I have read this blog roll through several times. Things are are now crystal clear to me, namely:

1. It is a brilliant idea.

2. The Award concept is universally popular.

2. The ACR industry MUST have this Award

3. It MUST be called the 'Steve Gill Award'

4. The Award itself MUST be known as a 'Fred'.

Like an Oscar, people will be nominated for and receive a 'Fred'. Everyone will recognise this name and it will become part of the industry culture and folklore in time.

5. We need to now make it happen so that we can all hear the inspiring Fred stories.

6. This will be good for the ACR industry, the people in it and the customers that it serves.

Lets stop talking and make this happen. If you agree with all of this, Say so. We can then move on to the really important and interesting task of finding those Freds. All agree?

Hats off to Steve Gill, and also to Neil Everitt for kicking this off.

Vote now YES or NO to all

An award for the people with passion that make it happen for the customer.
Great idea. Gets my vote
Good blog. Makes a change from the usual heavy industry news stuff.

Great blog! Definitely reminds me to think about taking ownership of my job and having the passion for extraordinary customer experience.

I recommend that anyone interested in improving themselves reads the two Mark Sanborn books - The Fred Factor, and Fred 2.0.

Great suggestion for the award too. This is something that will benefit the ACR industry as a whole.

Neil, it is a shame that you are leaving as you are the right person to take this award forward. Someone that holds anything close to their heart is clearly motivated for all the right reasons to make it happen
The blog is excellent and I must say is typical of what we have come to expect from Steve's pen or should that be keyboard). I hope that he continues to write for ACR News after your departure.
Good luck with your next venture, whatever that may be
I know that others have said this, but I just want to say what a great idea the Fred Award is.
Well done Neil and Steve

ACR News Neil Everitt Award is a good idea. Very fitting

Steve, excellent and insightful blog. The customer's experience is created by the front-liners. This can be engineers, sales people, or even office support staff if customers have the need to communicate with them. These staff can be young or old, experienced old-hands, or recently new in the job. This is an award for an individual working in the ACR industry.
I think this is a wonderful idea.
Great blog. Great suggestion.

Hi Neil,
I very sorry to hear that you are leaving. It must have been a very difficult decision after being at ACR News for so long. I am sure that you will make a success of anything you decide to do next. Good luck.

I would like to that you for your support for this blog over the years and for giving me the opportunity to write it in the first place.

I would particularly like to thank you for the way that you instinctively realised the relevance and concept of the proposed Award in this latest blog which revealed you deep understanding of the modern ACR industry and affinity you have for the people that work within it.

I agree with you that many of the posts here appear to be international. One again you have been quick to appreciate the significance of this and the opportunities this presents.

I will also be interested in hearing the thoughts of others on this matter.

Steve

Neil, I am in shock. I am lost for words.

I will have to write more later but just wanted to say that I think you have really understood this award idea very well and I appreciate that.

I am a bit choked really. You have been great!

Mike

Hi Mike. I have been following the comments on here with interest - I just hope none of them have been lost in the changeover of servers.
Yes, I think an exceptional customer service award for an individual employee is a very good one and something close to my own heart. I must thank Steve for having raised this in the first place and for all of the readers who have taken the time to respond.
I have alerted people here of the possibility of just such an award being included within the ACR News Awards. However, the final decision, criteria and structure will be out of my hands as, sadly, I will be leaving ACR News in a couple of months time after nearly 25 years with the magazine.
That said, I consider that this proposed award is different from all the other categories in the ACR News Awards for a number of significant reasons:
I feel the award must be based on nominations of individual employees from customers and needs to be promoted as such;
I think it also needs to be recognised that many of the comments on here are from readers outside of the UK, making this a truly international initiative. The only way this could be promoted is through this website. Anything else would just be a UK Award .
I would be interested to know what others think.

Quote from Tom Peters:

"Businesses that make profit their priority are never as profitable as those that make quality and service to their customer the priority!"

Judging by the response here, I think Steve's blog has touched a rather raw nerve in the ACR Industry. Many of us feel that our work goes unrecognised and unappreciated. The Fred Award could be a step towards changing this.

Quote from Steve Gill

"Normal is overrated and has never been a term that should be applied to our industry."

Quite right. Extraordinary is the correct term. Steve, you have hit the nail firmly on the head.

Great blog

If we are waiting for nominations from customers we will have a very long wait. I think Mike's post at the top of this thread says it all; the only time we hear from customers (or management for that matter) is when there is a problem.

I doubt we will get the support to make this award happen. Also, look at the lack of posts from senior people here.

I think this is a wonderful idea. Steve really has put his finger on a deep seated problem with the ACR Industry, but good luck.

Just as Fred the postman in real life didn't get any recognition until he was spotted by Mark Sanborn, I think Alex the fridgeman won't get his without Steve the blogger. Good on you mate.

