Safelite AutoGlass Wins Two Silver Medals in 2014 Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Feb. 27, 2014 - Safelite AutoGlass®, the largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company in the U.S., earned two Silver medals in the eighth annual Stevie Awards: Bobby Jones, a store manager and technician in Quincy, Mass., won in the Customer Service Manager of the Year category and Safelite’s IT team won for its proprietary Mobile Resource Management (MRM) software in the Innovation in Customer Service category. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world’s top sales awards, contact center awards, and customer service awards.
More than 1,500 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition, an increase of 36 percent over 2013. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 129 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 43 categories for customer service and contact center achievements. More than 260 executives around the world participated in the judging process for the 2014 awards, to determine the Finalists and then the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award placements.
“Entries to the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards have almost doubled over the past few years,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. “Not only have we seen a dramatic increase in the number of entries; but the judges have also seen a remarkable rise in the quality of the nominations submitted overall. We congratulate all of this year’s Stevie winners for their outstanding work.”
Bobby Jones: 2014 Customer Service Manager of the Year, Silver
While there are many technicians who stand out for embracing the Safelite’s customer-driven philosophy, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVbFop7S0JU&feature=share&list=UU2RCJl5ATR1E3KTHt1BS8iQ is a role model within the organization. He joined Safelite nearly six years ago as a technician. He believed so whole-heartedly in the company’s high standards in creating a memorable customer experience, that he actually nicknamed himself Bobby “The Experience” Jones, replacing his name on his uniform with the simple word “Experience.”
Recently, Jones was promoted to a store manager in the Quincy, Mass., market and has drastically improved the customer experience. Safelite measures customer satisfaction using the Net Promoter Score (NPS). When Bobby took over the Quincy store, their NPS was 70.9 percent, Bobby motivated his staff and today, they are consistently getting over 90 percent.
According to his managers, Jones not only lives customer service, his attitude and larger-than-life personality is contagious to all in his store. He takes every customer one at a time and stresses the importance of each customer’s experience. He is not satisfied with a 96.9 percent NPS, rather he looks at what can he do to delight the other 3.1 percent.
Even as a store manager, Jones still works on cars. His team appreciates knowing they have his support and he’s willing to “get in the trenches” with them. He is able to spread a positive attitude with his leadership while also providing technical support to his team.
One customer wrote in to say, “I am a retired CEO of a Fortune 500 company who had over 1000 technicians stationed worldwide in the medical equipment business. I was just treated to one of the most positive memorable experiences in the service industry that I have ever witnessed. The equipment, tools and material were impressive, but the competence and customer satisfaction skills demonstrated by Bobby were outstanding. You are a very lucky company to have him as one of your colleagues. Thanks for sending Bobby to replace my wife's BMW windshield. He is a world-class employee.”
Mobile Technician Handheld Technology: 2014 Innovation in Customer Service, Silver
To equip technicians with the proper support to provide mobile service, Safelite’s IT team developed a proprietary Mobile Resource Management (MRM) software initially in 2007 that is loaded onto techs’ smartphones. Beginning in 2011, the IT team set out to 1) enhance the software for better functionality and 2) update the handheld devices to a more user-friendly model. The third iteration of MRM and the new smartphones were rolled out in 2013.
MRM3 features everything a technician needs to provide an exceptional customer experience on the road. The flexible, event-driven workflow streamlines technicians’ day. The home screen displays their daily work order list and map view to each location. The daily manifest can be changed as needed by the technician. They can start each job by collecting basic customer information and completing a digital pre-inspection of damage supported by photographs. They can update parts used for better customer records. And they can close with a safe, secure payment.
MRM3 improves the customer and technician interaction. Advantages include:
·Convenience: Technicians can call the customer from the work order on their screen to notify them when they will arrive.
·Security: Customers can sign the pre-authorization form and receipt from the smartphone, which can then be emailed to the customer. The automatic device lock after a short period of inactivity protects customer information.
·Quality: Technicians have quick access to tips and tools of the trade to address the nuances of different vehicle styles.
Additionally, MRM3 offers:
·Better mapping and integrated geo-navigation systems to find the customer’s location
·Larger, touch-screen navigation is easier to use
·Hi-res cameras better support barcode scanning and pre-inspections
·Speech to text communications options
·Broader internet access for training, installation/repair tips, or company communications
·Improved safety and legal compliance related to mobile usage
To promote safe driving, the application enters Safe Drive Mode, restricting use beyond the Navigation function, when driving more than 10mph.
Safelite also is updating the handheld devices to the www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote/note2/index.html?type=find smartphones (replacing the older generation devices currently in use). The Note II was selected with input from technicians. The device’s features were well-received during infield tests.
·The large 5.5” HD Super AMOLED™ touchscreen display provides high resolution for optimal content viewing.
·The S Pen™ allows technicians to conveniently write down directions, phone numbers and other information while on a call.
·Multi Window split screen multitasking allows technicians to seamlessly run multiple apps on one screen simultaneously.
·As a SAFE™ (Samsung for Enterprise) device, the Galaxy Note II includes security and feature enhancements that provides protection of customer and company data.
What this means for the customer is fewer missed or late appointments, and a better prepared technician ready to tackle the nuances of your particular vehicle. To technicians, it means access to the best, most innovative tools that help them complete their work and shine on the job.
Kathy Domer, an IT Manager at Safelite led the project. She has been with Safelite for 11 years. As a manager in IT, Kathy has served as a business analyst, project manager, application designer, and business liaison with the company’s Field Operations, Supply Chain, and Client Services teams. During her career with Safelite, she has had key roles in the design and implementation of the Safelite.com website (which offered the industry’s first integrated, real-time pricing and scheduling functionality), the company’s bedrock scheduling and routing systems, and the forecasting methodology used to optimize the operations workforce. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with double major in Management Information Systems and Marketing Research.
About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass®, founded in 1947, is the nation’s leading provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services, providing mobile service to more than 95 percent of the U.S. population in all 50 states. The Columbus, Ohio-based company employs approximately 10,000 people across the United States and serves more than 4.3 million customers annually. For more information, visit www.safelite.com, or follow us on www.facebook.com/safelite and twitter.com/safelite.
About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.
More than 400 nominated customer service and sales executives from the U.S. and several other countries attended the gala banquet. www.businesstalkradio.net will broadcast a recording of the presentations this Wednesday, February 26, at 8:00 pm ET. Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/sales.