5 Reasons Why Attending Cross-Sector Awards is a Must

Awards come in all shapes and sizes.

Some are deliberately tongue-in-cheek, like the Foot in Mouth Award for dumbest comment of the year by a public official, or the Diagram Prize for the book with the strangest title. And some are highly specific to a particular industry – I’m looking at you, British Parking Awards!

At Awards International, however, we believe there are real advantages to attending awards that are cross-sector in nature.

Here are the top 5 reasons.

1. Your sector might not be the best when it comes to Customer or Employee Experience

Businesses in all sectors are realising how Customer and Employee Experience are integral to commercial success. In fact, the quality of customer experience is becoming more important for differentiating a brand from its competitors than the product or service on offer.

This is a movement within business that spans many sectors, and the truth is that some are currently doing CX much better than others.

Attending cross-sector awards, particularly ones where you can attend open presentations, provides a fantastic opportunity to see how other sectors operate.

2. You learn more about best practice this way

Let’s say you work in a sector that has a relatively recent customer service tradition, like financial services.

If you attend the UK Customer Experience Awards, you can listen to companies from other sectors – like retail and hospitality – where customer experience has been integral for much longer, and learn best practice from them.

When it comes to customer, digital and employee experience, there are many commonalities between sectors.  The product or service may differ, but the need to resonate with customers and deliver memorable experiences is constant throughout.

You’ll be amazed how much you can learn by venturing beyond the traditional borders of your industry.

3. The other guests are potential clients

Our events are a fantastic opportunity to network with a wide range of influential business professionals.

Because they’re cross-sector, potential clients and service providers will all be under the same roof.

There are ample opportunities for networking at Awards International events – and with such an impressive range of companies in attendance, the conversations you have may prove fruitful.

4. There are still industry-specific categories, judged by professionals from that industry

We understand that competing with others from your own industry is still crucial: that’s why we include industry-specific categories in our awards.

This allows you to get the best of both worlds. You can learn how other sectors are pushing the boundaries in business practice, but still receive recognition that’s appropriate to your specific achievements.

When you compete in a category, judges assess a written entry and a presentation on the day of the awards. As business professionals themselves, they are well-placed to offer useful feedback and guidance, and every finalist gets just this through our Feedback Reports.

So please don’t think you lose out on specific insights when you attend cross-sector awards: Awards International ensure that you receive specific comments on your entry from judges who know their stuff.

5. Cross sector awards are more likely to be fair

Many industry awards programmes are an extension of media companies or industry groups.

The judges for these awards are normally the editorial staff or other small groups, as opposed to teams of independent judges.

With some industry awards, the relationship between the judges and the winners can be slightly controversial; cross-sector awards, with those running the event separate to those judging it, are likely to be much more impartial.

Both within companies and between companies, old patterns of thinking that prioritised processes over people are changing, and new emphases are coming through.

The concept of customer experience transcends any one sector, and CX knowledge can and should be shared between businesses of all kinds. The best way to get the inspiration and the fresh ideas to enhance your business is to attend cross-sector awards.

To get the recognition you deserve,  enter the UK Customer Experience Awards today!