GES Exposition Services

Company: GES Exposition Services, Las Vegas, NV
Company Description: GES Exposition Services Inc., a Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI) company, is a leading provider of exhibition and event marketing services.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Contact Center of the Year (Up to 100 Seats)

Nomination Title: The GES National Servicenter®

Tell the story about what this nominated team 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:

The GES National Servicenter® is a team that provides service for customers
exhibiting in 2,500 tradeshows conducted each year in the United States, where
GES is the general contractor. These services include pre- and post-show
support in the following areas: inbound/outbound contact center, order entry
and show manual design/production.;

GES was the first in the tradeshow industry to establish a centralized call
center so exhibitors could have a single source for questions/answers. The
National Servicenter® team is comprised of 80 personnel that answer over
200,000 inbound calls/chats, and process over 150,000 orders while
designing/producing over 2,000 show manuals.

Prior to 2006, the National Servicenter® was a detriment to GES renewing or
signing new clients as the center was not providing reliable, quality service.
Due to the uniqueness and variety of services provided (numerous
shows/venues), there are many challenges associated with providing exhibitors
consistent, outstanding service.

To meet service goals, we implemented a data driven, continuous
improvement, ‘voice of the customer’ (VOC), methodology appropriate for a B2B
business enterprise. With this approach, regular customer feedback is recorded
and utilized to understand key areas in need of improvement.

Various technologies were implemented to facilitate the VOC vision. These
included:
• Establishment of a CRM system to track inbound inquiries and centralize
customer/show information.
• Implementation of surveys to obtain customer feedback immediately after
contact with the National Servicenter®.
• Installation of a call recording system to record calls and screen shots of
representatives’ computer to provide coaching to improve service performance.
• Introduction of chat technology to provide an alternate communication
method
for exhibitors.

Additionally, the following processes and personnel changes were made:
• Establishment of a full-time trainer to provide new hire and recurrent
training.
• Hiring of a full-time data analyst to perform regular measurement and
analysis.
• Implementation of a performance based, continuous improvement culture based
on measureable data.
• Improved hiring methods and recruitment.

Surveys along with CRM data are the main VOC data elements used to measure
performance and determine necessary improvements. The surveys are emailed to
exhibitors after their call/chat experience is documented within the CRM
system. Surveys consist of six questions (attached) and exhibitors rate each
response on whether the experience met, exceeded or was below their
expectations. Following are results for the past three years:

2007, 2008, 2009
 
Response rate;; 17.50%; 18.40%; 19.60%
 
% met / exceed 86.4, 92.1, 96.5
 
% exceed 51, 58.4, 65.2

As the above data illustrates, the National Servicenter® has continued to
improve its service year over year. In order to independently gauge our
service improvements, GES applied for the J.D. Power and Associates’ Contact
Center Certification in late 2008. This involves an annual certification of
audits by J.D. Power and Associates on recruiting, training, employee
incentives, quality assurance capabilities, technologies, metrics and
management roles and responsibilities.

In addition, J.D. Powers and Associates conducts their own random surveys of
customers. Applicants must meet stringent requirements to pass, which are
based on J.D. Powers and Associates’ proprietary research methods. Our team
successfully passed certification for 2009 and was recently notified of 2010
certification, achieving a 10% score improvement over 2009.

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]:

http://www.ges.com/about/press/press_detail.asp?newsID=194

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

Jeff Miller is Sr. Director of the National Servicenter® for GES Exposition
Services, a global tradeshow marketing and events company. He has over 20
years of experience leading global customer service programs for organizations
including Thales, Smiths Industries (now GE Aviation), and Allied Signal (now
Honeywell).

During his tenure at GES Exposition Services he and his team implemented a VOC
(Voice of the Customer) strategy in the contact center which has been
implemented throughout the company. The contact center has evolved from a
business liability to a business asset which has assisted the GES sales team
in obtaining and retaining clients.