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Best Contact Center Agent	Best Contact Center Supervisor
Best Contact Center Manager	Best Contact Center Trainer
Best Contact Center Workforce Manager	Customer Hero of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award	Best Small, Medium, or Large Contact Center
Best Strategic Value to the Organization	Best Contact Center Culture
Best Digital Customer Experience	Best Learning and Development Program
Best Outsourcing Provider	Best New Technology Solution

Please Note:

This is the first year that we are no longer requiring payment for ICMI awards submissions. In the interest of fair play, we ask that organizations submit for awards in no more than 3 categories, and only put forward two candidates (maximum) per category. Should an organization exceed that amount, submissions will be judged on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Also, please note that the Lifetime Achievement Award will not be judged in the same way as the other categories.

Individual Categories

Best Contact Center Agent

This category is open to customer-facing individuals, who regularly come into contact with the organization’s end customers. Nominations must originate from a colleague within the organization or a business partner. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

A motivated individual who's committed to improving the customer experience and aspires to progress within the industry
Has qualities that make them uniquely suited to a customer service role
Has made a demonstrable impact on customer service and efficiency
Has had positive influence on the behaviors and attitudes of fellow employees
Testimonials from colleagues, customers, partners and/or managers

Best Contact Center Supervisor

This category is open to those who supervise agents regularly and provide support to customer-facing individuals. Nominations must come from a colleague within the organization or a business partner. The submission must be based on an actual customer experience story wherein the supervisor either saved a customer interaction or helped an agent dramatically improve their call resolution, CSAT, or overall performance through coaching and mentoring. This event must have occurred within the prior 12 months.

Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Motivation and commitment to improving the customer experience
Has qualities that make them uniquely suited to a customer service role
Has made efforts to create the most productive environment possible
Effective skills training and coaching team members
Evidence of involvement in the introduction or implementation of an innovative or creative new initiative that has led to improvements in customer service
Testimonial from one of this supervisor’s direct reports and someone on the management team (including contact information)

Best Contact Center Manager

This category is open to professionals responsible for managing a contact center(s). Nominations must come from a colleague within the organization or a business partner. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Evidence of how this person has improved the customer experience (e.g., feedback surveys, statistical data) through effective implementation of processes
Demonstrable ability to partner with internal stakeholders or outside vendors to achieve mutual customer experience success
Strong leadership from an individual who can motivate his/her team to achieve exceptional performance
A clear understanding of the skills offered by their teams and how they are utilized, and a positive influence on the behaviors and attitudes of fellow employees
Testimonials from colleagues, customers, partners, and managers

Best Contact Center Trainer

This category is open to those who train contact center employees. Nominations must come from a colleague within the organization or a business partner. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Strong leadership skills and evidence of the ability to deliver dynamic and effective training
Evidence of the trainer’s ability to tie training objectives to business outcomes
Evidence of involvement in the introduction or implementation of an innovative or creative new training initiative that has led to improvements in customer service
A testimonial from a contact center agent or employee who’s benefitted from the trainer’s teaching, and a testimonial from someone on the executive leadership team
A sample of the trainer’s work (PPT, video, worksheet, or other supporting documentation)

Best Contact Center Workforce Manager

This category is open to those who manage contact center scheduling and forecasting. Nominations must come from a colleague within the organization or a business partner. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Evidence of the ability to increase contact center efficiencies
Evidence of the ability to solve problems creatively
Evidence of involvement in the implementation of an innovative or creative scheduling/forecasting process that improved the agent experience
Evidence of a positive impact on the customer experience
Evidence of a strong understanding of the role WFM plays in the customer experience

Customer Hero of the Year

This award identifies emerging customer experience and contact center leaders and innovators. We want to shine a light on the hardworking, creative individuals who are inspiring excellence, motivating their peers, and shaping the future of customer service. The criteria for this category includes:

Must work in a customer facing role.
Must consistently go above and beyond their normal job duties to improve the customer experience
Nominations in this category must include a customer testimonial/story, as well as two peer recommendations

Lifetime Achievement Award

Each year ICMI chooses a new recipient for their Lifetime Achievement Award. This person embodies the spirit of customer service and has contributed to all aspects of the contact center industry - the people, the organizations, the technology, and the customers. This individual has aided in the success of ICMI and its mission to provide training, events, and resources in order to elevate the reputation of the industry. Most importantly, the recipient of the ICMI Lifetime Achievement award has dedicated their career to the great people of the contact center industry.

