on-call scheduling software on-call scheduling software

MAY 2003

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4

MAY 2003

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4

HOW CAN I GETMORE SALES?

PRISON CALL CENTERS

TELEMARKETING SALESRULE CHANGES

CONTACT MANAGEMENTSOFTWARE

HOW CAN I GETMORE SALES?

PRISON CALL CENTERS

TELEMARKETING SALESRULE CHANGES

CONTACT MANAGEMENTSOFTWARE

ON-CALLSCHEDULINGSOFTWARE


PRO

FESS

ION

AL

Dire

ctor

y

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MAY 2003 • 3Connections Magazine • www.connectionsmagazine.com

ContentsOn-Call SchedulingSoftware .......................................14

By Peter DeHaanOn-call scheduling software can helptelemessaging call centers better managetheir clients’ on-call schedules. When this software is extended to the Internet, it can even become the clients’ own scheduling program.

Professional Directory....................3

From the Publisher .........................7“How Can I Get More Sales?”

Association News.........................26

Vendor News ................................27

Press Releases ..............................29

Feedback ......................................33

Advertiser Listing ........................43

Classifieds/Marketplace ...............45

Coming Events .............................46

Departments

Cover Story

4 • MAY 2003 www.connectionsmagazine.com • Connections Magazine

Contact Management Software ............10By John RatliffA contact management program is a tool for gathering, tracking, analyzing, and distributing client and prospect data. It can be one of the most valuable assets yourcompany will ever have. When used effec-tively, contact management software pro-vides a record of the past, a picture of thepresent, and a schedule for the future.

Contact Management Software Vendors ...................................12

How HIPAA Affects You:.......................19By James M. Ballard Call centers that handle protected healthinformation must take reasonable steps toavoid the accidental disclosure of such data.This is required to meet the governmentsecurity and privacy mandates of the HealthInsurance Portability and AccountabilityAct (HIPAA).

Axon User Group Meeting Report .......22

Vendor Profile: CadCom.......................24

How to Manage More Creatively .........31By Stephen ManallackIf you say, “I just can’t be creative,” read these tips to help you manage moreeffectively and with greater flare.

PIN Convention Coverage.....................32

Prison Call Centers May Re-Launch in Canada............................34By Nicole DavisThe idea of incarcerated criminals working in call centers is shocking to many people, yet there can be societal benefits. Before youreject this notion, read this insightful report.

Amendments to the Telemarketing Sales Rule ......................38By Mike Wilson J.D.If you make outbound telemarketing calls, be sure you are up-to-date on the latest requirements, including do-not-calllists and rules about using predictivedialers. Ignorance is not an excuse for non-compliance; fines can be expensive!

CEO Convention Coverage...................41

TAS Tips..................................................42By Steve MichaelsHere is what can happen when youremployees haven’t signed a non-compete agreement.

On the Web Read these new white papers just added to our Web site atwww.connectionsmagazine.com/papers.html. • Amtelco Infinity On-Call Scheduler, presented by Amtelco• Dangerous Interpretations: Improper Survey Methods

presented by Dr. Jodie Monger, Customer Relationship Metrics.• Sample Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for HIPAA,

presented by Chris Bell, MedCom Professional Services.


Features 39

19

3134

PROMPT…

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SELLING YOUR

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If you are considering selling your business,we would welcome the opportunity to discussyour needs and the direct purchase of your

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TASCO Message Center has successfully operatedTeleService Message Centers since 1938 and, asan industry leader with a solid reputation, wehave had tremendous success with mergers andprivate and broker represented sale transactions.Our long-standing tradition and financialresources support our commitment to futuregrowth in the Messaging Industry and lend peaceof mind to the security of your selling decision.

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from thePublisher

Almost every day, someone asks me, “How can I get more sales?” In fact,for my clients and prospects, increasing sales is usually a primary concern.

Rarely does anyone tell me that their company is making all the sales they want.I wish they would ask me easier questions, like “How can I improve quality,”“How can I increase revenue,” or “How can I reduce turnover?” All of these Ihave successfully dealt with, but the sales issue is a bit trickier. It seems thatpeople are looking for a quick fix, a simple strategy. It’s as if they are expecting me to say, “Invest X dollars in Y process to produce Z sales.”

But alas, there is no magic secret. If there were – and I knew it – I would start asales and marketing business. My clients would merely tell me their sales goals for themonth and I would fill their order. But it is not that simple. Consider the following list:

• Direct mail • Referrals• Outbound telemarketing • Yellow page ads• Direct mail followed by a phone call • Print media• Cold calls • Web sites• Trade shows • Internet advertising• NetworkingThese tactics have a proven record of producing sales in the teleservices

industry. Unfortunately, these same methods have been repeatedly demonstratedto be total failures. Campaigns that have consistently generated high sales numbersfor one organization have proven to be colossal flops in others. Therefore, it isnot the strategy that is important, but what surrounds that strategy. Here then, isthe ultimate – yet elusive – formula for sales success:

Personnel + attitude + execution + management = sales success

Personnel: This is the critical element in the formula. Without the rightpeople in place, nothing else matters. This starts with finding the right personfor the job. Over the years, I have hired many sales people. Some worked out,but many didn’t. (My main problem was that I was reluctant to pay enough toattract the best people.)

What is true for all candidates is even more valid for sales applicants: you see themat their very best during the interview. In fact, even mediocre salespeople know that theymust give their best sales performance during the interview. If they can’t convincinglysell themselves to you, how can they possibly sell your service to someone else? To cutthrough all of this, I have a few key questions I like to ask sales candidates:

How much did you make at your last job? If they made six figures, but canonly expect half that at your firm, they are unlikely to work out. They will beunhappy, develop a negative attitude, and leave as soon as a better paying jobcomes along. Conversely, if they barely cracked the poverty level at their last

(Continued on page 8)

Peter DeHaan, Ph.D.

How Can I Get More Sales?

May 2003 Volume 11, Issue 4

Publisher/Editor..............................Peter DeHaanPhone .................................................866-668-6695E-Mail.................peter@connectionsmagazine.comFax .....................................................866-668-6693

Display/Classified Advertising ...............Valerie PortPhone .................................................866-668-6694E-Mail [email protected] .....................................................866-668-6698

Designer/Production.......................David MargolisPhone .................................................866-668-6696E-Mail [email protected] .....................................................215-369-0144

48955 West Hickory Lane • Mattawan, MI 49071www.connectionsmagazine.com

e-mail [email protected]

Upcoming Insertion Deadlines:Issue Deadline FeaturingJun May 2, 2003 OutsourcingJul/Aug Jun 6, 2003 Hosted solutionsSep Aug 1, 2003 HeadsetsOct Sep 5, 2003 InternetNov Oct 3, 2003 UPSDec Nov 7, 2003 Buyer’s GuideJan/Feb 04 Dec 5, 2003 Message Taking Systems

Mission:To be the principal clearing house of relevant and practical information for the teleservices industry.

Distribution:Connections Magazine is distributed monthly (withcombined Jan/Feb and Jul/Aug issues) to the teleservicesindustry including: telemessaging and outsource callcenters, executive suites, hospital call centers, alarmmonitoring companies, voice mail service providers,and industry professionals who actively buy and sellproducts and provide service to this industry. The distribution list is continuously monitored and updatedvia the Connections Web site, industry sources, readerrequests, and the change of address service from theU.S. Postal Service. Any suggested additions to the circulation database are welcome.

Subscriptions:Connections Magazine is sent free in the United Statesto individuals and companies in the teleservices industry.Canadian subscriptions are $25 (USD) and Internationalis $35 (USD). Subscriptions can be processed on-line:www.ConnectionsMagazine.com and click on“Subscribe.”

Notice to Advertisers and Readers:All advertising is subject to publisher approval; thepublisher reserves the right not to accept any advertisement.The publisher makes no claims as to the legality or condition of any goods or services advertised inConnections Magazine. Neither the advertisers nor thepublisher will be responsible or liable for misprints,misinformation, or typographical errors within this publication. This is the sole responsibility of the advertiser who agrees to indemnify the publisher ofConnections Magazine for any and all claims, actionsan expenses arising therefrom. Opinions expressed inthis publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Connections staff.

ConnectionsMAGAZINE



(Continued from page 7)job, they may be out of their league to produce at the level youexpect. Ideally, their prior compensation should be 5 to 25% lessthen what you expect them to make with you.

How much would you like to make at this job? Theresponse to this is most telling. Why? Because if it is unreason-ably high, they won’t be satisfied working for you. On the otherhand, if it is lower then what you are prepared to pay, then theywill start coasting once they hit their target compensation.Again, you are looking for a salary expectation that is consistentwith what you can deliver, but is still motivating to them.

Would you like to work straight commission? I don’t advocate that anyone be paid straight commission, however thisquestion is designed to throw them off track and see how theyrespond. To make this work, you can’t ask the question directly,but need to back into it. If they are at all good with sales, theywill have already regaled you with their accomplishments,assured you that they will be your best sales person ever, andpromised they will produce at a level beyond your wildest expectations. And, if they have moxie, they may even say you’dbe foolish not to hire them or suggest your company will failwithout them. (Yes, I have been told this – many times.) Givenall of this, they assert that you must pay them top dollar.

At this point, you are in a position to say, “I don’t normallyoffer this, but based on your track record and past performance, Ithink you’re worthy of special consideration. I suggest that we con-sider a compensation plan where you will be highly rewarded foryour results and given an open-ended opportunity to exceed yourcompensation goals.” Then pause, lean forward, and confidentiallywhisper, “How would you like to work for straight commission?”

First, watch if they can quickly and smoothly react to anunexpected turn of events. Next, you want to see how theyretreat from their prior boasting. Often a more realistic pictureemerges. Lastly, you will quickly get a true idea of what theyexpect for base pay and how much they are willing to put on theline in the form of commissions, incentives, or bonuses.

In the event that they are shocked or hurt by this question,simply apologize and indicate that, based on what they were saying, you thought this idea might appeal to them.

Attitude: Having the right sales staff, however, is just thebeginning. They also need to have the right attitude. How manytimes have you seen salespeople talk themselves into a badmonth? The thinking goes like this, “Last August was bad. Iwonder if August is always bad? I better brace myself for a badmonth.” It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and they have abad month.

Or, how many times has a sales person said something like,“I don’t set any appointments for Monday because everyone isalways too busy.” Then they add Fridays to the list becauseprospects are focused on wrapping up their week. The first thingin the morning doesn’t work, nor the end of the day. Before andafter lunch is bad, too. I once had a salesman use this logic andhe actually concluded that he could only successfully sell on

Tuesday and Thursday in the mid-afternoon. It should surpriseno one that he sold nothing and his time with the company was arecord in brevity.

Another self-defeating attitude is negativity. Consider, forexample, the salesperson who says, “Direct mail? That won’twork!” And of course, with that attitude, it won’t. Or how about,“That didn’t work last time and it’s not going to work now!”

Lastly, are they willing to try new things? If they are opento new ideas and plans, then they have a much greater chance ofsuccess than if they are closed-minded. Strangely, all too manysalespeople would rather continue to do what has failed in thepast than to try something new.

Execution: Closely linked to attitude is the proper execu-tion. In fact, without the right attitude, successful execution isimpossible. I have seen ideal marketing plans flop because ofpoor or haphazard execution. Conversely, I have seen the mostill-conceived and contrived strategies succeed famously becausethey were diligently, steadfastly, and consistently implemented.

