The Development Excellence award recognizes a contact centre or partner that demonstrates a dedication to developing the skills of its workforce and that provides opportunity for industry advancement and future growth.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Communication

• What tools are used to communicate new information to your workforce?

• Do you have a communication process and if so, please describe?

Training programs

• What training programs do you have?

• What strategies are used to ensure that the information is delivered effectively?

• How do you measure the effectiveness of the program?

• Please provide actual vs. planned results for this past year.

Coaching Strategies

• What coaching strategies do you employ?

• How do you measure the outcomes and success of these strategies.

• How do you coach your coaches?

The Digital Innovation award recognizes a contact centre or partner that has employed new or enhanced technology, processes, reporting and/or organizational change in order to improve their customer and/or employee experience.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Positive Change to the business affecting customers and/or employees of your company
What new technology, process improvement or organizational change have you made at your business? Please provide details and indicate how these initiatives positively impacted your company.

Communication

• What tools are used to communicate new information to your workforce?

• How does your company use Social Media platforms today?

• What new digital tools have you deployed in your company and what benefits have they derived?

• How do you leverage these tools?

The Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Award recognizes a contact centre or partner's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts that have made significant contributions in these areas.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Leadership Commitment:

Demonstrated commitment to DEI from senior leadership.

Policies and statements from leadership that support DEI initiatives.

Diverse Workforce:

Workforce demographics that reflect diversity in terms of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, and other relevant factors.

Active recruitment strategies to attract diverse talent.

Inclusive Culture:

Evidence of an inclusive workplace culture where all employees feel valued and respected.

Employee resource groups or affinity networks that support underrepresented groups.

Equitable Practices:

Equitable hiring, promotion, and compensation practices.

Programs and policies that address pay equity and career advancement for underrepresented groups.

Training and Education

Regular DEI training for employees at all levels, including leadership.

Educational programs that promote awareness and understanding of DEI issues.

Community Engagement

Involvement in community initiatives that support diversity and inclusion.

Partnerships with organizations that promote DEI.

Measurement and Accountability

Systems in place to measure and track DEI progress and outcomes.

Transparent reporting on DEI metrics and goals.

Innovation in DEI

Creative and effective DEI programs or initiatives that go beyond standard practices.

Efforts that have led to measurable improvements in DEI within the company.

Employee Feedback

Positive feedback from employees regarding the company’s DEI efforts.

Surveys or other mechanisms that capture employee perceptions of DEI in the workplace.

Sustainability of Efforts

Long-term commitment to DEI with sustainable practices.

Demonstrated progress over time in improving DEI within the organization.

These criteria can help evaluate a company’s DEI efforts comprehensively, ensuring that the award recognizes true leadership and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Economic Growth and Employment Opportunities Award recognizes the economic impacts that our member centres and partners have within our province and recognizes the career growth opportunities that these companies offer to their employees.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Describe the economic impacts that your centre has within the community.

Some items to consider but not limited to:

• What are the Economic Impacts that your business has on the local economy?

• What steps are you taking to ensure that you are creating Long Term Employment opportunities in New Brunswick?

• Do employees feel that there are options available for Career Growth and Development?

Economic Impacts

• How many people are employed in your centre compared to the size of your community?

• How many net new jobs were created in the past year compared to previous years within your centre?

• What are the secondary impacts that your centre has to your local economy: impacts such as hiring local service partners or using local businesses for company events?

• How does your centre handle issues of equal opportunity and pay equity across gender and minority groups?

Long Term Employment

• What is the average tenure of employees?

• How has your attrition rate improved last year compared to previous years?

• How are you ensuring that employees stay engaged in their career?

Career Growth and Development

• What opportunities are available to employees, focusing on career growth?

• Are employees able to apply for jobs within the company, including ones that may be outside of the contact centre environment?

• Do employees feel that they have the resources to develop and work towards their career goals?

