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© Frost & Sullivan 2018 1 “We Accelerate Growth”

Custom er Value

Leadership Aw ard

Workforce Engagem ent Managem ent Gam ificat ion

Solut ions

NORTH AMERI CA

BEST PRACTI CES RESEARCH


Contents

Background and Com pany Perform ance .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

I ndust ry Challenges .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Custom er I m pact and Business I m pact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Conclusion .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Significance of Custom er Value Leadership .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Understanding Custom er Value Leadership .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Key Benchm arking Criter ia .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Custom er I m pact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Business I m pact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Best Pract ices Recognit ion: 10 Steps to Researching, I dent ify ing, and Recognizing Best Pract ices .. . . . 13

The I ntersect ion between 360-Degree Research and Best Pract ices Awards .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Research Methodology .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

About Frost & Sullivan .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Copyright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14



Background and Com pany Perform ance

I ndust ry Challenges

As the contact center indust ry has m atured, what once was a collect ion of disparate

applicat ions for m easur ing, m onitor ing, and im proving contact center perform ance has

becom e a m ore cohesive suite of applicat ions under the um brella term workforce

opt im izat ion (WFO) . The core purpose of WFO is to im prove the effect iveness and

eff iciency of agents, so it s base naturally draws from legacy applicat ions including qualit y

m onitor ing, recording, analyt ics, and perform ance m anagem ent .

As WFO blossom ed, developm ents were pr im ar ily centered on agent eff iciency, such as

refreshing agents’ desktops to cut down on the t im e and effort they need to com plete

tasks or enabling them to m ore quick ly access the r ight inform at ion. Coaching and t raining

agents to help them perform bet ter also becam e a focal point .

Dur ing this t im e, contact center providers began to intensely focus on im proving the

custom er exper ience (CX) to create brand loyalty, generate revenue, and reduce

defect ions to com pet it ors. This focus em braced the changing nature of a growing base of

younger, m ore tech-savvy consum ers with ent irely different buying behaviors and

preferences than their older counterpart s. This younger generat ion, wedded to technology

devices and applicat ions, engendered a change in the way custom er contact organizat ions

delivered serv ices, and prom pted the addit ion of new interact ion channels, m ore self-

serv ice opt ions, and the need for m ore inform ed, em powered agents to assist when self-

serv ice was not enough.

Recent ly, a signif icant change in developm ent focus has occurred as this younger

generat ion of consum ers has f looded the ranks of the contact center as well. So as the

age of t he consum er base changed, so did that of the agents and superv isors work ing

within the contact centers, m eaning the technology needs are echoed on both sides of the

serv ice line.

I ntuit ive user- interfaces, m obile apps, quick access to inform at ion, and the abilit y to self-

help are just som e of the design factors contact center providers are now focusing on to

im prove the worker exper ience, just as they have used sim ilar capabilit ies to im prove CX.

This m odel has spread throughout the contact center, from agent desktop to upper

m anagem ent . For exam ple, in the past , t oo often coaching and t raining effort s fell short

by focusing m ore on correct ing what agents were doing wrong rather than incent ing

agents to change behavior to do things bet ter and m ake their j obs m ore enjoyable.

Savvy solut ion providers soon realized that far beyond providing agents with tools to

im prove perform ance is a link between im proving the em ployee exper ience and CX.

I nit iat ives to em power agents to do their j obs m ore effect ively included the developm ent

of bet ter knowledge databases, guided resolut ion, and st ream lined agent desktops as



som e of the advancem ents init ially m ade. The use of intuit ive user- interfaces and m obilit y

applicat ions soon followed.

Out of this change an ent ire subset of WFO em erged, workforce engagem ent m anagem ent

(WEM) , which specif ically targets im proving em ployee engagem ent as a way to fur ther

opt im ize perform ance, reduce costs, and im prove CX.