Quite simply, there needs to be a plan. The plan needs to bemeticulously followed. And those involved need to be heldaccountable for their work. This brings up the fourth element:

Management: The glue that holds all this together is management. Good management starts with hiring the rightsalespeople, giving them excellent training, providing them withappropriate compensation, and motivating them effectively. Thismust be followed by a sound marketing plan and a supportiveenvironment in which to implement it. Lastly, sales managementmeans investing time, on an ongoing basis, to encourage, observe,teach, and adjust what they do. Put more succinctly, the rightmanagement keeps them on task and holds them accountable.

There is nary a salesperson who can be truly successfulwithout attention and oversight. They need to be lifted up whenthey are down and celebrated when they make a sale, heldresponsible for their schedule and made liable for their results.This takes considerable time and effort. As such, proper salesmanagement is not just one more hat to wear, but a full-time job.

Successfully managing salespeople is hard work. It takestime, perseverance, determination, and dedication. But thendon’t all things that are worthwhile? n

from thePublisher

Connections Magazine Needs You!Would you be willing to invest a few minutes a month

to provide input, ideas, and clarity about the articles inConnections Magazine?

The process will be simple. Once or twice a month, I willsend out a broadcast e-mail message about an idea or topic weare considering. If you have feedback, simply reply to the e-mail. If you don’t have a comment, or even if you happentoo be busy at the time, just delete the message. Because ofthe power and efficiency of e-mail, we can have hundreds ofreaders participate and help shape the future of the magazine.

If you are willing to help please contact me [email protected]. Thank you.

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In today’s fast-paced business environment, successfulcompanies know their customers and quickly respond totheir needs. To react to these interactions with clients and

prospects must be tracked. This requires the organized collection and distribution of a large quantity of data. A solidcontact management program is a tool for gathering, tracking,analyzing, and distributing this data. Such data can be one ofthe most valuable assets your company will ever have. It isalso one of the most underutilized.

What is contact management? It’s a systematic way of managing all interactions between your business and the outside world. It’s performed through a single databasethat contains detailed information about all past interactionsand scheduled future interactions. Used effectively, contact management software provides a record of the past, a picture of the present, and a schedule for the future.

Tracking these interactions can be done any number of ways but here we will deal specifically with software-driven contact management. There are three software packages at the forefront of effective contact management:Goldmine, Act!, and Maximizer. We will not deal with

the specifics of each package but they can all perform thefunctions discussed.

So we know what contact management is, but what constitutes a contact? When someone interacts with your business it is a contact, regardless of who initiated the interaction. It can take the form of an inbound phone call, e-mail, a fax, a letter or even a customer visit. Outbound calls, e-mails, faxes, and letters are also contacts. As a result of these contacts, your company will have a significant amount of information tokeep track of. Contact management software can help you do this.

Implementing a contact management program canchange your business, but it must be done carefully.Effective contact management requires a tremendous attention to detail, dedication by all members of your team,and an organized approach. If your company is dedicated tothis effort, it’s likely to bring positive results, but a haphazardapproach can be damaging.

There are three key areas where a contact managementprogram can bring immediate benefits to your company:

by John Ratliff

Prospective Customers: New customer leads are critically important. They

should be managed and nurtured as a valued asset. A contactmanagement program can help you do just that, enabling youto track leads from start to finish. It also lets you see whichopportunities are in the pipeline, where leads are comingfrom, and how your salespeople are doing in their follow-upwork. The ability to get an overview of your sales and marketing efforts can in itself justify implementing a contactmanagement program.

Such details come in the form of contact management reporting. Reports can be run on any pre-determined parameters.For instance, a report can list all new sales leads generated in agiven time period that resulted in new customer wins.

To effectively track sales staff effectiveness you can runreports that show outbound calls to potential customers. Forinstance, a report can show how many calls Joe Salesguy madebetween February 2nd and 6th to contacts labeled “hotprospect.” You’ll be able to determine whether your salespeople are making the proper effort.

Contact management software also offers the ability tosee an overview of your sales pipeline. This feature typicallyrequires the most effort and is often underutilized, but it helpscompanies gain a wider perspective on how to improve theirbusiness. Each incoming lead is assigned a potential dollarvalue and a percentage chance of becoming a customer. Asthe prospect moves through the sales cycle, probabilities anddollar values can be adjusted, giving an accurate prediction ofpotential new sales.

If a sale is lost, contact management software tools provide anaccurate history of all interactions with the prospect, so the usercan determine the reason for losing the sale. Often you can spottrends in missed steps in the sales cycle or long response timesthat may indicate problems. This provides the ability to deter-mine, and then script, a sales cycle that will be most effectivefor your organization. The ability to schedule future interac-tions makes your company better positioned to meet your goals.

One of the largest expenses in some organizations isadvertising, yet advertising tracking seems to be a lost art.Contact management software is the ultimate advertising trackingtool. With the ability to run custom reports and set your ownparameters, advertising can be tracked in many ways. It allowsadvertising programs to be as specific or as broad as needs dictate. For instance, companies that advertise in one or twodirectories may only need to know if a lead was directory generated, or came from word of mouth. Organizations usingten directories may need more details, and the flexibility isbuilt into the software to track those details. Advertising spending can then be evaluated by return on investment.

Managing the sales and marketing process through a contact management program will greatly increase your chances of success. A few extra clients a year that wouldhave otherwise slipped through the cracks is likely to morethan cover the cost of the program.




QuickNotes 2003 from FigmentSoft is a Linux-based single or multi-user networked software that runs independently on a laptop or networked in a client/server environment. In a client/server mode, one computer must bedesignated as the server. It contains typical contact manage-ment features such as tracking leads and correspondence,scheduling and calendar functions, report generation, and customized reporting. Enhanced features include multiplecontact lookup, e-mail sorter and message filters, Star Officeintegration (to read and modify Word, Excel, and PowerPointfiles), and integration with Netscape.

The main strengths of QuickNotes 2003 are:• Fast and easy installation• Simple user interface• Scalability and network access.• Low cost of ownershipPaula Gilthorpe of Crom Financial Services said, “I appreciated

the fact that I did not need to spend additional time and moneyon ‘help’ to actually use QuickNotes.”

The retail pricing for QuickNotes is $99.99 for a singleuser license (retail) and $49.99 from Lindows.com Click NRun Warehouse; volume discounts are available.

Technical support is available via e-mail, a Web forumwhere users can get help from other users as well as from engineers, and phone (pay per-incident).

For more information about QuickNotes, go to www.figmentsoft.com or contact FigmentSoft at [email protected] or 416-499-0755.

Eden Sales Manager from Eden Communicationsuses runs on the Lotus Domino platform and is a Web-basedmulti-user product. The software provides control over thecomplete marketing and sales pipeline and process, including:

• Unlimited contacts with notes and history• Consolidated account activity and history • Integrated marketing library• Sophisticated knowledge base• Processes to automatically schedule activities• Creation of letters, faxes, memos, e-mail and

other documents on the fly

• Automatic pop-up alarm reminders• Complete Internet compatibility• Full user guidePricing varies depending on configuration; per user pricing

is $750. Eden provides live telephone support on a 24 hoursbasis. “Eden exceeded my expectations,” said user MatthewGardner, vice president of Transchannel.

For more information, visit the company’s Web sitewww.edensales.com, or contact it at [email protected] or 518-580-0760.

People™ from Brewster Software is a single-user package for Macintosh computers. It is a full-featured personalinformation manager (PIM) for Macintosh that offers tools fororganizing client, personal and calendar information. Peoplesoftware is $29.95 per copy. Technical support via e-mail is free.

The organizer offers plenty of room for details, using intuitively placed contact management features and Internetintegration. Some advanced features include the ability toreceive and send e-mail (with attachments), do e-mail merge,build e-mail address lists from received e-mails, fax, mail, linkother application documents to contact cards, and upload contact information to Palm devices. Key features include:

• The ability to organize up to 100,000 contacts• 15-field profile area• Sales-oriented daily follow-up lists• Alarms• Auto-dial phone• Search all text areas• Calendar“I am especially thrilled. Creating lists using filters and

using them to send out mass e-mails is quite easy,” said userUrsula Soyez of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. “I have beenlooking for a good contact management software for a whilenow, and yours is definitely the most advanced and intuitiveI’ve come across so far.”

For more information about People e-mail the company [email protected] or visit it on the Web atwww.brewstersoftware.com.

CONTACT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE VENDORS

Contact Management Software(Continued from page 11)

As mentioned in the Contact Management Software article, three popular contact management software

packages are Goldmine, Act!, and Maximizer. There are countless other contact management programs as well, but three

that are noteworthy are QuickNotes 2003 from FigmentSoft, Eden Sales Manager from Eden Communications, and

People™ from Brewster Software. Details on these programs follows:

Existing Customers: Using a contact management program to manage

interactions with your existing customers may be the mostpowerful change you can make to your business. It will alsoyield the most immediate benefit to your bottom line. Thinkhow many customer interactions occur each day in your business. Now think where all those interactions are tracked,if they are tracked at all. An effective contact managementprogram gives you a complete history of every interaction.The software can also prompt proactive customer contacts toget ahead of problems before they start.

Customer service problems can be coded in your contactmanagement system and reports can then be run against thosecodes. For instance, the software can tell you how many customers called during a given month and complained that anagent misspelled a name. Again, the ability to spot trends in customer service complaints can be an early indicator of servicedelivery problems that must be addressed. Previously this wasdone by intuition but now there is hard data to give a true picture.

There is also tremendous goodwill to be gained fromcontacting customers on a proactive, rather than reactivebasis. Contact management software allows the opportunityto schedule interactions in the future, serving as a reminder tocall customers whenever necessary. You may want to make a proactive contact every three months, or six months, or even twoweeks depending on your size. This can all be prescheduled bythe contact management software package. There is also away to capture some details of these interactions, which canthen be used to show trends in customer satisfaction.

Such packages also offer the ability to sell new featuresto existing customers. By using a contact management program to track which customers are using certain features,your sales team can look for selling opportunities in the existingclient base. The mail merge features available, both for e-mail and direct mail, provide the ability to keep your clientand prospect bases up-to-date on new features in which theymay have interest.

Former Customers: Losing a client is always tough on your business, but

contact management gives you a systematic way of trying towin back those clients. Often when clients leave they are forgotten, but that does not have to be the case. Using the mailmerge features of contact management software, along with thescheduling features, you can create a customer win-backprogram that is handled automatically by your software.

An automated process can be triggered by changing theclient status, in this case from “client” to “former client,” anda whole chain of events is set in motion. For example,assume you want to e-mail former clients a copy of yournewsletter once a month and send an offer to return to the service at a discount every six months. This can all be builtinto an automated process that starts the instant the status ischanged, and will continue in the background without anyadditional interaction until the process is complete.

It is also valuable to do an exit interview when clientsleave and track this information in your contact managementsystem. Reports can be run to spot trends in client cancellations and solve any quality control problems. Whatwas formerly done through intuition can now be supportedthrough hard data.

Former client reports can also be used to track lost revenue. This gives the ability to get a better picture of thecosts associated with client retention, the value of each client,as well as the client lifecycle. It is valuable information toshare with frontline staff to show the potential revenue damage from each client cancellation. This makes a greatmotivator to increase quality levels.

