Optus, an Australian leader in integrated communications, has been recognised for leadership and excellence in customer service after receiving one national and six state awards at the annual Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA) Awards held in Sydney last week.

The CSIA awards showcase best practice and innovation in customer service by Australia's leading service providers, organisations and individuals and highlight the importance of customer service in today's business climate.

The awards won by Optus reflect the extensive work Optus has undertaken over the past two years as part of its company-wide customer experience transformation program to support its mission to become an example of best practice in customer service.

Optus Customer Relations Group General Manager, Susan Sdregas, has won the CSIA National Customer Service Executive of the Year for outstanding achievement in a strategic customer service leadership role. This national acknowledgement was complemented by a suite of state awards. These included Optus Business' Premium Service Desk receiving the NSW award for Service Excellence in a Service Desk and Optus Consumer's CRG and iPhone Help Desk teams receiving an award for Service Excellence in a Contact Centre.

Optus people were also recognised with state awards, including Barbara Campbell for NSW Customer Service Contact Centre Manager of the Year, Ben Boyd for NSW Customer Service Professional of the Year, Nicole Bradshaw for Victorian Customer Service Manager of the Year and Susan Sdregas, Victorian National Customer Service Executive of the Year.

Murray King, Optus Chief Financial Officer and Head of Customer Experience said, "As an Australian leader in communications serving more than 8 million customers each day, our vision is to deliver competitive differentiation in the market by providing outstanding customer experience.

"For Optus, these awards are recognition of the work we have carried out over the past two years to transform the way we do business and ensure we provide our customers with an outstanding customer experience in all aspects of our business," Mr King said.

About the CSIA Awards
The CSIA Australian Service Excellence Awards showcase achievement in Customer Service. Reaching the finals and winning an award illustrates the high standards of management, training and commitment to excellence within those organisations.

Customer Service is an essential factor in maintaining an organisation's competitive edge in the marketplace. Many organisations are placing greater emphasis on developing a customer service culture and making it a strategic priority.

Media contact:
Siobhan Quinn
Optus Corporate Affairs
(02) 8082 7850