WEM draws from worker- focused tools, such as f lex ible scheduling packages, personalized

t raining and coaching, and revam ped agent workspaces. But it also places a lot of focus

on agent em powerm ent , assistance, and reward. Com ponents to look for from solut ion

providers include voice of the em ployee (VoE) surveys, gam ificat ion, f lex ible scheduling,

m obile apps for the worker, t eam com m unicat ion and collaborat ion, eLearning, knowledge

m anagem ent , and guided resolut ion.

Customer I mpact and Business I mpact of Noble Systems

Brand Recognit ion and I ndust ry Leadership

With alm ost 30 years in the indust ry, Noble System s has established st rong brand

recognit ion for it s com plete set of contact center solut ions and expert ise. The com pany

has a broad contact center port folio of om nichannel custom er care solut ions available on-

prem ises, through the cloud, and as hybr id configurat ions. These include ACD, predict ive

dialing, blended processing, m ult ichannel capabilit ies (e.g. , em ail, SMS, and Web) ,

recording and m onitor ing, I VR, m essaging, interact ion analyt ics, WFO, WEM, and

workforce m anagem ent (WFM) .

I n addit ion to brand longevity and breadth of offer ing, Noble's staff t enure is a key

different iator . Most notable is the presence of Jim Noble, com pany founder, who has been

in the contact center indust ry throughout his career. Not m any com panies in business for

alm ost three decades can boast the sam e qualit y of leadership. Others in the com pany

have rem ained since the start , and average em ployee tenure in 2017 was 6.5 years.

Custom er Ow nership Exper ience

Noble System s’ history of design and innovat ion has created a stable and tenured installed

base of custom ers. I n fact , the com pany boasts one of the lowest custom er churn rates in

the indust ry, at less than 5% a year. The com pany is also rapidly growing it s base,

part icular ly as it pivots to the cloud. For instance, in 2017, bookings were up 150% over

2016. Cloud bookings represented 70% of total bookings, and an average cont ract of

m ore than four years, which is higher than average for the indust ry. Addit ionally , for

custom ers choosing the cloud, Noble provides 99.9999% reliabilit y on it s cloud

infrast ructure.

Reasons for adopt ion and custom er loyalty are m any. Custom ers benefit signif icant ly from

Noble System s keeping a pulse on changing consum er and workforce dynam ics that

im pact the delivery of custom er care. For instance, it has invested heavily in designing



solut ions for custom er and em ployee engagem ent . A key exam ple is it s recent acquisit ion

of FidoTrack, a prem ier player in gam ificat ion, which enabled it to leapfrog developm ent of

som e signif icant product roadm ap it em s. Rebranded Noble Gam ificat ion, this unique

solut ion applies gam e m echanics and behavioral science across the generat ional spect rum

to m ot ivate em ployees int r insically and ext r insically for the purpose of aligning agent

act iv it ies with com pany goals.

I n addit ion, the com pany’s om nichannel design m ethodology focuses on ease of use and

f lex ibilit y for custom ers no m at ter where they are in their im plem entat ion journey. This is

part icular ly at t ract ive as custom ers m ove from m ult i- t o om nichannel custom er care and

from prem ises system s to the cloud. On this score, Noble shines. Ear ly on it m ade the

decision to add cloud capabilit ies by developing off of a single code base so that

custom ers could f luidly deploy on-prem ises, in the cloud, or as hybr id configurat ions. This

allows Noble custom ers to deploy a few or all com ponents in the cloud, or t r ial the cloud

and even go back to prem ises system s if their needs change.

Another im portant facet for Noble’s custom er care approach is in being listened to. The

com pany has a st rong feedback loop to solicit custom er feedback that dr ives developm ent

plans and product roadm aps, as well as gauges custom er sent im ent . One im portant

elem ent of this is the com pany’s Custom er Open Feedback Forum (COFFee) , which was

star ted in 2015 and occurs alm ost m onthly dur ing the year. The feedback forum allows

custom ers to com e in and spend a day with execut ives to see all par ts of the business in

person, and provide feedback accordingly. Noble System s also elicit s direct feedback

through it s Select Noble Advisors Group (SNAP) , regionally run advisory panels that are

appointed annually and throughout the year advise the com pany on it s product st rategy,

roadm ap, and custom er needs.

