The success in the industry awards – the first that Hornbill has entered its flagship product for – demonstrates Supportworks as an established player in the service desk environment. Both awards were presented at the HDI Help Desk & IT Support Excellence Awards held at the Natural History Museum on 27th April.

Sharp Electronics, initially implemented Supportworks in its Customer Information Centre. All the information needed to process a support request is held centrally within the Supportworks database. It acts as the single interface to critical business systems and has replaced a number of standalone databases. Website and email enquiries are directed through a SelfService portal via the Knowledge Base, reducing the number of enquiries handled by support staff.

Integration with the Sharp product database and Service Centre database enables support staff to view information on new products and spares or the location of the nearest Service Centre when dealing with customers. As a result of the improved service, Sharp Electronics claims stronger brand loyalty amongst its customers, with a 25% increase in those likely to buy another Sharp product.

Following the success of Supportworks at the Customer Information Centre, Sharp Electronics has also implemented the system in its IT Service Desk and Parts Centre, with future plans to include its flagship Aquos LCD TV Sales department.

Paul Copley, Team Head at Sharp's Customer Information Centre explained: "Winning this prestigious award is a true recognition of the difference that Supportworks technology has made to our business. It also acknowledges Sharp Electronics' commitment to improving customer service as exemplified by our investment in Supportworks that has helped us to transform our e-service and customer support, increasing customer satisfaction by 20%."

Camelot implemented Hornbill's Supportworks' ITSM application in 2004 to provide service support to internal customers across sites in both Liverpool and Watford. The help desk operation is the first point of contact for Camelot staff on all IT-related queries, from system problems to hardware and software requests.

Although a team of just six people based in Aintree, Liverpool, the help desk takes an average of 150 calls a day. The recent HDI Award recognises its service delivery is meeting global industry standards.

IT Customer Services Manager Stephanie Roddie commented: "We're absolutely thrilled to win – in five years we've gone from setting up a Service Desk team to being recognised as one of the best in the industry. We've worked very hard to listen to what out customers want and to deliver a service which meets their needs and the needs of the business."

Gerry Sweeney, Managing Director of Hornbill Systems commented: "For any company an investment in IT has to make a real difference to the bottom line. Hornbill's Supportworks provides information and systems that enable service desks to process customer requests – whether internal or external -efficiently and quickly. Improving efficiency, customer service and building brand loyalty are all important differentiators for business today."