Company: Credit Solutions, Dallas, Texas
Company Description: The nation's largest for-profit debt management company, Credit Solutions manages $1.75 billion of unsecured debt for its clients. Founded in 2003, the company now has 800 employees. Awards include a J.D. Power & Associates "Outstanding Customer Service Experience in a Call Center Environment," 08 American Business Awards "Customer Service Department of the Year," and 08 Red Herring 100 finalist.
Nomination Category: Sales Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Department of the Year - Financial Services

Nomination Title: Credit Solutions Sales Department

1. Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last 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:

In the last six months, Credit Solutions Sales Department has grown by 54%,
with 262 Reps enrolling about 6,000 new clients per month, generating at least
$18 million in income, and catapulting the firm into the largest for-profit
debt management company in the nation. Moreover, client objections and
cancellations have dropped significantly during the same period due to a
concerted effort to more clearly define customer expectations about the
program.

An industry innovator, Credit Solutions strives to do more than just eliminate
debt; we prepare our clients on how to remain debt-free moving forward by
empowering them to make sound financial decisions - and make a habit of
saving. But that takes a 12- to 36-month commitment on clients' behalf.

Lauren Harris, Executive VP of Sales, is responsible for ensuring that her
department has all the tools and resources at their disposal to be, in her
words, "a raging success" at enrolling new clients. Ms. Harris defines Sales'
mission as providing world-class customer service and focusing on results. "As
soon as we walk through our doors, we have our sales hat on and we're ready to
go," she said. "We can take it off when we leave, but when we're here, we
are 'on.' " Under her tenure, Credit Solutions has:

• implemented a new leads system designed to reach customers within
seconds of their completing an online inquiry;
• installed state-of-the-art call monitoring software and data storage
solutions designed to improve Reps' response time;
• instituted a new verification team to follow up and confirm the
accuracy of all client data; and
• established a formal ethics policy to ensure that each of our Reps is
doing right by our clients - all 80,000 of them.
• launched a video Sales genius designed to foster best-practices among
call center Reps, who can play short video clips on their desktop and
immediately implement showcased techniques while on the phone with
potential clients.

Such is the fast pace of the Sales environment; nevertheless, the department's
turnover rate is as low as the energy level is high. In essence, it has helped
set the debt management industry standard of excellence. A Q2/08 Customer
Relations Metrics Benchmark Report showed Credit Solutions consistently
outranked other financial services, government agencies, utilities, insurance
companies, manufacturers and health care providers in a customer service
comparison during April, May and June:

• 97.85% of Credit Solutions clients strongly felt they were treated as
a valued customer.
• 97.22% were satisfied with their service representative's level of
expertise.
• 96.38% said representatives took ownership for resolving their
debt.

"The leadership team here has given us the ability to help grow and develop
and learn from them as mentors," Ms. Harris said, citing a company-sponsored
Ritz-Carlton leadership training session last summer that taught managers
to "focus on our customers -- every customer, every time."

"It's an awesome opportunity to wake up and be excited to have the day
unfold," she added.

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]:

Please visit http://www.creditsolutions.com/about_pr.php and click on the
following 2008 press releases:

Sept. 9: Credit Solutions Settles Record Debt, Sets Highest Standards in Q2/08
Customer Service Industry Survey

Aug. 18: Credit Solutions Leadership Goes Back To School Ritz-Carlton Style To
Study Customer Service Best Practices

July 16: Credit Solutions Call Centers Add Robust Call Monitoring Solution,
Setting New Online Customer Service Standard

June 30: Credit Solutions Eliminates More Than $600 Million in Consumer Debt

April 9: Credit Solutions Launches Integrated IT Program to Minimize Client
Hold Times

See also:
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2677425.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26886749

http://www.smartmoney.com/news/pr/?story=PR-20080918-001787-1125

http://www.inc.com/inc5000/2008/company-profile.html?id=200801280

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

Lauren Harris is Executive Vice President of Sales at Credit Solutions, the
nation's largest for-profit debt management company, with $1.75 billion of
unsecured debt under management. Prior to signing on with Credit Solutions,
Ms. Harris spent five years at a Florida mortgage company. The top seller over
the phone, she was promoted to Sales Trainer, then Sales Manager. A die-hard
Seminoles fan, Ms. Harris attended Florida State University. She and her
husband are now proud home owners in Dallas.