Custom er Purchase Exper ience

When custom ers purchase Noble products they feel t hey are buying the m ost opt im al

solut ion that addresses both their unique needs and their unique const raints. For instance,

the com pany m ade ear ly st r ides in recognizing the needs of a m ore social and m obile

workforce, so it developed and added key features to WEM solut ions, such as a gam ified

e-Learning m odule, and Noble ShiftTrack WFM, which includes roster ing, f lex ible

scheduling, shift bidding, and a m obile app.

Custom ers also have benefit ed from Noble’s deep com m itm ent to the protect ion of them

and end users alike. I t s em ergence as an ear ly leader in the outbound dialing m arket

enabled it t o becom e a cham pion in defining governm ent policy and regulat ion in the

accounts receivables m arket (ARM) and telem arket ing m arket , protect ing both consum ers

and the com panies that use outbound dialing products.

I n this realm , Noble developed, and cont inues to add onto, capabilit ies that cater to

consum er preferences as well. As an exam ple, it developed Noble Secure Paym ent Assist



t o help com panies m anage paym ents in a protected environm ent through the use of

process autom at ion with touch- tone and data m asking to deliver a secure, agent -assisted

t ransact ion.

Custom er Va lue Enhancem ent

The area of WEM exem plif ies how Noble System s provides signif icant value to custom ers.

Despite the differences in the m entalit y and behavior of a newer worker base, contact

center em ployees are t ypically m anaged as in years past , which consequent ly creates

workplace disengagem ent . Noble has incorporated num erous capabilit ies within it s

products to address the needs of t he em erging younger workforce. For instance, Noble

ShiftTrack WFM provides m any features geared toward worker preferences, which

increases em ployee engagem ent . These include f lex ible scheduling, shift -bidding,

availabilit y m anagem ent , int ra-day m anagem ent , auto leave/ act iv it y planning, and a

m obile agent portal.

Perhaps the solut ion with the biggest im pact on em ployee engagem ent is Noble

Gam ificat ion, which br ings custom ers a wealth of benefit s, from except ional agent and

superv isor engagem ent to cost reduct ion. Noble Gam ificat ion was designed to sat isfy core

m ot ivat ional requirem ents for workers. These include addressing basic needs such as

m onetary com pensat ion, schedules, and tools; support requirem ents, such as recognit ion,

rewards, and com pany t ransparency; the need to belong, including team building, peer-

to-peer com m unicat ion, collect ive goals and m ission, and em pathy for peers; and the

opportunity to grow, through elevated status, achievem ent , st retch goals, awards,

t raining, and coaching.

Ult imately, the purpose of the Gamificat ion plat form is to help align employee act ivity with

company goals. I t easily enables supervisors, on up, to incent ivize employees to perform

bet ter based on any number of key performance indicators (KPI s) , from improving

product ivity, adhering to schedules, and decreasing agent turnover to improving quality and

compliance. Performance data is then used to drive the plat form and achieve outcomes.

The plat form enables a com pany to

t ransparent ly convey goals to em ployees

and helps them understand and act on

how to achieve both personal and

com pany goals, easily in an intuit ive and

engaging way. For instance, f igure 1

shows an agent screenshot that displays

the status of different goals for the day.

