Avis UK wins award for social media strategy

We published this press release today:

AVIS UK WINS INNOVATION AWARD FOR SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT

Avis UK has won the SOCAP award for innovation in Customer Service at the National Customer Service awards dinner held in London on 18th September 2007.

Avis UK’s work involved monitoring and benchmarking consumer generated content and making changes to its product and customer service practices in response, culminating in launching the We Try Harder blog. These changes have resulted in big increases in the approval rating for Avis (the Avis Net Approval Index has increased over 200% and remains well ahead of the competition) and key product innovations.

Market Sentinel provides the technology for CGC research and guidance on blog editorial.

Market Sentinel CEO Mark Rogers said yesterday: “The phenomenal growth of social media over the last few years has left many companies scratching their heads. Many congratulations are due to Eibhlin Payne and Xavier Vallée of Avis UK for demonstrating to others how to use statistical methods to understand social media and develop insights enabling them to forge real links with customers. We are very proud to have contributed to Avis UK’s success in creating a genuine partnership between marketing and customer service. Many thanks are due to Sheila Sang and Caroline Harris who worked so hard in helping Avis launch the We Try Harder blog, to Mathew Vattolil whose analysis drove decision-making and to our partners at Web Liquid, Matt Cronin and David Shiell who had the vision to bring the project to life, to Xavier Vallée and Eibhlin Payne themselves for commissioning the work and to Rob White for his tireless efforts in bringing it to reality”. …