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Advocate Networks placed as a finalist for a 2006 Client Advisor Award (CAA) for fostering and growing client-adviser relationships.
Advocate Networks was nominated for saving its clients an average of 38 percent on telecommunications costs. The nomination cited the work Advocate Networks performed for one of its clients, a large publicly traded financial services company. Advocate Networks completed a corporate-wide inventory and requirements compilation for outsourcing the worldwide investment management company’s voice, data, and wireless services. Next, it facilitated a contract with the chosen outsourcing provider, which saved the company $5 million annually.
The CAAs are awarded to consulting firms and client firms, or companies that use consulting firms that foster and grow client-adviser relationships. Nominees are evaluated in five areas: collaboration, creativity, content and value orientation, capability and credibility.
Andrew Dietz, president of Creative Growth Group, the consulting firm that created the CAAs along with the Atlanta Business School Alliance (ABSA), an alliance of Atlanta-area alumni groups from the nation’s top-ranked MBA programs. He reviewed all submissions and spoke to clients of the finalists.
Dietz said: “Tim and Scott (co-presidents of Advocate Networks) consistently demonstrate a high degree of adviser professionalism. When a client has an issue with anything, they take extraordinary measures at their own expense to ensure the client has a high-quality experience. They also make significant and continuous investments in their firm through careful hiring and training to ensure that all Advocate team members conduct themselves in a highly professional and effective manner that leads to optimal outcomes for clients. That’s crucial because being an excellent advisory firm begins with having excellent advisers within an organization. So, at Advocate, there’s not only depth of skill, but also depth of passion for client success that runs throughout the organization.”
The CAAs are given to firms in six categories. One winner is chosen out of three finalists in each category: large, midsize and small professional services firms and large, midsize and small client firms. Advocate Networks was a finalist in the small professional services firm category. Insight Sourcing, a business consulting firm, nominated Advocate Networks for the award.