Hello Steve, your blog has raised some very important business issues. They include recognition of staff and customer care.

The main priority in any business must be to win and retain customers at a profit. It is also a priority to attract and retain valuable staff. Both customers and staff are gold to the business

Customers and staff are the business's biggest assets
The customer pays all the salaries, wages and dividends.
Without staff, there are no customers
The customer will go where they receive the best attention and the best value
To be be successful in business, you must be the customer's first choice and also have the most motivated staff

Quality of service is the single most important factor for the retention of customers. Equally, looking after the staff is vital to retaining them

It seems that the two - motivated staff and customer retention/customer satisfaction go together.

I think your award will open up this whole aspect of the ACR industry which is at present overlooked by the technically driven industry that we are.

The idea of finding an individual who really does go that extra mile and rewarding them at an industry level is a master stroke of genius. It is so simple and yet so obvious.

Great idea Steve. Will this be in place for the next ACR News Awards next year?

I must admit, when I read Jason's comment yesterday "We do not have a Richard Branson, but we have a Steve Gill", I burst out laughing. I do not know Steve, and for that matter, I do not know Richard either, but to compare the two seemed ridiculous.

But, I re-read all the posts and the blog from start to finish and then went to bed. Now, here I am at nearly 4 in the morning to quickly write my thoughts done while they are fresh.

I reflected upon Jason's comment and also was thinking about Neil's earlier justified condemnation of Jason's rant about the Institute. Neil pointed out that the Institute is a "learned Institute involved in promoting our academic and practical understanding of all things refrigeration and air-conditioning (and heat pumps)". Neil is correct of course, and as the leading body in our industry they lead it through technology innovation and information sharing.

Jason also commented that all three ACR News blogs are very different. Right again.

Having reflected upon this, I have come to the conclusion that Steve is in fact a huge influence upon this industry as a thought leader. Read his blogs, his articles or his posts (particularly the ones last year about the Institute at the time of the presidential election when Steve was the only candidate to join the debate but he also stimulated it with some extremely inspiring posts and comments, including his blog - one IOR, one vision) and it isn't too difficult to realise that Steve influences the Institute and also a great many people who read his writings or hear his words. So, I think that an award named after Steve is not so ridiculous as it first appears.
As an industry we have a large number of very intelligent and clever people solving problems and leading through innovation, both in technology and in business. We unfortunately do not have so many thought leaders in the wider sense as creative as Steve. For what it is worth, I would support the award being named after him now while he is still very much alive. The Industry needs people like him who develop and encourage others.

I share Iain's disappointment about the lack of comments from Industry Managers, sponsors etc. May be they do not read this blog which is a shame but there are enough of us ordinary folk to push this through by making them aware of it. As I said right at the top of this thread, I think this award will refocus attention onto the good and positive work that individuals do within the industry and will be a refreshing balance against all the negative feed back we hear when things go wrong.

Finally, I really liked Fred Lu's very insightful observations about the difference between listening and monitoring customers. How right you are Fred. May be you should be one of the judges for the award.

Right, with all that off my chest, I can go back to bed.

Neil, thank you for responding to my question last time, it is great to know that you read this and that you also share the enthusiasm for making this award happen. Thanks again.

Congratulations Steve on having the highest viewed blog in the site's ten year history. I would have thought that you already held that record for one of your previous blogs but perhaps it was not so obvious as this one which in terms of comments left at least stands out.

I would like to say that in terms of the three regular (semi-regular perhaps is a better description)bloggers, that is Graham, Neil and yourself, I think ACR News have got it exactly right in terms of balance. You all write extremely differently in terms of style and content, but nonetheless are all equally relevant to the industry and the issues we face. Well done ACR News.

Thank you Steve for taking the time to reply and leave a comment. I think it is important that you contribute to the discussion as well as start it off.

Have you heard anything concrete about ACR News (or anyone else) taking up the award yet? You said that there is a lot of interest and support but is this coming to anything yet?

It terms of an Award name. I like yourself perhaps keep turning this over and over in my mind. I find it hard to relate to it being called a Fred Award, in fact in many ways I find it a turnoff. But at the same time, I like you, do admit that it is extremely catchy and I find myself talking to others about a potential 'Fred' for the award.

I have proposed that it be called the Steve Gill Award. I think you could easily sell the concept better than anyone and from what I know of you, you have many of the Fred qualities yourself anyway. You are high profile, as Neil described you 'a heavy weight' in the industry but at the same time you have remained a 'people person'. When you talk about the industry it is not as some abstract technical phenomenon, it is about the people in the industry. You recognise more than most that the people in this industry make the industry what it is. Your blogs, all of them, show that.