There can tremendous benefit in implementing a contactmanagement system in your company. By capturing currentand prospective client information, your company can bepositioned to respond quickly to your marketplace with information on demand. This information will allow you tospot trends to create and improve your service offering. Awell-executed contact management system will improve yourcustomer service level, reduce your time to market with newservice offerings, and potentially help you reduce labor costby working smarter instead of harder. n

John Ratliff is the owner of Appletree Answering Service inWilmington, Delaware. John is a member of ASTAA and NAEOand is currently on the board of directors of ATSI. AppletreeAnswering Service has been serving its marketplace since 1995.


by Peter DeHaan



Virtually all telemessaging operations and many inbound

teleservice companies have an outbound component to their work. In

the broadest sense this is “information dissemination.” Sometimes

this means sending orders and messages to clients via e-mail, fax,

wave file, or voice mail. In other instances, timely communications is

essential and information is paged or relayed to a cell phone. This is

dispatching. It is a frequent activity with clients in the medical field,

property management and service sectors, and technical support lines.

While one key element of effective dispatching is timeliness, another

essential factor is accuracy. In other words, the correct on-call person

needs to be contacted in the manner they specify.


Various means are used to effectively record and trackon-call schedules:

Paper: The manual paper method can be effective whenonly one or two agents need to reach a relatively small number of on-call personnel. Methods range from posting theon-call information on a bulletin board in each cubicle tousing an on-call book where schedules (or on-call calendars) are organized and inserted.However, as the number of agents or the number of on-call schedules increase, the manual paper method quickly becomes ineffective. The primary limitations to themanual paper method are ensuring that allagents are aware of updates and are using thesame information. Add to this the reality thatmany on-call schedules are faxed to the callcenter by clients, which results in clarity andreadability problems.

Computerized: With today’s computer-ized call processing systems, it’s easy to enterthe details of on-call schedules into the network. The same information for the appropriate client is available to any agent at anytime. There is no fear of old information being used or concernthat all agents may not have received the updates (which isparticularly problematic when agents work from multiplelocations). In this approach, the on-call schedule is organizedin a free-form text box or window. The agent needs to scanthe text box to find out who is on call at that moment. Thereare benefits to this approach, but there is also the risk of anagent reading the wrong day or selecting the wrong time.

Database: The next level of computerized on-call scheduletracking is to enter the data into a structured database. Again,information is consistently and readily available to all agents,plus it can be presented in a much more controlled format.The database method can also automatically query the scheduleby day and time, presenting the schedule to the person who ison call at that point, rather than presenting the entire schedulefor the agent to scan. This reduces error and speeds dispatch.Common features of database on-call software programs arethat agents can edit the schedule, update contact numbers, andadd personnel.

These benefits are confirmed by staffers at call centersusing database on-call scheduling software. “With automatedon-call scheduling, we can display time and date sensitive on-call information when a call is presented to a coordinator,”said Betty Brashear, call center operations manager atVanderbilt University Medical Center. “Our coordinators canalso view schedules by calendar, individual, date, or periodprofile.”

These on-call databases can be configured to be accessiblevia the Internet and reside on password-protected or secureWeb sites. In this case, clients can remotely add, delete, andedit personnel, as well as change contact numbers. Withthese options, clients can enter their on-call schedules

themselves. This eliminates any chance for input error on thepart of supervisors or data-entry personnel at the call center.

In fact, clients can completely plan their on-call schedulewith these Web-based programs and most allow printing of amaster schedule and individual schedules. Why would clientswant to enter their own on-call schedule? There are several

reasons. One is control. When clients entertheir own information, they can be assured thatit is communicated the way they want it communicated. Second is flexibility. Theclient can, at any time, update or change his orher on-call schedule and the changes areimmediately available to call center agents.The third, and perhaps most compelling,enticement is that when properly presented tothe client, the Web interface can become theirscheduling software program. This eliminatesthe need for clients to buy, maintain, troubleshoot, and upgrade their own software;they merely use what the call center provides.A side benefit in this is that the client thenenjoys greater value from the call center andmay become a more loyal client. This is

perhaps the most compelling reason to implement an Internet-accessible on-call scheduling database.

Several companies provide on-call scheduling software.Some offerings are platform specific, some can be interfacedto multiple systems, while others are platform independent:

Almond Hill Enterprises: Turbo-On-Call™is a simple and inexpensive way to handle clients’ on-callschedules. It provides monthly, biweekly, weekly, and dailyviews along with reporting features. It allows real-timeaccess by the call center and clients and integrates fully withTurboSchedule™ calendars to provide a unified schedulingsystem. Like TurboSchedule, Turbo-On-Call requires no capital outlay, special hardware, or software to load or maintain. It is Web-based and can work with any Web-enabled or Web-ready call-processing platform. It costs$19.95 per schedule per month or $9.95 per month as an add-on to TurboSchedule.

For more information, contact Almond Hill Enterprisesat 800-398-6100 or [email protected].

Alston Tascom offers two on-call schedulingoptions. The first is its on-call scheduler, which is integratedinto the Tascom Evolution system. It automatically indicateswho is currently on call, along with their contact information.The call center agents can speed-dial the appropriate persondirectly from the on-call form. Also, if the person on call hasan alphanumeric pager programmed into the Tascom system,an agent can initiate the page. Authorized agents can alsolook ahead to determine who is on call in the future and canmake temporary adjustments as needed.



…clients can enter

their on-call

schedulesthemselves.

Alston Tascom’s other offering is AppointmentsOnCall.com.It is completely Web-based and is platform independent.

Contact Alston Tascom at 909-548-7300, [email protected], or www.alstontascom.com.

Amtelco: The Infinity on-call scheduling module isflexible, easily adapting to meet a call center’s call handlingneeds. On-call scheduling is automated, making it easy to seewho is currently on call for a particular client. On-call personnel are automatically placed on and taken off calls atdesignated days and times.

The companion feature, Web On-Call, allows clients tocreate and maintain their own schedules. Agents see thisinformation immediately and have secure access to add oredit schedules as necessary. Reports include a daily andmonthly report and an individual’s schedule detail, as well asa month display in calendar format.

Contact Amtelco at 800-356-9148, [email protected], orcallcenter.amtelco.com.

CadCom Telesystems’ AccuCall system has anon-call scheduler that automatically rotates the on-call person

on the notify window for each account page. It provides theoption of dispatching the message to the client manually orsetting up the message for automatic delivery. Schedules canbe implemented up to a year in advance. It includes a notifyscheduler to quickly set up new account schedules throughtime and calendar boxes and saves set-up time on lengthyschedules with the repeating schedule feature. Also includedis schedule log, which provides detailed information regarding changed or modified schedules.

For more information about CadCom’s AccuCall systemand on-call scheduler, visit www.cadcom.com or call 800-422-3266.

Startel’s on-call scheduling product increases productivity through features such as time/date sensitive on-call information display, auto-population of key accountinformation for messages, drop-down menus, scheduling upto a year in advance, and an automatic audit trail. The schedule can reside on a LAN so each department can maintain its own schedule, record notes on changes, andaccess historical views. Schedules are password protected.The on-call schedule with Internet access maintains all of thelocal application functionality.

“It is so easy to maintain complex database information which can include names, specialties, accountnumber, alpha pager number, home phone, hospital relationships,” said user JoAnn Brown, RN at Speed E-Z

Physicians Exchange.For more information, call

Startel at 800-782-7835 or visit itsWeb site at www.Startelcorp.com.

Telescan: Spectrum on-callscheduler helps call centers trackclients’ complex on-call schedulesso that messages can be relayedaccurately and effectively. Spectrumon-call scheduler drastically reducesthe time to manage these clientschedules. It allows clients to entertheir own daily, weekly, monthly, oryearly schedules, along with contact information using any Windows-based PC or laptop. The client sends the schedule electronically tothe call center where it is instantlyavailable to agents who are processing calls. After agents take amessage, they then click the appropriate contact method, which ispresented in a time sensitive pop-upwindow.

Contact Telescan at 800-770-7662 or www.telescan.net.

(Case study on page 18)


ON-CALL SCHEDULING SOFTWARE(Continued from page 15)


ON-CALL SCHEDULING SOFTWARE COMPARISON CHARTCompany Almond Hill Alston Alston Amtelco CadCom Startel Telescan LLC

Enterprises, Inc. Tascom, Inc. Tascom, Inc. Telesystems Corporation

Product name Turbo-On-Call™ Evolution On-Call Appointments Infinity On-Call AccuCall Startel’s On-Call SpectrumScheduler OnCall.com Scheduling module On Call Scheduling On-Call

Platform Platform Tascom Evolution Platform Amtelco CadCom Startel Spectrumindependent System independent Infinity AccuCall (workstation

module 4.0or higher)

Hosted Hosted Installed at Hosted Hosted or Installed at Installed at Installed at(Web-based) or call center installed at call center call center call centerinstalled at call centercall center

Pricing $19.95 per Included with $500 one time Monthly fee for Included at Dependent on Priced perschedule system setup fee hosted option no extra charge! the customer schedule or

per month (for call center) and or purchased configuration per seat($9.95 per month $35/month/on-call for Infinity (Some options

add-on to account include a server)TurboSchedule)

ANSWERING SERVICEEQUIPMENT

• 4 to 16 D.I.D. Trunks• 800 Client Records• Internal Patching• Works with Any KSU• Easy to Install• 24/7 Customer Support

Dealer Inquiries Invited.Please call for free color brochures

& complete dealer packet.

800-648-3207 AMERICOM

www.Americom1.orgwww.TASequipment.com

The Identifier Plus

FINANCINGAVAILABLE


On-Call Scheduling Case Studyby Gary DuPont

Masco Services Inc. (MSI) offers a full range of telecom-munications services, including centralized attendant and mainnumber answering, radio-paging and cellular dispatch, and traditional message center services to the medical community.

MSI uses a multi-tasking call processing system integratingthe Avaya ACD and the LAN-based system provided byXtend Communications for directory, paging, on-call, andtelemessaging functions. Gary DuPont, Director ofTelecommunications at MSI said, “The On-Call application,an integral part of the Xtend paging and answering servicemodule, maintains accurate coverage schedules enablingthose individuals on call to be reached efficiently. The program is an extremely flexible and powerful tool used byour customer care representatives and clients daily.”

“The problems with on-call schedules are manifold,” saidMary Gaughan, senior customer care supervisor at MSI.“The volume of data can be enormous. Some of our clientskeep hundreds of separate schedules for multiple sub-disciplines. This can mean hundreds of changes per

month. Every time a change is made, there is potential forerrors that can adversely affect service delivery. By using theon-call program we know who made the change and when.Lastly, we have made the on-call program accessible to ourclients so they can input and update their own information ona regular basis.”

MSI takes advantage of Xtend Enhanced On-call to accurately and efficiently contact the person on call at a giventime. Enhanced On-call is paging-status-aware, with the system tracking up to 99 customer defined paging states.Typically, an organization relies on ten status types. Thesemay include “in-hospital on-page,” “in surgery – messagesstored,” “covered by – (where another pager ID is receivingthe paging messages on their own pager),” “available – longrange pager” and “unavailable for page.” Including the statusinformation within the on-call software quickly notifiesagents of the paging status of that staff member or allowsstaff members to carry “job” pagers. Job pagers are commonlypassed between on-call members and are sometimes used inlieu of a true on-call product.

Enhanced on-call is an important tool at MSI. It alsoincludes multiple report formats and allows schedules to bebuilt years in advance. The company asks clients to submittheir schedules at least one month in advance. MSI is currentlyworking on moving the responsibility of maintaining the individual on-call schedules back to the individual departmentsthey represent using Xtend’s WebXchange application. n





Call centers that handle protected health informationneed a strategy for meeting the government security and privacy mandates of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act), which was signed into law in 1996.

