Company: IntraLinks, New York, NY
Company Description: IntraLinks is the leading provider of online workspaces for secure document exchange. Since 1997, more than 600,000 users representing over 50,000 organizations worldwide have used IntraLinks On-Demand Workspaces to communicate and collaborate on thousands of projects and transactions.
Nomination Category: Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Customer Service Organization

Nomination Title: IntraLinks Client Services: Customer Service is Our Competitive Advantage

1. Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved in the past 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:

Today, no one thinks twice about using the Internet to conduct business: 
companies file papers, pay employees and file taxes online every day. But 10
years ago, using the Internet for real business transactions was unthinkable –
the technology was too new, too complicated and too scary.

In 1997, IntraLinks teamed up with JP Morgan to change all of that,
facilitating the first online syndication of a major corporate loan. In the
10 years since, IntraLinks has streamlined the secure exchange of sensitive
business information for over 36,000 online workspaces involving more than
600,000 users in 190 countries. 

How did IntraLinks persuade the financial services industry to forego paper,
email, bike messengers, FedEx and fax machines? The company made sure that
superior, 24/7/365 live customer service was available to all its clients –
and their clients. With our support desk behind them, clients didn’t have to
worry that people wouldn’t be able to use this new technology to access
critical information. Our customer service organization would be with them
every step along the way. 

Traditionally, customer support evolves as a discrete layer in a business – a
secondary or tertiary business unit designed to confront problems when they
occur. By contrast, IntraLinks views customer support as an integrated,
inherent part of the firm’s core competency. Rather than seeing a customer’s
selection of IntraLinks as the culmination of its work, the IntraLinks sales
organization sees itself on a continuum with customer care – the first step in
a holistic, carefully measured approach to relationship management that begins
where competitors’ offerings typically end.

IntraLinks CEO Patrick Wack was an early proponent of the high-touch customer
service model that has distinguished the company from other providers. 
Customers have come to recognize that IntraLinks is not just a software
product – it is a complete service offering, which includes hosting,
continuous monitoring and a world-class helpdesk. While implementation of the
technology is of course crucial, IntraLinks measures its success based on how
easy it is for clients to adopt its solution to replace traditional
processes. 

As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, it is looking beyond the
financial services industry to help businesses around the world securely share
sensitive information. Companies in every sector – energy, retail, travel and
manufacturing, to name a few – have quickly recognized the value that
IntraLinks delivers. 

As a result, the company’s business has grown 57% in the last year; its 2007
revenues will exceed $100 mm. IntraLinks’ Client Services organization has
been the backbone of this growth. The company has increased its staff by more
than 33%, on-boarding each representative with a minimum of 6 weeks of
intensive training.

In the same period, IntraLinks has also expanded globally, adding customers in
places such as Hong Kong, Germany, Australia and Japan. The Client Services
organization has met this challenge by going “glocal,” adding fluent speakers
of Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, German and French to literally “speak the
language” of its customers. And as the company’s business has expanded beyond
financial services, the team has added expertise and business process
knowledge in those industries to help fuel that growth. 

Through its Client Services organization, IntraLinks ensures that every new
client, in any industry, can start using its services immediately to transform
the way they share confidential information. With IntraLinks’ high-touch
service model, our support staff must be there to help clients any time of day
or night. In this last year, our team has made the vision for the company’s
growth a reality. 

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]:

http://www.intralinks.com/press-releases/2007/224/

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

Brian Ward, Senior Vice President of Client Services for IntraLinks, has over
13 years of experience managing customer service organizations. Prior to
joining IntraLinks, he served as Director of Customer Care and Operations for
ePromos.com. Previously, he was the Director of Customer Service for HIP
(Health Insurance Plan) of New York, and held several positions at Oxford
Health Plans. He is a member of the Help Desk Institute (HDI), the Service
and Support Professionals Association (SSPA) and International Quality and
Productivity Center (IQPC).