But 'Steve' is not as catchy as Fred for a title for the person. Having said that, we need to separate out the two. The 'Fred' we are looking for and the name of the award. Do you know what I mean? Therefore, the Award could be still the Steve Gill Award for the ACR Industry's Fred. Or something like that. You get my point? "Nominate your Fred for the Steve Gill Extraordinary Customer Service Award".

I have looked around outside the ACR Industry and it seems that there are many awards made in the name of living people. We in the ACR Industry seem to have a liking for commemorating people after they have died with an industry award. That, I must say is fair enough, I also very fitting and right and proper and all that. They all deserve it I have no doubt. But, why not do something different and having a living example too? If it was the Richard Branson Award I don't think many would argue. We do not have a Richard Branson in our industry, but we do have a Steve Gill. I say, name the award after you, and find a Fred to give it to.

Finally, I guess this discussion is drawing to a close in terms of interest, which is a pity. It has been a good one.

Steve, I think you should write more regularly and then perhaps there would be more of a flow to the blogs. At the moment, you hit us with one idea after another. This makes them interesting, but flow and continuity is lost. Perhaps I am just sad to see this one go, because i don't think it should be forgotten. Understand? This blog has made an impression on a lot of people and it seems a shame for that to vanish.

Lets get this award going. Steve or Neil (or anyone else) please share as soon as you can details or proposed plans.

Jason

Dear All

I have been following the discussion here with great interest and I would like to thank you all for taking the time to leave a comment.

The idea of an Award for those people within the ACR industry that make the customer experience extraordinary by going the extra mile has captured the imagination of many. It is considered important and has received a great amount of support and interest. I am truly hopeful that this will take off.

I have been asked several times, both here on the discussion thread and outside of it, about the name of the award should we call it the Fred Award? My personal feeling is that although the Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn was the catalyst for the idea and indeed embraces many of the characteristics and philosophies that we can admire and look to reward by recognising them, I do not think that a Fred Award as such fits our industry. It is a convenient handle to attach to it and it must be said, is very catchy too. But somehow, it just doesn t feel right to me. So, what do I think it should be called? I honestly don t know and am open to suggestions. I do feel that we can make this award our own and the name goes a long way towards that. So, if you have a suggestion, please let us know.

I have been told that this blog and the discussion thread has become highest viewed blog in the ten year history of the ACR News web site. I think that says a lot about the importance that we all place on customer care and also personal recognition. We as an industry have a lot to be proud of. As a service industry extraordinary customer care is one of the things we still rightly value and are proud of. I have heard of some remarkable examples and I hope that an Award will help to share the best examples with everyone.

Fingers crossed, it will happen.

Thank you all, and best regards

Steve

I have been following this discussion with interest but after my last out bust (which was entirely uncalled for) I felt it was better to lie low for a while and hang my head in shame.
That done, here's more:

Iain, As no one has replied to your message I guess that means that either (a) no managers pr senior people read this, or (b) they can't be bothered to leave a comment. Shame on them either way.

Russ: I watched the Youtube of Mark with interest. There are several videos of him on there. They all made me cringe. I agree that if there had been any doubt left about calling this the Fred Award that will instantly evaporate once a video of Mark has been watched.

Michael A, and others: regarding MNCs. are you really that surprised? They probably employ professional marketing teams and hold lots of staff training briefings about the importance of innovation and being customer focused, but at the end of the day, the Board are judged by their short term results, and also, the board members feel happy because them have trained their staff and employed so many marketing, sales and HR staff. The true wishes or feelings of the customer never reach it to the board room.

Lyn, Amy: I agree with you both Who would want to be called a Fred?

Sam: actually, the Jason Award sounds much better :)

Steve Gill : why so silent? We would all like to hear your thoughts but you have not replied to the requests. Is something wrong or do you not read this either?

Neil Everitt, I have requested that you remove my previous offending comment down but you didn't. Well, I have got over that and you are forgiven, this time. But why didn't you answer the question about who ACR News has been sold to?

Postman Pat, I agree with you. We do not have mundane jobs in this industry, right? You should try sitting there checking engineer's time sheets and expense claims for a few hours, then a few days, years, etc.

Most, but not all: I agree that we should not call this the Fred Award. Steve suggested that we find a name from our own industry. Well, if the Steve Gill Award is not acceptable for whatever reason to some, why not try and find our own Fred, and then name all subsequent Awards after him(or her). The first winner will become the name of the award - what about that for an incentive to enter? Customers may be more likely to be prompted to nominate.
Having said that, this may put some of the shy ones off, so perhaps not such a good idea.

Fred Westerink: what can I say? You obviously have got over it yourself so I can't fault you on that.


David L: go ahead and nominate. It can't do any harm.

RC: that is a shame that your company thinks that way, but I guess you already know that.

