Wheels, Inc. has won an American Business Award for Sales & Customer Service. The company’s Recall Communications program took home a Bronze “Stevie” award in one of the Innovation in Customer Service categories.
“More than 40 million vehicles were recalled in the U.S in 2014, affecting millions of fleet and non-fleet motorists alike,” said Gail Wheeler, Wheels’ assistant vice president of marketing. “We tasked ourselves with developing an automated system that proactively identifies the vehicles in our clients’ fleets that may be impacted by each recall, and provides the communication processes necessary to ensure driver awareness and action.”
Wheeler said the recall service, which is part of Wheels’ award-winning Maintenance Assistance Program, provides drivers with automated e-mails that alert them to recall campaigns that may affect their specific vehicles. Drivers also have access to live-person assistance for scheduling recall-related repairs and services at authorized maintenance facilities.
Wheels’ clients can use the program to view recall notifications, and also run on-demand reports that show them which drivers have (or haven’t) had their vehicles serviced as part of the open recalls campaigns.
“Clients have applauded the Recall Communications program for relieving a significant administrative burden, and giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their drivers are aware of recalls and are equipped to take appropriate action,” Wheeler said. “Moreover, because manufacturers typically provide recall-related repairs at no charge, the service has helped clients significantly lower their maintenance costs by better ensuring that they’re servicing vehicles before defective parts lead to bigger maintenance issues.”
The American Business Awards (also known as the “Stevies”) are the world’s premier business awards, and the Sales & Customer Service award segment honors the accomplishments of sales, customer service, and call/contact center professionals across the globe.
“Entries to the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service awards have more than doubled over the past three years,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevies. “The widespread support of this program illustrates the importance of the functions it recognizes to business success. This year’s Stevie Award winners are the highest rated in the history of the awards, and we congratulate all of the winners on their commitment to excellence and innovation.”
The American Business Awards organization said that this year it received nearly 1,900 nominations for consideration in more than 100 sales and customer service categories. Winners were announced during a gala in Las Vegas on February 27.