The Noble Gam ificat ion integrated

plat form t ies opportunit y and reward

across the organizat ion, from agents and

Figure 1 : Screenshot of Agent ’s Goals



superv isors to business unit leaders and execut ives. Frost & Sullivan recognizes that this

abilit y sets Noble System s apart from the com pet it ion as it ‘gam if ies’ the ent ire

organizat ion, not j ust the contact center. Everyone has a stake and can be given

recognit ion. This approach, in part icular, m ot ivates superv isors, as it is t ypical for them to

have com e from the ranks of agents them selves. Execut ives can reward som eone through

the plat form for doing a good job or for even doing som ething above and beyond, offer ing

m onetary com pensat ion or com pany perks, such as winning a preferred park ing space for

a m onth. I n addit ion, agents can

recognize their peers.

One of the plat form ’s biggest

st rengths is in the area of

com pet it ion, a key m ot ivator for

agent engagem ent .

I t allows for endless var iat ion of

com pet it ion, such as agent versus

agent , t eam versus team , locat ion

versus locat ion, or user-defined group

versus user-defined group.

Figure 2 shows a screenshot of j ust one of the var iat ions of duel and contest screens that

can be easily created throughout the day or week. Com pet it ions are easy to set up or

change on- the- f ly, and encourage agent part icipat ion. For exam ple, a March Madness type

com pet it ion would pit 64 agents against each other, based on specif ic KPI s. Mult iple

contests, duels, or other gam es can be run at the sam e t im e, and if needs change, others

quick ly added.

Noble Gam ificat ion also norm alizes the process of recognizing and rewarding em ployees

regardless of t enure and exper ience in the organizat ion or which t ype of cam paign they

are work ing on. For exam ple, turnover t ypically is highest dur ing the f irst 90 to 150 days

of the onboarding per iod. Noble Gam ificat ion allev iates this challenge by allowing agents

to accrue points, badges, and other m ot ivators m ore quick ly in the beginning when they

are in the learning phase, so they are rewarded for learning to navigate their new work

environm ent and workload. Afterwards, the cr it er ia can be m odified to st retch out the

per iod of reward for previous achievem ents and encourage new ones.

I n addit ion, the plat form norm alizat ion engine enables agents to get equit y on dissim ilar

cam paigns. For instance, if agents in one group are work ing in an area that t ypically

generates one sale per hour and another group one every 10 hours, the system can

norm alize the data between the two so the different groups can go fair ly into head- to-

head com pet it ion.

ns

Figure 2 : Exam ple of an Agent ’s Com pet it ions



Ease of use is also a signif icant st rength. Superv isors can quick ly and easily add on any

num ber of contests or gam es, in real- t im e or scheduled, often with a few m ouse clicks. I t

is also easy for award recipients to “ cash in” . The plat form provides the abilit y t o use an

integrated gift card so agents can redeem m onetary awards and shop at actual retail sit es

without leaving the plat form . Because not all agents are m ot ivated by the sam e type of

reward, it also supports other com pensat ion m ethods. For exam ple, agents m ight want to

use points to bet on them selves, or to increase winnings by challenging a fellow team

m em ber or som eone in a different group. Alternat ively, agents can part icipate in auct ions

for non-cash pr izes, such as leaving a few hours ear ly on a specif ic day or having pr ior ity

on shift swaps.

For coaching and learning, result s are integrated into scorecards, which m ake it very easy

to see where agents are in term s of guidance needs. Addit ionally , t he plat form has an

integrated learning m anagem ent system , with gam e m echanics applied to easily facilit ate

agent t raining.

Price / Perform ance

Beyond proof on paper are custom er results. Sekure Merchants started as a sm all start -up

in 2006, and is now the leading provider of m erchant processing solut ions, serv icing over

2K m erchants m onthly. The com pany has grown 300% over the past ten years and

current ly has 500 agents in three locat ions. Together, these locat ions process 120K to

150K outbound calls per day.

The com pany has been a Noble Gam ificat ion user since Novem ber 2017. The goals for

Gam ificat ion adopt ion were to leverage m arket - leading technology to create an

except ional work environm ent that would engage workers and provide a bet ter sense of

com m unity. Transparency was also a core goal, so Sekure Merchants wanted a plat form

where it is ev ident to everyone what the goals and result s are and is sim ple for workers to

see where they stand in relat ion to their own perform ance and that of others. Another key

requirem ent was to provide a sense of com m unity and allow for recognit ion am ong

coworkers to foster team spir it and higher levels of engagem ent .

