Company: Support Services Group, Inc. | Waco, TX USA
Company Description: Support Services Group was founded in 1998 and is a leading provider of various types of Consumer Support, including Technical Support, Help Desk Services, Customer Service, Ecommerce and Retail Support, Lead Generation, B2B/B2C Sales, Sales Support, Chat Support, Email Support, and Knowledgebase Management. We have 7 contact center locations across the United States, Latin America, and Canada.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Contact Center Professional of the Year
 Nomination Title: Maria Vargas
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 199 words used.
Maria Vargas, a seasoned professional with a decade of experience in the call center industry, has displayed exceptional performance throughout her career. Starting as a frontline agent, Maria rapidly ascended through the ranks, demonstrating proficiency in various facets of the industry, including back-office tasks, sales, and customer service. She transitioned to leadership roles, progressing from Team Lead to Senior Team Lead, ultimately achieving the pioneering position of CSAT and Process Improvement Lead at SSG Panama.
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Currently serving as the CSAT and Process Improvement Lead for over one year and seven months now, Maria leads with expertise and passion. She manages a team, employing her understanding of process analysis to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement. Maria's commitment to continuous improvement is evident through her proficiency in Lean Six Sigma and Agile methodologies, contributing to streamlined processes and defect reduction. She identifies root causes and formulates effective solutions, showcasing her dedication to ongoing improvement and adherence to industry best practices.
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 245 words used.
Maria Vargas has spearheaded transformative initiatives at SSG, showcasing her dedication to excellence and continuous improvement. One of her noteworthy achievements revolves around the comprehensive overhaul of SSG's service [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]. When entrusted with the entirety of [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] business, Maria faced a significant challenge as the CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) scores dropped from 80-83% to 77-80%, falling below the targeted range of 83-85%. Responding proactively, Maria initiated a root-cause analysis using Lean Six Sigma tools, pinpointing a lack of emphasis on soft skills as a critical factor.
Implementing an awareness campaign, Maria strategically reinforced the importance of soft skills, accompanied by targeted training and activities. This initiative yielded remarkable results, elevating CSAT scores to a consistent 85% monthly.
Furthermore, Maria was pivotal in enhancing efficiency for chat/SMS and email agents [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION], leveraging Lean Six Sigma tools for a comprehensive time study. She streamlined agent workflows by presenting findings [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] and implementing process improvements, resulting in increased customer contacts per agent and heightened efficiency.
She also initiated an efficiency project, guiding agents to be more resourceful and adept at multitasking, ultimately contributing to increased customer satisfaction.
Her inspiring leadership style -- characterized by leading by example, providing constructive feedback and coaching, and eliminating barriers -- motivates her team to deliver their best. Through her years in customer service, Maria has learned valuable life lessons, including problem-solving, adaptability, resilience, and the significance of teamwork, all of which contribute to her holistic approach to driving excellence.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 12 words used.
Attached you will be able to find supporting materials to the claims.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 207 words used.
Maria's proactive approach to continuous improvement sets SSG apart, aligning seamlessly with [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] management mentality and shared goals of efficiency and innovative problem-solving. This common ground facilitated effective communication and collaboration, allowing both entities to work toward enhanced operational effectiveness and groundbreaking solutions.
In contrast to previous vendors, Maria introduced a structured framework for objective and critical feedback, enabling iterative improvements in products, processes, and policies, ultimately fostering a positive customer experience and driving increased business. [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] With consistently expressed satisfaction with Maria's initiatives during regular business reviews, highlighting her strategic implementation of various processes that significantly improved operational efficiency for [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION] SSG [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION].
Maria's impact on key performance indicators is evident in her impressive achievements. She exceeded the CSAT goal for eight consecutive months, showcasing her commitment to delivering exceptional customer satisfaction. Moreover, she successfully reduced the incident aging rate from 56% of incidents outside SLA to 3%, demonstrating her prowess in incident management. Additionally, Maria established standardized processes for managing CSAT root causes, escalation incident management, Email Service Level SOP, and other critical aspects, further contributing to the seamless operations [REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]. Maria's innovative and results-driven approach has solidified the partnership and elevated the overall efficiency and effectiveness of their collaborative business operations.
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