Desmond Henry Leo of DHL Singapore opens up about his experience in participating in the ContactCenterWorld.com Top Ranking Performers Awards in Singapore, part of the Asia-Pacific regional awards that were held recently.

Can you tell us about the company you work for, the center you work in and your role?
The company I work for is DHL Express Singapore. I work in the Customer Service Call Centre and my job title is Key Account Support Manager.


Which Top Ranking Performer Award did you enter and why did you choose it/them in the first place?
Best Mid Sized Contact Centre. It's what we do and the space we operate in - I believe we are doing a great job in meeting customer satisfaction and on a regular basis exceeding those expectations while being cost and productivity conscious.


How do you feel about being one of the top champions in the region?
Well it's always a great feeling to win but I feel consistency is key in a contact centre and more importantly it's because of a great team that I'm able to stand on their hard work and work ethic. We have a fantastic environment and that really is the key to our success - they're motivated people so the win is surely a testimony of their passion.



Can you tell us about the sense of pride you have now that you won a medal for your company and country?
It's intense honestly, while the week may be focused on sharing our best practices and learning from others; there is a sense of pride and responsibility in winning this. We can't slack just because we won some medals, it's about getting it right the first time every time; it's about delivering great quality service, being passionate about our people, products and customers, driving that customer loyalty. I mean it's the whole package - you can't rest on your laurels.


How does your company justify your involvement in this process? i.e. how do they know its valuable enough to participate?
We believe that we have the best team and as a company we also have our internal global audits and processes that certify a contact centre regionally as being fit to serve. So the organization also acknowledges that external recognition and certification further validates our commitment to excellence.


For those who are considering entering these awards, what would you say to those who are not sure about the value of these particular awards?
"Do or Do Not, There is no Try" - Master Yoda

I think if an organization doesn't see value in external benchmarking and recognition they are pretty internally focused and inward looking which might be great in the short term but not going to get you to be world class in the long run.

Lastly, as you have been to one of our events, how would you describe the ideas from fellow presenters?
Imagine a room filled with like-minded, energetic, enthusiastic, positive, electrifying individuals who are obviously hard at work in "wow"-ing their customers and proud enough about their accomplishments to want to share that with others. It's fun, it's explosive, it's mind-opening, it's the place to be.



(interview first appeared 2015)