The 2012 South African Service Awards named the winners of the second annual customer service awards, which were announced in early March at a ceremony in Johannesburg.
The awards include seven categories — banking, short-term insurance, ATM deploywer, security services, telecommunication services, hotels and resorts, and car rental (hire) — and recognize companies in South Africa that “push the boundaries of exceptional service.” Customers nominate and vote for companies by giving a rating on the quality of customer service.
More than 200,000 ratings were received between Sept. 1, 2012 and Nov. 30, 2012.
Andrew Cook, CEO of Smoke Customer Care Solutions, created the South African Service Awards to provide an award in South Africa based on customer opinion and to help recognize companies. “There is so much bad publicity around customer service, so we decided that it was time to recognize the companies that put the effort into making a difference with regards to customer service,” he said.
The 2012 South African Service Award Winners
Travel and Related Services – Car Hire
1st Place: First Car Rental
2nd Place: Avis Rent a Car
Excellent Customer Service: Tempest Car Hire
Excellent Customer Service: Europcar
Travel and Related Services – Hotels & Resorts (Category sponsored by First Car Rental)
Financial Services – Banking
1st Place: Nedbank
2nd Place: Absa
Financial Services – Short-term Insurance
Financial Services – ATM Deployer
Security – Services (Category sponsored by Indwe Risk Services)
Telecommunications – Services
1st Place: MTN SP
2nd Place: Vodacom
Entries for the 2013 awards are open from March 1, 2013 to Aug. 31, 2013. The customer rating period will run from Sept. 1, 2013 to Nov. 30, 2013.
More information about the 2012 winners and how to register can be found on www.saservice.co.za.
