At Stratus Networks, customer service is not a single team—it’s a company-wide commitment. That philosophy earned national recognition again this year with the 2026 Stevie® Award for Customer Service Department of the Year, Telecommunications.
Winning this award two years in a row is a clear signal that what we’re building is working. In an industry where service is often an afterthought, Stratus continues to stand out for making it the core of everything we do. This back-to-back recognition reinforces our commitment to responsiveness, transparency, and long-term customer partnership.
Service That Reaches Across the Organization
In 2025, Stratus built on its previous Stevie® Award recognition by deepening customer engagement, strengthening cross-functional collaboration, and expanding key initiatives. The company’s results demonstrate the effectiveness of its approach:
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 84.2, nearly triple the telecom industry average of 31
- Customer Satisfaction rating of 92%, a 12-point improvement year over year
- Churn rate less than half the industry norm
- A 22% increase in documented customer interactions
These outcomes reflect the deliberate integration of customer service principles across teams. For customers, this translates to faster resolutions, fewer handoffs, and a more responsive, transparent experience at every stage of the relationship. As one judge noted, “You can feel the organization-wide commitment, from sales training to sentiment analysis in the NOC…” The result is a service model that not only meets expectations, but anticipates needs and builds long-term confidence.
Initiatives That Drove National Recognition
Stratus’s 2026 Stevie® Award was earned through deliberate, cross-functional initiatives designed to embed service excellence into every corner of the business. From training and operations to leadership engagement, these efforts share a common goal: making every customer feel heard, supported, and prioritized.
Sales Training Rooted in Empathy and Accountability
Stratus refined its sales onboarding to ensure every new representative enters the role with a deep commitment to service. The multi-week training program, developed with guidance from an organizational psychologist, focuses on effective communication, problem-solving, and relationship-building. The result is a sales process that prioritizes alignment, trust, and long-term customer success.
A Customer Experience Team Built to Engage
First launched in 2023 and expanded in 2025, the Customer Experience Team plays a central role in driving satisfaction and retention. This team coordinates pre-installation logistics, onboarding, billing reviews, wellness checks, and service changes. In 2025 alone, they completed 4,599 documented customer interactions, 22% more than in 2024, serving 930 unique customers.
24/7 Technical Support That Listens and Resolves
Stratus’s in-region Network Operations Center (NOC) continues to provide expert-driven support around the clock. In Q4 2025, the team handled thousands of calls with an average wait time of just 18 seconds. In addition, sentiment analysis tools introduced in 2025 helped identify patterns in tone and satisfaction, enabling more focused training and contributing to an 18% increase in positive call sentiment.
Leadership That Reinforces Culture
Service at Stratus is championed from the top. The Senior Leadership Team operates mentorship and executive sponsorship programs that ensure the company’s service-first culture is embedded into every level of the organization. This direct engagement has been essential to sustaining a consistent customer experience as the company scales.
Recognition That Reflects the Stratus Standard
The Stevie® Award is a meaningful milestone, but more than anything, it affirms Stratus’ commitment to direct relationships, proactive engagement, and expert support that delivers real solutions without delay. Awards are not the objective. The goal has always been to build a service model grounded in trust, consistency, and long-term partnership.
That philosophy shows up in the way customers describe their experience:
“The entire team did an outstanding job. Made [me] feel like my company was the most important customer they were working with!”
“Quick reply to all of my questions. I am so sick and tired of customer service that actually is ‘NO Customer service.’ I don’t get that with Stratus; their customer service IS customer service. A nice change in this day and age.’’
As Stratus continues to grow, the company remains committed to scaling without compromise. Every new role, process, and initiative will continue to reflect the same principle that earned this recognition: put the customer at the center, and deliver service that sets a higher standard.