2021 Contact Center Industry Award Winners
SQM has been awarding call centers, supervisors, and agents that have demonstrated customer service excellence since 1998. SQM awards are considered the most prestigious and sought-after North American call center industry awards. SQM benchmarks over 500 leading North American contact centers on an annual basis and has been conducting customer and employee experience studies since 1996. SQM annually conducts over 1.5 million surveys with customers who have used a call center, email, website, IVR, chat, 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. Based on our customer and employee studies, SQM awards excellence in FCR, customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction for the contact center industry. SQM awards are based on customers who have used a contact channel and employees who work in a contact center. For the 2021 Contact Center Industry Awards, SQM conducted customer and employee experience studies for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2021.
For each contact center that participated in the customer experience study, SQM completed a minimum of 400 post-contact surveys. 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. FCR Best Practice Awards acknowledge organizations that have demonstrated a best practice that has improved first call resolution (FCR) or provided a positive customer experience.
SQM has more than 50 different award categories that recognize the top-performing organizations in FCR, employee experience, and FCR Best Practice performance. Based on the organizations benchmarked, SQM is honored to recognize the following Service Quality Award of Excellence Winners for 2021. These prestigious customer experience industry awards were presented at our 23rd annual awards ceremony held virtually on May 19, 2022.
Award Name
Name: Temp Name
Organization: Temp Company
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
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Finalists
- Jackson
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
Best Performing Small- to Mid-Sized Call Center
Criteria used for Best Performing Small- to Mid-Sized Call Center (between 25 to 99 CSRs) are based on having the highest combined customer FCR and employee overall very satisfied (top box response) rating.
Winner
Highmark (Federal Employee Program)
Finalists
- Marchon/Altair
- Security Health Plan
Call Center World Class FCR Certification
Criteria used for Call Center World Class FCR Certification is 80% or higher customers getting their contact resolved on the first call to the call center (FCR) for 3 consecutive months or more.
- 407 ETR (Contact Centre/Commercial)
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (Federal Employee Program)
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Federal Employee Program)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont
- BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois (Federal Employee Program)
- BlueCross BlueShield of New Mexico (Federal Employee Program)
- BlueCross BlueShield of Oklahoma (Federal Employee Program)
- BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (Federal Employee Program)
- Canadian Tire Roadside Assistance
- Express Scripts, Inc. in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Florida Blue (Federal Employee Program)
- Highmark (Federal Employee Program)
- Independence partner FutureScripts
- Jackson
- Marchon Canada
- Marchon/Altair
- Mr. Cooper (Private Label)
- Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans (Federal Employee Program)
- Security Health Plan
- UPMC Health Plan
- VSP Vision Care
- World Vision Canada
IVR Self-Service World Class FCR Certification
Criteria used for IVR Self-Service World Class FCR Certification is based on 80% or higher of customers getting their contact resolved on the first call with the IVR (FCR) for 3 consecutive months or more.
Winner
FortisBC
Customer Experience Best Practices
These awards recognize the organization that has demonstrated they have improved or helped maintain high FCR and customer experience (CX) performance. Organizations submit specific practices they have used to improve or maintain high FCR and Csat performance.
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Journey Mapping | Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans (Federal Employee Program) |
CSR of the Year
To be eligible the customer service representative (CSR) must be World Class CX Certified. The criteria for a World Class CX Certified CSR is 85% or higher of the calls surveyed are at the World Class Call (WCC) level. SQM's WCC criteria is based on the customer's call being resolved and the customer is overall very satisfied (top box response) with the CSR who handled their call. Call center management must also send an example of a great customer service story that the CSR delivered.
Winner
Madeline Rodriguez, BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
Finalists
- Angela DeKlein, Consumers Energy
- Sandra Cline, Mr. Cooper
Top CSRs of the Year
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Nefedaya Smith | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont |
| Deb Kasper | |
| Jeni Harris | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas |
| Stephanie Curtis | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City |
| Jill Adams | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts |
| Mary Ortiz | BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BlueChoice) |
| Erin Jarrell | BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina |
| Starlight Ervin | |
| Carmen Storey | |
| Minerva Robertson | |
| Jessica Hathaway | BlueCross BlueShield of Texas (Federal Employee Program) |
| Shelby Pitts | |
| Anthonette Thomas | 407 ETR |
| Nicole Lucarino | First West Credit Union |
| Dora Wright | Florida Blue (Federal Employee Program) |
| Valerie Russell | |
| Amanda Charlot | Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey |
| Josephine Ferro | Marchon/Altair |
| Chelsea Aynes | Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans |
| Deleesa Williams | Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans (Federal Employee Program) |
| Julie Bolen | Security Health Plan |
| Michael Miles | VSP Vision Care |
CSR Top World Class CX Improvement
To be eligible the customer service representative (CSR) must have a 10% or greater annual world class CX metric improvement from the previous year. SQM's WCC criteria is based on the customer's call being resolved and the customer is overall very satisfied (top box response) rating with the CSR who handled their call. Call center management must also send an example of a great customer service story that the CSR delivered.
