Company: Constant Contact, Waltham, MA
Company Description: With more than 300,000 customers, Constant Contact, Inc. is a leading provider of email marketing, event marketing, and online survey tools for small businesses, non-profits, and member associations.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Contact Center Professional of the Year

Nomination Title: David Berard, Tier 3 Technical Support Representative

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Constant Contact, Inc., a leading provider of email marketing, online survey,
and event marketing tools for small organizations, has experienced rapid
customer growth. With more than 300,000 customers today, Constant Contact
provides industry-leading, free customer support options that answer the
varied needs of small businesses, nonprofits, and associations. This level of
customer service sets the bar (and is a rarity) within the email marketing
industry and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model, and sets Constant
Contact apart from other companies in the marketplace. Constant Contact has
been widely recognized for its excellent customer service, a standard its
customers have come to expect and appreciate.

Constant Contact understands that product knowledge is fundamental to the
Technical Support Representative position; however, being able to work 1:1
with customers is perhaps the most important skill, a skill that doesn’t come
easily to everyone. When there is a lapse in Constant Contact availability or
the product is down customers can be very frustrated, and rightly so.

Diligent and committed, David Berard started with Constant Contact as a Tier 1
Technical Support Representative and from the beginning (while he was still in
training!) it was clear he would be a top performer, a fast learner, and the
type of Technical Support Representative who would be accountable for complex
and difficult service issues.

David’s job is to not only help those customers solve their service issue and
articulate the details of the situation, but to talk “with” not “at” the
customers about their specific needs. David consistently delivers on this
promise.

Being available to help customers is of the highest importance to Constant
Contact. David goes above and beyond this objective when working with
customers to ensure that they are successfully using the company’s products.
He offers advice and guidance on the nuances of each product, tips for using
Constant Contact in different operating environments, and takes the time to
understand what each customer wants from the product. David’s demeanor with
customers motivates the development teams to be even more focused on needed
solutions.

Recently there was a specific product issue where data from customers’ surveys
was being reported incorrectly. David and his group spearheaded the effort to
manage customer concerns related to this issue. Of the more than 50 customers
affected, only six asked for a credit – a true testament to his customer
service skills and effectiveness.

The goal to provide outstanding customer support is part of the fabric of the
company and part of every employee’s mandate. A true testament to Constant
Contact’s customer satisfaction is that 45 percent of all new customers come
from word-of-mouth referrals.

Constant Contact routinely receives compliments about David from customers and
the following quote speaks to David’s effort and commitment to Constant
Contact’s mission: “I have been very impressed with your response throughout
and it is refreshing to find a company which takes a support issue like this
so seriously.”

As David’s manager said, “People like Dave put the “us” in team.”

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

David Berard, Tier 3 Technical Support Representative

David has been with Constant Contact since 2007, where he started as Tier 1
Technical Support Representative handling inbound customer calls and chats. In
the Technical Support role David maintains ownership of complex and difficult
service issues. In April 09 Constant Contact created a new level of support –
Tier 3 – and David was immediately transitioned to this position which is an
escalation point for Tier 2 challenging, time consuming and customer sensitive
issues.

David is responsible for product cross function collaboration with
engineering, QA and product management, showcasing his diplomacy,
collaboration, and thorough comprehension of Constant Contact’s products and
customer needs.