Safelite AutoGlass Wins Gold in Best in Biz Awards 2015
Safelite AutoGlass®, the largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services in the U.S., has been named a gold winner in the “Most Customer Friendly Company of the Year – Large” category in Best in Biz Awards 2015, the only independent business awards program judged by members of the press and industry analysts.
Safelite AutoGlass is focused on creating a People Powered, Customer Driven culture. People Powered, Customer Driven means that we drive performance by having talented and engaged people who look at our business through the eyes of our customers and deliver service so great … it’s memorable.
Using this two-pronged strategy, Safelite’s customer experience has evolved in a number of ways. A favorite Safelite story is about technician Kanyon. After calling the customer prior to the appointment and learning he was deaf, Kanyon contacted a friend who knew sign language and asked her to record a message for the customer. He knew that communicating during a job is crucial. Customers must understand how long the repair or replacement will take, when it’s safe to drive the car, and what they can expect during the appointment. The senior leadership team was impressed, and as a result, developed official company videos in American Sign Language and Spanish, which are available to all technicians through their company-provided smartphone.
Another example of how the customer experience has improved is its digital capabilities. Based on customer input, a new version of Safelite.com, accessible on the customer’s PC, tablet or smartphone offers reduced steps and faster functionality to obtain a price quote and schedule an appointment.
Finally, Safelite AutoGlass is offering a level of transparency into customer reviews like never before. Partnering with Bazaarvoice, Safelite customers are asked to post a review online. Safelite then posts those reviews – unfiltered – on its home webpage. With more than 60,000 online reviews to-date, Safelite averaging a 4.6 out of 5 stars.
The fifth annual program in North America boasted the highest number of submissions to date. More than 600 entries were received this year, from a wide array of public and private companies of all sizes and from a variety of industries and geographic regions in the U.S. and Canada.
“What impressed me about this year’s entries was their depth, variety and energy,” said Dale Dauten, King Features Syndicate, having served on every judging panel during the past five years of Best in Biz Awards. “Studying these entries, you feel the rush of relentless creativity. Hang on for the ride – the engine of innovation is racing ahead.”
Best in Biz Awards 2015 honors were presented in 60 categories, including Company of the Year, Fastest-Growing Company of the Year, Most Innovative Company of the Year, Best Place to Work, Technology Department of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Product of the Year, Best New Product of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year and Website of the Year.
Winners of Best in Biz Awards 2015 were determined based on scoring from an independent panel of 46 judges from highly recognized newspapers, business, consumer and technology publications, radio outlets, and analyst firms. In addition to the numerous judges returning from previous panels from years 2011 – 2014, this year’s judging panel included several worthy additions to the high-profile group. The panel included contributors to ABC, About.com, Bloomberg Businessweek, Buffalo News, Business News Daily, Chip Design Magazine, Computerworld, Consumer Affairs, CRN, ECT News Network, eWeek Channel Insider, Fast Company, Fierce Online Video, Forbes, FOX News Latino, Hartford Business Journal, Inc. Magazine, InfoRisk Today, Information Week, King Features Syndicate, L.A. Biz, MediaPost, Motley Fool, PE HUB, Phoenix Business Journal, Portland Business Journal, ReadWriteWeb, San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Small Business Digest, South Florida Business Journal, Tech Cocktail, Wired, Woman’s Day and Xconomy.
For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2015, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2015-winners.
About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass® is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with more than 6,500 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, nearly 5 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs more than 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit Safelite.com, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Best in Biz Awards
Best in Biz Awards recognizes top companies, teams, executives and products for their business success as judged by established members of the press and industry analysts. Best in Biz Awards honors are conferred in two separate programs annually: North America, and International. Entries will begin to be accepted in the fourth annual Best in Biz Awards International program in January 2016. Any organization worldwide may enter any of the more than 60 company, department or team, executive and product categories. For more information about the entry process and categories in the International program, please visit: http://intl.bestinbizawards.com.