HIPAA is an evolving government mandate that setsstandards for the security and privacy of protected healthinformation. HIPAA security and privacy rules require covered entities, such as hospitals and health care centers,along with business associates of covered entities, to institutepolicies and procedures that reasonably safeguard suchinformation, whether it is exchanged verbally or electronically.

To meet the various HIPAA requirements, many healthcare companies have created their own HIPAA task force.These groups are responsible for keeping up with the ever-changing HIPAA requirements and for determining howtheir company’s purchases of hardware, software, and outsourced technology solutions are affected by these rules.Companies rely on vendors to provide hardware and softwaresolutions that will comply with the HIPAA rules and toenhance the products and solutions to maintain compatibilitywith future changes.

It is critical to stay up to date on the changes to HIPAAregulations. Some vendors, such as my company, StartelCorp. of Irvine, Calif., have assembled a strategic team ofsoftware engineers and HIPAA attorneys to continue toreview HIPAA requirements and implement necessarychanges in software platforms. Customers should look totheir vendors to provide solutions that will enable them tocost-effectively implement the modifications to remainHIPAA compliant.


by James M. Ballard

HowHIPAA

AffectsYou

How will HIPAA compliance affect you? If your call center takes and forwards messages that contain protected healthinformation, such as patient messages to health care practitioners, HIPAA requires you to take reasonable steps toavoid the accidental disclosure of these messages. Some steps aresimple to implement. For instance, depending on the environment, operators may need to speak softly and limit theamount of personal information they include in patient messages. Other strategies require technical safeguards, and that’swhere a vendor’s add-on “HIPAA features” become critical.

One of the most important HIPAA regulations affecting callcenters is the safeguarding of protected health information that iselectronically stored. One easy way to protect patient informationis to require a secured, password-based login, which effectivelyblocks unauthorized access to such information. The systemshould be designed to automatically log off unattended workstationsafter a certain amount of time, and require a password for accessingworkstations and central databases. Privacy screens can also beused to darken the screen if there has been no activity for a givenamount of time. The operator can reactivate the screen with amouse click or may be required to re-enter his or her password.The user should be able to determine the timing and the requiredsteps to re-enter the system.

HIPAA regulations also require call centers to restrict unnecessary access to electronically stored patient information.An audit trail of who has accessed this information is critical. Thisaudit trail should show the message number or identifier, the date

and time it was accessed, and by whom. The audit informationitself should be protected to reduce the risk of sensitive informationbeing revealed. Each time a message is viewed, saved, printed, orsent to a client, that information should be recorded in this log,along with details about when and by whom the action was initiated.Audit trails help you to comply with access rules by recording how,and by whom, messages and other patient data have been handled.

Information transmitted by most e-mail systems is vulnerableto interception. HIPAA security regulations require call centers to encrypt or otherwise safeguard protected health informa-tion that is transmitted over the Internet. HIPAA software helpsyou to meet this requirement by adding a simple encryption mech-anism to your e-mail system. Upon receiving encrypted e-mails,clients use a standard key for decryption.

Fax transmissions of patient data must also be handled with care.HIPAA software should provide a confidential cover sheetexplaining that the fax contains sensitive material. Ideally, the coversheet should automatically be attached to the fax prior to being sent.

By using Health Level 7 data transfer protocol, the movement of patient information to online directories is controlled by the sender, so that sensitive patient information isprotected. The directory used by the operators needs to be flexibleenough to restrict viewing of patient information, while enablingoperators to provide sufficient information to callers for efficientand effective call processing.

It is critical for companies required to comply with HIPAA towork with vendors that have studied the legal aspects of the regulationand that understand the implementation issues. Many vendors arestruggling with HIPAA and only a few have employed legal andengineering experts to safeguard your implementation of HIPAAcompliant software. Before purchasing a product that will be gov-erned by HIPAA standards, be sure to review how the vendorarrived at its solutions and whether it meets your company’sHIPAA task force standards. HIPAA regulations will continue tochange and your vendor must have the capability and knowledgeto change with the rules, so that you and your company can maintain a HIPAA-compliant environment. n

James Ballard is director of sales at Startel Corp. For further information on the Startel Corp. HIPAA compliancestandards, please e-mail [email protected].

How HIPAA Affects You(Conti ued from page 19)

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Axon User’sGroup SpringMeeting

The Axon User’s Group (AUG) held their 2003 springmeeting in Las Vegas, April 4 and 5. Approximately 50 peopleattended, exceeding early expectations. The attendees werewarmly welcomed by AUG vice president, Diane Soundersand heard opening remarks from president, Rose Nigro.

This was the first AUG meeting since the announcementof Telescan’s acquisition of Axon, as reported in the Marchissue of Connections, and members were interested in meeting Roger Young, Bobby Riggs, Patty Anderson, andMary Stuckey from Telescan.

Mike Truelock called the meeting to order and introducedTelescan president, Roger Young. Roger reviewed the similarities between the two companies including their historyof providing reliable products and offering personal service.Their two product lines, however, are complementary,addressing adjacent segments of the telemessaging industry;Axon offers cost-effective solutions for 2 to 8 position systemsand Telescan specializes in 6 to 12 positions platforms. Aninvigorating Q and A session followed, allowing questions andconcerns to be addressed. The bottom line is that Telescanwill continue to serve and support Axon system users.

In addition to Axon and Telescan, other vendors presentwere TASBill.com (providing bill printing and distributionservices, plus general printing and call center services), DBMasters (billing software), and ICG Communications (aCLEC serving more that 20 major markets in the United States).

April Otto, from TASBill.com, discussed her company’sservices, which include bill printing and mailing, profitabilityand billing software, and outsourcing outbound calls to AsianCall Centres. Craig Pierce, with ICG Communications,shared ideas on disaster recovery and options to reroute calls.Ron Kritzman, from DB Masters, concluded the day with aninformative discussion on using an Axon remote position,how to better manage the Axon system’s database, and hisbilling software. Telescan sponsored the evening’s activities,featuring dinner at Billy Bob’s in Sam’s Town.

The Saturday session opened with Peter DeHaan presenting a two-year “plan for success,” detailing steps forattendees on how to grow their business, improve quality, andincrease sales. Patty Anderson, from Telescan, followed withan informative session on the HIPAA regulations which arenow in effect. The business meeting was after lunch, whichwas followed by round table discussions on topics of interest.Rose Nigro thanked attendees for their participation and support of AUG and adjourned the conference.


The Beginning: Now headquartered in Enid, Okla., CadCom Telesystems

was founded in 1984 by a group of Lockheed Aerospace development engineers in Marietta, Ga. Building on the computerscience background and business talents of its founders, companyofficials set out to develop products specifically for the telephone answering service market. Their idea was to supply asuite of products providing improved automation and integration to services of all sizes. CadCom went on to pioneerseveral technological advancements. The LineMaster systemwas the first digital integrated switch to be aimed specifically atanswering services. FaxMaster was one of the first internal faxing devices to operate without the need for an external system.

The Transition: In an effort to become a leading supplier, CadCom looked

to sales agents to supplement its direct sales efforts. One ofthose was Communication Services, owned by Jack Baldwin.Communication Services was formally established in 1985 as asales distributorship for Axon answering service equipmentthroughout the U.S. and also operated its own answering service. The Axon 4V paper-based product line was ultimatelypurchased by Communication Services and moved fromCalifornia to Oklahoma. By 1987, customers, includingBaldwin’s own answering service, demanded advances in technology that resulted in Communication Services becominga dealer for CadCom Telesystems. CadCom’s LineMasterseries provided larger growth options, paperless messaging,automatic paging, and new faxing options.

In 1995, Communication Services had grown to 15employees and become the main sales and service agent forCadCom. As a result, Baldwin was able to purchase CadComand move it from Georgia to Oklahoma. CommunicationServices remained the answering service name while CadComTelesystems became the name of the company’s manufacturingand equipment sales division. In becoming a one-stop-shop,CadCom had diversified its product offering to answering servicesincluding digital voice recorders, order processing software,voice mail systems, and phone systems. CadCom also beganreselling Southwestern Bell services as an authorized agent. By2000, CadCom had grown to become the third largest manufacturer of answering service equipment in North America.

By the spring of 2000, growth had caused a space problemand as a result CadCom moved from a 12,500 sq ft facility to a70,000 sq ft building. This facility is state-of-the-art and allowsfor larger research and development efforts. A dedicated training room, two conference rooms, and a cafeteria ensures an

enclosed campus environment that translates into an enjoyablework environment. There is even an independently ownedanswering service that is located in the building.

In October 2000, CadCom’s new product offering,AccuCall, was installed at its first beta site. In February 2001,AccuCall was formally introduced at the CadCom EquipmentOwners (CEO) Conference in Las Vegas. AccuCall features atop-to-bottom call flow design that provides the ability to handlelarge volumes of calls with minimal staff. New automationtools include an on-call scheduler which takes over the messagedispatch process from the time the message is saved, ensuringthe correct person is paged every time. Other innovationsinclude Web page screen-pops, internal voice logging, andalarm reports for managers. If an agent goes out of rotationearly or a sudden spike of incoming calls occurs, the supervisorcan be alerted to ensure that no calls are missed.

CadCom Users Group: The CadCom Equipment Owners Association, Inc. (CEO)

is a volunteer organization comprised of telemessaging servicesand call centers that use CadCom’s telemessaging equipment.

CEO was formed in 1991, with about 40 users attending thefirst meeting. Since that time CEO’s membership has expandedto more than 100 users. The national user group meeting occursevery February with regional meetings held in the fall.

CEO provides an excellent resource for gathering ideas onhow to improve operations, get new accounts, and keep staff motivated. Today many services provide more than a messagingtaking function. Many take orders, handle order fulfillment, provide delivery services, or resell mobile phone and pagers.CadCom works to keep products at the forefront of the ever-changing face of business, relying heavily on feedback frommembers of CEO to guide product development and generate newideas on how to help the end users to operate more profitably.

Other successes:The company’s Business Solutions division was initially

created to help end the finger pointing between vendors duringequipment installations. In November 2000, CadCom spun offits Southwestern Bell agency and started Business Solutions.By the end of 2001, Business Solutions was the second-largestreseller out of 495 agencies for Southwestern Bell Telephone inits five-state region. By January, Business Solutions grew to 74employees and it now is the top “retention and acquisitionagent” for Southwestern Bell, servicing more than 115,000 businesses in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and Missouri. In addition, with the recent consolidation of SBC, BusinessSolutions can place orders for service in nearly all SBC


VendorProfileCom TelesystemsCadProviding Telemessaging Solutions for Buisness Success

territories stretching from California to Connecticut.The demand for voice logging in diverse industries gave

the company an additional opportunity. In February 2001,CadCom spun off its “voice recording” product and formedVoiceLogger. Starting with four employees from CadCom andfunding from an Enid Angel Investment Group, VoiceLoggerhas emerged as one of the top 15 call logging companies in theU.S. In less than two years, VoiceLogger grew to a base ofmore than 300 customers, which include USAF, the U.S. PostalService, Conoco/Phillips, Time Warner, Bell South, Dell, andNorthrop Grumman. VoiceLogger has been named “Innovatorof the Year” in 2001 and 2003 by The Journal Record. It wasalso named to the “Million Dollar Hall of Fame” by theOklahoma Technology Commercialization Center in 2001.

Both moves allowed CadCom to keep its core concentra-tion on the telemessaging industry.

