The judging process has been designed to be easy for you. There are no obstacles, no trick questions – it’s an opportunity for you to tell your story.
Stage 1 – Online Submission
The first round of judging is carried out entirely online. Nominations are submitted through the AwardForce platform for the judges to read. The judges identify the finalists by using a set criteria and their many years’ experience of working in the industry to determine who will go forward to stage two.
Stage 2 – Face-to-face Judging
Finalists are announced in August, and they will go through to stage two. Finalists will be invited to present to a panel of judges online or to showcase their customer contact operation with a presentation, interviews, and tour, which may be virtual or in person – this is determined by the category. The judges will be looking for relevant evidence that supports the nomination and for supplementary information to help decide on the winners.
The Criteria: What are the judges looking for?
In both the online submission and during the face-to-face judging, the judges are looking for nominations that tell a clear story – the motivations, the deliverables and how the results were achieved. What lessons were learnt along the way and how were challenges overcome? What’s next in your journey?
They are looking for evidence of the impact of what has been delivered and how the nomination benchmarks against other entries, with a particular focus on:
Purpose
The judges will be looking for a clear vision for what you have achieved. What is the rationale behind the story and how did you engage stakeholders? Describe the objectives, the strategy and how it aligns to the business.
Impact
What impact have you had? Let the judges know your performance against KPIs, covering customer, employee, operational and commercial metrics. Consider savings made, efficiency gains, changes in productivity, reassignment of resources and increases in revenue.
Experience
Explain to the judges how the customer and/or employee experience has improved. Evidence this with feedback from stakeholders, for example voice of the customer and/or employee feedback. Judges will be looking for a good understanding of customer and/or employee needs.
Innovation
Demonstrate creative thinking. The judges want to hear how you approached things differently. What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? Share your plans for the future and how you intend to continually improve.
Best Practice
The judges will be looking for examples of great practice. They want to see approaches and experiences that others can learn from. How do you really stand out from the crowd?
Helen is Global Chief Experience Officer for Customer Experience and Channel Performance at Ipsos, with a focus on helping organisations to deliver a return on their CX investment. Helen has significant CX experience across markets, sectors, and channels, with a significant focus on the contact centre.
