Pre-Conference Sessions
Conference Sessions
Thursday - March 25, 2004
8:30 a.m 每 9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. 每 9:50 a.m.
Conference Kickoff
Join us for a thought-provoking opening session in which we'll set the stage so you're ready to get the most out of Knowledge Exchange. Right from the start, you'll be learning from your peers when you meet the ICMI Membership's Call Center Manager of the Year.
10:00 a.m. 每 10:50 a.m.
Strategies for Encouraging Self-Service Use
Many have learned the hard way that building self-service applications is no guarantee that customers will use them. Some resort to forcing their customers into self-service by restricting access to live agents, but that's the not the best strategy. This session will address new ways to discover your customers' WIIFM ("What's In It for Me") and translate their needs into desirable self-service alternatives that they will love to use.
Speaker: Book Booker, Senior Vice President, SunTrust Bank
Got Sales? Best Practices in Cross-selling and Upselling
Adding value to traditional customer service contacts through add-on sales sounds like a great idea＃ but the transition from a traditional service environment to a sales-oriented culture can be a rocky one. Arming agents with the right skills, overcoming agent resistance and building confidence, creating aggressive targets and motivational incentives, and adjusting your management practices are just the beginning. Join us in this practical session to learn how successful call centers have tackled the formidable barriers to get maximum sales results in every contact!
Speaker: Mary Murcott, President, Performance Transformations
Plans You Hope Never to Use: Business Continuity
If you're not prepared for every kind of disaster today, you have no excuse. From low-level interruptions to natural disasters to terrorist attacks, call centers need clear, well-communicated business continuity plans. Learn how to develop a business continuity plan that will ensure you're ready for anything.
How to Raise the Call Center's Profile (and Improve Your Career Prospects)
Whether your call center is the Rodney Dangerfield ("I don't get no respect!") of your organization or simply under-appreciated, you'll find the help you need in this session. Learn how to increase the importance and improve the perception of your call center throughout the enterprise, and at the same time elevate the significance of your role in the eyes of key decision-makers.
Speaker: Nolan Raines, Senior Vice President - Direct Bank, The Huntington National Bank
10:50 a.m. 每 11:10 a.m.
Break
11:10 a.m. - Noon
Millennials, Boomers, Traditionalists, Gen-Xers＃. Bridging the New Generation Gap
Gen-Xers' have a lousy work ethic. Traditionalists crave structure and consistency. Millennials are all about MTV and video games. How do you separate fact from fiction and understand the gulf that separates generations and the impact in your call center? Learn how leading organizations have separated the truth from the hype to create and implement innovative recruiting efforts, motivational programs and management practices that effectively address the changing face of the call center work force.
Speaker: Anne Nickerson, Principal, Call Center Coach
How to Build 每 and Get -- the Budget You Need
Budgeting is rarely considered the call center manager's most important responsibility, yet the budget directly affects the success of every call center. Without the resources to get the job done, even the most skillful manager will be doomed to failure. Learn how to develop and persuasively present budgets that support your call center's objectives and earn your CFO's approval.
Speaker: Ted Hopton, Director of Membership & Community Outreach, Incoming Calls Management Institute
Workforce Optimization: Buzzword or Breakthrough?
It's not enough anymore to manage the workforce 每 now vendors promise you can optimize it. Is this just marketing hype designed to sell workforce management systems, or do these optimization systems provide significant benefits? Hear a balanced review of their pros and cons, as well as advice on how to select the kind of system that will suit you best. Whether you are considering upgrading/replacing your workforce management system or are wondering whether you need one, you'll gain valuable, unbiased insight to help you make your decision.
Speaker: Marilyn Saulnier , Consultant, Incoming Calls Management Institute
Making the Business Case for Technology
Persuading the powers-that-be to sign off on call center technology investments can be both time-consuming and frustrating. Learn the tricks of building an effective business case to turn the odds in your favor. And if you really want to thoroughly evaluate the operational and cost impact of a new system before you purchase and implement it, consider using call center simulation software〞this session will show you how.
Speaker: Martin Prunty, President, Contact Center Professionals
Noon 每 1:10 p.m.
Executive Lunch with the Experts
Join ICMI Membership Advisors and Certified Associates, as well as top industry journalists and analysts, for eye-opening, roundtable discussions on topics that matter most to you. Here's your chance to "pick the brains" of seasoned call center experts.
1:10 p.m. 每 2:20 p.m.
What's That Giant Sucking Sound?
Those fiber optic cables installed across the globe at great expense throughout the 1990s are lighting up, as call centers in Bangalore, Delhi, Manila and elsewhere help customers sort out statements, troubleshoot computer problems and place orders. These professionals are educated, motivated, and eager to be part of the global economy 每 and they are paid a lot less than you. Whether you are exploring offshore options or simply wondering how these developments will affect U.S. based centers, this balanced session will get you up to speed.
