Company: eHarmony, Pasadena, CA
Company Description: Pasadena, Calif.-based eHarmony (www.eharmony.com) was founded in 2000 and is a pioneer in using relationship science to match singles seeking long-term relationships. eHarmony, Inc. also operates a network of dating and relationship, wedding planning and parenting websites that give people resources and support to make better decisions at important times in their lives.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year

Nomination Title: eHarmony's Customer Service Department.

Tell the story about what this nominated organization/department achieved since January 1 2008 (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:

Searching for a soul mate and experiencing the joy of love is an emotional,
rewarding and universal life challenge, so members place their trust and hearts
in eHarmony as we guide them through this highly personal journey.  Everyday,
the eHarmony Customer Care team is focused on providing world class care to the
visitors and members of our site.  As our customer base continues to grow, we
look for new and unique ways to improve the customer experience.  The Customer
Care team, open 24/7, is often the only direct interface a customer will have
with our company, making those individuals the best equipped to be the voice of
eHarmony, reinforce the positive association with the brand, and improve
customer retention.

In 2008, eHarmony was Stevie Finalist for “Best Customer Service Organization”.
In addition, it won Gartner & 1 to1 Silver Award for “Customer Service
Optimization”.

In order to improve retention rates and customer satisfaction, eHarmony
implemented a proactive customer care approach in 2008 and continues to improve
customer care in 2009. Below are the 3 key areas of focus:

•             Delivering world-class customer care
o             Encouraged customers to contact us via phone.
o             Emphasized the importance of providing an outstanding experience
instead of concentrating on call duration
o             Built a 360-degree view of the customer
o             By focusing on process improvements and proactive customer care, our
complaint ratings decreased, bringing our BBB rating to an “A” rating in 2008.
•             Gaining better customer insight
o             Created a Voice of the Customer (VOC) program to involve all company
employees in Customer Care.  All business groups regularly meet to listen to
calls and discuss enhancements and improvements that can be made to our product
and services.  One great enhancement, a tech widget available to our customers
online, was launched as a result of our VOC program,
o             Improved reporting, analytics and feedback processes. As result of our
analytics, in March of 2009, a system enhancement took place where customers
are now able to re-open a closed account online, having an immediate access to
their account as opposed to having to write or call Customer Care. Although we
are happy to assist customers over the phone, it provides for a better customer
experience to be able to reopen a closed account online.
•             Developing a more customer-focused culture
o             Improved communication processes with other departments to disseminate
critical customer information across the company
o             Brought in a well-seasoned Customer Care management team that
understands how to take care of the customer

Please see below eHarmony Customer Care's key measures and improvements in 2008
as compared to 2007:

•             Customer Retention – from  34% in 2007 to 42.4% in 2008
•             Customer Care Satisfaction Email Channel – From 71.4% in 2007 to 79.6%
in 2008
•             Customer Care Satisfaction Phone Chanel – From 90.2% in 2007 to 95.1%
in 2008
•             Internal Quality Assurance Score – 4% improvement in 2008, averaging
88% (from 84% in 2007). Scores are averaging 91% in 2009 year to date.
•             Phone abandonment rate down to 2.97% (from 14% in 2006, and 4% in 2007)

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]:

http://www.eharmony.com/about/news/newsroom

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated organization/department:

Scott Ackerman, Vice President, Customer Care

Scott is responsible for further fostering eHarmony's commitment to delivering
the gold standard in customer service. He brings more than 15 years of
experience in managing customer care programs for several national and global
consumer brands. Prior to joining eHarmony, Scott served as the vice president
for customer care and call centers for Cendant where he was responsible for
developing and managing customer service operations for the Orbitz,
CheapTickets and Lodging.com brands. Under Scott's leadership, Orbitz ranked
No. 1 in online customer experience in 2003 and 2004, and was the first travel
web company to take a proactive approach and send care alerts updating
customers about events that could affect their upcoming trip. Other past
experience includes executive customer care responsibilities at American
Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways. He holds a J.D. from the Beasley
School of Law at Temple University and a B.A. in business communications from
Pepperdine University.