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The Boost

August, 2019

President's Message

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Pat Vos

Trust everyone is enjoying some lazy hazy days of summer. 

We have company from Australia and are so much enjoying showing off Alberta.  Yesterday was a 1000 km day.  Calgary, the foothills and Ranch lands southwest of Calgary, including the location of the Calgary Stampede Ranch.  The drive included seeing the upstream damage from the flood of 2013. We drove the backroad North West from Longview, through the west side of Kananaskis Country, arrived on the TransCanada Highway at Canmore.  We took the gondola up to the top at Sulphur Mountain in Banff; always a gift for me.   The day before we toured the Badlands and the Dinosaur Museum at Drumheller http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/.  I am a true blue Albertan.

I am looking forward to welcoming all of you to our great province in our capital city, Edmonton for convention and COACH U.  Both the convention program and the COACH U program are packed with content and you are sure to leave with new ideas to implement in your own organizations when you return.   

Books I read this month in the order I recommend them:

“Backroads Boss Lady, Happiness Ain’t a Side Hustle-Straight Talking on Creating the Life You Deserve”, Jessi Roberts with Brett Witter

I found this an amazing story, I laughed, and I burst into tears a few times, but couldn’t quit turning the pages.  Not sure if it is about business, life, survival, resilience, GRIT or rising out of the ashes.  It certainly is about determination and perseverance.

Braving the Wilderness, The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone”, Brene Brown PhD, LMSW

Very enjoyable read, the metaphor is to walk with courage into the wilderness of emotionally challenging conversations and stand alone, but have the conversation.  Far easier to read about, talk about than actually do.

“Giving, Purpose is the New Currency”, Alexandre Mars

Alexandre started EPIC in 2014 as a new platform for giving, brief book, quick and enjoyable read

https://epic.foundation/epic-movement/our-story

“The Rules of People”, Richard Templar

Took me a couple months of picking this book up to finish it.  Lots of “Rules”, 100 + samples from Richard’s other books.  Surely a “rule” in this book for everyone.

As summer rushes by, take some time to enjoy August. 

I look forward to welcoming you in September to our Convention and/or to COACH U.

President's Message
Membership

Membership Development Committee Report

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Gary Blair

Respectfully submitted by Gary Blair

 

Our monthly Member Spotlight for August is Tiffani Leal of A1 Professional Answering Service.  Tiffani’s story is a familiar one in our industry, meaning a family owned and 2nd generation achievement! Don’t miss it!

Anyone interested in being our next Member Spotlight, please be in touch directly gary.blair@image-24.com.  Keep in mind, the Spotlight is for owners, senior management, the operations team at any level, sales staff, programmers, supervisors or agents.  Remember, we want to throw open the doors and make introductions that strengthen the connections within the industry!

The month of July saw a new member join our ranks.  If you haven’t done so already, please give a big shout out to:

Steve Barclay and Jose Soler of AnswerHero in Miami, Florida.

 

 

 

Hope to see you both in Edmonton this September for the CAM-X Annual Conference & Trade Show.   

 

Boost August Membership Development logo
Convention
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Convention Committee

Report

Garrett Bidewell

 

Garrett Bidewell, Convention Chair

Good Day CAM-X members, 

 

August is one of my favourite times of the year. Our hottest month, my personal favourite activities are enjoying cold beverages on patios, riding my Triumph motorcycle and spending time with my kids. 

 

If Patios are your thing, you’re going to love coming to this years CAM-X conference, Rated in the TOP 50 best patios in Canada is the Confederation Lounge. The historic Fairmont Macdonald is an amazing hotel, there is not much that it doesn’t offer.  Check out the promotional video about it https://php.clipps.tv/fairmont.php?id=MAC&l=EN. Book your registration right away, the deadline is NOW! 

To touch on one amazing speaker we have to offer you, I’m proud to introduce Beth Devine. Come dive deep into your brand and value proposition with her. As the marketplace continues to evolve and competition is increasing; it’s becoming more challenging to differentiate. Reinvention is imminent. This exclusive workshop will assist owners with gaining brand clarity and differentiation, so as to breathe new life into legacy businesses.

