Agero VP Chris Richard Honored as Gold Stevie® Award Winner In 2020 American Business Awards®

Focus on people, technology, and process improvement delivers significant customer service results for leading driver assistance services provider


MEDFORD, Mass., May 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agero, the leading B2B provider of white-labeled roadside assistance, accident management, connected car and consumer affairs services for auto insurers and automakers, today announced Vice President of Contact Center Operations, Chris Richard, has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Customer Service Executive of the Year category in the 18th Annual American Business Awards®.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. 

More than 3,600 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year, Executive of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Marketing Campaign of the Year, Live Event of the Year, and App of the Year, among others. More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.

Chris, who has held a variety of leadership roles at Agero for 20 years and took over contact center responsibilities in July 2018, has been recognized as materially transforming the organization. Chris’ accomplishments related to operational excellence, new digital enablement channels and a focus on culture were considered impressive by judges and the resulting impact on key performance indicator (KPI) improvements, including increased employee engagement and improved customer satisfaction and Net Promotor Scores (NPS), were noted as “tremendous.”

“What makes Chris unique and highly valuable as a leader is the combination of strategic and analytic insight coupled with practical operations experience that he brings to the table,” said George Horvat, Chief Operations Officer, Agero. “Chris continuously seeks to improve himself and he makes himself available to his team to mentor, coach, and give advice. He is a strong leader who is known for delivering on commitments and for treating team members like they are the most important asset of the company. This is a well-earned recognition.”

As a leading motor club in North America supporting more than 115 million consumers, Agero provides critical and potentially life-saving assistance for approximately 12 million breakdown and accident events annually. With a contact center team of over 1,500 employees and a network of over 8,000 individual tow and roadside companies, with access to tens of thousands more, Agero serves 100 percent of zip codes in the U.S.

“Despite the toughest business conditions in memory, American organizations continue to demonstrate their commitment to innovation, creativity, and bottom-line results,” said Stevie Awards president Maggie Gallagher. “This year’s Stevie-winning nominations are full of inspiring stories of persistence, ingenuity, resourcefulness, and compassion. We celebrate all of their stories and look forward to showcasing them during our virtual awards ceremony on August 5.”

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be virtually presented to winners during a live event on Wednesday, August 5.  Tickets for the virtual event are now on sale.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2020 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.    

About Agero
Agero’s mission is to rethink the roadside experience through a powerful combination of passionate people and data-driven technology, strengthening its clients’ relationships with their customers. As a leading B2B provider of next-gen driver assistance services, Agero is pushing the industry in a new direction, taking manual processes and redefining them as digital, transparent and connected, including: a transformative roadside event management platform powered by Swoop, a San Francisco based software company acquired in 2018; comprehensive accident management services; knowledgeable consumer affairs and connected vehicle capabilities; and intuitive tow dispatch software.

The company protects 115 million vehicles in partnership with leading automobile manufacturers, insurance carriers and other diversified clients. Managing one of the largest national networks of service providers, Agero responds to approximately 12 million service events annually. Agero, a member company of The Cross Country Group, is headquartered in Medford, Mass., with operations throughout North America and Europe. To learn more, visit www.agero.com.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Sponsors of The 2020 American Business Awards include John Hancock Financial Services, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Media Contact:
Kate Patty
PR Manager, Agero
781.306.3771
KPatty@agero.com