Billericay-based stockbroker City Deal Services' commitment to its customers has seen it walk off with a prestigious national prize.

The company, which has its headquarters on Radford Way, took the top small and medium sized organisation award in the financial sector of the Daily Telegraph/Energis Customer Service Awards 2001 at a gala event in London.

City Deal, which buys and sells shares on behalf of private investors and earlier this year took the customer service award at the Essex Countywide Business Awards, saw off 237 other entrants to take the title.

Managing director John Bosdet said: "We are absolutely delighted. Customer service is at the heart of our strategy here and this is a fantastic recognition of that, especially for the staff involved in trying to provide the best customer service in the business."

City Deal's customer services procedures came under close scrutiny during the judging process, which included anonymous service checks, customer interviews and a thorough examination of their systems by a panel of experts.

Kevin Hussey, director of customer service at Energis and chairman of the judging panel, said: "City Deal Services really stood out because they clearly have their customers' interests at the heart of the business, demonstrated by the fact that call centre staff are not limited to how long they spend on each call, the focus being on quality not quantity to ensure customers feel they have had a personal service.

"With a 37 per cent increase in the number of entries received this year, competition was tougher than ever and it was encouraging to see such a high standard of entries. All organisations, from giants to minnows, recognised the strong connection between positive word of mouth referral and repeat business. Achieving customer satisfaction is easy to promise but hard to deliver."

Published Thursday November 29, 2001