CORDOVA, Tenn. -- Microsoft awarded Gold Partner Certification to church management software company, Shelby Systems, according to an April 20 news release. The designation is awarded to elite business partners that meet the top level of partnership requirements outlined by Microsoft. No other church management software company currently holds this distinction.

Guy Dunnam, manager of information technology with Shelby, was elated at the news.

"Needless to say, we're jubilant!" he said. "Although the process was involved and took the effort of our company working as a team to put all the information together, I had no doubt we would achieve this status."

Dunnam said he was confident that in documenting the company's training and technical expertise, as well as involving their customers in satisfaction surveys, Microsoft would award the certification, which he said verifies the high level of service the company has been providing for years.

Microsoft conducted software testing to determine Shelby's stability and scalability while operating in the Windows environment. As a partner in the Software Solutions section, the software demonstrated it is a match for exact business needs.

Training and certification of the employees in Dunnam's department was critical. Only by being sure that these technicians have passed specific requirements could Microsoft be assured their technology was not only understood but implemented efficiently. All are Microsoft certified technicians.

Key to achieving gold certification was validating customer satisfaction. An independent customer satisfaction survey, as well as Microsoft's own customer contacts, showed the highest level of customer endorsement. More than 90 Shelby users responded to questions based on their satisfaction with the software, with the Microsoft system, and with the company's technical expertise and communication. The survey also covered questions related to Shelby's sales, training and support departments. In addition, Microsoft surveyed 15 customers directly to validate their experiences.

"You can't be in the business of serving churches without understanding the unique needs of these customers," noted Frank Canady, president of Shelby Systems. He said Shelby is constantly changing its services and products to meet customers' needs. He said the Gold Partner Certification from Microsoft validated that the company is moving in a right direction in working with clients.

"It shows that our customers recognize that we are a dynamic and progressive company," he said.