Search past winners/finalists


  • MESA logo

DHL Express, Beirut, Lebanon

How to EnterCompany: DHL Express, Beirut, Lebanon
Company Description: DHL is present in over 220 countries and territories across the globe, making it the most international company in the world. With a workforce exceeding 285,000 employees, we provide solutions for an almost infinite number of logistics needs. DHL is part of the world's leading postal and logistics Group, Deutsche Post DHL.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Back-Office Customer Service Professional of the Year

Nomination Title: Mazen Hammoud, Customer Service Back-Office Professional

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July 2012 (up to 525 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:

On Saturday Nov 03, 2012, DHL Lebanon was informed that shipments that were supposed to connect on a direct flight to the UK (on Friday Morning) had been offloaded twice and the material was still at the airport in Beirut.

Unfortunately, among the delayed material were 4 shipments containing STEM CELLS (umbilical cord ) 2 of which are for prematurely born babies. It is crucial to properly store these stem cells within 72 hours to preserve a high percentage of vitality otherwise the cells die and are not useful.

The customer explained to Mazen the sensitivity of the situation (as these belong to premature new born twins and there is a high chance that these stem cells might be needed.)

Mazen immediately started looking into ways to save the day. There was no way to delivery the shipment in time through the network. Further complicating matters was the fact that material was already held in the airport cargo area under customs authority. It was practically impossible to return the goods to DHL facility without customs formalities which can take around 3 days.

Mazen did not accept to settle on what is normally possible and used all possible resources to deliver the shipments on time. Below is a an outline of those actions:

•Obtained a special authorization from the customs manager to open the container and retrieve those two shipments.
•Checked with the shipper and the LAB in UK (Consignee) if Stem Cells remains in good condition till Sunday morning and if there would be someone available to receive them in the lab during weekend.
•Obtained an approval from management to arrange for an on-board courier
•Contacted Heathrow airport and checked what nationalities are accepted without visa and if passengers are allowed to carry Stem Cells.
•Checked possible flights to be used (it was Saturday afternoon and only 1 flight via Qatar was available with a total of 11 hours flying time and ETA to London on Sunday at 7 am reporting time)
•Reviewed employees list and checked who can travel to UK without a visa and is available to fly in such short notice
•Kept in contact with the on-board courier until shipment was delivered Sunday Morning to the Lab.

On Monday morning, Mazen contacted the shipper who advised that the Stem Cells arrived safe and in perfect condition to UK , the Cells are preserved and accepted for storage.

Thanks to his persistence Mazen saved the day and ensured that we kept our service commitment; the customer kept his commitment to his customer and more importantly made sure that the stem cells would be available to the twin babies if needed.

Mazen received the DHL Lebanon extra mile award in March 2012 and the DHL MENA CS Hero Award in October 2012.

Moreover, Mazen has joined the ISO auditing team and became a certified internal ISO auditor, he plays an important role in the DHL Quality System, conducts audits through out the entire organization. Mazen assisted in 2 Llyods ISO external audits conduct on DHL Express Lebanon.

 

Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the nominee:

Mazen Hammoud joined DHL in 2007 and currently works in the Backline in Lebanon having worked on the Night Shift and Front Line. He’s happily married to Manal and they have one boy. Mazen is known for his long working hours, this also including holidays and weekends. He is always supportive in any decision taken by the management team, helps and assists his team members and takes ownership of the tasks assigned to him. Mazen has the ideal customer service spirit and always goes the extra mile to resolve any issue or complaint. He is knows for not giving up and always finding solutions to obstacles in order to save the day.