THE hunt is on for a Hampshire or Isle of Wight business whose service really stands out.

The Service Excellence Award is one of the trophies to be awarded at the South Coast Business Awards, held by LOCALiQ, the digital publishing business of Daily Echo publisher Newsquest.

The South Coast Business Awards celebrate excellence across a host of sectors, bringing together the best of businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

They recognise innovative businesses, big and small, operating in fields from food to fashion, tourism to technology, employing thousands of people, exporting around the world or helping to attract visitors to our county.

The sponsors Starling Bank, Hampshire Chamber Of Commerce, Utilita, the University Of Southampton and GetSet Solent invite any company whose head office is based in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to enter or to be nominated.

Nominations will be considered by our judging panel and may be subject to a “mystery shopper” visit by the category sponsor.

The judges will be looking to announce the three finalists in each category on Thursday, September 29, in the Daily Echo and on dailyecho.co.uk

A celebratory awards event will be held on Thursday, November 3, at Southampton FC's St Mary's Stadium.

The winners of each category will receive £250 of advertising in the Daily Echo or on dailyecho.co.uk and will also be featured in the category winners’ coverage in the Daily Echo and on dailyecho.co.uk

The Business of the Year Award will be awarded to the overall winner that will be chosen by the judging panel from all the category winners.

Our Service Excellence award recognises companies with a genuine and innovative focus on customer service.

Do you know a business like this? If so, you can nominate them.

The judges are looking for a clear relationship between customer service activities and improved business performance, financial growth and customer retention. Businesses should be able to demonstrate evidence of positive change in the last 12 months or, have identified a strategy for change in the next 12 months.

Or, you may know someone who you could nominate for one of our other awards: Innovation Excellence Award

  • Employer Award
  • Entrepreneur Award
  • Business Leader Award
  • Small Business Award
  • New Business (opened in the past two years) Award
  • Mid-Large Business Award
  • Business And The Community
  • Award Use Of Technology Award.

You can enter online here.

The closing date for nominations is September 8.