Noble Gam ificat ion provided Sekure Merchants with v isible and m easureable results.

Overall, the com pany realized the following outcom es:

200% m ore product iv it y in 50% less t im e

Targets hit 40 to 60% m ore often than before gam ificat ion

Higher qualit y and less rework — less than 1% error rate

More than 1500 hours saved in the f irst seven m onths because of the Noble

interface

10 to 25% increase in em ployee product iv it y

Three recording-breaking revenue m onths in 2018 through m id-year



Profit abilit y increase — $50K a year in personnel costs

25 to 50% increase in em ployee f irst m onth retent ion

Deploym ent cost reduct ion

10 to 25% less on bonus spending with Noble

The company loved the freedom of creat ing an unlim ited number of compet it ions and duels,

with very lit t le managerial effort . Agents are now com ing to work and init iat ing duels based

on management KPI s, and walk in every morning to find someone on the floor that they can

compete with and challenge. Frost & Sullivan believes that examples such as Sekure

Merchants’ success exemplify how effect ively Noble Gam ificat ion provides quick

measureable benefits, such as those above, along with visible spikes in employee

sat isfact ion.

Grow th Potent ia l

For decades the contact center m arket focused intent ly on dr iv ing down costs while t ry ing

to im prove eff iciency. I n the past decade, the m arket has pivoted to im proving CX for

com pet it ive different iat ion. However, the heavy em phasis on custom er experience over

em ployee exper ience diver ted at tent ion away from the gains to be had by im proving the

sat isfact ion of the contact center workforce. Yet slowly as Voice of the Custom er program s

em erged, Voice of the Em ployee program s also began to solidify , so that by 2017

em ployee sat isfact ion, em powerm ent , and engagem ent becam e cent ral them es alongside

those of the custom er. ‘Happy agent , happy custom er’ is now a com m on catch phrase as

providers and businesses alike em brace the connect ion between the two.

Noble System s’ decision to br ing FidoTrack into the Noble fam ily has enabled it to leapfrog

over the com pet it ion in the realm of agent engagem ent . Gam ificat ion has been done for

decades in the form of contests and rewards, but for the m ost part is executed m anually

by m anagem ent , eat ing up signif icant port ions of superv isory t im e, lim it ing the am ount of

contests and their effect iveness, and providing no real insights into ongoing im pact across

the organizat ion. Pure gam ificat ion com panies cam e on the scene roughly a decade ago.

However, the adopt ion of gam ificat ion solut ions from these providers has previously taken

a back seat to m ore pressing budget item s, such as new interact ion channels and

analyt ics. Addit ionally, use cases proving solid ROI have been lacking.

With the recent em phasis on em ployee engagem ent , gam ificat ion has taken on a renewed

interest and focus as com panies realize the vast benefit s it s usage can provide, such as

those exper ienced by Sekure Merchants. Frost & Sullivan is im pressed that Noble

Gam ificat ion not only unleashes the power to signif icant ly im prove the em ployee

exper ience, facilit ate posit ive behavioral change, and im prove business m et r ics, it also

offers considerable t ies to solid ROI .

This potent ial has not been lost on current custom ers or prospects. I n the f irst 100 days

after the acquisit ion of FidoTrack, Noble System s f ielded close to 2,000 net new inquir ies

for gam ificat ion, represent ing a 100% increase over what was or iginally forecasted for the

ent ire year, with three quarters left in the year to eclipse this num ber.



Conclusion

Noble System s has hit a hom e run with the inclusion of gam ificat ion in it s WEM port folio.

