Company ranked 160th on annual InformationWeek 500 list for its IT efforts to support development and expansion of its industry-first PERCS consumer engagement-based rewards and loyalty program

Ridgeland, Miss. - (September 9, 2013) – For the second year in a row, C Spire has been named one of the nation’s top technology innovators by InformationWeek 500.

The company’s Information Technology group was recognized for its work on PERCS, a ground-breaking consumer engagement-based rewards and loyalty program. Last year, the company was recognized for development of a web-based customer relationship management system and middleware to support personalized sales and services.

In 2012, C Spire placed 49th overall and ranked the best among all U.S. wireless communications providers. This year, the company placed 160th on the annual list. InformationWeek 500, the most prestigious business technology ranking, identifies and honors the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing. Each year, 500 companies and projects across the U.S. are selected for this honor.

“Our IT, project and business teams worked closely together to develop, enhance and expand our unique PERCS rewards program in-house using several state-of-the-art technologies,” said Carla Lewis, senior vice president of IT for C Spire. “We’re honored and proud to appear once again on this prestigious list. As we continue to grow and bring more personal services and offers to our customers, we need to continue to employ a nimble and scalable approach to information technology. This recognition validates that our IT team continues to embrace technology, innovation and best practices in a very positive way,” she said.

C Spire launched the initiative in 2011 to reward loyal customers, drive engagement with its brand and deliver on the company’s personalized service strategy. With the introduction of PERCS, C Spire became the first and only U.S. carrier to offer a consumer engagement-based program that rewards customers for their loyalty, business and tenure.

Today, nearly 40 percent of its customers are members of the rewards program earning more than 300 million PERCS reward points, including over 100,000 non-customers who are engaging with the C Spire brand. Customers have access to a variety of awards, including discounts on accessories, device and plan upgrades, gift cards and other exclusive deals and member-only privileges.

C Spire customers have redeemed status PERCS points for more than 520,000 rewards and over 750,000 PERCS points have been designated as gifts to selected, community non-profit charities, including the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. The program has been a chief contributor in helping C Spire achieve the best customer retention rate in company history and one of the best in the U.S. wireless industry.

“We take putting our customers first and providing world-class personal service very seriously,” Lewis said. “Our teams worked closely together to bring this unique innovation and benefit to our customers because we want them to have an experience that’s totally unique to C Spire.”

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing, and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments, and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies. Past overall winners include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, PACCAR Inc., The Vanguard Group, CME Group, National Semiconductor, Con-Way, and Principal Financial Group. The InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as they spotlight the power of innovation in information technology.

“The theme of this year’s InformationWeek 500 is digital business. It’s a movement, rooted in data analytics, mobile computing, social networking and other customer-focused technologies that are turning companies and industries on their ear,” said InformationWeek Editor In Chief Rob Preston. “Every enterprise is now a digital business – or needs to become one fast. The organizations in our ranking are leading the way.”

For more details on the InformationWeek 500, visit www.informationweek.com/iw500/.

About C Spire Wireless

C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google + or www.pinterest.com/cspirewireless

About InformationWeek

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