Today:Today, CadCom is focused on providing solutions for

teleservice companies through a series of diversified productofferings: AccuCall, AccuScript, and VM3. AccuCall hasevolved into an enhanced CTI telemessaging platform offeringoff-the-shelf hardware with a standard client server applicationin a traditional computer network environment. Customers canhave the bulk of their hardware and computer network needshandled through local resources and the scalability providesenough flexibility to handle large service needs or start up configurations with tools to help end users successfully attractand retain customers.

The Future: CadCom understands that its customers’ businesses

revolve around their clients, who expect first-rate service.CadCom is continuing to expand its research and developmentoperations to provide new ways for its customers to create revenue from their existing customer base, along with targetingnew customer bases. In the next year, CadCom plans to continue to provide a suite of products and services that willhelp customers continue to expand their revenue stream andgrow their business. The first step in this direction will be tointroduce Portal, a unified communication system that willincorporate traditional unified messaging functionality withcustomization options. Portal’s integration with AccuCall isexpected to provide increased services offerings.

About Jack Baldwin: In 1985, Baldwin founded a telephone answering service

called Communications Services to serve the needs of hisOklahoma-based insurance agency. He then began the purchase and consolidation of equipment manufacturers withinthe industry. His first product was the AXON 4V, which waspurchased from AXON Corp. in 1990. In 1995 Baldwin purchased CadCom, which he then moved to Oklahoma.Baldwin was named by the Enid Chamber of Commerce in 2001as the Enid Businessman of the Year and was appointed to the

At A Glance

• Founded 1987 Marietta Georgia

• Presently located in Enid, Okla.

• Industry: Telephone answering

service equipment provider

• Offers 24/7 service and support

365 days per year

• Main contact number

800 4 CadCom (800-422-3266)

• Web Site: http://www.cadcom.com

• Products offered:

-AccuCall (answering service system)

-AccuScript (order entry / scripting)

-Portal (unified communications / voicemail)

• Executive staff:

-Jack Baldwin: President & CEO

-Sherry Pippin: Vice President of Human Resources

-Jerry Hill: Vice President of Business Development

-J.R. Criner: Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Company History Timeline:

Company introduces the LineMaster series

1989 Expanded paperless system introduced

1991 CEO group started by users

Company purchased by Jack Baldwin

ComMaster, providing Batch Paging and E-mail

message delivery introduced.

1998 VM3 Voice Messaging System with IVR, Auto

Attendant, and Alpha Transcription introduced.

1998 DigiVoice1 digital voice recorder introduced

2000 AccuCall released for beta testing

AccuCall Windows 2000 server system released

2001 AccuScript Order Entry and Scripting software

introduced

2002 On Call Scheduler for AccuCall released

2002 Internal VoiceLogger for AccuCall released

2002 Installed AccuCall at first hospital client

2002 Completed first overseas sale of AccuCall in

Tanzania

2003 Released AccuCall Web server for remote access

For more information on CadCom, visit www.cadcom.comor call 800-422-3266. For more information on the CEO user group, call 800-311-3550 or visitwww.cadcom.com/CadcomEquipmentOwners.htm.

Jack Baldwin: President & CEO


ATSI Awards Answer 1 “24/7 Gold Certification”

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) ispleased to announce that Answer 1 Communications ofPhoenix has been awarded 24/7 Gold Certification.

24/7 Gold Certification is an ATSI peer review programfocused on call centers’ ability to maintain 99.99 percentannual run-time. Answer 1 met 56 requirements in areasincluding business practices, training and emergency procedures to receive the 24/7 Gold Certification.

ATSI is an international trade association established byand for entrepreneurs in the TeleServices business. Theseinclude telephone answering services, voice-mail services,telemarketing services and any other business that providesenhanced communication services.

SNUG Sets 2004 Conference Dates

The Startel Network Users’ Group (SNUG) has set the datesfor its 2004 annual conference. It will be held at the HyattNewporter hotel in Newport Beach, Calif., from February 1-4, 2004.

For more information www.snugonline.org/calendar.htmor contact Dan L’Heureux at 800-317-8529.

CEO Member Develops HIPAA Workbook

At their meeting on April 2, 2003, the CEO Board of Directors announced the publication of “HIPAA InformationWorkbook, Discussing our Private Parts” by one of its members,Robert Bader, Physicians Programs, Inc. of Flint, MI.

This is free to all CEO members as a part of their memberbenefits and is designed as an easy to understand, systematicguide to help members navigate through the shoals of thebureaucratic regulations imposed by HIPAA.

It includes a brief explanation of the Health InsurancePortability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and a privacyand security rules virtual walk-through; it addresses BAAs(Business Associates Agreement) and how this applies to call cen-ters; it addresses security protections, access tracing, administrativeprotection, and offers options. This workbook is a “must have” forevery call center that handles medical related calls.

The final version of the workbook will be posted on theCEO Web site at www.ceogroup.org. Watch the CEO newslet-ter and list serve for further details. (Members can sign on withtheir user name and password to download the workbook or printa copy of it.)


AssociationNEWS

Be sure and tell our advertisers that you saw them in

Connections Magazine.

Almond Hill Enterprises Releases TurboSchedule 3.0

Almond Hill Enterprises announced an early second quarterrelease of version 3.0 of TurboSchedule, a patented, Internet-based, agent-assisted appointment scheduling solution.TurboSchedule 3.0 introduces new features including:

•Address book select: a centralized address book for use bymultiple calendar owners

•Schedule by date: enables users to change the work schedule of a single day

•Dual/alternate schedule: enables users to implement a second work schedule, allowing for schedule changes and planning of vacation periods

•Improved date navigation: allows for simplified bookingand date navigation

•Recurring appointment scheduling: allows for simplifiedbooking of standing appointments

•Event logging: enables additions, changes, and deletions ofappointments to be tracked by initiator and accessible for reports

•Mini-month calendar: allows for easier navigation ofweekly, two-week, and day views

Almond Hill Enterprises provides scheduling solutionsfor the teleservices and call center environment. For moreinformation, contact Almond Hill Enterprises at 800-398-6100 or [email protected].

SqueezeMeIn Offers Multilingual Web Site ForAppointment Scheduling

SqueezeMeIn, a provider of Web-based scheduling software, announced the addition of new functions to its onlinescheduling service.

The SqueezeMeIn online scheduling service now enablesusers to process online reservations in other languages. Thesame schedule can be presented in the caller’s or agent’s choiceof language. This flexibility can be important when, forinstance, much of a doctor’s office staff may be English speaking, but many patients are Hispanic.

SqueezeMeIn is currently beta testing the upgrade in Swedenwhere a high percentage of people are bilingual. This will allow some-one to schedule an appointment and read the site in Swedish, whileallowing a call center agent to read the same schedule in English.

“Since all the text is held in configuration files, addingother languages is relatively easy,” said SqueezeMeIn’s ShaneGreen. “The translation consists of two parts, the standard textfound throughout the site and customer-specific text.” In additionto Swedish and Spanish, Italian and German will soon be available. Other languages will be added as requested by users.

For more information contact Shane Green at 870-492-6974 or [email protected] or visit the company’sWeb site at www.SqueezeMeIn.com.

Amtelco Introduces Customizable Unified Reports

The new Infinity software version 5.2 offers an optionalunified reporting application called Unified Reports. UnifiedReports combines all reports into a single interface, accessiblefrom Infinity and eCreator supervisor applications. Thisincludes reports from MDR, Infinity, eCreator, IVR,UltraComm, Printer Capture, and Voice Logger. UnifiedReports uses Crystal Reports® 9.0 as its reporting engine.

Supervisors can run predefined reports and can generatetheir own reports. Information can be exported to many filetypes, including delimited files, Access tables, Excel spreadsheets, e-mail messages, and HTML documents.

Other features include:• Network Printer Capture: Send printer capture events

and reports over the network. • Billing Compatibility Report: This report bridges the

gap between call center statistics and client billing. Thereport allows the call center to add or delete fields to matchbilling. It also allows for customization of each field tomatch formulas used in billing programs.

• Report Creator: The optional Report Creator allowssupervisors to create custom reports or modify predefinedreports. It also allows data from multiple reports to be combined into one report.

For more information contact Amtelco at 800-356-9148or 608-838-4194, or visit callcenter.Amtelco.com.


Association of TeleServices International12 Academy Avenue, Atkinson, NH 03811Toll Free (866) [email protected]

VendorNEWS


Tascom Evolution Releases On-Call Scheduler Version 3.1

Alston Tascom, Inc. announced the release of Version3.1 of its Evolution on-call scheduling program. The on-callscheduler can be programmed more than a year in advanceand allows authorized agents to make temporary changes as the need arises. Administrators can build client on-call schedulesbased on a pre-formed template and add customized fields.

The Tascom on-call scheduler automatically indicates whichindividuals are currently on call, along with their contact infor-mation. The agent can then speed-dial the appropriate individual.

Clients can update their own on-call schedules via emailor Web-based connectivity, using their existing spreadsheetsand databases. The Tascom Evolution client Web featureallows the client and their permitted staff to view and updateon-call information via a friendly Web interface.

For more information, contact Bill Cortus, Marketing Manager,at 909-548-7300, option 3 or [email protected]. VisitAlston Tascom at www.alstontascom.com.

VLR Announces Web PageEnhancements

VLR Communications announced a number of recentenhancements to its Web page. These include:

• First Capitol’s Quick Lease, an online lease calculator forproducts found on VLR’s Web site. Input the equipment costand estimate the lease cost from a dollar buyout or fair marketlease. Lease periods are from two to five years. Quick Leasecan be used to estimate equipment purchase costs.

• Extend Communication’s Starchive, an on-demandrecording system featuring automatic e-mail of recordingswhen a call is completed.

• ISS’s Voice Sensor, a business intelligence system thatdetects dissatisfied callers.

• Forum Communications’ latest conference bridge, theConfer III. The Confer III’s features include echo cancellation,recorded greetings, and remote control and monitor functions.

• Melco’s Teletrainer, a service observing system.• Vidicode’s Quad, a new four-channel recorder with

optional LAN archive and playback.VLR Communications has been selling logging recorders for

more than 20 years. See its extensive on-line catalog at www.vlrcommunications.com or call 800-369-8273.

Startel Appoints Geri Cerkovnik as Director of Marketing

Startel Corp. announced the appointment of Geri Cerkovnikas director of marketing. Cerkovnik will be responsible for drivingproduct marketing and development, marketing communica-

tions, and strategic planning. She will also lead Startel’s branding and advertising efforts, and be in charge of the company’soverall marketing strategy. She will report to Peter Stergakos,CTO. “We are truly fortunate to add Geri Cerkovnik to ourteam. The combination of experience and telecom industryknowledge she brings will be invaluable in helping us realize ourgrowth as a leader of call center solutions,” Stergakos said.

Cerkovnik brings to Startel 15 years of experience in telecom-munications, business development, and marketing. She holds aBS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the West VirginiaUniversity and an MBA from George Washington University.

Visit Startel at http://www.startelcorp.com.

Amtelco Introduces Mainframe Integration

Amtelco announced a new mainframe integration application which integrates with the Infinity WindowsOperator. This new application allows agents to pop upmainframe screens from the Infinity Windows Operator,which enables them to enter data directly into the mainframeas part of their call processing functions. Eliminating theneed for separate mainframe-interface PCs to access mainframe data can save agent time and equipment costs.

The mainframe screen can be configured to open automatically and pop to the foreground when an agentanswers a call, or can be brought up on demand by the agentwith the press of a button. The agent can also toggle betweenthe Infinity Telephone Agent screen and the mainframescreen with simple keyboard commands.