Winners
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Gerriah McNeil | Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts |
| Marquisha Jackson | BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina |
| Sara Winter | Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans |
| Bridgett Kroyer | |
| Sheryl Wilkinson | VSP Vision Care |
Supervisor of the Year
To be eligible the supervisor must be World Class CX Certified. The criteria for a World Class CX Certified Supervisor is 85% or higher of the calls surveyed are at the World Class Call (WCC) level. Call center management or CSRs must also send an example of a great Call Resolution or Csat coaching story.
Winner
Alia Bawazer , VSP Vision Care
Finalists
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Emily Serrano | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas |
| Amy Munger | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City |
| Mallory Johnson | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota |
| Teneshia Harris | BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina |
| Rebecca Spencer | Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans (Federal Employee Program) |
Highest Customer Experience in the Contact Center Industry
| Winners | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| FortisBC | Highest Enterprise-Wide One Contact Resolution | This award recognizes the organization with the highest enterprise-wide one contact resolution over two or more contact channels, with at least one channel being the call center and one being the website. |
| Marchon/Altair | Highest Omni-Channel Customer Service | This award recognizes the contact center with the highest overall Csat (top box rating) where the experience was seamless for the entire multi-channel experience. |
| FortisBC | Highest Web Self-Service Customer Service | This award recognizes the contact center with the highest overall Csat (top box rating) for their respective category. |
| FortisBC | Highest IVR Self-Service Customer Service | |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas | Highest Email Customer Service | |
| Security Health Plan | Highest Chat Customer Service |
Highest Customer Service by Industry
Criteria used for Highest Customer Service By Industry is based on the organization having the highest FCR rating in each specific industry/sector.
| Winners | Category |
|---|---|
| Vancity Savings Credit Union | Banking |
| Jackson | Financial |
| Canadian Tire Bank | Credit Card |
| VSP Vision Care | Insurance |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas | Health Care |
| Highmark (Federal Employee Program) | Health Care Federal Employee Program |
| Independence partner FutureScripts | Pharmacy |
| Name Withheld | Retail/Service |
| FortisBC | Energy |
| Name Withheld | Telco/TV |
| Name Withheld | Helpdesk |
| Name Withheld | Government |
| Marchon/Altair | Business to Business |
| World Vision Canada | Charity |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas | Non-Profit |
First Call Resolution Improvement
Criteria used for First Call Resolution Improvement is based on a 5% or greater annual FCR improvement from the previous year.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield Nebraska (Federal Employee Program)
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- BlueCross BlueShield of New Mexico (Federal Employee Program)
- BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BlueChoice)
- Nationstar Champion
- Premera Blue Cross
- Prime Therapeutics (Member Service)
Employee Experience Awards
Highest Employee Experience for the Contact Center Industry
Criteria used for Highest Employee Experience for the Contact Center Industry is based on having the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) rating with working in their contact center.
Winner
Highmark (Federal Employee Program)
Most Improved Employee Experience
Criteria used for Most Improved Employee Experience is based on having the most improved employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) with working in their contact center.
Winner
Security Health Plan
Highest Employee Experience by Industry
Criteria used for Highest Employee Experience by Industry is based on having the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) with working in their contact center for each specific industry/sector.
| Winners | Category |
|---|---|
| Canadian Tire Financial Services | Financial |
| VSP Vision Care | Insurance |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas | Health Care |
Highest Work From Home Employee Experience
Criteria used for Highest Work From Home Employee Experience is based on having the highest employee overall very satisfied (top box rating) for work from home CSRs.
Winner
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
World Class Employee Experience
Criteria used for World Class Employee Experience is based on 50% or higher of employees rate their overall experience of working in the contact center as very satisfied (top box rating).
Winners
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City
- Canadian Tire Corporate Customer Support
- Canadian Tire Financial Services
- Highmark (Federal Employee Program)
- Jackson
- Marchon/Altair
- Regence BlueCross BlueShield Plans
- Security Health Plan
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, CEO and Founder of SQM Group.
Winners
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Carrie Stebbins | BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BlueChoice) |
| Ken Baur | Security Health Plan |
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!
Interested in Awards?
Find out how you can qualify for these awards and be recognized for your contact center CX success and improvement. Connect with SQM today.