2011 ATA Convention & Expo schedule

Monday 14th March 2011

• A Look at Best-in-Class Performance for Implementing Chat Services

  by Etech Texas

  This session provides an overview of the best demonstrated practices for chat. It includes a general overview of the online shopping card abandoner and why customers are chatting on your website. Based on an actual case study, the presenter demonstrates how the partnership with Etech helped enhance customer satisfaction for a major fortune 500 company and ultimately increased sales.

  At 10:30am to 11:20am, Monday 14th March

• Flexible Workforce – The Advantage of At-home Agents

  by David Parkhurst and Bill MacBride

  The work-at-home model has proven benefits: broader access to talent, greater success against metrics, and improved financial results. As organizations continue to look for opportunities to drive further efficiency while meeting customer expectations, call center leaders are investigating the flexibility and disaster recovery capabilities that a work-at-home agent model offers. In this session, learn how weight loss industry leader NutriSystem partners with work-at-home industry leader Alpine Access to deliver intraday and seasonal flexibility, as well as real-time disaster recovery. NutriSystem's Contact Center Vice President Bill MacBride explains the company's unique contact volume flows, and how partnership with a work-at-home model provider has captured additional sales volumes while maintaining staffing efficiency and effectiveness.

  At 10:30am to 11:20am, Monday 14th March

• The Secret Sauce – Sales Metrics That Really Matter

  by Mary Murcott and Chris Brown

  Want to achieve substantial growth in revenue and profit while improving service? Successful sales teams require superb planning and consistent performance tracking to achieve optimal results and identify missed opportunities. Without the right sales metrics in place, companies can't access real-time feedback to sustain performance improvements. Identifying and utilizing the right sales measurements not only drive business results, but foster a rewarding culture that boosts service to new heights. Join Mary Murcott and Chris Brown as they explore real-life case studies of contact centers that have implemented the right sales metrics and sales goals. Learn how the proper use of key metrics and incentives can result in significant new revenue streams, improved customer satisfaction and enhanced customer loyalty.

  At 10:30am to 11:20am, Monday 14th March

• Uncover Savings in a Multi-Channel Customer Access Strategy

  by Macklin Martin

  Today's customers demand multi-channel access to an organization, yet the "big boy" telecom solutions providers lag behind by not offering a comprehensive integrated experience management solution. If a company has an "enterprise-scale" telecommunications solution driving contact center experiences, chances are it is missing critical opportunities to improve those experiences and nurture more passionate, brand-loyal customers. Stop losing the battle for funding a multi-channel implementation by uncovering hidden costs of legacy, premise-based, "best-in-breed" telecommunications solutions.

  At 10:30am to 11:20am, Monday 14th March

• Boot Camp for Efficiently Getting Through the SRO Certification Process

  by Andrea Henson and Angela Morris

  Gain a complete understanding of steps included in the certification process and how to estimate timeframes for each. Steps covered include: hiring an auditor; completing the on-line assessment tool; the auditor review of the tool; the auditor site visit; the auditor recommendation; the Trustee Board review; and the ATA Board of Directors' review. Attendees receive a comprehensive checklist of items needed before starting the certification process. Session presenters provide ready-to-use working documents to use as templates, including a checklist of internal policies/procedures (DNC policy, abandonment rate setting and confirmation, dialer settings, wireless calling, caller ID). Session presenters also provide a working template for state regulatory items, such as registrations, permissible calling times, consent to continue, no rebuttal, disclosures, state DNC lists, and exemptions.

  At 1:30pm to 2:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Contemporary Contact: Beyond the Traditional "Lines" of Customer Reach

  by Michele Shuster

  New communication trends and messaging vehicles such as text, chat, sms and general wireless communication surround us today. During this session, hear from practicing industry experts and an ATA-SRO accredited company, VMBC, on making the most of emerging marketing mediums while incorporating proper compliance protocols. Case studies of successful marketing campaigns are shared, followed by a summary of the laws and regulations that apply to marketing via text, chat, sms and wireless.

  At 1:30pm to 2:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Eliminating the "Mind Darts" and Their Effect on Your Contact Center

  by Sally Cordova

  Know what a "Mind Dart" is? It's when a person delivers a message, and the message gets lost because something hurtful was said. It could be an unkind remark, sarcasm or just a question that indicates a judgment call. The purpose may not have been to hurt anyone. It may have been meant to train, give feedback or coach. That's a Mind Dart. It's crucial in any business to have the ability to communicate wants, needs, and goals to every employee. Sometimes when we try to do this, we deliver "sarcasm," a "look that kills," or a remark that "feels" like an accusation. Learn how to stop "Mind Darts" and avoid any possible negative effect in the contact center.

