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Cvent

 

  

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Company: Cvent, McLean, VA
Company Description: Founded in 1999, Cvent is the world's largest meetings management software company. Founded in 1999, Cvent is the world’s largest meetings management software company and has over 670 employees worldwide. Cvent offers web-based software with features for meeting site selection, online event registration, event management, e-mail marketing, and web surveys.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Awards Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - IT & Telecommunications

Nomination Title: Cvent

    Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Over the past year, Cvent grew by 40% and added more than 3,500 customers.
Faced with such a dramatic increase in customer demand, the company’s Client
Services (CS) team doubled in size and took its already renowned service model
to the next level, moving from servicing clients to helping them thrive in a
still-fragile economy. 

Recognizing that Cvent’s customers now have to do more with less, the CS team
focused this year on doing more to help customers surpass their business goals,
and put in place its “Create a Link” motto. As a result, the team experienced a
customer retention rate of 90% and earned its second consecutive International
Service Award in December 2010 from the Customer Service Institute of America.

Cvent CS hired and trained 76 representatives this year, bringing the team to
150. Such a large recruiting and training effort was made possible by a very
detailed and thorough 12-week training program run by CS’s newly-created
Training & Development center, which ensures customers always interact with a
knowledgeable, friendly professional. 

        What’s more, believing strongly that the foundation of any successful client
service division is happy, motivated employees, the Cvent CS Management Team
invested heavily in employee development programs, resulting in a 2009-2010
employee attrition rate of less than 5% - an exceedingly low rate in the global
service industry. These programs include continuing education to build employee
skill sets outside Cvent’s specific products (including training on HTML, event
planning, presentation techniques and Microsoft Office applications); incentive
programs (such as rewards for best client story and first call resolution); a
book club aimed at instilling the principles of exceptional customer
experience; an Internal Advisory Board focused on boosting morale; and an India-
U.S. employee exchange program that allows reps from both offices to visit and
learn from each other. This commitment to CS employee development allowed Cvent
to grow and innovate over the past 18 months without sacrificing client
satisfaction.

With this strong foundation in place, the CS team implemented the following
initiatives since July 2009, among many others, to help clients thrive:

•     Set up 24x7 e-mail and phone support for Cvent’s flagship event
management product, so customers receive service when it is most convenient for
them. The team also added support for two new product lines, with specialized
phone queues, bringing the total number of products the team services to five,
and added specialized queues for advanced technical queries related to HMTL,
eCommerce, etc.

•     Developed and delivered Professional and Master Level Cvent software
certification programs for clients, adding a valuable skill set to customers’
resumes in a competitive job market.

•     Launched free Cvent software certification at universities across the
country, with a goal of certifying 250,000 students, to equip college students
to land a job for which Cvent-savvy applicants are preferred.

•     Adhered to a 90/90 rule: over 90% of calls are answered in 90 seconds
or less, despite a 25% year-over-year increase in call volume.

•     Handled an average of 900 customer touch points per day, made over
10,000 proactive customer calls and offered almost 2,500 product training
sessions.

•     Conducted Training Road Shows for customers in major cities, including
D.C., L.A., N.Y.C. and Dallas.

•     Opened up more lines of communication with customers by implementing a
Social Media Program, through which the team shares best practices and offers
real-time responses to customers on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

The CS team also worked closely with Cvent’s technology department to
incorporate customer requests into the company’s products, resulting in over
260 major product feature additions/enhancements.

The past year is a reflection of Cvent’s commitment to exceeding customer
expectations. With a focus on maintaining happy employees, going the extra mile
to help customers thrive, and new, innovative service programs, the Cvent CS
department has made sure that customers are not only happy with Cvent’s
service, but can also rely on Cvent as a partner in achieving their business
goals.

    List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Press Release: Customer Service Institute of America Names Cvent 2009
International Service Award Winner

http://www.cvent.com/en/company/cvent-wins-international-customer-service-award.shtml

Cover Story in Customer Excellence Magazine
http://www.cvent.com/en/pdf/news/cse_october2010.pdf

Press Release: Cvent Starts 2010 with Unprecedented Q1 Growth
http://www.cvent.com/en/company/cvent-starts-2010-unprecedented-q1-growth.shtml

Press Release:
http://www.cvent.com/en/company/cvent-continues-growth-q3-revenue-increase.shtml

    Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:

Manjula Aggarwal is Senior Vice President of Client Services and Relationship
Management at Cvent and has over 10 years of software development and project
management experience. Prior to Cvent, Manjula was a Manager for Ernst & Young
Consulting Services, where she led a team of developers in creating e-commerce
websites for Carlson Wagonlit Travel.  Manjula also worked with the CIO of Coca-
Cola to evaluate the overall efficiency of Coca-Cola’s entire Information
Services division.

Manjula holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Science
from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science degree in Management Information
Systems from George Mason University.