New York, New York, April 22, 2026 –  Kustomer, the AI-native customer experience platform, has been named a winner of the 2026 Excellence in Customer Service Awards by the Business Intelligence Group (BIG), a global independent awards organization recognizing outstanding achievement across business disciplines. Chief Customer Officer Lauren Gold earned recognition as Executive of the Year in the Software category.

The Excellence in Customer Service Awards honor the companies, products, teams, and individuals delivering measurable, human-centered customer experiences in a rapidly evolving service landscape. This year's program attracted nominations from organizations across more than 20 industries worldwide and was evaluated by a panel of experienced business executives using objective scoring benchmarks.

“Lauren Gold is reframing what customer service means - from ticket resolution to connected, context-rich conversation - and doing it at the executive level where that framing shapes product roadmaps, agent experiences, and customer outcomes simultaneously. Her emphasis on keeping humans at the center while deploying AI at their side is the right architecture for this moment,” said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at the Business Intelligence Group.

Gold was recognized for her human-in-the-loop approach to AI in customer experience.

“I am honored to be named a 2026 Excellence in Customer Service Award winner. What I keep coming back to isn't the recognition -  it's the framing they used to select winners: knowing their numbers and what moved them. That's what earns CX a real seat at the table. But for me, it’s not just the work I am doing but who I'm doing it alongside that matters most - my team and our customers. Thank you for this recognition, Business Intelligence Group.I am humbled and hungrier than ever.”,” said Gold.

Winners of the 2026 Excellence in Customer Service Awards receive a complete promotional toolkit including blockchain-verified digital credentials, press release support, social media assets, and featured placement across BIG's global community of more than one million business professionals.Check out the complete list of 2026 Excellence in Customer Service Award winners.

About Kustomer

Kustomer is the Intelligent Customer Experience Platform empowering brands to put customers at the center of every interaction. By unifying customer data, conversations, and AI-powered workflows into one seamless workspace, teams deliver service that delights, retains, and drives growth. With Kustomer, support becomes faster, smarter, and more personal.

To learn more, visit kustomer.com.

About the Excellence in Customer Service Awards

The Excellence in Customer Service Awards recognize the companies, teams, and individuals who set the standard for what customer service can deliver when it is resourced, led, and measured with intention. Established by the Business Intelligence Group, the program evaluates performance across award categories including Organization of the Year, Transformation of the Year, Technology of the Year, Team of the Year, Outsource Partner of the Year, Manager of the Year, Front-Line Pro of the Year, and Executive of the Year - spanning every major industry segment and organizational size. Judged by experienced business executives who provide detailed scoring and transparent feedback, the awards honor those who demonstrate that exceptional customer service is a measurable, repeatable, and commercially significant discipline.

About Business Intelligence Group

Business Intelligence Group (BIG) is an independent awards organization that has been recognizing outstanding achievement in business since 2012. Now in its 14th awards season, BIG operates more than 10 annual programs spanning innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, customer service, cloud computing, sustainability, sales and marketing, workplace culture, and women's leadership.

Unlike popularity contests, BIG programs use professional judging panels and objective scoring benchmarks to identify organizations, products, and individuals making real, measurable impact. Winners receive a complete promotional toolkit - including blockchain-verified credentials, press release support, social media assets, and featured placement across BIG's global community of more than one million business professionals.

For more information, visit bintelligence.com.

Media Contact: 

Eliana Starbird
Chief Nominations Officer
Business Intelligence Group
+1 909-529-2737
contact@bintelligence.com