  At 1:30pm to 2:20pm, Monday 14th March

• The Social Experience: Revolutionizing the Contact Center to Engage, Influence, and Monetize Every Customer Interaction

  by Patrick Scheen

  Today's consumers have more power than ever to positively or negatively influence a company's brand—and that power grows every day. It's no longer a one-way push of information. Now, brands must learn to engage in a two-way dialogue with consumers whenever and wherever conversations occur. That's where the contact center comes in. In this presentation, attendees learn how to turn their customer service channels into powerful brand- and relationship-building tools, including:

  What engagement is and why it matters

  The five components of an effective customer engagement

  Tips for expanding engagement channels across the contact center, online and social media

  How to create a social media participation model and the pitfalls to avoid

  At 1:30pm to 2:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Data Optimization for Dummies: A Case Study and "How To" Guide to Improve Telemarketing Results

  by Gerard Daher

  When a large retail bank was experiencing unremarkable results with regard to new account prospecting campaigns, it turned to data optimization processes to improve telemarketing results and return on investment. This presentation utilizes a case study and supporting data in order to demonstrate how data optimization services can increase the effectiveness and ROI of telemarketing campaigns. The presentation includes key insights and a step-by-step approach which attendees can apply to their own prospecting initiatives. Learn how prospect data is segmented into key optimization categories, how to use optimized prospect data to make the best business process decisions, what factors to consider when choosing an optimization service, and how to maximize your ROI using optimized data.

  At 3:30pm to 4:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Develop a "Customer-for-Life" Program

  by Kristyn Emenecker

  Customer satisfaction is important to everyone, but companies thriving in today's economy recognize that satisfaction is no longer enough. A satisfied customer can buy from your company one day and your competitor the next because something critical is missing—Loyalty. Telvista COO David Arellano shares a systemic approach for managing customer relationships to increase loyalty, positive word-of-mouth and profitability. Raising the bar on the customer experience creates a whole new customer environment, keeps current customers and gains new ones. When companies meet or exceed customers' expectations, patrons feel a need to not only use those services, but also recommend the company. This interactive session helps participants use what they know about their customers to make them customers for life.

  • Customer Service

  At 3:30pm to 4:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Global Compliance Challenges: An Ever-Increasing Opt-In World

  by Ken Sponsler

  Despite having access to plentiful sources of compliance information, U.S. marketers are challenged to understand the myriad of rules. Global marketers may encounter tremendous obstacles to understanding the rules, and the penalties for non-compliance in many areas of the world include extreme monetary punishments and even jail time for principals. Finding information in English may be impossible. Many areas of the world have adopted strict opt-in regimes, as well as data transfer restrictions. This session provides an overview of global compliance laws for B2C and B2B telemarketing, Do Not Call, SMS and Fax issues. Participants gain an understanding of the complexity of marketing in the global marketplace, as well glimpse what the future may hold for U.S. laws.

  At 3:30pm to 4:20pm, Monday 14th March

• Using Lean Six Sigma Secrets to Optimize Contact Center Performance and Compliance

  by Mohan Nair

  In this interactive session, attendees learn:

  How proven Lean Six Sigma principles and proven techniques can be used by contact centers to dramatically improve operational performance, ensure compliance and enhance the customer experience with little cost. How to more rapidly identify broken business processes and compliance issues, while focusing high-impact quality monitoring and coaching efforts on high-value interactions. How to eliminate the eight wastes that often cripple contact centers and ultimately affect the customer experience.

  At 3:30pm to 4:20pm, Monday 14th March

Tuesday 15th March 2011

• Analytics-based Routing Optimization

  by Cameron Hurst

  Assurant needed to decrease customer attrition and increase sales. The company reasoned that, if every caller was paired with a CSR with which the customer had excellent rapport, they would save more callers, increase sales, and improve customer satisfaction.

  Assurant's decision-scientists and actuarials discovered that for each customer calling, there is a unique agent optimally suited—an agent that has the highest probability of a successful outcome. Based on these findings, they invented RAMP, a call routing solution designed to hold a caller in queue until the optimally matched CSR comes available or a time limit is reached. Attendees to this session learn the value of analytics not only with customer data, but agent data/behaviors that create optimal call outcomes through a unique match.