The Elevate Your Community award recognizes outstanding voluntary contributions made by a member contact centre or partner to the citizens of New Brunswick. The award recipient is selected for demonstrating tremendous spirit and for enriching and uplifting both their workplace and their community.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Describe how your business serves and helps to elevate your local community?

• If your business contributes to a particular organization(s), please indicate why and the need for your services in the community.

• Please discuss specifically the impact of your company's service on elevating your community.

Fundraising
If the member or partner participated in fundraising activities, please indicate the financial contributions made to the community. It is beneficial to note the amount of fundraising dollars per capita in your business.

Indicate how your business raised the funds for the organizations you supported.

Volunteer Efforts
Please describe volunteer efforts contributed. You may include total volunteer hours for this past year and discuss specific events your company supported.

Employee Participation
What internal programs are available to foster employee involvement?

Please share with us how your team demonstrates the spirit of caring.

The Employee of the Year award recognizes an employee from each contact centre member and partner organization who has a demonstrated a positive contribution to customer service, the workplace environment, performance management, and the community. An award is provided to one employee from each company in attendance at the Awards Gala. Each attending member and partner is eligible to give an Employee of the Year Award – it is not a competitive category.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Customer Care

How has the selected employee demonstrated quality customer care?

Workplace Environment

• How has the selected employee positively impacted your workplace environment?

• What leadership skills has the individual demonstrated among their peers?

Performance Excellence

• How did this individual support your organization goals?

• Is the individual involved in any activities/initiatives that positively impact quality and the business perspective?

Community Involvement

• Is the employee actively involved in their community?

• Does the individual participate in any community programs led by your company?

Nomination Submission

Please keep this submission to only one or two brief sentences that will be announced by our MC at the Awards Gala.

The Epic Employee Experience award recognizes a member or partner for cultivating a positive and rewarding environment that employees find empowering and uplifting. In summary, the elements measured are based on employee feedback regarding job satisfaction and career fulfillment.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

• Employee Feedback

• Employee Relations Index (Survey)

• Accountability

• Customer Service Focus

• Development

• Communication

• Workplace Environment

Please provide survey results that support positive impact on the above elements.

Job Opportunity Program

• Do you have a job opportunity program?

• Did your employee participation rate increase, this past year?

• Overall, was there an increase in job opportunities this past year?

• How do you promote job opportunity within your business?

Reward & Recognition Programs

• Provide us with an outline of your recognition program?

• How many people were recognized this year and how often are they recognized?

Turnover Analysis

• What was your turnover this past year (cumulative)?

• Do you have any strategies that you feel positively impact your turnover?

Safety

• What activities/initiatives do you implement to reduce and prevent workplace injuries?

• If there was a reduction in your workplace injuries, what were your percent improvement results?

Ergonomics

Please describe the typical job set-up for your employees.

The Leader of the Year award recognizes a leadership team member from each contact centre member or partner organization who has demonstrated leadership, innovation, has had a positive impact on the workplace environment, has impacted performance management, and the community. An award is provided to one leader from each company in attendance at the Awards Gala. Each member centre and each partner is eligible to give a Leader of the Year Award – it is not a competitive category.

Please provide us with a photo of your leader of the year.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Leadership

How has the selected leader demonstrated leadership skills that positively impact your centre?

Innovation

How has the selected leader demonstrated their innovation?

Workplace Environment

How has the selected leader positively impacted your workplace environment?

Performance Excellence

• How did this individual support your organization goals?

• Is the individual involved in any activities/initiatives that positively impact quality and the business perspective?

Nomination Submission

Please keep this submission to only one or two brief sentences that will be announced by our MC at the Awards Gala.

Does your team provide truly Legendary Customer Care?? This award recognizes a member contact centre or partner for demonstrating effective strategies and processes that create a legendary customer service experience (for a contact centre, this applies to external customers only . For a partner, the customer must be a contact centre).

