GREEN BAY, Wis., May 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second straight year, Associated Bank's contact center operations have been recognized for customer service excellence in its live phone channel by the J.D. Power Certified Contact Center Program.^SM

As part of its rigorous evaluation, J.D. Power conducted a detailed operational evaluation that included recruiting, training, management and quality assurance capabilities. The process also included a random survey of Associated Bank customers who recently called its contact centers in Green Bay, Wis., and Stevens Point, Wis.Associated Bank ranked in the top 20 percent of all benchmarks.

"Associated Bank is being recognized once again for providing superior service to their customers and has the honor of touting a Certified Contact Center status," said J.D. Power. "This certification is difficult to achieve and it demonstrates Associated's continued commitment to providing an outstanding customer experience through the live phone channel."

Philip B. Flynn, Associated Bank president and CEO, said the company takes great pride in J.D. Power's certification. "We've set high standards for ourselves and regularly evaluate the customer experience to ensure customers are getting exceptional service," said Flynn. "We are honored to receive this J.D. Power certification because it demonstrates we are following through on our customer commitment and it's a top priority."

Flynn added: "This recognition proves that we are effectively listening to our customers, responding to their needs and adapting to their preferences and behaviors for a better banking experience. We are incredibly proud of our dedicated employees who are consistently looking for new and better ways to serve our customers."

Launched by J.D. Power in 2004, the Certified Contact Center Program evaluates overall customer satisfaction with live phone interactions and helps organizations in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing and continually updating leading practices for handling service calls. The Program certifies the live phone channel, the IVR self-service channel and the Web self-service channel.  

To achieve certification:

• A contact center must perform within the top 20 percent of customer service scores, which are based on benchmarks established in J.D. Power's cross-industry customer satisfaction research.
• The evaluation criteria includes the customer service representatives' courtesy, knowledge and concern for the customer, promptness in speaking to a person and timely resolution of the problem or request.
• The experience with the automated phone system is evaluated based on the clarity of the information provided, ease of navigating the phone menu prompts and ease of understanding the phone menu instructions.

In celebration of its certification, Associated Bank will invite new and existing customers to Experience the Better Side of Banking™ through marketing programs that reward customers for their patronage. For more information, visit AssociatedBank.com/JDPower.

ABOUT ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP
Associated Banc-Corp (NYSE: ASB) has total assets of $29 billion and is one of the top 50 publicly traded U.S. bank holding companies. Headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Associated is a leading Midwest banking franchise, offering a full range of financial products and services from over 200 banking locations serving more than 100 communities throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, and commercial financial services in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas. Associated Bank, N.A. is an Equal Housing Lender, Equal Opportunity Lender and Member FDIC. More information about Associated Banc-Corp is available at https://www.associatedbank.com

ABOUT J.D. POWER
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Contact: Jennifer Kaminski
Vice President | Public Relations Manager
920-491-7576
Jennifer.Kaminski@associatedbank.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/associated-banks-contact-centers-certified-again-by-jd-power-300450667.html

SOURCE Associated Banc-Corp