Applause Reveals Winners of 2018 Customer Excellence Awards

Last week’s DigitalXChange not only played host to visionaries like Casey Neistat, Tom Wujec, and Rana el Kaliouby, it was also the site of the first ever Applause Customer Excellence (ACE) Awards ceremony.

Day two of the conference kicked off with the ceremony where Applause CEO Doron Reuveni and Chief Revenue Officer Tom Bonos welcomed winners to the mainstage to accept their awards.

The ACE awards were created to recognize the companies that exhibited unparalleled dedication to quality. High-quality digital experiences are essential for brands looking to keep pace with the rising expectations of consumers. This year’s winners not only emphasize product quality, they are leading the charge in digital innovation.

Hundreds of submissions and digital experiences were reviewed before winners were chosen across six categories. Winners were selected based on volume, frequency, and effectiveness of testing, the level of best practices utilized, and the demonstrated impact to customers.

DIGITAL QUALITY WINNER: NEWS CORP

News Corp received the Digital Quality Award as the Applause customer that best exemplifies a dedication to quality across every aspect of the customer experience. Between Dow Jones, Move.com, Foxtel, and News UK, Applause tests more than 40 different digital web and mobile properties utilizing more than 500 crowd testers. Dow Jones’ Sumeet Mandloi and Realtor.com’s Chris Taclas both spoke at the event and accepted the award together on behalf of the entire News Corp organization.

AUTOMATION WINNER: MICHAEL KORS

With the help of Applause, Michael Kors has built an innovative and effective testing process that incorporates automation to save effort, speed up test execution, and deliver high quality products to the luxury retail market. By using test automation, along with functional, usability, and localization testing from Applause, Michael Kors is able to quickly find software bugs and release to market faster.

OMNICHANNEL WINNER: SHAKE SHACK

To prepare for its first ever mobile app launch, Shake Shack turned to Applause to not only test the performance of the app, but test how the features affected the overall dining and take-out experience. Shake Shack’s emphasis on quality paid off. It now offers a true omnichannel experience to its customers through mobile orders and features like pickup-and-go.

ACCESSIBILITY WINNER: MICROSOFT

Microsoft is at the forefront of accessible experiences. The company proactively tests digital platforms to ensure they are accessible to consumers with disabilities. Microsoft was awarded the ACE Accessibility Award because of its public dedication and defined strategy for delivering superior digital experiences to all its users.

PAYMENTS WINNER: DISCOVER FINANCIAL

Discover Financial’s strong commitment to payment testing sets it apart from others. The company exhibits dedication to providing payment instrument choice to customers around the world.

USABILITY WINNER: DIGNITY HEALTH

Dignity Health has run nearly a dozen highly unique usability studies with Applause. In each, the company used a diverse set of testers from the Applause community to account for different locations, devices, and demographics. The feedback Dignity Health received from these studies helped to inform their web and mobile app experiences, improving the company’s ability to convert and retain customers.

If you missed DigitalXChange ‘18, don’t panic! We have you covered with recaps of both days of the conference. You can also find slideshares of some of the most popular event presentations on topics like fake news, LEGO’s keys to safeguarding quality, and how to build five-star voice apps.