2013 Contact Center Industry Award Winners
SQM benchmarks over 450 leading North American contact centers on an annual basis and has been conducting first call resolution (FCR), employee satisfaction (Esat), and customer satisfaction (Csat) benchmarking studies since 1996. SQM annually conducts 1 million surveys with customers who have used a contact center, email, website, IVR, or site contact channel service. SQM also conducts over 25,000 surveys annually with employees who work in contact centers. Our customer and employee survey benchmarking database is one of the largest in North America. SQM conducts business in 11 countries around the globe: Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Puerto Rico, India, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. Based on our contact center benchmarking studies, SQM awards excellence in FCR, and customer and employee satisfaction for the contact center industry. We have recognized top-performing contact centers for customer and employee satisfaction since 1998. SQM awards are based on customers who have used a contact center and employees who work in a contact center. SQM conducted the benchmarking studies for the period of January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2013.
For each contact center that participated in our customer benchmarking study, SQM completed 400 post-call phone surveys, conducted by SQM’s telephone survey representatives. A sample size of 400 surveys provides a margin of error of +/- 5% with a confidence level of 95%. All customer post-call phone surveys have 12 or more questions and take approximately 5 minutes to complete. The surveys were conducted within 2 business days of the customer’s call to the contact center in order to understand their satisfaction with their contact center experience. SQM uses an in-depth post-call customer survey approach that consists of both rating questions and follow-up customer feedback questions that can be used to help the contact center improve its FCR and Csat performance.
In addition, for each contact center that participated in the employee benchmarking study, SQM completed a minimum of 100 customer service representative (CSR) surveys, or if the contact center had less than 100 CSRs, 90% of the CSR workforce completed surveys. All employee surveys had 50 or more questions and were conducted online at the CSR and supervisor levels. This confidential employee online survey took approximately 30 minutes to complete. SQM uses an in-depth online employee survey approach that consists of both rating questions and follow-up employee feedback questions. The employee survey focuses on the contact center’s FCR, Esat, and Csat performance from a CSR and supervisor perspective and provides opportunities to improve the contact center’s FCR performance in terms of people, process, and technology practices.
SQM has 55 different awards that recognize the top-performing contact centers. Based on the contact centers we benchmarked, SQM is honored to recognize the following Service Quality Award of Excellence Winners for 2013. These prestigious contact center industry awards were presented at our 15th annual conference, held in Washington, D.C., on April 15th & 16th, 2014.
Customer Experience Awards
Call Center of the Year
Criteria used for Call Center of the Year are based on having the highest combined customer FCR and employee overall very satisfied (top box response) rating.
Winner
Canadian Tire Financial Services (CRCC)
Finalists
- ENMAX, Inc.
- VSP Vision Care
Best Performing Small- to Mid-Sized Call Center
Criteria used for Best Performing Small/Mid Sized Call Center (under 100 CSRs) are based on having the highest combined customer FCR and employee overall very satisfied (top box response) rating.
Winner
Canadian Tire Financial Services (PDG)
Finalists
- BC Automobile Association (BCAA)
- TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc.
Call Center World Class Certifications
Criteria used for Call Center World Class Certification are 80% or higher of the calls are at the world class level for 3 months or more. SQM’s world class call criteria are based on the customer’s call being resolved, the customer is overall very satisfied (top box response) rating with their call center experience and the customer service representative.
Best Practices
These awards recognize the organization that has demonstrated they have improved or helped maintain high first call resolution and customer satisfaction performance. Organizations submit specific practices they have used to improve or maintain high first call resolution (FCR) and customer satisfaction (Csat) performance.
Category | Winners | |
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Recognition Program |
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Knowledge Management Tool |
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Career Advancement |
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Quality Assurance |
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Call Handling Real-Time CSR Support Queue |
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CSR of the Year
To be eligible the customer representative must be a World Class Certified customer representative. The criteria for a Certified World Class Customer Representative is 80% or higher of the calls surveyed are at the world class call level. Call center management must also send an example of a great customer service story that the CSR delivered.
Winner
Tara Gray, Sun Life Financial
Finalists
Name | Organization |
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Aidan Lyall | Canadian Tire Financial Services |
Jo-Ann Topolinsky | |
Joslyn Knight Cherr | CareFirst |
Lynn Desouza | Sun Life Financial |
Max Tardie | BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont |
Pamela Cragin | BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina |
Rachael Clarke | TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc. |
Sarah Pollard | BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont |
Susan Elkins | VSP Vision Care |
Wendy Cleversey | Millennium1 Solutions (PC Bank) |
CSR Top 10 World Class Csat Improvement
To be eligible, a customer representative must have improved their WCC (World Class Call) performance by 10% from the previous year. SQM’s WCC criteria are based on the customer’s call being resolved, the customer is overall very satisfied (top box rating) with their contact center experience and very satisfied with the CSR. Contact center management must also send an example of a great CSR Csat improvement story.