Team Categories

Best Small, Medium, and Large Contact Center

The small (75 agents or less), medium (76-150 agents), and large (greater than 150 agents) contact centers that best exemplify the “gold standard” for the industry will take home these awards. We’ll also name one runner-up in each category. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Demonstrable understanding and utilization of the core and advanced principles of effective contact center management
Appropriate use of contact center channels to best fulfill the needs/expectations of customers while also meeting the company’s goals
Mindful measurement and usage of metrics to achieve the most balanced customer and agent experience
Tangible evidence of consistently meeting or exceeding key performance objectives
A high-performance culture that fosters employee engagement and continuous improvement, as evidenced by staff motivation, morale, and effective training, coaching, and development
A people-centric environment with effective performance management and unique communication vehicles
An innovative and progressive strategy regarding technology and tools
A clear understanding of the contact center’s role within the business at all levels, with appropriate resources and systems in place to ensure success
Clear articulation of why the contact center is award-worthy

Best Strategic Value to the Organization

This category is not merely about aligning with the organization’s vision or mission statement, but rather how the contact center shapes, influences, and enables the organization’s success. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Demonstrable strategic value(s) to the organization via business intelligence, KPI transparency, and reporting, culture, career development, increased revenue, customer retention/churn, competitive differentiation, or customer loyalty
Evidence of a sound methodology for measuring and communicating the strategic value(s)
A clear description of the specific and strategic initiative(s) the contact center employed to demonstrate strategic value
Evidence of a clear purpose and strategy behind the initiative, including a thorough description of why the contact center chose to initiate the effort
Clear proof of a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to gaining executive buy-in and support
Clear evidence of the process in which the contact center was able to employ the strategic value initiative(s) and overcome any challenges to implement
Evidence of the impact of the contact center on the organization – before and after the strategic value initiative(s)
A statement from an executive or board member of the organization that describes the impact of the contact center on the organization’s success (this should align with the initiative highlighted in the application)

Best Contact Center Culture

The organization that takes home this trophy will demonstrate a commitment to fostering a creative and collaborative work environment that has positively impacted both the employee and customer experience. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Evidence of a strategic methodology for measuring and communicating employee engagement.
Evidence that the culture program has improved the customer experience.
Evidence that the contact center’s culture has positively impacted recruiting, hiring, and retention.
Evidence of a strategic approach to cultivating and developing a positive team culture
Testimonials from the corporate level and the employee level

Best Digital Customer Experience

This category will recognize an organization that uses two or more of the following service channels to enhance the customer experience: chat, SMS, email, social media, mobile, video, advanced self-service. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

A clear understanding of the key objectives and expected ROI behind the implementation of the digital service channels used.
Clear evidence of the successful deployment of the digital service channels
Demonstrable strategic value to the organization or customers via metrics/ KPIs, increased revenue, customer retention/churn, competitive differentiation, or customer loyalty
Clear evidence of a successful measurement and reporting methodology
Evidence of collaboration with internal business partners, such as marketing, sales, and/or IT, to bolster the success of the channels
Evidence of a strategic and thoughtful approach to utilizing technology to deliver a consistent experience across channels
Evidence of how digital service channels have improved the customer experience and how it has had a positive impact on the business as a whole (including a demonstrable return on investment)
Clear articulation of how digital service channels have driven success for the contact center

Best Learning and Development Program

This category will recognize an organization that effectively leverages training to support better onboarding, improve agent performance, and deliver ongoing coaching and development in a way that elevates both the customer and employee experience. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Evidence of a strategic onboarding program that effectively prepares new employees to serve customers.
Evidence that the onboarding program has contributed to improved new employee retention.
Evidence of an effective agent coaching program that has positively impacted the agent and customer experience.
Evidence of a clear career path for contact center employees, with growth opportunities beyond traditional promotions
Evidence of a direct link between training goals and business outcomes
Evidence of a successful measurement and reporting methodology to evaluate the success of training

Vendor Categories

Best Outsourcing Provider

This award will go to the outsourcing (BPO) partner that has most successfully leveraged their client relationships to improve the customer experience. Applicants can either nominate their BPO provider or submit as the outsourcer. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

Evidence of appropriate and strategic channel usage
Evidence of positive impact on the client/organization as a whole, and the continuing quest for sustained strategic value
Evidence of an innovative approach to outsourced service and the customer experience
Evidence of the careful measurement and usage of metrics to achieve the best and most balanced customer and agent experience, and tangible evidence of consistently meeting or exceeding key performance objectives
Signs of commitment to a high-performance culture
Evidence of mindful, strategic, and effective collaboration between the outsourcer and its client(s)
Testimonials from two clients

Best New Technology Solution

This award is intended to recognize a contact center technology provider whose new solution demonstrates a strong commitment to improving the customer experience. To be considered, the new solution must have been released in within the last 18 months. Finalists are determined based on the following criteria:

The solution demonstrates innovation and introduces a new capability to the contact center
The solution is easily integrated with other contact center technologies
The solution is easily used, installed, and easily trained
The solution is cost-effective, and the ROI is easily demonstrated
The solution fills a unique need within the contact center industry
The solution delivers as promised, as evidenced by clear examples and data