Celebrating its 16th anniversary, the ACE awards have welcomed hundreds of submissions from many CX and insights pros around the world. This year, we hope to reward leading teams who managed to navigate through these tricky times and found new ways to succeed.
So what does a winning award submission need to have? It can be a lot of different things! Every story is unique, but when we ask the judges what makes a great submission, themes start to emerge. And whilst winning submissions showcase what a brilliant award entry looks like, equally, there are pitfalls to watch out for.
We reveal a few of these themes and pitfalls and help you turn your CX or EX program into a stand out entry. But shh… don’t tell anyone we told you.
6 things you need to know:
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Keep it simple: There will be lots of pieces to bring in, so make sure it's lined up really well and builds a story that the judge will understand. Anything you can do to help communicate clearly will help.
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Show that it's undeniably impactful: Impact is everything! Judges want to see the tangible impact the program brings not only to your team but across the entire organization and ultimately to your customers.
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Prove it with real examples: This will bring your program to life! Reference quotes from various stakeholders where you can. Demonstrate good use of technology and data and include evidence that supports your claims.
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Quantify the results: Judges like numbers! Think financial metrics and revenue increases as well as your business KPIs. How did this drive the ROI? How did it save costs? Did it decrease churn? You could even go a step further and include visuals to present the data in style!
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Avoid working in silos: Entries can be submitted by organizations or individuals, but remember, collaboration is key. Involve others so they can provide feedback and ask they check for errors in the final copy before submitting.
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Have fun! Getting together in the process and remembering the best bits can be enjoyable and rewarding. It's a celebration of everything you, and the teams across the company, have worked on. We could all use some returned optimism and it might just be the morale boost they need!
And finally, don't leave your submission to the last minute. Remember that award deadlines have a sneaky way of creeping up. The deadline is 17 March.
Time to put these top tips into action! Head over to the ACE Awards webpage and enter now.
Good luck!