Company: Digital Hands, Tampa, FL
Company Description: Digital Hands is a technical support company that offers US-based, IT outsourcing of managed and professional services. We manage all aspects of a business’s technology infrastructure: networks, servers, desktops, applications, & PDAs. Services include helpdesk support, proactive monitoring & maintenance of networks, servers, backup & recovery, customized IT security, & new technology adoption.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year

Nomination Title: The Digital Hands Customer Service Team

Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved since January 1 2008 (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:

In 2008, the Digital Hands customer service team produced performance metrics
and customer satisfaction ratings that consistently exceeded outsourced
technical support industry standards.   This team made it possible for our
entrepreneurial company to compete with large offshore providers, especially in
areas that reflect the best customer commitment.  The teams’ average customer
satisfaction rate is 94.75% for 2008. The industry standard is 81-82%. The
average customer loyalty rating was 94.85% against industry norms of 82-83%. 
The team solved 96.38% of issues during the first call, nearly twice the
industry standard of 45%. Our success depends on delivering fast response and
resolution times.  98% of all calls are answered via live support professional
within 40 seconds and are typically resolved in less than 20 minutes.  The
industry standard for outsourced call center response time is over 16 minutes,
and average time to resolution is more than 2 hours for phone calls -- double
that for cases reported via email.

Through a collection of collaborative, integrated programs and business
enhancing processes this team is not only adept at rapidly troubleshooting
technical issues; they are also tuned into our customer’s business needs.  When
the customer is faced with a drastic loss in productivity and profits due to a
technical issue or the anxiety of a breach in security or data loss, the
Digital Hands customer service teams know how to zero in on the solution, and
gain the customer’s trust and confidence.  When a new customer comes on board,
the customer service teams establish a report with the each end user.  The team
has learned that by working behind the scenes to monitor and provide ongoing
maintenance it improves the efficiency of the customer’s technical ecosystems
which reduces the number of trouble calls per desktop within a very short
period of time.  In the technical support industry, profit is traditionally
earned when the number of trouble calls increases.  At Digital Hands, customers
pay flat monthly rates, therefore, keeping  customers ‘ technical
infrastructure healthy and end-users productive  is paramount to our business
model.   The team has effectively maximized resources while continuously
delighting business customers.
 
Our support teams are empowered to work without reading scripts, and are
trusted to work autonomously with each other and with customers, pushing
decision making to the front line.  This has made them better technicians and
better teammates because they rely on each other to share knowledge and they
develop real relationships with customers, improving customer loyalty. 
Training and an integrated CRM system provide the service team with the “when”
and the “why” of a customer touch point; it’s up to the team, to provide
the “how”.   This year, our customer service team worked to develop and
implement improvements to our internal processes that facilitate steady growth
despite a down economy, proving that the model yields above-average profit
margins.

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]:

Press release:  
October 23, 2008
Digital Hands Wins Top National Service Award
Tampa-based Technology Services Company Recognized for Excellence in Integrated
Technical Support Services.  

http://www.digitalhands.com/company/Pages/102308.aspx

News Article:
April 25, 2008
Tech help can be had right here
Publication: St. Pete Times
Reporter: Madhusmita Bora

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1468800961.html?dids=1468800961:1468800961&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Apr+26,+2008&author=MADHUSMITA+BORA&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=D.1&desc=TECH+HELP+CAN+BE+HAD+RIGHT+HERE

News Article:
March 26, 2008
Customer Troubles Fill Verizon's In-Box
Publication: The Tampa Tribune
Reporter: Richard Mullins

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/26/customer-troubles-fill-verizons--box/

Award:
December 2008 
FINALIST: The 2008 Tampa Bay Business Journal's Business of the Year Awards
Business Team of the Year, recognizing outstanding achievements by a business
team in 2008.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2008/11/10/daily15.html?surround=lfn&brthrs=1

Award:
November 2008 
FINALIST: 2008 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business 
Best Overall Company of the Year – Service Businesses – up to 100 Employees -
All Other Industries
http://www.stevieawards.com/pubs/women/awards/414_2252_19418.cfm

Award:
November 2008 
WINNER: Tampa Bay Technology Forum's Fifth Annual Industry Achievement Award
Professional Services Company of the Year
http://tbtf.org/projects/tbtf/5-TBTFPublicWebsite/GalaMain.htm

About our Company:
For more about our company, our services, and a complete list of our awards;
http://www.digitalhands.com/Pages/home.aspx

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

CEO and co-founder, Charlotte Baker, combines the best available technologies,
superbly skilled technicians, and outstanding monitoring and tracking
capabilities, Charlotte’s vision for Digital Hands is to build a company that
deliver’s 100% satisfaction to its business customers.

Mark Geary is Vice President of Operations.  Mark’s experience in operations,
logistics, and business development, and expertise in project management,
strategic planning, and customer relationship building, guides the team’s
success. 

Director, Digital Hands Marketing Communications; Joni Godlove, Manager, Call
Center Operations; Joe Quackenbusch, and Manager, Account Management; Ken
Mills, each contribute to the execution of the Customer Experience Program.