Finally; I hope this takes off. The more I think about it the more I like the idea. Get the name right, and many people will sit up and take notice.

Good luck. Now Neil, that was not offensive at all was it?

If anyone is still thinking of calling this good idea the ACR Fred Award, please watch Mark Sanborn speak about Fred on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GKQ9kTnSg4

I think you have to be American to want to be called a Fred. Even Mark who has made a living from speaking and selling the Fred Factor over and over again makes it sound more like a joke that a customer care philosophy that we should try to follow.
I absolutely agree with Pete, Steve and all the other people that have left the same comment that they like the idea but we need to change the name. I would go further and say that we have change it all slightly to fit the ACR industry and our unique culture.

I hope Neil and the ACR Team can make this award happen but i hope they also have the sense and foresight to get the name right

Small companies tend to be better at customer service because of the size of the operation and the number if people that have direct contact with the clients.
On the other hand, MNCs often have huge numbers of central staff and management that far removed from the day to day operations. Therefore the culture tends to be different
Having said that, the postman Fred worked for a very large organisation and still managed to make a difference to the clients.
So, an award will be interesting opportunity for the big boys to test the customer care programs against the smaller outfits.
Very interesting blog Steve. Really very thought provoking
I see that you won consultant of the year in the past so I guess you know all about customer care from the sharp-end of things or you would not have been successful in business. Well done

Like the blog
Like the award idea
Do not want to be called a Fred
Sorry

Greetings from Japan

I liked the blog and found it very interesting.

I work for an MNC. An American company in Japan

We have an extensive Performance Appraisal system that measures all aspects of our performance over the previous 6 months. Our salary and bonus depends upon the rating given in the PA.

Not one of these measures considers who the customer feels about our service. The company call it a 360 degree appraisal but that involves internal staff only.

Customer service and customer care is simply not measured or appreciated.

Steve Gill I think your proposal on an industry led award in a marvelous one. Thank you

Michael A is correct about many MNCs. The have a habit of rewarding the wrong things and concentrate more on reports and keeping the internal administration wheel turning.
I think this is where Peter Malli was wrong wrong when he said that customer care should be left to the individual organizations. It is true that it is a business matter but the individual who 'goes the extra mile' is something that the whole industry can celebrate and reward.
The postman Fred did work for a very large organization but he made the job his own and made the customer experience special.
Good blog Steve

I also work for an MNC, may be the same one as Michael as this all sounds very familiar.
We are going through the implementation of a new CRM package which in theory should improve customer service. Unfortunately the opposite is proving true. There is nothing wrong with the software at all but the pressure to complete tasks in the 'normal' way is the over riding factor of it all. It is being used as a 'big brother' type control system to ensure that we make the required number of calls/quotes a month. The company has even introduced a disciplinary policy for anyone that does not meet the targets for using the tool.
In all this need to control, unfortunately customer care has been lost and has become a victim of the compliance culture.
After watching a training video on customer care it has become more important to sign the training record log for HR than it has to actually implement anything that the training advocates.
Well done Steve for drawing attention to this. An ACR industry award will draw to people's attention that good work that is happening and also, the areas that need improvement. Normal IS overrated unfortunately by too many

Steve, I work for a well known MNC which rewards its staff for preparing reports on time, for having expenses in on time and all correct. They even reward the sales people that keep their mobile phone bills down. They have become so focused on internal procedures that customer care has slipped off their radar.
I think you have hit the nail firmly on the head with this suggestion. I had become so inward looking that your blog about those that go the extra mile for the customer was a jolt.
Excellent proposal for the award but more than that, thank you for talking sense in a business world that has gone crazy.
Your words are a timely reminder to keep customers at the heart of what we do

Finally for what it is worth, I think this should be called the Steve Gill Award for Extraordinary customer care. Why should be wait until you die to acknowledge the extraordinary work you do for this industry

"Normal is overrated and has never been a term that should be applied to our industry."

I agree with most people on here that a Fred Award doesn't sound quite right.

The name Sam sounds good to me. The 'Sam' Award has a certain ring to it.

Who would object to being called a 'Sam'? Also, it can apply to either sex

Seriously, I liked your blog Steve and think this is a great idea. If only you had called it the Sam Award, I think you would have gained universal support :)

Sam

Ps The Sam Factor is in the process of being written :)

Neil
Is this really what the ACR industry wants? Much as I think the Fred Factor book has been good for drawing attention to the often looked extraordinary service that some people give; that extra special something. I don't think the ACR Industry needs to follow this the whole hog and award Fred Recognition Certificates.
I don't think that is what Steve is proposing and I also don't think that is what many of the people leaving comments here want either.
The idea for the award is great, but as Steve said, lets make it our own and give it our own name; not the Fred Award!