John Hancock Annuities

Company: John Hancock Annuities, Boston, MA
Company Description: John Hancock is a AAA rated insurance company. Our success is a testament to being the most trusted, professional and reliable services financial provider.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Management Team of the Year

Nomination Title: John Hancock Annuity Client Services Management Team

1. 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:

For their significant accomplishments in 2008, I would like to nominate our
Client Services management team for the Customer Service Management Team of the
Year.

The management team started the year with three goals. The first was to meet
our service levels during tax season, the second was to establish a quality
service reputation, and the third was to create a quality culture and winning
environment.

Despite entering tax season with an unproven staff (50+ new CSR's and 3 new
Managers), it was our first tax season in which we exceeded our service level
goals (80% of our calls were answered within 20 seconds). We ended up
answering 90% of the calls within 20 seconds over the four month period. The
strength of our service during tax season was best defined buy the ability of
our managers to motivate the staff, maintain a positive environment, and
execute our new performance plan.

Our second goal for the year was to establish ourselves as one of top service
providers in the industry. To do this we entered into a third party program
that measures our service against 36 of our competitors. Being new to the
program, we started near the bottom of the industry rankings. Our Managers soon
realized that they needed to make the quality of our service a number one
priority. By providing positive reinforcement and creating effective
incentive/recognition programs, the Management Team developed a culture of
quality. After only 10 months in the program, we've moved up the rankings
faster then any other company. We are proud to have finished in the top
quartile, four of the last five months and are well positioned to receive as
award for the overall quality of our service.

Coming off a successful tax season and establishing ourselves as one of the top
service providers has positively changed our service culture. The Management
Team recognized the change and seized the opportunity to make it sustainable.
Their third goal was to develop a culture of quality and a winning
environment. Their continuous efforts to maintain a healthy, positive work
environment has led to us receiving praise from our customers in numbers that
we haven't seen before. Even in the toughest of economic times, our staff is
being recognized by policy holders, financial advisors, and others for the
service they provide. Building upon a winning environment, the staff has
nominated their own managers for service awards. From these nominations, the
Management Team has yielded two award winners.

In conclusion, it's proven to be a great year for us as a team. Behind every
Customer Service Representative, every development program, every service
award, and every accolade there is a manager - a manager that is communicating,
motivating, and holding themselves accountable for the overall performance of
the staff.

Please accept this nomination for Customer Service Management Team of the Year.

2. 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]:

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

Steve Belt is Vice President of Client Services. His team of 150 annuity
professionals across three locations services Investors, Financial Advisors,
and Sales Personnel.

In addition to a 100-seat contact center, the unit consists of two specialty
teams. Divisional Service Consultants are the key liaisons between the sales
and service organizations while the Case Resolution Team supports the unit in
processing complex and escalated cases.

Steve joined the firm in 1994, has been both a project and relationship
manager, and has directed the New Business and Dealer Services functions. He
is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and is Co-Chair of the NAVA
Operations Committee.