, and Internet connection, right from their home or office. The Company targets its services to small businesses and home offices, and currently has PC Postage partnerships with Avery Dennison, Microsoft, HP, Office Depot, the U.S. Postal Service and others.

Tags: support awards, customer service awards, American business awards, Dawn Stevenson, Stamps.com