Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
How does it work?
This is a very simple award based on customer nominations. You cannot enter the award - you must be nominated by a customer. By taking out a licence with The WOW! Awards, you can use the logo and invite your customers to nominate you. We can give you lots of help and advice with this.
Why is it called WOW?
It's the reaction of customers saying, "WOW! That's what I call great service!"
When did it start?
It was started in 1999 by our Managing Director, Derek Williams.
Why did it start?
Derek was appalled by all the negative customer service publicity - Watchdog, Rip-off Britain, Brassed-off Britain etc. Derek believes that we can all learn so much more by aspiring to be like the best customer service businesses. And we have a huge opportunity in the UK if we can help to attract tourists to come here.
How do I use it in my business?
You can invite your customers to nominate you and your people when they receive great service. Contrary to what you might expect, customers are very enthusiastic about saying thank you when they get great service. We work with several businesses that are receiving thousands of customer nominations every year (Ladbrokes, Haringey Council, I Want One of Those,)
How much does it cost?
Your investment is based on the turnover of your business. It ranges from £150 per year for a small business to £1975 per year for a business with turnover greater than £1m. We can also build a website for you to help manage your nominations. Your investment in creating and managing the website ranges from £225 to £500 per year.
Who is it used for?
Any UK based business can use The WOW! Awards
When is the final?
Nominations are received and judged throughout the year. The best nominations will receive a signed certificate.
At the end of May each year we select the four best nominations from the past twelve months. These are then the finalists in The WOW! Awards category of The National Customer Service Awards. This is a huge gala ceremony held in September at London's Grosvenor House.
The Scottish WOW! Awards will have its own ceremony in June - probably in Edinburgh.
Does it benefit all organisations?
In our experience, Yes. Every organisation can benefit for helping its customers and its employees to engage better. Most business might have a complaints scheme but very few have a compliments scheme. The WOW! Awards is a great way of recognising and supporting great service.
What are the benefits?
If this helps you to hang onto just one of your existing customers or one of your excellent employees, how much is that worth to you?
Our clients have found that the benefits are much, much more than just the value of one customer. This is helping organisation to create a whole culture around positive customer service; it's all about catching people doing things right!
Is it only for councils?
No. It is for any business. Public sector, private sector, big, small, retail, manufacturing, business to consumer, business to business. If you have customers, The WOW! Awards can help.
Who controls the nominations?
You do. We will help you set things up in advance so that you are in the driving seat.
Who judges the nominations?
The nominations that you choose to send through for judging are judged by our team at The WOW! Awards. The four finalists for the annual National Customer Service Awards are judged on a 15 minute presentation by an independent panel of experts.
What is the cut-off date?
Nominations can be made at any time and will be recognised throughout the year. The only strict cut-off is for the final four to go through to the National Customer Service Awards which is the end of May each year.
What do the winners receive?
Winning nominations receive a signed certificate. You can decide what would be the best way to present this. For example, your own managers might do it or you could ask the customer to come in and present it or you could ask Derek Williams to present it.
Who else is using The WOW! Awards?
The list is growing steadily. The big companies that you will have heard of include Ladbrokes, Haringey Council, Homes for Haringey, I Want One of Those, Richer Sounds and easyJet. You can find links to all the current users Here.
What else does The WOW! Awards do?
We run training, conferences and networking events - all of which are at a special discounted price if you are a licence holder. We can also supply lots of products to help you get the most from winning The WOW! Awards for example trophies, clothing and stationery.
What other websites can I look at?
Here is a short training module. It takes you through step by step on how The WOW! Awards can best work for you. Don't worry it is very user friendly : Visit The WOW Awards Tutorial
Here are just a few websites that we have set up for our customers. Please take a look at them so you can get an idea of what we might be able to do for you. These are working sites, so please do not make any input to them unless it is a genuine nomination, suggestion etc.
The WOW! Awards® is a registered Licensed Trade Mark of The WOW Awards Limited
and may only be used under licence from The WOW Awards Limited. Find
out more about [using The WOW! Awards®] .