Speakers: Martin Prunty, President, Contact Center Professionals;
Art Coombs, President, KomBea Corp.;
Prime Joseph, Chief Operating Officer, Allserve Systems;
Robert F. Barnes, First Vice President, Enterprise Help Desk, Bank One
Speech Recognition Systems: The Sound of Success?
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capabilities have moved beyond endless button-pushing to understanding natural speech. This technology is spreading so rapidly that you can be sure your callers are encountering it elsewhere, so how long will it be before they expect it from you? You need to know how well current speech recognition systems work and what the future of these applications holds. Learn how to decide if you're ready for speech recognition, and if you are, how to select the system that's right for you.
Speaker: Paul Kowal, President, Kowal Associates
Guerilla Supervision: Not for the Faint of Heart
Watch for these warning signs: Enthusiastic, passionate agents. An organized, productive call center team. Consistent and sustained achievement of performance targets. These signs are strong indicators that your frontline managers are hitting the mark. Learn to identify the characteristics of innovative, high-performing supervisors and how you can arm them with the tools and training to boost performance in your center.
Speaker: Laura Grimes, Senior Vice President , Harrington Consulting Group
Overcoming Challenges in Small-to-Medium Size Call Centers
If you manage a call center with less than 50 agents, you are faced with the same challenges as larger centers, but have fewer financial resources and less flexibility in staffing. This panel will address forecasting & scheduling on a limited budget, creating a planning culture, real-time reaction and recovery options, and agent measures and expectations. Come pose your own questions to the panel, and sign up for the new Special Interest Group!
Speakers: Melissa Perales, Client Services Manager, Quest Diagnostics;
Seanna Sams, Operations Manager, Washington State DSHS;
Dee Kohler, Customer Service Manager, Prime Therapeutics;
Jeff Theiler, Vice President, Direct Banking, Hancock Bank
2:30 p.m. 每 3:40 p.m.
Best Practices in Technical Support Operations
While Technical Support Operations (TSOs) face many of the same situations as any call center, they also have their own additional, unique challenges. Hear from our panel how accomplished TSOs are succeeding and learn about the innovative solutions they have devised. Come pose your own questions to the panel, and sign up for the new TSO Special Interest Group!
Speakers: Jeff Davis, Technology Columnist & Consultant, TheJeffDavis.com;
Robert F. Barnes, First Vice President, Enterprise Help Desk, Bank One;
Julie L. Mohr, Managing Consultant, Alternative Resources Corp.
Best Practices in Financial Institution Call Centers
Learn how leading financial institutions leverage their call centers to deliver high-quality service while supporting their organization's strategic business objectives. Our panel of call center experts will share insight and best practices on how to overcome the critical challenges facing this segment of the industry today. You will take home practical ideas that will help your center become more efficient and effective.
Speakers: Anne Ivey, Vice President〞Call Center Practice, Omega Performance Corporation;
Mark Coble, Senior Vice President〞Contact Center Director, First Citizens Bank;
Nolan Raines, Senior Vice President - Direct Bank, The Huntington National Bank
The Power of Organizationwide Workforce Management
It's no secret 每 most of what happens in a call center is caused or influenced by events outside the call center. The workload, types of calls, nature of activities, schedule requirements 每 the list could go on 每 are driven by happenings throughout the rest of the organization and in the external environment. Consequently, workforce management must inherently involve the rest of the organization 每 a requirement few call centers do well. This practical session is focused on what it takes to implement organizationwide workforce management processes that really work.
Speakers: Tim Montgomery, VP Sales/Analysis, Process and Systems Support, The Scooter
Store; Linda Cardenas, Customer Care Center Director, The Scooter Store
What the IP Revolution Means to You
Everyone's heard the buzz about IP telephony. Now learn the truth from organizations who have actually implemented IP solutions in their call centers. Our panel will share valuable insights on why they made the move to IP telephony, what factors led to their vendor choice, and the actual benefits they have realized in their call centers.
Speakers: Peter Simonsen, Vice President Information Systems, Arizona State Savings &
Credit Union; Robin Jurkowski, Member Relations Manager, Baxter Credit Union
4:00 p.m. 每 5:30 p.m.
Top Issues and Challenges Facing Call Center Professionals Today
We'll dig into the problems that matter to you the most in this in-depth interactive session that will tap
into the varied experiences and considerable knowledge represented by the ICMI Membership.
Recognizing the value of learning from peers, we'll share ideas across the entire conference body and
then in focused discussions for each Professional Interest Area. Be ready to speak up, both to raise concerns and suggest solutions, as we put "knowledge exchange" to work for you.
5:30 p.m. 每 6:30 p.m.
Special Interest Groups
Check the Knowledge Exchange bulletin boards in the registration area to see where the Special Interest
Group (SIG) you'd like to join will be meeting. If your "special interest" isn't listed, you can add it to
initiate a new group that meets your needs. It's a great opportunity to network with peers who share
the same professional interests!