During call handling, the Infinity Telephone Agent applicationcan look up information in the mainframe or ancillary applicationdatabase and display results on the appropriate pages, columns,and rows of the mainframe screen. Also, the Infinity TelephoneAgent can pass preprogrammed keystrokes into the mainframe toautomate menu navigation and information lookup.

For more information contact Amtelco at 800-356-9148or 608-838-4194, or visit callcenter.amtelco.com.

Almond Hill Enterprises Launches Turbo-On-Call

Almond Hill Enterprises has announced a planned earlysecond quarter release of Turbo-On-Call, its new on-callscheduler. Turbo-On-Call is a stand-alone system that allowsmedical office staffs to easily enter and maintain schedules ina Web-based calendar with secure real-time accessibility bythe call center, office staff, and physicians.

It also integrates with TurboSchedule calendars to complete a unified scheduling system. Like TurboSchedule,Turbo-On-Call requires no capital outlay, no special hardware, and no software to load or maintain, and it workswith any teleservice or call center system.

Almond Hill Enterprises provides scheduling solutionsfor teleservices and call center environments. For moreinformation, contact Almond Hill Enterprises at 800-398-6100 or [email protected].


VendorNEWS(Continued from page 27)

AMBB Announces New Marketing Toolkit

AM Business Builders (AMBB) announced the upcomingrelease of marketing and sales tools for the traditional answering service.

The program will provide business owners with a simpleand effective means to market their services. It will use thelatest publishing-on-demand technology and each kit will becustomized to the client, allowing for immediate use withoutany further editing, if needed.

“Unlike programs presented in the past, this one is gearedto be simple. No computer experience is necessary to reproduce these high-quality marketing materials,” saidChuck Boyce, owner of AM Business Builders. “We viewthis as a long-term project, with periodic updates, and platform or feature-specific enhancements to be made available in the future.”

The program will be kicked off at the Association ofTeleservices International Convention on June 18 at Disney’sContemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla. The introductory priceis $795 for initial toolkit, which includes tracks for targetinggeneral business, medical business and covered entities, andservice businesses.

Founded in 2001, AM Business Builders is a business and

marketing consultancy. For more information contact ChuckBoyce at 302-777-0535 or [email protected].

TeleBlock Used by VeriSign;Provides DNC Service to PaeTecComm

Mountain View, CA – VeriSign, Inc., announced thatPaeTec Communications, Inc. is implementing its do-not-call(DNC) service to help clients comply with telemarketing regulations. VeriSign’s TeleBlock DNC service combinespatented technology from Call Compliance, Inc. withVeriSign’s intelligent network infrastructure. This technologyprovides telecom carriers with an up-to-date, centralizedsource of the data in every available state, proprietary, andthird party DNC list, plus a technology solution for automatedcall blocking to telephone numbers in those databases.

TeleBlock DNC service keeps auto-dialed calls fromrestricted voice and fax numbers. Telemarketing companiesare thus better able to comply with state and federal laws.They can also avoid fines and penalties levied by states andthe federal government for incidents of non-compliance withconsumer demands to block unsolicited marketing calls byplacing their names on do-not-call lists.

By hosting the TeleBlock solution on VeriSign’s nationwide SS7 network infrastructure, the DNC service isquick to implement with no additional hardware or softwarerequired at the call center location.


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ANSWER: Speed. First come, first served.When an attractive new listing comes on the market, there may be several offers within a matter of hours.

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“The urgent need for TeleBlock across the teleservicespectrum is increasing on almost a daily basis,” said AlisonGarfinkel, president of Call Compliance. “Teleservice professionals inundated with all of today’s compliancerequirements are turning to technology for answers.TeleBlock provides them.”

Call Compliance provides technological solutions in the compliance sector. For more information: www.callcompliance.com, 888-674-6774, or [email protected].

Connections Web Site Usage Sets Another New Mark

Usage of the Connections Magazine Web site set anotherrecord in March. Greatly surpassing the old mark of 27,000hits, the site now averages more than 1,000 hits a day and seta single month record of 41,488 hits.

During the month, 4,381 different users downloaded 1,154Megabytes of information. These marks were also records.

“It is gratifying to see that usage has quadrupled in thepast 12 months,” said Connections Magazine Publisher PeterDeHaan. “This proves that we are providing valuable information that people use.”

Visit the Connections Magazine Web site atwww.ConnectionsMagazine.com. For banner ad opportunities, contact Valerie Port at 866-668-6694 [email protected]

MedCom Certified by Affinity and Proximity

MedCom Professional Services, Inc., (MedCom) basedin Levittown, PA, announced recent certifications enablingthe company to offer videoconferencing services and conference room rentals.

MedCom has installed the Polycom ViewStation 512 with 384k bandwidth for 30 frames per second video andaudio. MedCom is certified by the Affinity and Proximitynationwide public videoconferencing networks.

For more information, please contact Tom Sheridan,Vice President, or Chris Bell, President, at 215-752-8099.

Free Guidebook: Quality Measurement Methods or Call Center Managers

Customer Relationship Metrics, L.C. of Sterling, Va., has a freequality measurement guidebook available on its Web site atwww.Metrics.net . Site visitors participating in a brief survey willreceive an electronic copy of the guidebook. It is beneficial to call


PressRELEASES


(Continued from page 29)

It is said that creativity and management are a great team.Yet, so many in senior management positions say, “I justcan’t be creative.” Here are some tips to help you becomemore creative:

Re-build an open mind: When we were kids everything wasnew and we had an open way of looking at things. It’s worth trying to get this attitude back now that you are in management.

Don’t censor yourself: One of my colleagues often says,“I know this is a dumb question, but…” and then he asks thevery question that was on everyone’s mind. We often don’task these “dumb” questions because we censor ourselves.Just because you are in a management role,this does not mean you knoweverything. Importantly,you are not expected

to know everything, so you’ll lead better by being the first tosay, “I don’t know.”

Move on from mistakes: I once watched a creative teamof art director and copywriter working on an advertising campaign. Some of their words and ideas were clearly ridiculous. As they talked, one or the other would come upwith an awful line or a weak joke. But they just moved on.They did not keep reminding each other of their failed efforts.They did not fear mistakes; nor should you.

Keep active, be involved: Creativity needs feeding, andthe best food is the wonderful diversity of human life. If allyou do is work, you will become dull. To keep your creativeenergies flowing, get out of your chair. See a movie. If youmust watch TV, watch something you would normally reject.You don’t have to sit glued to the business news or currentaffairs. Buy a different magazine. Don’t keep closing moreand more doors on the outside world: start to smash some ofthem open. That’s a big step towards increasing your level ofcreativity.

Leave things alone: Sometimes you need to get up fromyour desk, walk away, and give a thorny problem a rest for awhile. “Let’s sleep on that” can be good advice.

Act on the idea: Once creativity arises, you have to put itto work. Pass it on, write it down, share your idea withfriends or colleagues, or take any other action that commitsthe creativity to memory. One of the big differences betweencreative management and the rest is having the courage to putyour ideas into action.

To get ahead in management today, you need more thantechnical or professional skills. You need to be more than awell-read lawyer or accountant, more than an MBA, and morethan a marketing expert – you also need creative communication: the ability to get your message across. n

Stephen Manallack has more than 20 years experience as afreelance communication consultant and is a professionalspeaker and author of “You Can Communicate; PR Secretsfor Personal Success,” Pearson Education, 2002. He can becontacted in Australia at 613 9827 9368 or by email [email protected].

How to Manage More

Creatively


by Stephen Manallack

PINThe Professional Inbound Network (PIN) annual meeting

was held in New Orleans at the Chateau LaMoyne.Professional Teledata hosted a reception on Wednesday andpresented their new product – PInnacle. The product bringsscripting capabilities to the telemessaging environment. “The demonstration of PInnacle was simply phenomenal,”stated Kevin Lehmann. “I’m itching to get my hands on that system.”

PIN thanks “The PI Guys,” Allen Kalik, Pat Kalik,Alan Hartman, Jim Graham, Dale Schafer, Cindy White,and Ernie Waldron for their educational presentations.

Presenters included George Kushiner , KenGoldenberg, Jeff Wood, John Freire, Keven Lehmann,Tonie Stevens, Ray Shaw, Randy Harmat, RebeccaLittleton-Salvati, and Jim Marchbank. The informationthey shared was insightful and contained outstanding information.

The guest speaker was Robert Roscoe of RoscoeConsulting, LLC. Bob talked with the attendees aboutachieving maximum growth levels.

Elections for board members and officers were heldThursday afternoon. Officers for 2003-2004 include RandyHarmat – President, Ray Shaw – VP, Peter Gross –Treasurer, and Dorren West – Secretary. Other board members include Bill Bosch – conference chairman, KevenLehmann – Director, and Elaine Senecal – Director. Theboard thanked Ken Goldenberg, Rebecca Littleton-Salvati,and Susan Fisher for their many contributions as their terms ended.

The group was lead through the streets of New OrleansThursday night, on a ghost tour; though no ghosts were sighted, they heard some amazing historical stories. Fridaynight’s dinner at the Nola restaurant was outstanding; everyoneenjoyed the chef’s five-course private event tasting menu.

“If you missed the PIN conference this year, you missedone of the best conferences in years,” concluded Lehmann.

Next year’s convention will be in New England; thedates have not yet been determined. n

Professional InboundNetwork Users GroupAnnual MeetingMarch 27 to 29by E. Senecal


photo: Alan Hartmann




photo: Ernie Waldron

photo: Ernie Waldron

By all indications, the printing of ConnectionsMagazine on glossy paper has been a big hit.

Connections looks great on the new glossy stock! It’s awonderful improvement!

- Laura LaLuzerne, Amtelco

Beautiful Magazine! Great upgrade; well done!- Chris Twigg, Broadfield Imaging

Congratulations on a super issue. The new look is wonderful, and the content, as usual, is timely and interesting.

- Douglas Duncan, Almond Hill Enterprises, Inc.

Another great Connections: Received my magazine andwent through it. Another great job.

- Jon Weichelt VLR Communications

Web site kudos:Just thought that I would drop you a note of thanks, bothfor the good articles in your magazine and for the content on your Web site. I was logged on today, looking up where an area code is located. Really goodstuff in both places! You help me do my job more effectively! Thanks.

- Mike Shantz

[Look up area code information, view the coming eventscalendar, check out industry vendors, and read hundreds of articles on the Connections Web site atwww.ConnectionsMagazine.com.]

FeedBACK

Correction: In Michele Ringwood’s outstanding article,“What Does it Mean to be a Bilingual Call Center,”(April 2003) we printed her company name incorrectly.It is Pronto Connections. We are sorry for this error.

We want to hear from you!Connections Magazine welcomes and encouragesreader feedback. Email your thoughts, comments, andsuggestions to [email protected]. Allsubmissions may be edited for clarity, length, or content.(All communications will be considered for publicationunless clearly marked, “not for publication.”)


The average citizen doesn’t want to chat with convictedfelons. So the idea that prisoners might call our homes to ask usquestions about which laundry detergent we prefer makes someof us ask, “Why let people like that phone me? Why should Ihave to talk to them?”

What many people don’t know, however, is that job-trainingprograms such as prison call centers are proven to help keep pris-oners from re-offending after they are released and, in Canada,inmates working in call centers never handle personal information.