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Customer Satisfaction Index

• How does your company evaluate customer satisfaction?

Based on the elements used to measure customer satisfaction, please provide us with a general overview of your results and/or improvement results for this past year.

• What improvements have been made to increase customer satisfaction? Please provide us with both the activities/initiatives used and the historical data to support those improvements.
  

Customer Feedback and Shout-Outs!

• What are your customers saying?

• What processes are in place to communicate customer feedback, including customer concerns and customer compliments?
  

Service Level

• How does your business evaluate the level of efficiency necessary to respond to customer inquiries (e.g. average speed of answer, average handle time, etc.)

• What strategies and goals were set and implemented this past year to positively impact efficiency? If there were improvements, please explain what unique approaches were used.
  

Commitment to Quality Assurance

• What practices and technology have you employed to ensure the highest standard of quality in customer interactions, for example through quality monitoring and/or technology.

The Member/Partner Collaboration Award recognizes a member AND partner for a collaboration that has had positive impact on employees, customers and/or business results for the member company.

Nominations may come from a partner or from a contact centre member - or both!

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Member/Partner collaboration has brought about positive change to the business affecting customers, employees or business results.

Explain the value of the product or service and how of the strength of the collaboration with the customer has led to improved results.

The Environmental Impact award recognizes a contact centre or partner that has made a special effort to make a positive impact on the environment and to be environmentally friendly by implementing the three R’s of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in their office environment.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Positive Environmental Impact

What new or ongoing environmental initiatives has your business participated in this past year? Please provide details and indicate how these initiatives positively impacted the environment.

The Wellbeing award recognizes a contact centre or partner that helps their employees enhance their personal and professional lives through a wide-ranging wellness program. The company effectively establishes and supports an infrastructure that will engage employees in adopting healthy behaviours and lifestyle changes.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Positive change to the business affecting employees personal and professional wellbeing through the promotion of health and wellness

What new or ongoing health and wellness initiatives have you made at your business? Please provide details and indicate how these initiatives positively impacted your employees and the company.

The Workforce Management award recognizes a contact centre or partner that has employed new, existing or enhanced technology, processes and/or organizational change in order to improve their customer and/or employee experience.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Positive Change to the business affecting customers and or employees of your company

What workforce management practices and tools have you employed to achieve of balance of level of service to your customers and work/life balance for your employees.

The Individual Member of the Year award recognizes an individual that has made a substantial contribution to the association, to the industry and to their community. The winner in this category will be chosen by ContactNB. The recipient must be a member of ContactNB in good standing for the current year. Input to ContactNB from other members, partners or members of the community are welcome.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

How does the Member contribute to ContactNB? (i.e., joining committees, participating on our discussion forum, best practices sessions, panel discussions, answering member requests). How well does the Member represent themselves as a proud member of the contact centre community in New Brunswick?

The Partner of the Year award recognizes a ContactNB Partner that has made a substantial contribution to ContactNB and/or a member’s organization. The recipient must be a Partner of ContactNB in good standing for the current year. Nominations can come from the partner or a member centre. The winner in this category will be chosen by ContactNB.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Association Involvement

How does the Partner contribute to ContactNB? (i.e., joining committees, supporting our major events, participating on our discussion forum, best practices sessions and panel discussions)

Member Support

• How does the Partner provide customer support to our member centres?

• What unique support do they provide that sets them apart from other vendors used to support our member centres?

The Member Centre of the Year award recognizes a centre that has made a substantial contribution to the association, to their employees and to their community. The winner in this category will be chosen by ContactNB based on the sum of all nominations received. The recipient centre must be a member of ContactNB in good standing for the current year. Input from other members, partners or members of the community are welcome.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

How does the Member Centre contribute to ContactNB? (i.e., joining committees, participating on our discussion forum, best practices sessions, panel discussions, answering member requests). How well does the Member Centre represent themselves as a proud member of the contact centre community in New Brunswick?