The business benefit of customer service awards
By Yuri Duncan – WRAP Partner and CEO of Buchanan Creative Services
Much has been written about the overwhelmingly positive results of using customer service awards to recognize your employees. However, what are the positive and negative impacts to your organization when your employee wins that award? Let’s take a moment to examine just a few positive impacts you can anticipate when an employee has been publicly recognized for their service.
Brand Promotion
Simply put, when your industry recognizes your employees, the industry recognizes you. Receiving an award, or simply being nominated for one, increases your brand awareness throughout your industry. Press releases, public announcements, award ceremonies, etc. are all common elements of the award-winning process and costs you nothing but the time taken to write and submit the nomination itself.
Attracting Talent
When an organization is recognized within its industry, it sends a message to future potential employees. It says that you not only employ some of the best the industry but care enough about your employees to participate in the recognition process itself.
Retain Talent
When one member of the team is recognized, all staff benefit. The industry recognition from both peers and competitors increases your employee morale. It reconfirms that they made the right decision when choosing your company as a place to build a career. When a peer is recognized, it also creates a healthy sense of competition among staff who seek recognition themselves.
Industry Endorsement
Industry awards are typically judged by experts within that industry. The awarding entity is recognized by your peers and when an award is given, that recognition and respect is extended to the winner. Award winning organizations win more than an award, they earn respect.
Turn Losses into Wins
If you participated in an award process and found yourself without an award, don’t fret. The author John C. Maxwell once said, “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” Examine and compare the elements of a winning nomination to identify opportunities where your organization should focus your improvement efforts. Perhaps the winning nomination contained key performance indicators missing from your internal measurement and evaluation processes. Or, did the winning nomination contain details missing from your documentation practices? Be humble enough to recognize how the competition won the award, how you lost it, and the improvements necessary to win the next time around.
Social Media Content
Win or lose, simply participating in an award process provides a fount of social media source material. Walk your followers through the process from nomination, to submission, and to the conclusion. Take the time to speak positively about the award, the judges, the nominated employee, and your sense of graciousness to be a part of the process. Bring your audience with you along the process and you’ll earn benefits beyond the award itself.
These are just a few of the high-level benefits to participating in an industry award process. It would be fair and worthwhile to dedicate time and examine some of the negative results of participation. However, there are no bad reasons to nominate your staff for an industry award.
Considering the overwhelming evidence to support customer service awards participation. Inaction is somewhat unacceptable. Here’s your investment:
- Research and locate an industry recognized award
- Identify the employee to be nominated
- Prepare and submit a detailed and sincere nomination
- Enjoy the benefits
It really is that simple. If you operate within the timeshare industry, then we’ve made it even more simple. CustomerCount and Resort Trades are looking for the most valuable customer engagement professional within the timeshare resort/hospitality industry.
Whether they be resort managers, assistant managers, front desk folks or customer service team members who in regular contact with members and guests. These outstanding team members exemplify the highest standards in customer engagement and service. Their interaction with members and guests shapes the entire guest experience.
The nomination process includes completing an online nomination survey to measure the nominee’s qualifications and qualities. To submit a nomination, fill out the online form.
Show the industry that your organization is vital by participating in the customer service awards process. It’s one of the few no-cost processes that pays you back with interest.
About CustomerCount
CustomerCount is a feature-rich, cloud-based survey solution providing intuitive real-time reporting, fast turnaround on requested updates, and detailed and dynamic data gathering capabilities to support process improvement efforts, build customer loyalty and improve your bottom line.
Developed and managed by Mobius Vendor Partners, CustomerCount was initially designed for the timeshare and contact center industries and is now used by organizations across numerous different vertical markets and industries. For more information call Bob Kobek, president, on 317-816-6000, complete the contact form or follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
About The Resort Trades
Resort Trades is distributed monthly to every resort in the U.S., as well as to a subscriber-base of senior-level executives at development, management and timeshare-related travel companies. Resort Trades offer display advertising, classified advertising, directory listings, as well as monthly industry news and press releases, global analysis articles and in-depth interviews with industry professionals and business leaders. For more information visit www.resorttrades.com.