6:30 p.m. 每 9:30 p.m.
Networking with Business Partners
An evening you won't soon forget...more than a trade show, more than a networking forum and as much
fun as a party! Share a drink and good food during this relaxed evening with vendors, colleagues and
industry experts. There will be networking tables, informative discussions and vendor tabletop displays to
provide you with the opportunity to build relationships with your business partners. Plus, you'll have lots
of fun with prizes and surprises! ! And we'll wrap up just as the Miami night-life begins to heat up...
Friday - March 26, 2004
8:30 a.m. 每 9:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. 每 9:50 a.m.
What is Your Call Center Worth? Assigning a Dollar Value
The budgeting reality in many organizations today is to put "just enough" call center capabilities and resources in place to get by〞no more, because that would be too expensive! The backdrop to this reality is a fundamental question of the call center's value. While most organizations recognize the need for call center capabilities, fewer understand the shareholder value call centers can create if they are run well. This session will help you put a value on your call center〞and show you how to communicate that value to senior level management.
Speaker: Jodie Monger, President, Customer Relationship Metrics
The Enlightened Call Center's Guide to Reporting and Analytics Technology
Many contact center managers are realizing there is more to metrics than service level, talk time, and abandon rate. As centers redefine their key performance indicators and develop new "scorecards" of overall performance, we face the challenge of how to bring the right data together, analyze it effectively, and deliver meaningful reports in the right format to the right people. This session will review technology options to help you avoid time-consuming manual processes and enable you to achieve your performance optimization goals across productivity, quality, satisfaction, financials, and more.
Speaker: Lori Bocklund, Vice President, Vanguard Communications
Transformational Quality
Join us on the observation deck for a high-level view of quality in the call center - and across the organization. We'll cut through the endless hype to explore the fundamental elements of quality that reach beyond the boundaries of the call center to transform your organization. Learn to create a holistic quality vision and how you can link arms throughout the organization to create a strategic quality plan.
Speaker: Rebecca Gibson, Manager of Educational Services, Incoming Calls Management Institute
Misunderstood? Workforce Management Team Obstacles & Challenges
Survey results reveal that only 38% of call centers report having a positive working relationship between their WFM professionals and supervisors/agents, but it doesn't have to be that way. Learn how to build understanding in place of conflict, create partnership instead of resentment, and increase agent buy-in through workforce management education and improved communication.
Speaker: Pam Warren, Call Center Manager, Primera
10:00 a.m. 每 11:10 a.m.
Benchmarking Springboard
Ready to dive into benchmarking but not sure how? If you're seeking statistics to measure your call center's performance against others, this session will show you how to avoid the pitfalls of meaningless and dangerous numerical comparisons. Learn the right way to benchmark your call center and begin finding a suitable benchmarking peer group by networking with fellow participants.
Speaker: Cindy Grimm, Director, TARP
Achieving Optimum Service Levels
This session will teach you how to reduce costs while consistently meeting your service level objectives. You'll be introduced to the concept of the Service Level Coordinator role, managing action plans and contingency plans, along with techniques for managing service level in real-time. Learn first-hand how successful organizations, such as JP Morgan Chase Mortgage, have adopted service level management principles in their call centers with phenomenal success.
Speakers: Gerry Barber, Vice President, CIAC;
Kevin Morey, Vice President, JP Morgan Chase Mortgage Global Services
The Foundation for Success: Effective Hiring 101
It's not just a clich谷: People really are the most valuable resource a call center has. Effective hiring is a critical first step toward achieving your call center's objectives. This session will guide you through the process of creating an accurate snapshot of your center's ideal candidate and point the way toward making that ideal candidate a reality. You will determine the essential candidate traits needed to write targeted job descriptions and advertisements, create relevant interview questions and determine the most effective candidate evaluation tools.
Speakers: Jeff Furst, President, FurstPerson;
Linda Lauritzen, Director of Business Development , CIAC
Money Matters: Making Sense of Compensation and Incentives
You're tasked with keeping budgets down, but you have a sneaking suspicion that money motivates. What should you be paying your agents, anyway? It's time for a candid conversation about agent pay. This forthright session draws a blueprint for a sound agent compensation strategy and addresses the knotty issues -- variable compensation, pay-for-performance, and "sticky" incentives.
Speakers: Liz Ahearn, President & CEO, The Radclyffe Group;
Deb Hughes, Vice President, Human Resources, ADP
11:20 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Closing Plenary Session
The Path Ahead: The Future of Call Centers
You've listened to "the experts." You've compared your practices with colleagues and assessed how you measure up. You're heading home with a clearer vision of where you want to lead your center and an action item list as long as your arm. But wait! Come together in this closing session to join our distinguished panel's discussion about the industry's future as they lend their perspective on the issues that will shape your career tomorrow. We'll help you light the road ahead by identifying the top trends in the industry and analyzing what they mean to you.
Pre-Conference Sessions
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