 

Come and enjoy the CAM-X show, with Top-notch speakers, the perfect venue to experience one of the most beautiful times of the year, our third season, the Fall. 

 

Your Conference Chair, Garrett Bidewell.  

Garrett & Linda Fathers of Confederation
CAM-X News
Two Grey Suits

Two Grey Suits 

Maximizing Employee Performance

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This article is part of the TwoGreySuits Managing Employee Performance Series and is offered by our partner, TwoGreySuits as a service to our members.

 

Do you recognize this slogan? “Our product is steel. Our strength is people” Or, how about this old adage, “people are our most important asset”. As superficial as these words sound, they are absolutely true and the sooner businesses recognize this and start doing something about it, the better off they’ll be on many levels. How is your company doing? Are people your most important asset? Find out by completing the checklist below. And, unless you’re completely satisfied with the results, you need to take action. That’s where we come in.

 

Maximizing Employee Performance: A Checklist

 

Do you have a clearly defined corporate mission and goals?

Is your organizational structure clear?

 Is your reporting structure clear?

Are your corporate goals and objectives well defined?

 Do you have written job descriptions for all positions in your organization?

Do your employees know what they are accountable for?

 Do they have personal objectives?

Do you have a consistent hiring process?

 Do you have a good orientation process for new hires?

Are your training programs well advertised and adequate?

Do you have a coaching or mentoring process for employees?

Are all of your supervisors and managers well trained in “people management”?

Does important information always reach all of your employees?

Is there good communication in your company, top-down and bottom-up?

Are your policies well defined? Do you have an employee handbook of policies?

Are your procedures and work processes well defined?

Are your compensation packages competitive?

Are your wages competitive? Are your benefits competitive?

 Do you have a good bonus or pay-for-performance system?

Do you have a good performance management process?

Does your performance appraisal process focus on positive, continuous improvement?

Have you ever been legally challenged on an employee termination?

Is your company equipped to manage through a union organizing attempt?

Do you have a confidential counseling program for troubled employees and their families?

Do you have a process for successfully resolving employee conflicts?

Do you have a process for dealing with management–employee conflicts?

Do your employees use very few “sick days”? Do you have a lot of long-term employees?

Is employee turnover minimal?

Is your employee output/production at maximum?

Are all of your employees reliable and rarely absent from work?

Is your morale high?

Are your customers regularly satisfied that you meet or exceed their expectations?

Do your employees participate in various office gatherings or events?

Are your WCB costs as low as they can be?

Do you have a Privacy policy?

Do you have social media workplace policies?

 

If you answered “NO” to any of the above, it may be time to look at your organization with the objective of maximizing your employees’ performance to improve business results. Take The HR Power Centre Site Tour and then get your decision makers to sign up and start making people a strategic competitive advantage in your business.

Take a few minutes to explore the HR Power Centre at www.twogreysuits.com. It contains on-line Employee Engagement training, everything you need for effective people management in the HR Power Centre, and, when you need answers fast, you can talk to a senior HR Professional 24/7 through the HR Hot Line.

Signing up is hassle free.   Contact linda@camx.ca.  It's as simple as that.  

Hassle-free, effortless HR Solutions for your business ...Because HR Happens

 

CAM-X UPDATE

Respectfully submitted by Linda Osip

Our Education Committee has created an amazing calendar of Learning Opportunites for your teams in monthly Webinars and Lunch & Learn sessions.  All recordings are available through the CAM-X office.

 

Recent Events:

2019 AOE with Linda Osip

Employee Engagement with Gloria Tonne

Amazing Customer Service with Leisa McDonald

Feedback Conversations with Sheila Jessup

Dealing with difficult and stressful calls with Sherry Oxner

Life Work Balance with Leisa McDonald

Bud to Boss with Cindy King

June 5  Goal Setting with Cindy King

June 19 Culture in the Workplace with Leslie Wilson

July 3  Call Distribution with Pete Clement

July 24  Multi Generations in the Call Centre with Bryce Reid

Future Events:

September 17 & 18  COACH U Leadership Training  

Special Pricing:  1st and 2nd Delegate at $399.00,  Additional HALF PRICE $200.00 

Register now:  https://www.camx.ca/coach-u-1

COACH U – Julianna Cantwell

Exceptional Leadership (Level 1) (full day)

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

 Understand the differences between a technical and leadership role

 Differentiate between formal and informal leaders

 Adapt their leadership style to match the individuals they are leading

 List the three communication factors and know how they impact every interaction

 Identify the six levels of listening and how they affect communications, rapport and relationships

 Separate facts, feelings and assumptions to communicate more effectively

 Provide both positive and constructive feedback to others

 Use conversation to carry out an effective dialogue with others

Closing Keynote:  Doug Swift

Opening Keynote for Convention:  Carrie Doll

Awards Luncheon Included!