With it s cont inual focus on providing com plem entary products that enhance an

organizat ion’s engagem ent with today’s younger and m ore tech-savvy custom ers and

em ployees to opt im ize every exper ience, Noble System s has accelerated it s custom ers’

abilit y t o both different iate them selves in the m arket and increase their bot tom line. I t is

for these reasons, and for the com pany’s overall foresight and st rength, that Noble

System s has earned Frost & Sullivan’s 2018 Custom er Value Leadership Award in

Workforce Engagem ent Managem ent Gamification Solut ions.



Significance of Custom er Value Leadership

Ult im ately, growth in any organizat ion depends upon custom ers purchasing from a

com pany and then m aking the decision to return t im e and again. Delight ing custom ers is,

therefore, the cornerstone of any successful growth st rategy. To achieve these dual goals

(growth and custom er delight ) , an organizat ion m ust be best - in- class in three key areas:

understanding dem and, nurtur ing the brand, and different iat ing from the com pet it ion.

Understanding Custom er Value Leadership

Custom er Value Leadership is defined and m easured by two m acro- level categor ies:

Custom er I m pact and Business I m pact . These two sides work together to m ake custom ers

feel valued and confident in their products’ qualit y and long shelf life. This dual

sat isfact ion t ranslates into repeat purchases and a high lifet im e of custom er value.



Key Benchmarking Criter ia

For the Custom er Value Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independent ly

evaluated two key factors—Custom er I m pact and Business I m pact—according to the

cr it er ia ident if ied below.

Customer I mpact

Criterion 1: Price/Performance Value

Requirem ent : Products or serv ices offer the best value for the pr ice, com pared to sim ilar

offer ings in the m arket .

Criterion 2: Customer Purchase Experience

Requirem ent : Custom ers feel t hey are buying the m ost opt im al solut ion that addresses

both their unique needs and their unique const raints.

Criterion 3: Customer Ownership Experience

Requirem ent : Custom ers are proud to own the com pany’s product or serv ice and have a

posit ive exper ience throughout the life of the product or serv ice.

Criterion 4: Customer Service Experience

Requirem ent : Custom er serv ice is accessible, fast , st ress- free, and of high qualit y.

Criterion 5: Brand Equity

Requirem ent : Custom ers have a posit ive v iew of the brand and exhibit high brand loyalt y.

Business I mpact

Criterion 1: Financial Performance

Requirem ent : Overall f inancial per form ance is st rong in term s of revenues, revenue

growth, operat ing m argin, and other key f inancial m et r ics.

Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition

Requirem ent : Custom er- facing processes support the eff icient and consistent acquisit ion

of new custom ers, even as it enhances retent ion of current custom ers.

Criterion 3: Operational Efficiency

Requirem ent : Staff is able to perform assigned tasks product ively, quick ly, and to a high

qualit y standard.

Criterion 4: Growth Potential

Requirem ents: Custom er focus st rengthens brand, reinforces custom er loyalty , and

enhances growth potent ial.

Criterion 5: Human Capital

Requirem ent : Com pany culture is character ized by a st rong com m itm ent to qualit y and

custom ers, which in turn enhances em ployee m orale and retent ion.



Best Pract ices Recognit ion: 1 0 Steps to Researching,

I dent ifying, and Recognizing Best Pract ices

Frost & Sullivan analysts follow a 10-step process to evaluate Award candidates and

assess their f it w ith select best pract ice cr it er ia. The reputat ion and integr it y of the

Awards are based on close adherence to this process.

