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eCornell

How to EnterCompany: eCornell, Ithaca, NY
Company Description: eCornell is the online learning division of Cornell University and provides online professional and executive development to students around the world. The company offers more than 20 award-winning online certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines including leadership and management, marketing, human resources, healthcare and hospitality.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Awards Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - All Other Industries

Nomination Title: eCornell

Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July 2010 (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:

eCornell is the online education division of Cornell University. With some
35,000 students and alumni around the world, customer-friendliness is essential
to the eCornell experience. Enrollment counselors, online instructors and help
desk employees deliver an Ivy League educational experience in a collaborative
learning environment so students can maximize their personal and professional
potential.

The annual Best of E-Learning! Awards program is particularly representative of
eCornell’s customer-centric approach because they are the only reader’s choice
awards in our marketplace and winners are determined by students casting votes.
In the last 2 years, eCornell has won 4 awards, and is a finalist for three
awards in 2011.

Best Leadership Development Program (2009 & 2010)
Best Soft Skills Training Content (2010)
Best LMS Content Provider (2010)

Students are surveyed at critical points in their interaction with eCornell,
including help desk inquiries and upon completion of each course. This survey
data enables the company to refine programming and to tailor business practices
to best serve customers.

Help Desk survey with 13,216 respondents over the last 12 months:
1. Did we explain our response in a way that was helpful? 93% replied "Yes"
2. Did we understand your reason for contacting our help desk? 96% replied "Yes"
3. How prompt was our reply? 0-12 hours 77.6% , 13-24 hours 14.8% , 25-48 hours
4.9% , 48+ hours 2.7%
4. If the situation couldn’t be resolved in the first response, did we keep you
informed of the status? 90% replied "Yes"
5. Was our staff knowledgeable? 96% replied "Yes"
6. Was our staff professional and courteous? 98% replied "Yes"
7. Overall, were you satisfied with the help desk? 94.5% replied "Yes"

Course completion surveys indicate eCornell’s customer service strengths as
well. In surveys of 8,230 students the last 6 months (out of 5):
1. The material presented in this course is applicable to my current or desired
job. 4.85
2. I would recommend this course to my colleagues. 4.5
3. Overall rating of the course. 4.3

eCornell’s online instructors receive on average a 4.6 out of 5 for overall
performance, including responsiveness, knowledge, facilitation and availability.

In response to student feedback--especially from a growing international student
population that is almost 35% outside of North America--eCornell has recently
expanded the hours live help desk and live enrollment counselor assistance is
available.

Another key customer service measurement is our corporate customer contract
renewal rate of 90.4% as of July 2011. At eCornell we subscribe to the maxim
“What gets measured, gets done.” Our customer-satisfaction quotient is high
because we elicit, track and respond to customer feedback. This supports our
goal: to ensure that every time we have contact with a customer, they have a
positive experience with eCornell and their needs are met in a friendly way.

eCornell students probably say it best through their testimonials at
http://www.ecornell.com/student-success-stories-3/

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]:

Awards & Recognition: http://enterprise.ecornell.com/awards/

eCornell a Finalist for 3 Best of E-Learning Awards (Again) in 2011
http://www.ecornell.com/ecornell-named-finalist-in-3-categories-of-2011-best-of-e-learning-awards/

Student Testimonials: http://www.ecornell.com/student-success-stories-3/

Student Blog: http://myecornellexperience.blogspot.com/

Power Learner Excels Using eCornell
http://www.acdivoca.org/acdivoca/PortalHub.nsf/ID/news_eCornellRangKalameardsuccess

Corporate Client Testimonials: http://enterprise.ecornell.com/testimonials/

eCornell in the News http://enterprise.ecornell.com/in-the-news/

Press Releases: http://enterprise.ecornell.com/press-releases/


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

Chris Proulx, CEO
Appointed CEO in October 2004, Chris Proulx is responsible for setting the
strategic direction of eCornell, including a strong customer-oriented culture
promoting the double-digit growth of our online education business. As a
graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Chris’s
attitude of excellent customer service as a requirement pervades the entire
organization. Prior to joining eCornell he founded his own consulting practice,
was Director of Projects for Knowledge Impact, and leveraged his hospitality
background as an operations manager and training resource for Discovery Zone and
ARAMARK. http://enterprise.ecornell.com/management-team/