  At 10:10am to 11:00am, Tuesday 15th March

• Listen Carefully...and Improve Inbound Sales Performance

  by Jane Bulman and Chuck Haven

  When customers and prospects call into a company, often they don't actually buy anything. Is that because they really are 'just shopping," or are inbound agents missing buying signs? Comcast wanted to dissect sales calls and identify opportunities within each call. By analyzing the sales process—from introduction and discovery through objection handling and closing—agents can be trained to be more successful in their jobs. And that leads to more satisfied customers.

  Comcast partnered with Agilyst, Inc. on a qualitative measurement initiative which analyzes elements of a sales call. This session, presented by Agilyst and Comcast, reveals how integration and analysis of specific sales call flows, quality monitoring practices, and corrective action strategies lead to increased sales performance.

  At 10:10am to 11:00am, Tuesday 15th March

• The Social Media Customer Care Maturity Model: How Do You Stack Up?

  by John Hernandez

  Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare are changing how individuals work, socialize, and communicate. The social web is also changing the nature of customer service and the customer experience. Organizations seeking to enhance their relationships with customers, as well as attract new customers, need to understand the role that social media can play within a customer collaboration strategy.

  In this session, attendees study the five stages of the Social Media Customer Care Maturity Model and learn from examples of organizations and leading practices within each stage. Participants see how they can progress from basic listening on social media to proactive engagement and learn the dos and don'ts for each stage along the way.

  • Customer Service

  At 10:10am to 11:00am, Tuesday 15th March

• We Have 6 Months to Get Ourselves PCI Compliant! How?

  by Cindy Donaldson

  This session presents the audience with a number of key pieces of information related to PCI compliance. A comparison between PCI DSS 1.2 and 2.0 is examined, along with methods and approaches to maintain compliance. Sanitized case studies (no client names) outlining methods of achieving PCI compliance within a teleservices environment are presented, showing both positive and negative approaches to PCI compliance.

  At 10:10am to 11:00am, Tuesday 15th March

• Benchmarking to Best in Class: North Stars to Guide Your Center

  by Bruce Belfiore

  Benchmarking is about recognizing opportunities for improvement, as well as understanding best-in-class performance. Identifying metrics necessary for success and benchmarking them to drive profitability and/or budget maximization is the lynchpin for moving call centers forward. The session cites specific business cases supporting customer satisfaction, revenue generation and collections, and addresses innovative ways in which leading-edge processes and technologies are leveraged to provide superior results. The integration of social media into contact center operations and the role of the contact center within the organization in helping to set SM strategy is also discussed. Attendees take away specific ideas and solutions to implement at their centers to add to enterprise value, calculate ROI of new initiatives, and improve performance metric by metric, month by month.

  At 3:40pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday 15th March

• It’s Not a Balancing Act, It's High Quality Performance

  by Jim Bata

  Many call centers have plans to improve Quality or improve Performance – but balancing both can be a significant challenge. This topical presentation will provide quick strategies to align different business centers in an organization – with a central theme of delivering results that matter.

  This session will outline 6 proactive steps a business can use to drive a balance of quality, customer experience, and performance results. You'll receive real-world examples along with a prescriptive "how-to" approach in handling/evaluating your current internal processes. This will help ensure your performance management system maintains balance while driving high performance across your most important metrics.

  Attendees will learn/confirm:

  How to implement a 6 step balanced approach in achieving alignment between operating units when focusing on customer satisfaction, and productivity.
  Review a case study showing the improvements on changing alignments.
  A process for validating that each business unit or department is adding value to the process and how to provide course correction if needed.

  At 3:40pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday 15th March

• Planning for Your Global Workforce: A Comparison of English Skills Across Key Countries

  by Mark Engelter

  Recruiting for the right level of language skills needed to work in global businesses can be challenging. Understanding what language skills are available in key markets is necessary to inform offshoring or outsourcing decisions and shape local hiring expectations and practices.

  Attendees discover HOW English levels differ across regions and job type and WHY it is important for HR to consider language proficiency differences in positions that require minimum spoken English skills. Pearson shares results from a study that analyzed the distribution of language levels across several key offshore markets. Study thresholds local employers have set for spoken English and see examples of how global companies determine acceptable language skills across regional sites.

  At 3:40pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday 15th March

• Purchasing Power Panel

  Ms. Bulman and Mr. Keller lead a discussion with panelists from other great companies like AMEX, Bank of America, Aegon, and Home Service USA.

  Meet a group with collective buying power. The people who make the choices that impact your business the most explain what teleservices buyers are looking for from their vendors in this changing economy. Learn what buyers want you to provide now that they may have not required before. This impressive team of panelists provides an honest look inside their purchasing considerations. Find out how decision making is changing in a complex world of regulation, recession and reorganization.

  At 3:40pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday 15th March