Company: John Hancock Signature Services, Boston, Massachusetts
Company Description: John Hancock Signature Services, Inc. (JHSS) is the transfer agent that services John Hancock Funds, LLC. (JHF) JHSS is an organization of approximately 200 associates.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year

Nomination Title: Focused on the Customer During Turbulent Times

Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved (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:

2008 was a turbulent year for our industry.  Customers’ apprehension became
evident in our service interactions and with the outlook of these challenges
not ending any time soon, our main goal became to focus on the one thing most
within our control – Service excellence to our customers.

It became critical to keep a pulse on the trends we were hearing from our
clients and.  reacting quickly was crucial to our success. This was challenging
since the calls we received in 2008 were very different than anything we had
experienced. Such as inquiries on FDIC and SIPC, questions on our company’s
exposure to specific financial institutions and questions or the newly created
Money Market Guarantee Program – all of which were new trends for our
industry.  We reacted quickly to these trends by partnering with our fund
company for the tools needed to answer these new inquiries. Each
morning, we conducted on-the-floor training sessions to get our message out for
the day. Job aids and call-center scripts were distributed as necessary
depending on the trends we were hearing. Messaging from our President
emphasized the strength of our organization and our conservative approach to
investing.

We remained focused on our core measurements and while experiencing a 30%
increase in call volume, we were still able to answer 90% of our calls within 20 seconds
or less.  While experiencing a 26% increase in financial transactions, our
accuracy remained at 99%. 

Outside quality benchmarking companies, such as National Quality Review (NQR)
and DALBAR, Inc., recognized our service.  Specifically, we were awarded "5-
Star Performer" status by NQR.  This status is only awarded to companies who
perform in the top quartile relative to their industry peers.  DALBAR, 
recognized us with their Service Excellence Award.  This symbolizes the
achievement of the highest tier within the financial services industry. It is
awarded only to those mutual fund companies that exceed industry norms in key
service areas.

Through our efforts to educate our shareholders of their investment options,
our team was able to retain $2.6 million dollars in 2008.  This reflects an
increase of 37% from 2007. These retention efforts were even more important
while our fund company was experiencing a significant decrease in asset levels.

In conclusion, although 2008 was a challenge for our industry, we feel strongly
that it was our most successful year as a customer service department.  Through
every phone call is our opportunity to exceed the needs of our customers and
solidify the loyalty we aim in the long term. Through our interactions, we
heard stories from real people needing money to make their monthly car payments
or pay their mortgages.  Those are the people we needed to make a difference
for this year. As we reflect back on 2008, we are confident we accomplished
that goal.

A quote from one of our customers “I work with many service groups in your
industry and the service orientation and genuine rapport that I receive from
John Hancock is head and shoulders above my usual experience.”

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.dalbarinc.com/content/showpage.asp?page=2009012101&r=/pressroom/default.asp

http://www.jhfunds.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID={97CF8091-45B4-4A59-B609-0FDB80A40830}

http://www.jhfunds.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID={98B01032-7782-4703-BBC1-36CA548C36C7}

http://www.jhfunds.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID={7E23E50B-D6D2-4702-8939-96175A1D2776}

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

John R. Hatch is President and CEO of JHSS.  Mr. Hatch has overall
responsibility for the Mutual Fund Transfer Agency (JHSS), Annuity Call Center,
Control, Licensing and Commission business areas. Mr. Hatch served as Vice
President of sales for John Hancock Insurance Services.

Previously, Mr. Hatch was Vice President of Annuity Operations at Mass Mutual
Life Insurance Company overseeing customer service and administration functions
for all distribution channels.

Other professional experience includes:  Principal Consultant in the Investment
Management and Securities Operations area of Price Waterhouse; Director of
Corporate Treasury for Liberty Securities Corporation, and Control Manager for
Colonial Investors Services.