Company: GlowTouch, Louisville, KY
Company Description: Founded in 2002, GlowTouch’s global employees provides personalized contact center, business processing, and technology outsourcing solutions to clients around the world. We are an award-winning, certified NMSDC minority & WBENC woman-owned Business, headquartered in Louisville, KY, with locations in Louisville, KY, San Antonio, Texas, Miami, FL, India, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines.
Nomination Category: Solution Provider Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service or Call Center Training Practice of the Year
 Nomination Title: GlowTouch WOW Training
- 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 organization, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- 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.
We have created a web page with supporting documentation for you to review. Please follow the link below for more information. Due to the proprietary nature of our training, we have password-protected the page.
[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
- Outline the organization's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 244 words used.
The has been a period of high growth during which the company has opened five new locations across multiple geographic locations while adding new clients and employees. We have also been recognized by business groups, industry trade organizations, and analysts for how the corporate philosophy of Putting People First has translated into employee retention, long-tenured partnerships with clients, and a culture of giving back to the communities in which we work and live.
Growth tends to mean opportunity, and to that end, a career path program was established to align individual skills and preferences to prepare individuals to pursue the promotion opportunities that growth provides. The program has seen one-time agents move into program manager roles, and other career tracks are being introduced for those interested in becoming trainers or part of the IT team.
We have also redoubled our efforts with impact sourcing, a BPO initiative that creates career opportunities for disadvantaged or marginalized populations. Among the results is the placement of rural residents well beyond commuting range and the hiring of military dependents whose careers in the past were disrupted by relocation.
Technical innovation has introduced new automation tools and dashboards that support our programs, plus a virtual web coach and chatbot that enhances efficiency and uses artificial intelligence to mitigate security risks better. Innovation also touches the human side through an expanded leadership team coupled with less centralized decision-making to promote agility and responsiveness to changing client demands and customer expectations.
- Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 197 words used.
Since its founding in 2002, GlowTouch has grown into a global enterprise with thousands of employees spread across eight contact center locations in four countries. We have carved an identity as The Uncommon BPOTM through:
- an unparalleled depth and breadth of technical skill and CX savvy
- a culture that treats clients as partners and their customers as our own
- a value system that uses doing well in business as the catalyst for doing good in the community
Two points of pride are 1) employee referrals are our leading channel of talent acquisition and 2) an average client tenure of 12+ years, making us the company that people keep. The referrals speak to an environment where employees are empowered and valued, and client tenure flows from that.
Many partnerships have grown well beyond the initial scope, from a commitment to aligning what we do with client business goals, a perpetual feedback loop that facilitates continuous improvement, and a service model predicated on delivering 'wow' experiences that promote customer retention.
As the company grows and client expectations evolve, we are innovating with technology to make the live agent more efficient and positively affect the metrics that define customer satisfaction.
- 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 organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 228 words used.
In July 2020, demand for online service and support increased dramatically due to restrictions and lockdowns brought on by the pandemic. We added new customers and the leadership team expanded with a revised governance model. Having distributed leadership had a transformative effect, and transformative is the right word for several reasons.
First, the change ushered in tremendous growth, with dozens of new customers added and new contact center locations opening. This had a spillover effect on the staff since enhanced career opportunities often join growth. Employees who are empowered and entrusted to make sound decisions will rise to the challenge. Many of those who did were rewarded with promotions; just as important, their skills and experience stayed in-house.
Second, every founder-led business eventually faces some critical decisions:
- Being comfortable with delegating authority
- Taking the steps that allow for the next phase in a company's evolution. Even before COVID-19, the plan was to operationalize on a larger level, including putting the right people in places.
We are unaware of another BPO that provides a similar training program for this category. We're in the user experience business, transcending the products/services that any individual client offers. The goal of each interaction is to reinforce and strengthen the connection between the consumer and the brand. This initial week sets the tone for everything that follows, from process/product training to the live environment.
- 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 212 words used.
Included on our supplemental webpage is a document called, WoW Training Program, which explains the particulars of this initiative and its role in making us The Uncommon BPOTM. This training curriculum sets the tone for everything agents can expect and is also a value-added component for clients.
When organizations choose us as their outsourcing provider, they implicitly understand that we will treat their customers as our customers. Because they essentially are. When end-users reach a contact center, they don't ask if support is done in-house or by a third party. In their minds, agents represent the brand, and how agents handle each interaction may well determine if the customer remains a customer and if the relationship is deepened.
For some programs, we augment WoW week with training that facilitates a service-to-sales pivot. Sales and support are not interchangeable, but they are complementary. No one is in a better position to recognize a sales opportunity than the agent and to naturally extend the existing relationship between support and customers. Doing this for a global web hosting company led to a 1,700% increase in per-contact revenue.
Please follow the link below for more information. Due to the proprietary nature of our training, we have password-protected the page.
[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
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