Entries in the Customer Choice category of the 2017 Electra Kāpiti Horowhenua Business Awards have now closed and organisers are thrilled by the number of companies seeking to be named among the region’s most customer friendly businesses.
Launched in 2013, the Customer Choice category has rapidly become a hugely popular part of the annual Electra Kāpiti Horowhenua Business Awards. In 2016 the awards breached the 50 threshold for entrants for the first time – this year a record 67 businesses have entered the two Customer Choice award categories: Retail and Service. All entrants are also automatically entered into the Age Friendly category.
Electra Kāpiti Horowhenua Business Awards Chairman, Mark Ternent says the BKH Board are excited about the businesses that have entered this year’s awards. “There are a lot of very good businesses that have entered from right across the Horowhenua and Kāpiti regions, with the majority of them first time entrants,” he says. “We also have an excellent spread across the service and retail categories. We’re expecting a very tight competition where every vote will count.”
Mr Ternent says the Customer Choice awards provide businesses with a unique opportunity to not only measure customer satisfaction but to also benchmark their customer service against other businesses. “Every business that enters the Customer Choice awards also receives a personalised report that provides the (anonymous) feedback from every person who voted for them.”
The popularity of the awards is demonstrated by the fact the category sponsors have all been retained for this year’s awards with a new sponsor added to the team. The Kāpiti Observer and Horowhenua Mail (Retail Award), BeachFM (Service Award) and Kāpiti Retirement Trust (Age Friendly) have returned for the 2017 awards, with the Office for Seniors becoming a co-sponsor of the Age Friendly award.
Once again, customers are being incentivised to vote. “Everyone who votes will be entered in a prize draw where they’ll have the chance to win one of seven excellent prizes,” explains Mr Ternent.
“We’d like to acknowledge Spark Business Hutt-Kāpiti (Samsung S7), Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (a round for 4 people), Sunday Cantina (2x $100 catering vouchers), and Focal Point Cinema Levin (6x movie tickets) for their generous support of the Customer Choice Awards.”
Public voting for the Customer Choice Awards is now open and runs to 11 September.
Like last year, customers will have a number of ways in which to submit their votes, including online (www.bkh.org.nz) and in-store voting, as well as at specially marked boxes in Kāpiti and Horowhenua district libraries and at the Coastlands information booth. Details will also be available on BeachFM.
“Please check out the businesses that have entered the 2017 Customer Choice Awards and make sure you support the ones you feel put the customer at the heart of everything they do.”
The Finalists in each category will be confirmed on 5 October, with the Winners announced at the formal Awards Evening in Paraparaumu on 27 October.
