Archive for February, 2012

Cloud-based VoIP and Unified Communications Provider Honored in Customer Service Department of the Year – Telecommunications Category

SYRACUSE, NY – February 28, 2012 – USA Datanet, the Voice over IP (VoIP) pioneer and full-service nationwide telecommunications services subsidiary of Warwick Valley Telephone Company (NASDAQ: WWVY) (referred to as WVT Communications Group), today announced it was presented with a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year – Telecommunications category in the sixth annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the trophies were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on Monday, February 27th at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. More than 350 nominated customer service and sales executives from the U.S. and several other countries attended. The presentations were broadcast live by Business TalkRadio Network.

Excelling in sales and customer service is essential for success in business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognizes organizations and individuals for their recent achievements in these disciplines. More than 100 members of seven specialized judging committees determined Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging this year.

“USA Datanet has, since its founding in 1998, maintained the highest standards in all aspects of the customer experience and we are pleased to be recognized by the Stevie Awards in this esteemed business competition,” said Jay Conn, vice president of operations, USA Datanet. “A proactive customer service department where representatives work with customers to not only resolve issues, but put plans, processes, or solutions in place to mitigate the risk of those same issues arising again is paramount to the success of any business or organization. We are honored to be recognized for our significant achievements relating to our customer service strategies and efforts. This accomplishment is gratifying for both our customers and employees.”

More than 1,000 entries from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted to this year’s competition, an increase of almost 30% over 2011. Finalists were determined by the average scores of 93 professionals worldwide, acting as preliminary judges. Entries were considered in 27 categories for customer service professionals, including Contact Center of the Year, Award for Innovation in Customer Service, and Customer Service Department of the Year; 38 categories for sales professionals, ranging from Senior Sales Executive of the Year to Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year to Sales Department of the Year of the Year; and categories to recognize new products and services and solution providers.

USA Datanet’s mission is to deliver maximum value by providing dynamic and innovative communications solutions and to be recognized leaders in the communications industry by providing exemplary benefits to its employees, customers and shareholders. “Inspiring a team to aspire to be world-class involves persistence and permanence in spite of all obstacles which differentiate the strong teams from the weak teams. This does not just happen by itself,” said Kathryn Cancel, director of customer service, USA Datanet. “We provide our team members with comprehensive, individualized training sessions that continue with advanced training sessions further down their career paths. Training and development is critical for all team members and works to build the team strength needed to succeed.”

“We’re delighted to kick off our celebration of the 10th year of the Stevie Awards movement with the 2012 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, which is the first program in which we conferred Silver and Bronze Stevie Awards,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards. “It’s gratifying and inspiring to have received so many remarkable entries for this year’s competition.”

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/sales.

About USA Datanet
USA Datanet, a WVT Communications Group company, is a pioneer in Voice over IP (VoIP) and a full-service nationwide telecommunications company. The company is a cloud services provider that offers business-class hosted IP voice and data solutions as well as wholesale services to the SMB market (businesses with under 35 employees). For more information, visit http://usadatanet.com and the USA Datanet YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/usadatanet.

About The Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Sponsors and supporters of the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service include American Support, Coloredge Los Angeles * New York, Competence Call Center, SDL and ValueSelling Associates.

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PR Contact:
Angela Tuzzo
MRB Public Relations
732-758-1100, ext. 108
atuzzo@mrb-pr.com

The warm ocean breeze wasn’t the only highlight of my trip to Miami last week. My first trip to TMC’s ITEXPO, held in Miami, proved to me that there is more to be taken away from these types of events than a few new business cards or LinkedIn contacts. Not only did I gain new contacts, but also new connections within the industry, inspirational stories of women in wireless and telecom and a fresh reading on the current pulse of the marketplace. The sunny and warm Miami weather was a great backdrop to an event that had much to offer.

There was a great variety of exhibitors as well, and many speakers and presentations to choose from at ITEXPO. It was a great opportunity to hear not only others’ perspectives on the industry and the rise of cloud communications, but to have our own CSO Louis Hayner’s view reinforced. Conferences like ITEXPO help the telecommunications industry and its respective business members to keep innovating and forging ahead with new technologies, products and fresh marketing ideas. Not only was I able to view and analyze what other vendors and their booths had to offer, but I was able to stand in our booth to explain and demonstrate why Alteva and USA Datanet’s products are standouts in the marketplace. The event not only strengthened and deepened my knowledge on the status of the industry, but also my knowledge of our own products. I learned little facts and tricks that I hadn’t previously known just from listening to my colleagues’ presentations to prospective wholesale and channel partners.

I guess it is true what they say. Sometimes you have you have to get lost (or just get away) to find yourself.

Elizabeth Backus
Product Manager
WVT Communications Group