Jill Schramm/MDN Shelley Knight, general manager at the Minot center, left, with Delta Vacations president Jennie Ho, center, and Michelle Cowper, director of workforce development in Minot, display Stevie Awards taken home by the company at a presentation in Las Vegas last month.

A strong economy, a reliable airline reputation and new travel destinations have meant recent growth for Delta Vacations. However, some of that growth might be credited, too, to Delta Vacations’ “secret sauce.”

“We are known as the ‘secret sauce’ of Delta Vacations,” Shelley Knight said of the Minot customer engagement center, where she is vice president and general manager. “We have our customers’ backs. The level of training we do and the kind of service we offer is really second to none in the industry.”

Backing up her claim are 10 prestigious awards received by Delta Vacations at the Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service presentation Feb. 23 in Las Vegas.

Delta Vacations’ Customer Engagement Center, formerly known as MLT Vacations, won 10 national awards, including Contact Center of the Year in its category. Delta Vacations won a Grand Stevie Award, which was awarded to the top 10 winning companies of the evening.

The Stevie Awards are the world’s premier business awards, created in 2002 to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide. There are seven Stevie Awards programs, each with its own focus, list of categories and schedule. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognize the achievements of sales, customer service and call center professionals.

Knight received a Stevie Award for call center leader of the year.

“None of us are surprised,” Delta Vacations president Jennie Ho, Atlanta, said of Knight’s award. “In terms of our team’s respect for her as a leader and what we hear from our customers, no one is surprised.”

The Stevie Awards come on top of what already has been an eventful year for Delta Vacations. A new destination trip to the Islands of Tahiti (Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and Tetiaroa) launched last fall. The Azores recently was added, along with the European destinations of Crete, Greece; Bordeaux, France; and Salzburg, Austria.

Ho said the Caribbean and Mexican beach markets, Hawaii and Europe are strong markets for Delta Vacations. The company saw gross sales revenue grow by 12 percent last year, with vacation packages to 300 different destinations and more than 4,700 hotel partners.

“We are riding the wave of a very strong economy,” Ho said. “The airline itself is doing well.”

Delta Vacations sells trips through Delta Air Lines and its strategic airline partners. Delta’s operational reliability eases the ability to sell Delta and its vacation products, Ho said. Delta Air Lines flew 242 days in 2017 without a mainline cancellation, eclipsing its 2016 record by a day despite a year of severe weather that closed airports throughout the Caribbean and Florida for several days, as well as an airport-wide power outage at the airline’s busiest hub in Atlanta.

To travel agencies, rewards members and the public, airline dependability makes a difference, Ho said.

What it all means for the Minot customer engagement center is more activity.

“Our call volume is growing and our workforce is as well,” Knight said. Employee numbers rose from 300 to 350 in the past year, and the center currently is hiring. Knight said they expect to grow the sales volume another 12 percent this year, but she’s optimistic the company will be able to find the necessary workforce in the Minot area.

“It’s such a great base of people who are applying – just the travel knowledge people have. We have not struggled in the last few years at all with hiring,” Knight said.

Delta Vacations offers an attractive place to work beyond its flight benefits. The center provides flexible scheduling and a pick of shifts. The center went to 24/7 operation in January 2017 to accommodate travelers in whatever their time zone or whatever hours they desire to call.

Ho said employees appreciate the company’s culture. Delta Vacations’ strengths are its focus on people, its strong management team and the value placed on the customer, she said. To provide value to the customer, employees travel to the company’s destinations to get first-hand experience.

“There’s nothing like feeling it and touching it,” said Knight, who noted more than 100 employees visited destinations last year.

Tahiti Tourism also brought representatives to Minot to conduct a training class for employees. It was an indication of the confidence that Tahiti Tourism has in the Minot center, Ho said.

“They could see the value, the service, the quality that our team here offers,” she said.

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Delta Vacations earns awards

Delta Vacations and Minot team members received the following awards at the Stevie Awards presentation Feb. 23 in Las Vegas. In addition, Delta Vacations was awarded one of 10 Grand Stevie Awards for placing among the top 10 companies overall.

Gold Stevie Awards

Contact Center of the Year (Over 100 seats) in Other Service Industries category

Sales Growth Achievement of the Year in All Other Industries category

Sales Distinction of the Year in Hospitality & Tourism category

Contact Center Leader of the Year: Shelley Knight

Sales Representative of the Year in Other Service Industries: Jackie Hildenbrand

Silver Stevie Awards

Sales Representative of the Year in Other Service Industries: Robin Langford

Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year in Other Service Industries: Rob Hoffart

Best Use of Technology in Sales in All Other Industries category

Contact Center Solution in New Version category (recognizes innovative business solutions – in this case, Delta Vacation’s new employee-friendly scheduling system)

Bronze Stevie Awards

Customer Service Training Team of the Year in All Other Industries category