Fenbrook Medium Security Institution sets the standard forfuture prison call centers in Canada. “We are touted as thebenchmark,” said Assistant Warden Willie Gladu. Yet allCanadian prison call centers, including Fenbrook, were temporarily shut down on October 18, after concerns were raisedby the National Association of Market Researchers about thewisdom and appropriateness of putting inmates on the phones.Corrections staff at two other prisons, Pittsburg Institution and

Westmoreland Institution, declined to answer any questions concerning their call centers, but Gladu is optimistic that all threecenters will reopen soon, and he is not alone.

Ellen Henderson, director of policy and regulatory affairs atCorrection Canada (Corcan), which employs federal inmates,agrees with Gladu. “These are not major problems, just concernsthat are being voiced,” she said. Michelle Pilon-Antilli, directorof media relations at Corrections Canada, added that the closureswere only “precautionary measures.”

Before the shutdown, Fenbrook employed 51 inmates in itscall center, and ran three other centers outside the prison. Allthree of the Canadian call centers had close partnerships with private sector companies who supplied the phone numbers andquestions to be asked.

“We supply the offenders and they pay the offenders,” saidGladu. The centers only deal with market research, and theinmates gather no personal information. The prisons are determined not to accept surveys or marketing contracts thatrequire prisoners to collect personal information, so as not totempt the inmates or worry the public. Calls are dialed by a


Prison Call Centers MayRe-Launch in Canada

by Nicole Davis

computer and all the inmate has is a telephone headset, a computer screen, and a keyboard to type in responses. Every callis monitored and staff members patrol the floor to help inmateswith problems.

Some problems include inmates wandering from the prescribed script or having inadequate recording skills. If aninmate strays from the script, the survey is stopped and theinmate is asked why he strayed. “It is a potential, but we monitor,” said Gladu. The majority of problems are typing-related. Many inmates have never worked with computersbefore and have poor typing skills. They must pass a course intyping to continue working in the call center.

Not every prisoner is able to work in a call center. Inmatesconvicted of fraud are rejected based upon their crime. As Gladupointed out, there are many steps to follow to apply for a position. Inmates must first apply in writing, and the applications are forwarded to a security staff that then sendsthem to the employment coordinator. The employment coordi-nator may or may not decide to proceed with the applications.

If the application is accepted, the call center supervisor theninterviews the inmate. The entire application then goes to theprogram board of six staff members who ultimately decide if theapplicant should work in the call center or not.

The CORCAN concept seems to be working. Along with thecall centers, CORCAN is responsible for all prison employmentprograms, and has seen the recidivism rate drop and prisonermoral increase. CORCAN employs more than 5,000 offendersstill in prison and 1,900 in communities. CORCAN claims that

there was a 27.8% reduction in re-offences in 1996 in 52 paroledoffenders who participated in CORCAN, compared to 19.2%one and a half years earlier.

Morale is also affected, and Henderson said she has seen it forherself. “Men have broken down and cried because they find theyare finally good at something,” she said. Men are trained and educated to work. If an inmate wants to work in a call center, orany other job in prison, he must receive education beforehand.

When inmates are accepted as CORCAN trainees, theylearn skills that can be useful in the workplace. They also learnthe skills necessary to be a good worker, from commitment toresponsibility to punctuality. Pilon-Antilli also said the programhelps inmates be self-sufficient.

CORCAN wants to train inmates for jobs when they areparoled, and the program offers men in call centers the chance towork in call centers outside of prison. In Fenbrook alone, 16inmates have received their certificates and of that group, threenow have jobs. Some are still in jail, but it may give them a better outlook on the future if they have a certificate in theirpocket telling them they can do a professional job.

Prisoners who have a future ahead of them – one thatincludes a possible job opportunity – may be much less likely tore-offend. They are trying to turn their lives around and have abetter chance in a program like CORCAN than they do sitting intheir cells.

Many experts in the field have faith in the program andbelieve that the call centers will be reinstated soon. Until then,Gladu said, “We wait.” n


Is your Yellow Page Ad not producing like it used to?

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Your Web site is a good place to start, but its only part of the solution.For pennies a day, your company name and contact information can

be listed in Connections Magazine’s telemessaging locator site.Prospects can search the site by company name, city, or state/province, as well as by various services and options.A year long listing is only $240 and will more that pay for itself

with your first sale.

For more information, go to www.ConnectionsMagazine.com/locator.html

or call Connections today: 866-668-6695

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. Don’t let your leads go to someone else.

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internal efficiencies and unique transition strategies we provide a simple, methodical, and zero-defect conversion of accounts

• With total confidence, seller watches the conversionunfold in an orderly and systematic progression

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• Long-term, local presence: in most acquisitions, weemploy a former staff member of the acquired answering service/call center as the Centratel customerservice representative for that geographical location

At our expense, the qualified seller is invited to visit ourcall center in beautiful Bend, Oregon.

[email protected] www.centratel.com/national800-639-1818



center executives, managers, and quality managers who hopeto maximize their return on investment in measuring quality,including tips on instituting quality measures such as creatinga balanced scorecard.

The foundation of customer relationship management is todevelop a comprehensive measurement program to quantify call sat-isfaction, which must be measured to complement a call-monitoringprogram. “The cost reduction and productivity enhancement focusof today has left out the most important element – the customer,”said Customer Relationship Metrics’ Vice President Jim Rembach.

For more information on Customer Relationship Metrics,please visit www.Metrics.net or contact Jim Rembach, 336-288-8226, [email protected].

Telescan Execs Learn Lesson;Director of Sales Win

Roger Young and Bobby Riggs, president and director ofTelescan, respectively, will think twice before they makeanother wager with their director of sales, Patty Anderson.The wager? Anderson bet that she would meet a lofty targetsales goal by the end of January. The prize? A full-coursedinner, presented to the winner by the loser.

Skeptics no more, Young and Riggs are making good ontheir wager. Anderson far exceeded her goal of selling sevennew systems over a 10-week period.

Telescan has provided the telemessaging industry withproducts and solutions for 26 years. For more informationabout Telescan’s products, call 314-426-7662.

New Opportunity for AmtelcoEVE users

Owners and users of Amtelco EVE systems are encour-aged to contact Bill Smith of Answer One in Brooklyn, NY,to learn more about opportunities to network with others whouse this equipment platform, including the ability to partici-pate in an EVE-specific listserv. Contact Smith at 718-748-8888 or [email protected].

PressRELEASES

ATTENTION Vendors and Readers

Send your News and Product Releases by e-mail

to [email protected].

Submissions are due by the “insertion deadline”

date found on page 7 or on our Web site at

www.ConnectionsMagazine.com/dates.html


Do you do Outbound

Campaigns?Would you like to learn more about the in and outs of proactively making calls?

Join the Connections Magazine

OUTBOUND LIST SERVEto ask questions and relate

to others who share yourinterest in outbound work.

To join our outbound list serve, 1) Send a message to

[email protected]

2) In the body of the message enter: Sub [email protected]

AmendmentstoTelemarketing

Sales Rules

AmendmentstoTelemarketing

Sales Rules

The Federal Trade Commissionannounced amendments to theTelemarketing Sales Rule inDecember 2002. Two importantchanges are described as follows:

by Mike Wilson J.D.


National No-Call List

The FTC will establish a national no-call list. It is freefor consumers to sign up but telemarketers will have to pay afee to access the list. Compliance with this national no-calllist is in addition to the current requirementthat each seller maintain its own “do not call”list and honor consumers’ requests to beplaced on that list. Calling someone on thenational no-call list, unless there is a preexistingestablished business relationship with theconsumer or the consumer has given writtenconsent, is a violation of the rule.“Established business relationship” meanseither (a) during the previous 18 months theconsumer has purchased, rented, or leasedfrom the seller or there has been a financialtransaction between the consumer and seller,or (b) the consumer has inquired about a product or serviceoffered by the seller within the revious three months.

Telemarketers will have to scrub their calling lists everythree months to remove numbers on the no-call list. Whathappens if you call someone who was added to the list afteryou scrubbed? If you are using a list no more than threemonths old and otherwise are in compliance with specificrequirements set forth in the rule about established policies,record keeping, procedures, training and enforcement, and the

call was the result of error, then it’s not a violation. The national no-call list does not apply to political

solicitations or charitable solicitations, though charities musthonor specific no-call requests. The FTC rules apply to interstate selling and include calls originating outside the

United States. The national no-call listdoesn’t affect the ability of states to continueenforcing their own laws. The FTC rulesapply to calls made for purposes other thanselling, such as customer satisfaction or surveys, if the caller also is offering to sellgoods or services.

Call Abandonment RulesMany consumers complained to the

FTC about abandoned or dead air calls, typically occurring when automatic dialing

software is used to call many consumers at once, resulting inmore connections than there are sales reps to handle the calls.

Call abandonment is a violation of the amended ruleunless the telemarketer satisfies the “safe harbor” provisions:

• No more than three percent of calls answered by a person are abandoned per day per calling campaign

• The consumer’s phone is allowed to ring at least 15 seconds or four times before disconnecting


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• Within two seconds of the consumer’s greeting, each call is connected to a sales rep or a recorded message stating the name and phone number (but not the sales pitch) of the seller; and

• Records are kept showing compliance with the foregoing.

Reviewing the Rule

A review of the amended rule with legal counsel is high-ly advisable, as there are other important changes. For exam-ple, telemarketers will have to transmit their telephone num-bers to the consumer’s Caller-ID service, as well as the nameif the telemarketer’s carrier makes it possible. Remember,also, that each violation of the rule can result in a penalty ofup to $11,000, and that anyone assisting a telemarketer orseller also is guilty of violating the rule if he or she knows orconsciously avoids knowing that the seller or telemarketer isviolating the rule. n

Mike Wilson is an attorney and author. He teaches atSullivan University in Lexington,Kentucky.

Have you subscribed to our

Client AffinityNewsletter?

Call 866-668-6695 for more information.

Amendments toTelemarketing Sales Rules


THE ANNUAL CEO

(CADCOM EQUIPMENT

OWNERS) MEETING

WAS HELD FEBRUARY 5

THROUGH 8 IN

SAN ANTONIO.

HERE IS A PICTORIAL

REPORT, PROVIDED BY

JULIE BURGAN.

CEO Annual Meeting


photos: Julie Bergan


SCENARIO: A telemessaging company owner in New Jersey purchased some accounts from a competitor. The staff had not signed

non-compete agreements and within a few short weeks had gotten together, purchased some equipment, and taken back 90 percent of the acquired accounts.

PROBLEM: The buyer did not check to see if the seller had made his employees sign non-competes. This could leave the buyer open to

losing the accounts he had purchased to operators from the seller’s former business.

RECOMMENDATION: The solution seems simple – have your employees sign a

non-compete agreement at the time they are hired. Most non-compete agreements also include language pertaining to thenon-disclosure of client information and should cover tradesecrets, price lists, manner of operation, and any other infor-mation pertinent to the business. Make such agreements partof the paperwork your employees sign when they are hired.The agreement should have an enforcement period of at leasttwo years after the employee leaves the company. If youremployees have not signed non-competes and you are think-ing about selling in the near future, I would recommend thatyou present them with the document on pay day, explainingthat your CPA or insurance company requires them to sign it.Some non-compete agreements are weak; you should alwayshave an attorney review them. For example, one service pur-chased accounts in California and the employees had signednon-competes, but the document was so weak that an employ-ee posted flyers advertising her new competing service ontelephone poles in the area. When confronted by the buyer,she simply said that clients had responded to her flyer. Ofcourse, the buyer could have subpoenaed all those clients tosee if they were indeed solicited by the ex-employee, butwould these clients still opt to go with the buyer after such anordeal? Most of the time, the buyer is seen as the bad guybecause the clients are loyal to staff members from the oldcompany.

