LAKE CHARLES — A MidSouth Bank employee was given the company’s first W.O.W. Award earlier this year.

Universal Banker Paula Bourque was given the award in June for helping a customer inside the bank and with no umbrella, get to her car safely and remain dry.

For her actions, a fellow employee nominated Bourque for the bank’s innovative new customer service initiative, “Wonderful, Outstanding, and Way Beyond.”

After hearing about Bourque’s excellent effort to help her customer, the selection panel unanimously voted her the first W.O.W. winner.

A collaborative effort between Human Resources and the bank’s Training Department, W.O.W. was launched Feb. 1 and will run through Dec. 31. It was designed for MidSouth Bank employees to nominate each other for excellent customer service and for unsolicited customer feedback to also serve as official nominations.

An executive panel as well as an internal and external committee reviews the nominations and a monthly Customer Service Superstar is elected and receives a trophy, customer service pin, a certificate signed by the bank president and a gift card.

“Every great bank has a great customer service philosophy, and in a competitive marketplace, we want to remain at least one step ahead of other banks,” MidSouth Bank Human Resources Director Sara Huval said. “Our employees don’t expect to be rewarded for their actions, because what they do is second nature. We just want to ensure that they know how much we — and their customers — appreciate them.”

At the end of the year, Huval said, all nominees and monthly winners will be recognized, and the program will conclude with a grand prize drawing.