LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - KANA CONNECT 2012 - KANA Software, Inc., a global leader in customer service solutions delivered on-premise or in the cloud and used by more than 900 organizations worldwide, including half of the Global 100 and 250 government entities, today issued a call for submissions for its new global customer awards program.

The awards program was introduced here today at the KANA Connect 2012 US annual customer summit, where many of the world's best known brands, industry thought leaders, and foremost service organizations from both the public and private sector have come together to confer on the future of customer service, its challenges and opportunities.

The awards are designed to recognize those brands that are defining the next generation of customer experience management and engagement and whose customer service initiatives are driving outstanding business performance, productivity, and customer centricity.

The award categories are as follows:

• Best Agent Experience
  Demonstrates how improvements for the contact center agent/customer service advisor are allowing staff to work smarter and serve better through the use of KANA solutions.
  
  
• Best Citizen Experience
  Demonstrate how improvements to Citizen Experience are fostering better, more efficient government-to-citizen communications through the use of KANA solutions.
  
  
• Best Web Experience
  Demonstrates how improvements to the Online/Web Self-Service Experience are helping citizens and customers to help themselves through the use of KANA solutions.
  
  
• Best Social Experience
  Demonstrates how social customer insight has become an integrated and strategic part of your customer experience that is driving brand loyalty through the use of KANA solutions.
  
  
• Best Mobile Experience
  Demonstrates how experiences and services provided via mobile and smartphone devices are supporting improved responsiveness to customer or citizens' needs as well as drive service operations more effectively through the use of KANA solutions.
  
  
• Channel Shift Champion
  Demonstrates how the introduction of new customer service channels or migration of customer contact from one channel to another (e.g. to digital) has had a marked impact on customer service provided.
  
  
• Transformation of the Year
  Demonstrates customer service transformation that has had a marked impact on customer/citizen experience.
  
  
• Technology Innovator of the Year
  Demonstrates a commitment to developing and delivering innovative and creative solutions in collaboration with KANA which are designed to improve customer service.
  
  

Awards entry forms can be found at: http://www.kana.com/customer-experience/customer-awards/. The entry deadline is Nov. 2, 2012. A panel comprised of KANA senior executives and technology industry leaders, including Esteban Kolsky, principal and founder, thinkJar Research; and Joe Dignam, chief analyst, Public Sector, at Ovum, has been assembled to evaluate award submissions. 

"Customer experience management is an essential part of the overall brand promise," said Esteban Kolsky, principal and founder, thinkJar Research. "Getting it right is not only about having the right people, processes and supporting technology in place; it takes a concerted effort to understand the customer job to be done, to collaborate with customers to meet their desired outcomes, to act on customer insights, and to understand and provide the customer experience that they expect from that brand. My role as an evaluator will be to determine which brands exemplify best practices in these areas."

"An increasingly crucial element of an overall customer experience strategy and key driver of both customer satisfaction and brand performance, customer service has risen in the ranks of front office mission critical strategic imperatives," said James Norwood, chief marketing officer for KANA. "Leading organizations recognize that success or failure lies in their ability to deliver consistent experiences that are at once differentiated and yet highly relevant to the wants and needs of specific customer segments and the promise of their brand. We're proud to offer innovative technology solutions that enable our customers to grow their businesses by enabling rich and differentiated customer experiences that capture the hearts and minds of customers. Our new customer awards program is designed to honor those brands that are advancing their businesses by meeting the customer service imperative."

About KANA Software
KANA makes every customer experience a good experience. A global leader in customer service solutions delivered on-premise or in the cloud, KANA lets organizations take complete control over customer service interactions, so they can take care of customers, while managing costs and reinforcing brand. By unifying and maintaining context for customer journeys across agent, web, social and mobile experiences, KANA solutions have reduced handling time, increased resolution rates and improved net promoter score (NPS) at more than 900 enterprises, including half of the Global 100 and more than 250 government agencies. KANA is based in Silicon Valley, California and has offices worldwide.

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