Western States Insurance Agency Recognized for Customer Relationship Management in Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2007
Awards recognize small and midsize organizations for using the Internet and networking technology in innovative ways to fuel growth.
Missoula, Montana — Oct. 10, 2007 — Western States Insurance Agency has been recognized by Cisco for its innovative use of networking technology to generate breakthrough business benefits at the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2007. The agency was named a 2nd runner-up in the Customer Relationship Management category of the Cisco Growing with Technology Awards 2007. Winners were announced during a ceremony at the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood Shores, Calif. on Oct. 9, 2007.
Western States, headquartered in Missoula Montana, has 30 branch offices located in four states in the Pacific Northwest. The company recently completed the implementation of a Cisco Internet Protocol (IP) Contact Center to create the “Distributed First Touch Customer Care Center,” which enables in-bound calls from customers to reach a live person every time. The adoption of the Cisco technology has enabled Western States to reduce costs without sacrificing localized, friendly customer service. The Cisco voice-over-IP system is helping Western States improve customer service as a critical step in maintaining positive sales growth and operating profit.
The Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program was created to recognize small and midsize organizations from across the United States and Canada that use networking technology in innovative ways to improve sales and marketing; expand and deliver superior service to customers; improve operational efficiencies, or outpace their competition. The winners of the program represent their industries and constituencies as role models, showcasing best practices on the use of technology to address business challenges, compete more effectively, and fuel success. A panel of 10 judges selected 15 winners in five categories from more than 570 applications.
“It is a thrill and a great honor to be recognized by a global technology leader like Cisco,” said Brian Chernish, network operations director at Western States Insurance. “Western States has worked hard to parlay state-of-the-art technical resources into improved customer service. Many companies use technologies such as voice mail and auto-attendants in an effort to streamline costs, but our goal is to have our customers talking to real live people.”
“The Cisco Growing with Technology Awards program celebrates the entrepreneurial approach that leading small and mid-sized businesses are taking toward the adoption of technology. This year’s winners exemplify the ‘Smart Business’ approach to technology adoption,” said Peter Alexander, vice president of Business Marketing at Cisco. “Being a ‘smart business’ means using technology to improve internal business processes: working smarter instead of harder. As one of this years winners Western States Insurance is ahead of its peers in terms of being a smart business. We hope other organizations will be inspired by Western States Insurance’s creative and resourceful approach to harnessing the Internet and networking technology to set itself themselves apart from its peers.”
This year’s panel of judges comprises a diverse cross-section of experts in the field of small and midsized business operations. Members include Ken Bast, vice president, Ingram Micro; Ray Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research, IDC; Deb Mielke, president and managing director, Treillage Network Strategies; Joslyn Faust, principal research analyst, Gartner; Lisa Buksbaum, CEO and founder, Soaringwords; Mika Krammer, director of Windows Client Mobility Marketing, Microsoft Corp.; David Morgan, president, D.W. Morgan; Elspeth Jane Murray, assistant professor, Queen’s School of Business (Canada); Joni Podolsky, director of community programs, Entrepreneurs Foundation; and Joe Diodati, senior director, Global Field Marketing Integration, Cisco.
Western States Insurance Agency is headquartered in Missoula, Montana and currently employs more than 400 people. With 30 branch offices throughout Montana, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, it is among the top 60 largest Insurance Agencies / Brokerages in the United States. Western States handles personal, commercial, individual & group health insurance and life insurance.