STEP OBJECTI VE KEY ACTI VI TI ES OUTPUT

1 Monitor,

target , and

screen

I dent ify Award recipient candidates from around the globe

• Conduct in-depth indust ry research

• I dent ify emerging sectors • Scan mult iple geographies

Pipeline of candidates who potent ially m eet all best -pract ice cr iter ia

2 Perform

3 6 0 - degree

research

Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline

• I nterv iew thought leaders and indust ry pract it ioners

• Assess candidates’ f it with best -pract ice cr iter ia

• Rank all candidates

Matr ix posit ioning of all candidates’ performance relat ive to one another

3

I nvite

thought

leadership in

best

pract ices

Perform in-depth exam inat ion of all candidates

• Confirm best -pract ice cr iter ia • Exam ine eligibility of all

candidates • I dent ify any informat ion gaps

Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates

4

I nit iate

research

director

review

Conduct an unbiased evaluat ion of all candidate profiles

• Brainstorm ranking opt ions • I nvite m ult iple perspect ives

on candidates’ performance • Update candidate profiles

Final pr ior it izat ion of all eligible candidates and companion best -pract ice posit ioning paper

5

Assem ble

panel of

industry

experts

Present findings to an expert panel of indust ry thought leaders

• Share findings • St rengthen cases for

candidate eligibility • Pr ior it ize candidates

Refined list of pr ior it ized Award candidates

6

Conduct

global

industry

review

Build consensus on Award candidates’ eligibility

• Hold global team m eet ing to review all candidates

• Pressure- test fit with cr iter ia • Confirm inclusion of all

eligible candidates

Final list of eligible Award candidates, represent ing success stor ies worldwide

7 Perform

quality check

Develop official Award considerat ion mater ials

• Perform final performance benchmarking act iv it ies

• Write nom inat ions • Perform qualit y review

High-quality, accurate, and creat ive presentat ion of nom inees’ successes

8

Reconnect

w ith panel of

industry

experts

Finalize the select ion of the best -pract ice Award recipient

• Review analysis with panel • Build consensus • Select recipient

Decision on which company performs best against all best -pract ice cr iter ia

9 Com m unicate

recognit ion

I nform Award recipient of Award recognit ion

• Present Award to the CEO • I nspire the organizat ion for

cont inued success • Celebrate the recipient ’s

performance

Announcem ent of Award and plan for how recipient can use the Award to enhance the brand

10 Take

st rategic

act ion

Upon licensing, company is able to share Award news with stakeholders and custom ers

• Coordinate m edia out reach • Design a market ing plan • Assess Award’s role in future

st rategic planning

Widespread awareness of recipient ’s Award status among investors, m edia personnel, and employees



The I ntersect ion betw een 3 6 0 - Degree Research and Best

Pract ices Aw ards

Research Methodology

Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research

m ethodology represents the analyt ical

r igor of our research process. I t offers a

360-degree-v iew of indust ry challenges,

t rends, and issues by integrat ing all 7 of

Frost & Sullivan's research m ethodologies.

Too often com panies m ake im portant

growth decisions based on a narrow

understanding of their environm ent ,

leading to errors of both om ission and

com m ission. Successful growth st rategies

are founded on a thorough understanding

of m arket , t echnical, econom ic, f inancial,

custom er, best pract ices, and

dem ographic analyses. The integrat ion of

these research disciplines into the 360-

degree research m ethodology provides an

evaluat ion plat form for benchm arking

indust ry part icipants and for ident ify ing

those perform ing at best - in- class levels.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Com pany, enables clients to accelerate growth

and achieve best - in-class posit ions in growth, innovat ion and leadership. The com pany's

Growth Partnership Serv ice provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined

research and best pract ice m odels to dr ive the generat ion, evaluat ion and im plem entat ion

of powerful growth st rategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages m ore than 50 years of

exper ience in partner ing with Global 1000 com panies, em erging businesses, and the

investm ent com m unit y from 45 off ices on six cont inents. To j oin our Growth Partnership,

please v isit ht tp: / / www.frost .com .

Copyright This research is owned by Frost & Sullivan. No part of this research may be disclosed to

external part ies without formal writ ten perm ission from Frost & Sullivan. Furthermore, no

part may be reproduced, stored in a ret r ieval system, or t ransm it ted in any form or by

any means, elect ronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the

writ ten perm ission of Frost & Sullivan.

360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEI NG ORDER I N THE CHAOS

http://www.frost.com/

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