Another disaster occurred in Colorado when a service boughtout its competition and the owners, who had signed a non-compete for five years and within a 100-mile radius, soldtheir equipment back to the employees. The employees tookback more than 75 percent of the customer base, which result-ed in a long legal battle.

When buying an account base, always ensure that allprinciples and employees sign non-compete agreements. If itis a family-owned business, make sure that any relative whocould possibly take over the business also signs a non-com-pete. Try to hold back at least 10 percent of the sale price for30 to 60 days to combat any unforeseeable circumstance thatmay arise from the purchase. If you are purchasing theaccounts only, one way to guarantee that the employees willnot go back into business with the seller’s equipment is tospecify in your agreement that the seller’s equipment must besold outside a 100-mile radius or outside the state.

In the acquisition of customer accounts, the non-competegoes with the client base, not the business, so even if a com-petitor purchases the customer list, the non-compete agree-ment with the employees is still in force. The overall concernis what your current employees may do after they leave yourcompany, but you should also be concerned about thoseemployed by the company that you are purchasing, whetheryou are keeping the location open or not.

The following is an ongoing segment featuring real lifetelemessaging industry transactions. This month’s install-ment explores what can happen when your employees haven’tsigned non-compete agreements.

TAS TIPS by Steve Michaels

Steve Michaels and TAS Marketing have been serving the industry in the mergers and acquisitions market for more than 23years with more than 225 businesses sold. He may be reached at 800-369-6126 or [email protected].

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Almond Hill Enterprises .......17Appointment scheduling software888-398-6100Contact: Douglas [email protected]

Alston Tascom, Inc. ...............4013512 Vintage PlaceChino, CA 91710866-282-7266, 909-517-3660fax: 909-517-3670www.alstontascom.com

AMDEV Communications Corp ..........40Voice Processing Specialistsphone: [email protected]

Americom ..............................17The Identifier Plusphone: 800-648-3207www.Americom1.org www.TASequipment.com

Amtelco ................16, 20, 37, 48phone: 800-356-9148or 608-838-4194fax: 608-838-8367callcenter.amtelco.com [email protected]

Appletree Technology Services ...................................13phone: 302-656-0630www.appletree.com

ATSI .......................................2712 Academy AvenueAtkinson, NH 03811phone: [email protected]

Axon Communications, Inc. ..........352923B South Pullman StSanta Ana, CA 92705phone: 800-844-2966www.axoncom.com

CadCom Telesystems, Inc. ..............11, 332300 N. 10thEnid, OK 73701phone: [email protected]

CentraTel ...............................36phone: 541-383-8383www.centratel.com

Connections Magazine ....................36, 37, 44866-668-6695Client Affinity NewsletterIndustry locator [email protected]

Morgan Comtec .....................39ISDN Telemessaging Systemphone: 800-239-3949or 334-745-4334www.morgancomtec.com

Peter DeHaan Consulting .....20866-668-6695Teleservice/call center [email protected] www.PeterDeHaan.com

Professional Teledata, Inc. ..2, 21175 Canal StreetManchester, NH 03101phone: [email protected]

Realistic Software Solutions.....36(formerly Taseco)phone: [email protected]

Record/Play Tek, Inc.............43Voice logging recordersphone: 574-848-5233fax: [email protected]

RLY & Associates .................39312 Otterson Drive, Suite DChico, CA 95926phone: 800-841-0841fax: 530-898-0713www.rly.com

Startel .......................................917661 Cowan AvenueIrvine, CA 92614phone: 800-782-7835fax: 949-863-9650Web: Startelcorp.com

Szeto Technologies ................26Call Management Equipmentphone: 514-331-9152www.szeto.ca [email protected]

TASbiller ................................30Phone: 877-636-7620

TAS Marketing ...............29, 47Business Brokersphone: 800-369-6126fax: 406-827-4554www.tasmarketing.com [email protected]

Tasco ........................................6phone: 888-558-2726John [email protected] [email protected]

Telescan Corp .......................1810679 Midwest Industrial BlvdSt. Louis, MO 63132sales line: 800-770-7662fax: 314-426-1357www.telescan.net

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Each four-page issue will generally contain:• A feature article. This could be a generic article about teleservices, an informationalpiece about customer service or telecommunications (subjects on which you are viewed as an expert), or an interesting or inspirational piece about an industry

success story.• A case-study segment, highlighting a situation in which a client’s communication

problem was solved.• A Q & A section. This is an effective, yet subtle way to communicate facts

and information about your business.• A profile on a particular service.• Public service pieces, such as fraud alerts or telecommunications advice.

Plus optional inserts on items of specific interest (area code change, office relocation,acquisition news, introducing a new owner or manager, award of excellenceannouncement, and much more.)

Here is how it works:• Every four weeks you will get a master copy of the current issue sent to you via email.• You insert your company name, address, and contact information, using

Microsoft Publisher.• Print it out on a laser printer or take it to your printer.• Send the newsletters with your billing or mail them separately. You can also pass them out at trade shows or share with prospects.

The newsletter cost less than $50 an issue. A one-year supply (13 issues – one foreach billing cycle) is only $600. This is a small fraction of what it would cost for aprofessional writer and graphic designer.

Do You Want to Improve Client Satisfaction and Reduce Cancellations?

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help wanted:

General Manager Needed:Act Telecom, Inc., a Great Neck, NY basedAnswering Service andInbound Call Center, seeks a highly motivated, experienced GeneralManager with strong interpersonal skills. We prefer persons who possessthe skills of team building,motivation, and positiveleadership. Fast-paced,changing environment withan emphasis on providingquality service to a demanding marketplace.Amtelco Infinity andeCreator skills are a plus.Act Telecom offers a comprehensive compensa-tion package to includesalary, performance-basedbonus, liberal paid time off(PTO), healthcare insurance,disability, and optional401K plan. Please fax your resume to 800-258-1024 or email it to [email protected].

Expand your help wantedsearch worldwide by placing yourad here. Reach out to qualified,experienced, industry employees.Email your ad to [email protected].

positions wanted:

Looking for work? Startyour job search here. Emailyour ad to [email protected].

outsourcers:

Do you provide services toother call centers? Then youshould be listed here. Emailyour ad to [email protected].

seeking aquisitions:

Private party wants to buysmall to medium TAS or callcenter, or accounts only.Completely confidential;call Jim 800-387-1247 [email protected].

Wanted to buy small tomedium size TAS. All infokept confidential; CallSteven 24/7 toll free 877-701-2221

headsets

All Model Headsets avail-able and headset repair. CallRLY & Associates 800-841-0841.

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Axon 4V Repairs, Parts,Advice. Call Jim at 909-596-1441.

ProMemo, Inc. Selling andsupporting Centigram,Baypoint, NuPoint Messenger

Mitel Voicemail throughoutU.S. and Canada. New andReconditioned; Since 1983.Call Ron Lawrence 510-651-7500 Email [email protected]. “20 YearsCentigram Experience”

Startel - Nationwide salesand service 24 hours/sevendays. Onsite rush, same day,and emergency service avail-able. Deep discounts on allparts! Free over-the-phonetechnical support. Call uswith your questions! Allequipment is professionallyoverhauled, tested, and soldin “like-new” condition.Ninety-day warranty includedon all parts and labor.Specializing in fine, pre-owned Startel systems andcomponents since 1991. ThePhone Doctor; 800-872-3159.

equipment wanted:

Exacom Message Directors.Contact Clifford Woolf: [email protected] orTel: +44 207 644 4440 (24-hour voicemail)

equipment for sale:

CadCom 3600 – 14 posi-tions/ 10 licensed/ 2-LineMaster rack units/ 2DataMaster with removabledrives. In use. Availableafter April 1st $15,000.Dave Kane 888-836-5040.

Looking for Top-of-the-Line used Equipment?Call TAS Marketing first at800-369-6126. See ourcomplete list of pre-ownedTAS equipment at www.tas-marketing.com.

Tascom spares: full inven-tory of hard to find drives,harnesses, board cards,power packs, chassis, moni-tors, cables, P.C. gateway,and more! Call Howard800-466-8595.

Telescan 1999 EarthnetS/N248 Used one month.Factory Warranty Training@ Telescan. $30,000.00San-Tel 915-653-9824.

4 Eastern Identifiers forsale - $2,500/ea OBO - Wealso have a WYSE terminal,2 video adapters, memorycards, and more! Please callSignal Hill Telephone at888-495-2796 and ask for Eric.

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Peter DeHaan Consulting"Helping the industry

prepare for the future."866-668-6695

[email protected]

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May 14, 2003 WSTA

Management & Marketing SeminarFlamingo Hotel- Las Vegas

For Information: [email protected]

May 30-June 1, 2003 (revised dates)CAM-X Spring Training

Calgary, AlbertaFor more information, please contact

Linda Osip, 800-896-1054 [email protected].

June 18-21, 2003ATSI 59th Annual Convention

Disney’s Contemporary ResortOrlando, FL

For more information, contact ATSI, 603-362-9489

September 23-24, 2003GLTSA Annual Convention

Monona Terrace Convention CenterMadison, WI

For more information, contact Dan Hogan 888-712-9396

September 27-30, 2003 Western States Telemessaging

Association Annual MeetingPark City UT - The Yarrow Hotel

For more information, [email protected],www.wstaonline.org

October 15-18, 2003CAM-X 39th Annual Convention

& Trade ShowDelta Halifax

Halifax, Nova ScotiaFor more information, please contact

Linda Osip, 800-896-1054 [email protected].

October 21-23, 2003ASTAA Annual Convention

Annapolis, MDNell Norris at 800-718-1712

October 22-24, 2003CEO Combination Regional Meeting

Hartford/Farmington MarriottFarmington, CT

For more information contact Vicki Montgomery 702-380-2122

November 6 & 7, 2003TUG Annual Meeting

Royal St. Charles Hotel, New Orleans, LA

For more information, call 603-362-9489

November 7 & 8, 2003TUNe Annual Meeting

For more information contactDavid Peck [email protected]

Feb 1-4, 2004SNUG 17th Annual Meeting

Hyatt NewporterNewport Beach CA

For more informationwww.snugonline.org/calendar.htm

or contact Dan L’Heureux, 800-317-8529

February 4-7, 2004CEO Annual Meeting

Shelter Pointe Hotel and MarinaSan Diego, CA

For more information contact Vicki Montgomery 702-380-2122

To have your group’s

events included in

Connections Magazine’s

“Upcoming Events” calendar

and on our Website, please

e-mail your information to

[email protected]

coming Events

All new listings or changes are italicized

Get the most recent updates online: www.connectionsmagazine.com/events.html


In the unlikely event of a tragedy, is your estate in order? With your business

evaluation in our database, we will keep annual tabs on your company’s growth using

a report card designed to keep your analysis current. We will also keep you abreast of

the current market trends so when you are ready to sell, your estate will be priced

properly and sold for its highest value, whether we broker the deal or not.

Let our broker prepare a current analysisfor you, FREE of charge.

Want to know what your companyis worth for estate planning?

TASMarketing233 Whitepine Creek Road • Trout Creek, Montana 59874 • Office (800) 369-6126 • Fax (406) 827-4554 • [email protected] • www.tasmarketing.com

Thinking Toward the Future with YOUR Best Interests in Mind!

If you are planning to sell in the near future or want to get an ideaof your company’s value for estate planning purposes, now may

be the time to take that first step.

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