The Norfolk Business Awards 2022 are now open for entries. Here we find out what will make businesses entering the Customer Excellence Award stand out.

An excellent customer service strategy combined with a team of employees providing consistently great service are attributes that will mark out the best businesses in the Customer Excellence Award category, according to Jonathan Denby, head of corporate affairs at Greater Anglia and the judge for this award.

Jonathan said that, for businesses, implementing customer-driven initiatives not only shows a commitment to customer satisfaction, it is also key to raising standards, thereby winning more customers and securing their loyalty.

“Understanding customers’ needs is an essential element in attracting and retaining customers and meeting, or hopefully exceeding, their expectations,” he said, adding that achieving those aims can help to ensure that businesses achieve sustainable success and profitability.

For businesses that may be wondering why they should enter this category, Jonathan said it provides a chance to demonstrate their commitment to caring for their customers and continuously improving their performance.

“From product development, to service delivery, to the handling of service problems, every aspect of the customer experience drives customer loyalty and better commercial performance, so it’s a chance to illustrate the effectiveness of your overall customer service strategy,” he said.

“Furthermore, winning this award provides a high profile, independent endorsement of your customer service strategy and approach through a well-respected awards scheme. Such recognition can only reinforce and build your business’ reputation and potentially underpin even greater success in the future.”

Meet the sponsor

Greater Anglia is proud to be sponsoring the Customer Excellence Award at this year’s Norfolk Business Awards.

It is passionate about delivering excellent customer service and ensuring that the railways play their full part in helping our region to be both economically prosperous and a wonderful place to live. Greater Anglia is therefore committed to consistently raising customer service standards.

With a complete fleet of brand-new trains, operating on all its Norfolk routes, Greater Anglia is transforming the travelling environment, providing more comfortable journeys, increasing seating capacity and delivering a record-breaking performance, as part of a £1.4 billion investment programme.

Award criteria

Judges will be looking for a business which shows a clear focus and understanding of its customer’s needs. Evidence should be provided of customer-driven initiatives designed to raise service standards and increased customer satisfaction.

The winner of this award will be a business that is able to demonstrate how it exemplifies outstanding customer service, consistently delivered at the highest level, by a customer-focused individual or team.

Entries to the Norfolk Business Awards close on Sunday, August 7. To enter, visit www.norfolkbusinessawards.co.uk