«Return to Blog List How Kronos Finds, Showcases its Best Customer Successes

It’s a common conundrum for companies today…How do you uncover the best stories among your customers, and then get them to share those stories publicly?

Software company Kronos Inc., a global provider of workforce management solutions, takes a creative, relationship-focused approach to finding its best customer stories and getting them out there: an annual customer awards program.

Here’s how Kronos uses awards to recognize – and celebrate – its customers’ efforts:
(The following is an excerpt from Stories That Sell)

The software company’s annual KronosWorks conference brings together nearly 1,500 workforce management  professionals, including current customers, prospects, and partners, to talk about industry best practices. It was this annual event that inspired Kronos to create an awards program to recognize customers using the company’s software in innovative ways.

“Our customers wanted to hear those stories,” said Michele Glorie, Senior Director, Corporate Communications. “They wanted to see some of their brethren  being recognized for innovative uses of Kronos solutions.”

In response, Kronos created its Best Practices Awards Program in 1999 to recognize organizations that achieve unprecedented value and success with their Kronos solutions. Since then, the awards program has built momentum that has even surprised Kronos. Through 2006, the company had recognized fifty-three winners, about five or six each year. And each year, the number of applications increases for what has become a very competitive program.

“It’s become kind of the Academy Awards of KronosWorks,” said Charlie DeWitt, Vice President of Enterprise and Product Marketing. “It’s a very big to-do. Past winners present awards to new winners. Winners display awards on their desks and walls, and are proud to be recognized.”

Award winners are featured as the main event of the annual conference, included in media outreach and captured in success stories, if they have clearance from their organizations.

Kronos began the awards program as a way to recognize customers’ achievements, but in the process has found some of its best customer stories. Sales and service representatives, and customers themselves, all remain on the lookout for innovative practices that might be award-winning. DeWitt says a customer might not even realize his or her organization is being innovative, so Kronos relies on its own representatives and partners to be eyes and ears in the search for award nominees.

As a result, Kronos has found and captured a number of compelling customer stories.

Also, live examples presented by customers and partners give attendees concrete examples of how others benefit from products and services, and ideas for how to use existing solutions better or how new solutions might work in their environments. Likewise, many current customers and partners want the opportunity to showcase their innovation and results to their peers.

Consider how you can showcase and make your customers famous through an awards program.