Winners
Name | Organization |
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Bikki Wong | Rogers Business Care |
Sonia Macri | |
Bilal Coleman | VSP Vision Care |
Kimberly Bloomfield | |
Lucie Novotny | Sun Life Financial |
Manuel Liriano | Scotiabank International (Dominican Republic) |
Maya Mironova | Rogers Business Care |
Mitchell Dronfield | Sun Life Financial |
Travis Kritsch | |
Varleen Glennycia Rymer | CareFirst |
Supervisor of the Year
To be eligible the supervisor must be a World Class Certified supervisor. The criteria for a Certified World Class Supervisor is 80% or higher of the calls surveyed are at the world class call level, in which customers are overall very satisfied (top box rating) with their contact center experience, very satisfied with the person who handled their call and that the call was resolved. Contact center management or CSRs must also send an example of a great Call Resolution or Csat coaching story.
Winner
Karen Lyons, Highmark
Finalists
Name | Organization |
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Amyn Sumar | ENMAX |
Marc Albert | Sun Life Financial |
Patricia Nieusma | BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont |
Shelly Limpach | VSP Vision Care |
Wendy Chevrette | Canadian Tire Financial Services |
Highest Customer Satisfaction for the Contact Center Industry
Winners | Category | Criteria |
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U.S. Bank – 24 Hour Banking | Best Selling Customer Satisfaction | his award recognizes the contact center with the highest customer satisfaction (top box rating) for selling approach. |
TD Canada Trust | Highest IVR Customer Satisfaction for Self Serve | This award recognizes the contact center with the highest overall customer satisfaction (top box rating) for a self serve IVR. |
Cogeco Cable (Quebec) | Highest IVR Navigation to the Right CSR | his award recognizes the contact center with the highest IVR navigation to the right CSR the first time. |
Highest Customer Service by Industry
Based on having the highest FCR for an organization in each specific industry/sector.
Winners | Category |
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TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank | Banking |
Jackson | Financial |
Canadian Tire Financial Services (CRCC) | Credit Card |
VSP Vision Care | Insurance |
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Regence Blue Shield of Washington (tie) | Health Care |
OfficeMax (Grand&Toy) Canada | Retail/Service |
ENMAX, Inc. | Energy |
Cogeco Cable | Telco/TV (Consumer) |
Rogers Enterprise Service Delivery | Telco/TV (B2B) |
Insurance Corporation of BC | Union |
Case New Holland | Helpdesk |
Region of Halton | Government |
VSP Vision Care | Business to Business |
Highest Claims Experience Satisfaction
This award recognizes the call center with the highest customer satisfaction (top box rating) for claims experience.
Winner
First Call Resolution Improvement
Based on a 5% or greater annual FCR improvement from the most recent study within the last two years.
- BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina
- Canadian Medical Association/MD Physician Services
- Enbridge Large Business Accounts
- OfficeMax (Grand&Toy) Canada
- Highmark PA (MTM)
- Marriott (One Yield)
- Nationstar Mortgage
- Reliance Protectron Security Services
- Scotiabank International (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Scotiabank International (Peru)
- Scotiabank International (Mexico)
- ScotiaLife Financial
- TD Canada Trust (Investing)
- TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc. (Alberta Health Services)
- Triple S Salud
Employee Experience Awards
Highest Employee Satisfaction for the Call Center Industry
Based on having the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) with working in their call center.
Winner
Most Improved Employee Satisfaction
Based on having the most improved employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) with working in their call center.
Winner
Highest Employee Satisfaction by Industry
Based on having the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box response) rating with working in their call center for each specific industry.
Winners | Category |
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Arizona Public Service | Energy |
Canadian Tire Financial Services | Financial |
BC Automobile Association (BCAA) | Insurance |
Blue Shield of California | Health Care |
TELUS Sourcing Solutions Inc. | Outsourcer |
Highest Work From Home Employee Satisfaction
Based on the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box response) for work from home CSRs.
Winner
World Class Employee Satisfaction
Based on 50% or higher of employees rate their overall experience of working in the call center as very satisfied (top box response) rating.
Winners
FCR Leadership
These awards are judged by a panel of SQM Client Account Managers who work closely with our tracking clients on an ongoing basis. Final award determination made by Mike Desmarais, President and Founder of SQM Group.
Winners
Name | Organization |
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Vicki Whichard | BlueCross and BlueShield of South Carolina |
Mike Miller | 407 ETR |
FCR Champion
These awards are judged by a panel of SQM Client Account Managers who work closely with our tracking clients on an ongoing basis. Final award determination made by Mike Desmarais, President and Founder of SQM Group.
Winners
Name | Organization |
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Bernie Victorelli | Highmark PA |
Cheryl Case | Florida Blue |
Austin Cobb | Nationstar Mortgage |
Previous Award Winners
Explore our awards archive to discover all the past winners of SQM's Call Center Customer Service Industry Awards, spanning from 2006 onwards!