Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence in Customer Experience Award

No Purchase Required. To enter, go to www.dell.com/ceaward and fill in application. Contest is available to small businesses headquartered in the United States, Canada and Mexico; additional countries to be announced in early 2008. Applicants must be a for-profit "C" or "S" corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership or other partnership, or sole proprietorship formed pursuant to the laws of the fifty states or the District of Columbia of the United States of America, and in good standing in the relevant jurisdiction and employ 100 or fewer individual employees or individual independent contractors (full or part-time). Applicants headquartered in the other eligible countries should refer to the specific rules for their nation. No government or quasi-governmental entities may enter. Person submitting application must be an officer or other authorized representative of the entrant. When and if requested to verify the annual revenue submitted in your application, Winner and Finalists must submit unaudited financial statements from a certified public accountant by specified date or forfeit prize.
Entrant will be required to demonstrate how the company has used information technology (IT) to deliver superior customer experience. They must 1) describe how their innovative use of IT has improved customer experience (10% of score); 2) show how this innovative use of IT has changed the way they serve customers (20% of score); 3) show how it has led to significant improvements in the experience of their customers (30% of score); 4) show how the innovative use of IT has impacted the organization's success. A company's annual revenue may be considered when determining finalists. (20% of score); 5) describe other advantages the investment in and use of IT produced for the firm (5% of score); and 6) provide three customer testimonials about the customers' experience with the organization that illustrate the impact of the innovative use of IT (15% of score). The judges will select one Global Winner, one National Winner per country, and 9 National Finalists per country. Decisions of the judges are final.
Submission deadlines vary by country; U.S. Award Submissions must be complete on or before CST11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 29, 2008. All entries become the exclusive property of Dell and will not be acknowledged or returned. Judges decisions are final.
All National Finalists and Winners will be selected by August 2008; notification dates vary by country. U.S. National Award Finalists will be notified by email or phone by April 2008. U.S. National Winner will be notified by email or phone in May, 2008, and is scheduled to be announced publicly June 2008. (Note, individuals are not winners or finalists, only eligible companies as set forth in Rule 1.) The Global Award Winner will be announced in Fall 2008.
Prizes: Global Winner will receive a two-day summit scheduled by Dell with Dell experts to share best practices, including conference time with Michael Dell, subject to his availability. In addition, Global Winner will receive $50,000 in technology and services from Dell to be used in Winner's business. Presented as a credit to be used for up to $30,000 in Dell Small-Business products only at Dell on-line prices at time of purchase prior to Sept. 15, 2009, as well as Dell professional services based on Dell's assessment of customer's business needs (up to a maximum $20,000 at standard Dell rates) used prior to Sept. 15, 2009. Finally, the Global Winner will receive a lifetime membership to the International Council for Small Business and engagement with Endeavor's network of business leaders and high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets worldwide. (Global prize value is approximately $60,000). The National Winners receive a day scheduled by Dell with Dell experts and other regional winners to share best practices, including conference time with Michael Dell, subject to his availability. In addition, National Winners will receive $25,000 in technology and services from Dell to be used in Winner's business. Presented as a credit to be used for up to $15,000 in Dell Small-Business products only at Dell on-line prices at time of purchase prior to Sept. 15, 2009, as well as Dell professional services based on Dell's assessment of customer's business needs (up to a maximum $10,000 at standard Dell rates) used prior to Sept. 15, 2009. Finally, National Winners receive lifetime membership to the individual country partner organization (if available); U.S. National Winners receive lifetime membership to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) (National U.S. prize value is approximately $40,000). The National Winner selected as the Global Winner forfeits their "day at Dell" and $25,000 technology award for the Global Award value. Nine (9) National Finalists will each receive a Dell business-class notebook computer with a maximum value of $1500 and a one-year membership to the individual country partner organization (if available); U.S. National Finalists receive a one-year membership in NFIB. (U.S. Finalist prize value is approximately $1750). No cash or prize substitutions or transfer of prizes, except by Dell, who reserves the right to substitute a prize or prize component at its sole discretion with cash or another prize of comparable or greater value. Winner's technology and services purchases from Dell must be used in Winner's business; Dell reserves the right to limit Winner's technology and services choices to those that can be used in Winner's business.
Dell, ICSB, Endeavor and NFIB assume no responsibility for lost, stolen, delayed, damaged or misdirected entries or for any failure of the website during the entry period, for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, access providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Dell on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof including any injury or damage to an entrant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from entering or down loading any material in connection with this contest. Dell, ICSB, Endeavor and NFIB reserve the right, in their sole discretion to cancel or suspend this contest should a virus, bug or other cause beyond the reasonable control of Dell corrupt the security or proper administration of the contest. Any attempt to deliberately damage any web site or to undermine the legitimate operation of this promotion is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, Dell reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution.
Except where prohibited by law, Winners and Finalists consent to the use of entrant's name and logo and entrant materials (with the exception of confidential financial information) in publicity, advertising and promotional materials for Dell and/or ICSB, Endeavor, NFIB, without further compensation, and agree to cause entrant principals to appear, by name and photograph, in such materials. Submission of an entry further constitutes the entrant's irrevocable assignment and transfer to Dell, ICSB, Endeavor and NFIB any and all rights, title and interest in and to the submission including, without limitation, the copyright and all intellectual property rights and the right to publish and exploit the submission in any and all media worldwide, without limitation and without compensation to the entrant, and entrant may or may not be attributed as the source of the entry material.

Except where prohibited, you agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Texas, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of Texas or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Texas.

Sponsors:

Dell, Inc. One Dell Way, MS RR3-06, Round Rock, TX 78682

Endeavor, 900 Broadway, Suite 600, New York, NY 10003

ICSB, GWU School of Business, 2201 G. Street, NW, Funger Hall Suite 315, Washington, D.C. 20052

National Federation of Independent Business, 1201 F Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20004

Partner

Award Links

About the Small Business Excellence Award

Award History & Winners

Award Criteria & Value

U.S. Judging Panel