2009 SPEAKER INFORMATION
SESSION ONE
Metrics and Performance Improvement
Steve Harper-The Ripple Effect
Leveraging Social Media and Gaming Technology To Enhance Workplace Productivity, Performance and Engagement
Steve Harper has become one of the most sought after speakers and business strategists on the power of deepening and strengthening connections through a process he calls “Rippling.” Steve’s unique and refreshing approach to how and why individuals, organizations and even our society can and must reach outside the box to connect, is literally changing lives and impacting corporate bottom line dollars.
A serial entrepreneur, professional speaker, author and leading business strategist, Steve has successfully uncovered the secret to creating powerful long-lasting connections and their impact on one’s personal and professional life. Steve has transitioned his years of business experience and unyielding customer focus into a successful consulting practice appropriately named The Ripple Effect, a business strategy firm which helps individuals and corporations identify, develop, strengthen and grow key business relationships. He is also Author of the The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships for Your Life and Business and creator of The 8 Minute Ripple Connection Events.
For more information about Steve Harper visit www.ripplecentral.com
David Godwin, Sneaky Games
David Godwin has been involved in building games, highly interactive websites, and enterprise applications for over sixteen years.
David has held senior positions at a variety of mobile entertainment, interactive, and product companies. In 2001, he founded Net-Recon as a development and technology consulting company. Early success within Net-Recon allowed David to expand and launch the game production studio, Sneaky Games, which focuses on offering development and consulting services in the online casual gaming space.
As principal for Sneaky Games and Net-Recon, David has provided technology and online marketing solutions to businesses in a variety of segments. David previously held a position at Direct Impact, a strategic marketing and consulting firm in Austin where he was on the senior executive team as Vice President, Information Technology. Prior to Direct Impact, David was Chief Information Officer for Austin-based direct marketing firm, Addressing Your Needs. While there he had responsibilities for the development and execution of the company's IT strategy including product development, databases, software platforms, and network infrastructure. Prior to that David has broad management experience including senior management positions at Austin-based AGEA, Inc. and San Antonio based Harte-Hanks, Inc. David helped Harte-Hanks launch their first European location in Belgium as the Director of IT.
Notable clients have included: Microsoft, Macromedia, Novell, Sun, IBM, Green Mountain Energy, Logitech, HP, Sony, and Paramount. Recently, for large consumer audiences over the past few years David architected The Logitech Football Challenge, StandardAnswer.com Beta, a casual MMOG Paramount, and a soon to be launched short-form MMOG.
David lives near Austin, TX in Lakeway with his wife and two daughters where he likes to spend his free time relaxing with the family, playing games, and getting the occasional hunting or fishing trip in. He is a former Board member for the Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo and Heart House Austin and is currently serving on the ACC Game Development Institute's Advisory Board.
HR & Talent Management
Sharon Fernandez, VP Farmers Insurance
Creating a Culture That Breeds Success
Founded in 1928, Farmers is one of the largest and most respected insurance brands in the United States. The Austin Facility is one of three Farmers ServicePoint operations in the US. The Austin center employs about 400 phone representatives who handle 2.1 millions calls a year. In this workshop, Sharon will discuss the role their service culture played in helping Farmers successfully reingineer the service support structure for their agents and customers.
Sharon Fernandez joined the Farmers team in April 2008 as Vice President of Service Operations. Sharon’s Integrated Operations team includes Billing Services to agents and consumers and Farmers.com customer support, as well as Resource Planning, Reporting and Analysis, Quality Assurance, and Communication services for all ServicePoint locations.
Prior to joining Farmers, Sharon spent eighteen years with USAA, including 8 years of executive leadership, in both operations and staff roles. She led several multi-site operations with over 800 employees that provided customer service, billing support and sales of personal lines and life insurance. Sharon served as the Senior Human Resources officer for the Property and Casualty Company leading an HR organization supporting over 10,000 employees. In addition, Sharon’s staff responsibilities included extensive experience in workforce planning, organizational design, training, project management, and process engineering.
