Customer Service Department Categories
The customer service department categories recognize everyone who works formally in customer service in your organization, regardless of their role or location.
Nominations that won in the 2026 Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2027 awards. If they have been updated with recent achievements, they may be submitted to the same categories in which they won. If they have not been updated, they must be submitted to categories different from those in which they won.
Starting with the 2027 edition of the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, winners in the Customer Service Department of the Year categories will be determined through a unique blending of the average scores of our professional judges and the votes of the general public. Nominees in these categories will be given images and other tools that they may use to encourage their customers, communities, employees, and others to vote for their organizations. (The public will see organizations’ names only, not the content of nominations.)
For every 1,000 votes a nomination receives, we will add a full point to the judges’ average score. For example, if a nomination receives an average score from the judges of 7.87, and the organization receives 850 public votes, we will add .85 to the judges’ average, for a final score of 8.72. Each Customer Service Department of the Year nomination that receives 2,000 or more public votes will be awarded a crystal People’s Choice Stevie Award for Favorite Customer Service, in addition to any other award the nomination may win.
Information required for entries in these categories include:
1. Written answers to the following questions, describing the nominated department’s achievements since July 1, 2024, OR a video of up to five (5) minutes in length that answers all of the same questions:
a. Briefly describe the nominated department: its history and past performance (up to 1,250 characters). Required
b. Outline the department’s achievements since July 1, 2024, that you wish to bring to the judges’ attention (up to 1,500 characters). Required
c. Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible, compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the department’s past performance (up to 1,500 characters). Required
d. Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters). Optional
2. Optional (but highly recommended), add to your entry up to 10 webpage links and up to 10 document uploads to support your case to the judges. These might be press articles, press releases, videos, or images, for example.
115. Customer Service Department of the Year – Airlines, Distribution & Transportation
116. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Hardware
117. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Software. This category is split into two separate categories:
a. At Organizations With Up to 100 Employees
b. At Organizations With 100 or More Employees
118. Customer Service Department of the Year – Computer Services
119. Customer Service Department of the Year - Consumer Products & Services
120. Customer Service Department of the Year – Digital-First Services Recognizing customer service operations that operate from a digital-first perspective.
121. Customer Service Department of the Year – Energy & Utilities (New for 2027)
122. Customer Service Department of the Year – Financial Services This category is split into two separate categories:
a. At Organizations With Up to 100 Employees
b. At Organizations With 100 or More Employees
123. Customer Service Department of the Year – Global Operations. Recognizing the achievements of organizational customer service operations on a global scale.
125. Customer Service Department of the Year – Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Related Industries
126. Customer Service Department of the Year – Leisure & Tourism
127. Customer Service Department of the Year – Manufacturing (New for 2027)
128. Customer Service Department of the Year – Public Services & Education
129. Customer Service Department of the Year – Retail
130. Customer Service Department of the Year – Telecommunications
131. Customer Service Department of the Year – All Other Industries