Hail to the Customer Kings! £5k Prize!
Businesses from Scotland are being challenged to show the extent of their customer expertise today, as networking firm Cisco and Real Business magazine launch the hunt for 2010’s Customer Kings.
A search for top businesses from across the UK and Ireland, Customer Kings was originally launched in 2008 to find those firms that not only treat their clientele like gold, but have also come up with innovative, creative and uniquely brilliant ways of making their patrons love their business. Now in its second year, Customer Kings will also offer a £5,000 cash prize for the overall winner.
“We had some absolutely amazing entries to last year’s competition,” says Real Business’ Charles Orton-Jones. “They really set the standard and we’re all hugely excited to see what Scotland’s businesses have to tell us this time around. Whether it’s one small but clever change that you’ve made to your business, or a complete, dedicated brand that you’ve built from scratch that has set your customers hearts on fire, we want to hear all about it.”
Winners will be selected from each English region, as well as Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland, with two businesses also being selected as highly commended, and each will be profiled in a special supplement in the February edition of Real Business magazine. Additionally, the 2010 contest will feature one winner in a dedicated ‘commercial’ category, recognising the good work done by the bigger firms from the UK and Ireland.
Glasgow based, Rooms You Love, was named as the most customer focused firm in Scotland in the regional categories of the 2009 awards. Rooms You Love, an online retailer of children’s furniture, was recognised for its unique after-sales support designed specifically to suit the individual needs of its working-parent customer base.
“The spirit of Customer Kings lies in the fact that while a lot of things might feel like they’re out of control for small businesses in a downturn, the one thing that can really make a difference is the experience that the business offers their customers,” says David Critchley, Cisco’s head of Small Medium Enterprise & Commercial. “Twelve months on, that sentiment is still true, so we want to see every business with a claim on the title of being a Customer King entering this year’s search.”