Tools & Technology
Dave Huber, Contact Center Consulting Systems Engineer with Avaya:
In his session you will hear strategies the worlds best contact centers are using to innovate and excel in the current economic climate. Avaya is widely recognized as the leading provider of contact center technology and innovative solutions.
Dave Huber is an Avaya Contact Center Consulting Systems Engineer, residing in Austin and supporting the Austin contact center industry since 2000. Dave has nearly 20 years of contact center experience, with the first half of that time as a contact center manager with United Parcel Service and the second half as a Consultant of contact center solutions with Avaya - the world leader in contact center market share.
As a manager with UPS, Dave was involved in all aspects of contact center operations including direct management of a customer service agent team, workforce management/scheduling, training, quality assurance, as well as managing the IT infrastructure of 1000+ seat customer service contact centers.
As a Contact Center Consulting Systems Engineer with Avaya, Dave has worked with a wide variety of large and small enterprise customers including, but not limited to those in the following industries:
- High-tech manufacturing
- Financial
- Outsourcing
- State and local government
- Education
- Hospitality
- Transportation
- Healthcare
Dave's role is to understand a contact center's business goals and then make recommendations in resolving those needs using Avaya's vast array of technology solutions that help customers solve their most difficult contact center requirements and initiatives.
Avaya can help. From internal operations to customer relationship management, we offer solutions to help make your entire contact center more effective. For more information visit Avaya Contact Centers
SPEAKER INFORMATION
SESSION TWO
Metrics and Performance Improvement
Daryl Flores, WFM Leader, SWBC
Metrics that Matter
Darryl Flores is the Workforce and Contact Center Professional Services Manager as well as the Contact Center Consultant for Southwest Business Corporation (SWBC), a diversified financial services company. Darryl has 16 years of experience in all aspects of Contact Center Operations with noted contact centers such as USAA and The Scooter Store. He has led contact center operations with 40 to nearly 3000 agents in multiple sites and specializes in process and metric development. Darryl has been published in Call Center Management Review and has delivered learning sessions on a multitude of contact center topics.
Tools & Technology
Mary Murcott, Former CTO Budget
Unified Messaging and Other Call Center Technology Trends
Mary Murcott is a Call Center Futurist who assists companies in transforming their customer’s experience. Ms. Murcott designs strategies and develops the technical and leadership competencies within companies to deliver world-class sales and service at best in class economics. Ms. Murcott is founder and president of Performance Transformations, Inc. Her clients include high profile Fortune 100 companies, as well as medium size companies in financial, healthcare, travel and other service industries. As a senior executive, Ms. Murcott was instrumental in driving performance turnarounds, startups and consolidations at many companies including American Express, DHL, Ryder, Budget Rent a Car and Cox Communications.
A frequent speaker at industry conferences, Ms. Murcott recently delivered keynotes at IQPC’s European Consortium in Monte Carlo, the Telecommunications Users Conference in New Zealand,
ICMI in Shanghai, Time Warner Customer Service Conference and IMI’s Call Center Conference in Istanbul. A noted authority on Sales and First Contact Resolution, Ms. Murcott has designed a series of webinars and in person seminars, which are held both in the US and in 26 countries. Ms. Murcott recently authored an ICMI published book entitled Driving Peak Sales Performance in Call Centers.
HR & Talent Management
Greg Jerralds, Profit InnerCircle
Leaders Guide to Performance Management
Greg Jerralds is the Chief Operating Officer of Profit InnerCircle, LLC; the international organization that helps companies meet or exceed customer expectations…at a PROFIT! Greg is a professional speaker, leadership coach, and senior leader with more than 20 years of experience leading high-volume, high-performing customer service call center and production center operations.
Greg is the author of The Leader’s Guide to Performance Management: Building Organizational Excellence One Employee at a Time And the co-author of: The Best Kept Profit Secret: The Executive’s Guide to Transform a Cost Center Into a Profit Center He also writes business improvement articles for business and trade associations across the globe.
Greg began his leadership career at the age of 19 as a customer service supervisor in the mortgage banking industry. Since, he has held leadership positions in financial services, healthcare, pharmaceutical, insurance, and medical device industries. Greg’s experience includes leadership development, performance management, process improvement, project management, quality assurance and employee training and development. Greg is the Former President-elect of the Professional Teleservice Management Association (PTMA), and a Continuing Education Workforce Instructor with Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, TX.
