Who doesn’t like getting an award?

It feeds our ego and gives us bragging rights. As any Academy, Grammy or Booker Prize award winner can attest, it also has measurable business benefits. It can add major box office returns to a forgotten movie, a re-release of a classic album or a bump in book sales.

Industry awards can distinguish your company from your competitors by validating the quality your service.  It raises general brand awareness and it also looks pretty nice on your trophy shelf.

I was honoured to have accepted on behalf of the team at I24 Call Management Solutions, our 21st consecutive Award of Excellence at the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X) conference recently held in Vancouver, BC.

Our President, Gary Blair shared his thoughts on what achieving this milestone award meant to him and his team at i24.

“Winning the Award of Excellence means so much more than self-congratulations and hanging yet another plaque on the wall.

For as long as I can remember my goal in life was to do whatever I chose to undertake to the very best of my ability.

I discovered at an early age that it takes little extra time and energy to do so. What it does take is determination, focus, enthusiasm and the desire to be of service to others.

When you embed these traits throughout your business, you will have a solid service based organization.

Excellence becomes the fabric of the culture.

The award is the cherry on the cake.

We celebrate ourselves and each other’s successes, because what’s the expression?

Oh right, it takes a village! “

Three benefits of enrolling in an awards program.

Industry leadership.

Doing the work and winning an award of excellence demonstrates industry leadership.

Awards can give your business a credibility boost especially. This is especially the case if they come for a recognized association such as CAM-X or ATSI.

Some benefits of being seen as an industry leader are:

– getting invited to participate in trade associations

– speaking at conferences

–  joining boards of directors

Any of these will increase your business profile.

Hiring and Retention

Being an award-winning business is attractive to job seekers because it shows a level of company maturity and stability.

Prospective employees also believe there are more opportunities in a high profile company.

Young recruits are searching for companies with a healthy work culture. A company with a good reputation also is seen as an asset on their resumé.

Company Culture

It takes a lot of teamwork to not only meet but exceed the criteria of the CAM-X Award of Excellence.

The award itself is not the company’s goal, customer service is. The award is our validation.

By targeting the quality of service we give clients, we will keep and get more clients. Winning an award for living up to our company mission is a bonus.

In the case of this AOE award, the criteria are tough.

CAM-X contracts independent judges who evaluate message services over a six month period.

The scoring criteria include:

–  Response Time

–  Courteousness of Rep

–  Accuracy of Call

–  Knowledge of Account

–  Overall Impression of Call

Working for a common goal is a process that demands teamwork, communication and focus. When everyone works together everyone is important. Everyone matters.

This is the foundation for a healthy company culture.

At i24, we work to provide our clients with the best service possible. As Gary said, “the award is the cherry on the cake.”.

CAM-X is a Canadian based trade Association for the Call Management industry which includes call centres, telephone answering services, telemarketing services, and other communication services. Their goal is to contribute to their members’ profitability by fostering a willingness to exchange ideas, experiences and solutions while promoting the general welfare and ethical standards of our industry.
Visit www.camx.ca for more information.