Afternoon Certification program

September 18 & 19  55th Annual Convention & Trade Show

Register now:  https://www.camx.ca/2019-conference

Keynote:  Carrie Doll - The Power of Storytelling

Developing Leadership to Replace You! with Jamey Hopper

Seasoned Mistakes! with Paul Lloyd & Doug Swift

Tech Wizards:  The future of new contact center technology - AI, Machine Learning and WebRTC

Plan to Brand Workshop with Beth Divine

EOS - Entrepreneurs Operating System with Desiree Bombenon

CAM Chats (our version of TED Talks) Passionate conversations with Bill Tucker, Bill Hildreth, Sydney Ryan, Cindy Roma, Michael Leibowitz & Scott Lyons

Awards Luncheon, Gala & Silent Auction

Spectacular Networking!!!

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 Show your staff they are worthy: 

CSR and Supervisor Certification

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The Award Committee ​

  • At our meeting last week we finalized our focus group questions

  • We are currently dividing up the membership for committee members to make calls

  • Calls should get started before the end of the month

  • Find out more about AOE Plus - contact Linda

Pre Employment Testing Demo Available

Contact linda@camx.ca for instructions

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Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight

Tifani Leal

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Member Spotlight – Tifani Leal with A1 Professional

Q.   When did you join/start A1 Professional and what brought you into the call center industry?

A.   As a 2nd Gen, I was born into the industry.  My Mother, Linda P Wilson started in the telecommunications industry while in college in 1969.  After the corporate TAS she had managed for years was sold several times, she bought a small TAS in November of 1991 and has continued to make great strides in growth and reputation.

 
Q.  Can you tell us a little more about the evolution of your career path with A1 Professional.

A.  I grew up in the industry. I did leave for several years to make my way in the Oil and Insurance Industries, utilizing the customer service skills I learned in the TAS industry. I came back in 2011, stepping into the role of President and General Manager, giving Mom a chance to step back and enjoy semi-retirement life.  I am currently serving on the Board of Directors for NAEO and ATSI and a member of CAM-X.
  
Q.  What was your first CAM-X experience? 

A.  I was in Quebec in 2016 where I experienced the awe of Canada as well as an agenda worth the travel.  What a great conference!  I met new people, learned from them!
 

Q.  Can you tell us more about how you’ve participated or benefitted from CAM-X membership? 

A.  With each organization we belong to, I gain valuable information that helps us succeed with our staff and our clients.  Keeping abreast of new and better methods is key to “holding your rank” in constantly changing technology and laws governing our businesses.


Q.  What does your business look like today vs. ten or more years ago? 

A.   We are a bit bigger now, and much more technologically advanced. What has not changed is our commitment to providing Courteous, Accurate, Professional, Efficient service and going the extra mile for each and every one of our clients.  Wearing our C.A.P.E.S is imperative to our continued success.

 
Q. What platform do you use?  Are you a member of the user group and why?

A.  We use a hybrid of Amtelco’s IS and Infinity Legacy systems.  We are active members in NAEO. I think it is very important to be part of a user group. When I first started attending conferences, I always attended the leadership sessions, but when I began to delve into features and upgrades to our equipment, I was amazed at the possibilities.   We have all these resources to draw from, whether it be webinars, LMS programs, or other members, that are specific to your platform.
 
Q. Tell us a little personal background about you, your family and your hobbies or interests.

A.  I enjoy traveling, a good movie (or binge-watching different series) when I am not trying to keep up with my daughter who is a senior in college.  I love playing golf, but rarely have the time anymore.  I enjoy the technical aspects of our business and I’m all about learning more with each adaptation.

 

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