SPEAKER INFORMATION
SESSION THREE
Metrics and Performance Improvement
Judy Dorsett, Apple, Inc.
Managing Home Based Agents
Judy has over 10 years experience as a project manager for Apple's World-wide Contact Center Operations team. As a project manager for the Contact Center Operations team, she helped develope the pilot for Apple's home-based agent program, as well as site implementations, telephony, and business tools development projects. Currently she is the the Program Manager for Apple's Home-based Agent program.
Tools & Technology
Scott Murphy, Employee Retirement System of Texas
Scott Murphy is an accomplished contact center professional and specializes in small contact center management. Over the past 15 years, Scott has developed skills in workforce optimization, performance measurement, and quality improvement at some of the most successful contact centers. Scott is a former board chair of the Austin Contact Center Alliance and is a speaker at many contact center conferences around the country, sharing his experience and ideas with other contact center professionals. Scott holds a BBA from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas.
HR & Talent Management
Bob Furniss, Touchpoint Associates
Culture Shift - Moving People Foward
In the past event planners may have had to settle for either a professional speaker or an expert in the field of customer service. That is just not the case any more. With more than 25 years of customer service experience, Bob Furniss knows that relating experiences is simply not enough. The information has to be presented in a way that challenges the audience to want to accomplish more - to reach for the next level.
Bob has the uncanny ability to connect with people at every level of the organization - to make complex ideas simple and memorable. His sense of humor, extensive experience and real-life stories make him one of the most inspiring speakers you will ever meet.
Having consulted with some of the top organization in America - FedEx, Corporate Express, Delta Airlines and De Paul University; he understands how to make people more productive - through better leadership, improved processes and strategic change. He understands the importance of results and can coach your organization in the successful pursuit of its objectives.
Whether you are planning a quarterly employee rally, a user's conference, a trade show or a weekend management retreat, Bob can help you educate and motivate your group.
As founder and President of Touchpoint Associates, Inc., Bob Furniss has more than 25 years of experience in the customer service field - assisting organizations to increase productivity and profits by bringing out the best in their people. He has shared his experience in the areas of leadership and service with some of the top companies in America - companies like FedEx, Corporate Express, DePaul University, Delta Airlines, Hanley Wood and more.
Bob just released two new books - "Ideas At Work" co-authored with partner Scott O. Thomas, which provides a unique gathering of smart ideas that will dramatically improve the customer experience. He also recently released a new book with Stephen Covey - "Mission Possible" - a collection of interviews with men and women whose passion and determination have helped them reach the top.
Bob is a member of the National Speaker Association (NSA) and has been a featured speaker and keynote at many industry conferences, including ICCM, ACCE, SSPA, CRM Solutions and TopRep. He has also been published in many industry publications including 1to1 Magazine, Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine, Contact Center World, CRM Magazine, and SSPA News.
Visit www.bobfurniss.com for more information and download his speaker one-sheet today!
SPEAKER INFORMATION
CLOSING SESSION
CHARISSE BODISCH, CEcD
VICE PRESIDENT, AUSTIN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Importance of Contact Centers to Austin's Economy
Charisse Bodisch is the Vice President of Economic Development for the Austin Chamber of Commerce. She specializes in the recruitment of contact/call centers, back office operations, data centers, life science companies and general manufacturing. She also serves as the Chamber’s Regional Partner liaison.
Prior to coming to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, she served as CEO of the Allen Economic Development Corporation (north of Dallas) and was involved with the recruitment and retention of 53 companies and over 4,300 jobs. Her firsthand experience includes the development of industrial and office business parks, retail recruitment, mixed-use developments and a variety of contract and incentive negotiations.
Charisse’s background in economic development goes back over 20 years and includes stints with the McKinney Economic Development Corporation and Kilgore Chamber of Commerce. Charisse holds the designation of Certified Economic Developer, the highest trade designation for economic developers. She received her AA in Business from Kilgore College.
Charisse can be reached by email: cbodisch@austinchamber.com