Customer Service Awards Program

Good customer service saves lives.

In July 2009, Maddie's Fund and Petfinder.com Foundation conducted a ten week customer service awards program with four objectives in mind:

• raise awareness about the importance of good customer service in rescues and shelters
• reward organizations that were doing it well with cash and local publicity
• offer tips and support for shelters that did not provide good customer service
• use the results to help others implement "best practices"

While Maddie's Fund supplied the money, Petfinder.com Foundation staff conducted shelter and rescue surveys. Prizes of $500 were given to 30 rescues (three per week) for responding to an email inquiry about a specific pet within 24 hours, and to 30 shelters that answered the telephone and gave helpful information about a pet. Prizes of $2,000 were awarded to ten shelters that provided secret adopters with positive experiences. Read the survey findings here.

Click here to see sample publicity