ICMI Announces 2013 Global Call Center Award Semi-Finalists

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a highly competitive application and selection process, The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) has announced the semi-finalists for its 2013 Global Call Center Awards.

These prestigious awards are highly valued within the call center community, with winners traditionally enjoying worldwide recognition, enhanced customer and employee loyalty and acquisition, and increased respect and support from senior management and key departments within their enterprise.

According to Sarah Stealey Reed, ICMI's Content Director and Head of Judges of the 2013 ICMI Global Call Center Award Selection Committee, narrowing down the award applicants was no easy task.

"The caliber and number of call centers that applied was exceptionally high this year – we on the judge's committee deliberated for hours to rank centers," she said. "Having so many applicants with such outstanding processes and practices in place - and who demonstrate such a strong commitment to customers and agents - is a huge testament to how far the call center industry has come. Regardless of the outcome, each semi-finalist should feel proud just to have been selected."

The 2013 semi-finalists in the 'Best Large Call Center' category are:

• American Water
• China Merchant Bank
• Garanti Bank
• Language Services
• Royal Caribbean International
• Voiance
• Wells Fargo Bank, N.A
• Zions Bancorporation

The 2013 semi-finalists in the 'Best Small-to-Medium Call Center' category are:

• Cars.com
• Freeman
• HDB
• Hyatt Legal Plans
• Jabra
• Parago Communications Canada Inc.
• Philly 311
• UniSuper

Two finalists in each of these categories will be announced by Friday, April 15th, 2013 on icmi.com.

The Selection Committee also named finalists in a number of additional categories, with slots going to a large list of top organizations, including LifeLock, Nationwide, New York Life, Progressive, UPMC Health Plan, Hyatt Hotels, The Home Depot, MassMutual and Wells Fargo. The full list of finalists can be found here.

Awards in all categories will be presented at the first annual ICMI Global Call Center Awards Dinner and Ceremony. Sponsored by Jabra and iQor, the dinner and ceremony will take place May 14, 2013, in Seattle, Washington during ACCE, ICMI's Global Conference and Expo. The winner from each category will take home a trophy, and later be interviewed on an event webinar, promoted in an ICMI press release, profiled in the industry-leading "Call Center Insider" newsletter and on icmi.com, and be permissioned to include the Global Call Center of the Year Award logo in print and online to further promote their honor to corporate executives and customers.

For more information on the ICMI Global Call Center Awards, visit icmi.com/GCCA, call 800.672.6177 (International: 001.719.268.0328) or email icmi@icmi.com.

About ICMI
The International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) is the leading global provider of comprehensive resources for customer management professionals – from frontline agents to executives – who wish to improve customer experiences and increase efficiencies at every level of the contact center. Since 1985, ICMI has helped more than 50,000 organizations in 167 countries through training, events, certification, consulting, and informational resources. ICMI's experienced and dedicated team of industry insiders, trainers, and consultants are committed to helping you raise the strategic value of your contact center, optimize your operations and improve your customer service. For more information, visit www.icmi.com.

ICMI is a part of UBM (www.ubm.com), a global live media and B2B communications, marketing service and data provider.

About Jabra
Jabra is one of the world's leading manufacturers of hands-free Unified Communications solutions. Building on its 141 year history of innovation, Jabra creates a broad range of award-winning headsets that increase productivity, reduce costs, and promote collaboration for contact centers, office and mobile users around the world.

About iQor
Headquartered in New York City, iQor provides intelligent customer interactions and outsourcing solutions. iQor's 17,000 employees in 39 Centers of Excellence around the world are dedicated to understanding each customer's DNA. iQor uses data science and real-time analytics intelligence to deliver extraordinary customer experiences that enhance revenue while promoting and protecting clients' brands. iQor's four service solutions specialize in providing data-driven, technology-empowered customer support and processing services in the consumer and commercial markets.

SOURCE International Customer Management Institute (ICMI)/UBM Live