Telescan Blog

What makes Maryellen Different

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:15:00 GMT

What Makes Maryellen Different

New TUNe President, Maryellen Pruitt, is one of a kind. There are lots of things that make Maryellen Pruitt of Answer Midwest, unique. She served four years in the US Navy. Although interesting, it’s not all that unique. She started with Answer Midwest, Inc of Alton, Illinois as an operator and rose to Director of Operations. That’s admirable, but not so unique. But, when she was elected president of TUNe at their annual meeting last September, she made history.

Maryellen Pruitt was the first non call center owner to be elected as President of TUNe. In 2010, Maryellen was elected to the board of TUNe, but soon found that TUNe by-laws prohibit non call center owners from being a member of the board.

“There are a many people who are not owners but can bring lot to the organization,” said Maryellen. “Sometimes owners trust key people to run their companies, so these people should also be able to serve on the TUNe board,” she added. TUNe agreed and changed the by-laws to allow one non-owner to serve on the board. The rest is history.

Maryellen went to work for Answer Midwest after leaving the Navy where she served as an Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR), caring for flight crew equipment, like helmets, life rafts and parachutes. She and her husband, David left the Navy they settled in Alton, David’s home town. Gary Tedrick, Answer Midwest owner, offered Maryellen a job and she’s been there for fifteen years.

“I am pleased and proud to have Maryellen represent Answer Midwest within the TUNe organization and to take advantage of the skills and abilities she has developed in her time with us.“ Tedrick said.

“I wasn’t sure at first. This wasn’t something I ever thought of doing,” Maryellen offered, “but I ended up loving it and I stayed.”

What does Maryellen see for TUNe in 2013? “We are doing a lot of work on different things,” she said. “We hope to improve training with webinars and videos. Many smaller call centers can’t afford to send people to training, so we want to bring the training to them, electronically.”

TUNe is also looking at improving disaster preparedness. TUNe is a close nit group and wants to support fellow members in times of crisis. Maryellen hopes to encourage more Telescan users to become involved in TUNe. “We have a lot to offer them,” she said. “The relationships you build in TUNe are very important. Members not only have Telescan support but also have the support of other members who have been there before and experienced the same things. This kind of support is immeasurable.”

Maryellen lives in Alton, IL with husband, David and their 12 year-old son, James. She enjoys camping, swimming, learning sign language and painting with acrylics.

Hurrican Sandy's Silver Lining

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:08:00 GMT

Hurricane Sandy’s Silver Lining

It’s hard to forget the devastating images of Hurricane Sandy. In the United States, Sandy affected 24 states, including the entire eastern coastline from Florida to Maine. Loss due to damage and business interruption is estimated at $65.6 dollars. More than five weeks later, many businesses are still without power and unable to operate. So where’s that silver lining?

AB Universal Messaging of Neptune City, New Jersey was right in the path of the storm. They are only blocks from the Jersey shore. Water poured into their offices and destroyed the operations room flooring and some computers. They were without power for 19 days. Their toll free numbers were down about six hours. Their point to point with their Nebraska office was down a day and half. Roads were washed out so operators couldn’t get to work. So where’s the silver lining?

“I am a lucky woman,” said Debbie Bibber, owner of AB. ”In my 40 years in this industry, I have never seen people, competitors, vendors, everyone drop everything and work so hard to help me stay in business. I have great friends in this industry who wanted to help. Even though the hurricane damage probably cost me about $15,000, we’re OK. The way people helped, I’ll never forget.

The Saturday before the hurricane hit, Debbie flew to Florida to set up an alternate plan. Tom Baur of CallStar in St. Petersburg offered to allow AB calls to be re-routed to their service, should everything be washed away. The team at Telescan worked tirelessly through the weekend to make this happen.

“I first called Roger Young,” Debbie said, “He told me ‘Deb, whatever you need, we’re here for you’, and they were. Robbie Parnell put in a good 40 hours the help utilize SIP trunking to allow re-routing. John Jones came in on his day off to write a program that would allow this to happen. Bob Vornberg pitched in to help make it work. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

Debbie also bought a last-minute generator, which it turned out, helped her stay in business without the re-routing. The generator was enough to keep the call center running, but not provide heat. Since most of her customers were without electricity and in many cases, severely damaged businesses, they had all calls routed to AB. At the peak, AB had 16,000 calls a day. Becky Retherford of Emerald Coast Answering Service of Lin Haven, Florida pitched in to donate two operators to help with the volume.

“I have a wonderful crew. We worked from 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM fully staffed answering calls. Even my kids and niece pitched in and worked 15 hours daily 7 days a week. I learned some good lessons. First, I am blessed with a wonderful crew and friends. Second, I am very glad to be with Telescan. I know they will be with me whatever comes. Third, you can never prepare too much. Whatever is the worst you prepared for, you should double it. Last, this industry has changed. People are more than willing to do anything to help one another in time of crisis. That means so much.”
Debbie has taken her lessons to heart and she’s “paying-it-forward”. She’s now helping out a New York call center that is still without power. Even in a hurricane like Sandy, there is a silver lining.

TUNe Rocks

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:10:00 GMT

TUNe Rocks St. Charles

The annual meeting of the Telescan Users Network, TUNe, was a rousing success. Fifty-six TAS users converged on the fabulous Ameristar Casino Resort in St. Charles, Missouri, September 9, for three days of vital business building information, facts, fun and fancy footwork.

Maryann Wetmore of Network One Communications in Tampa, the new ATSI President, addressed the meeting to discuss changes at ATSI and announce that Kansas City, Missouri will be the location of the 2013 ATSI Conference. Darlene Campbell of Information Communications Group in Leewood, Kansas, provided information on government affairs and the universal service fund. Roger Young, Telescan President introduced new employees and new products. His introduction of Telescan’s new Secured Messaging software was especially well received.

The fancy footwork was provided by Tom and Cindy Buar of Callstar in St Petersburg, Florida. Tom a professional dancer, led the group in a demonstration of line dancing in the Ameristar ballroom. You can catch some of the fun on YouTube, search for Kim Cotner’s videos.

With much fanfare, John Jones, Telescan’s Director of Engineering, was honored for his 23 years of service and dedication to Telescan. He received a Special Service Plaque and his wife, received a lovely bouquet of flowers. They both received a standing ovation.

The 2012 TUNe meeting made history by electing the first ever non-Telescan user President, Mary Ellen Pruitt, who is the General Manager of Answer Midwest in Alton Illinois. Congrats Mary Ellen. Watch the November issue for more on Mary Ellen.

Joy Portillo of Tele-Sec Communications, Inc. in Florence, Alabama, said, "The TUNe meeting was great. I was looking forward to seeing old friends as well as gathering some new ideas. TUNe accomplished that and a whole lot more. Long time users are extremely helpful and every new member enhances our individual successes. Thanks to the members, speakers, dancers and gamblers. I can’t wait for the next one...see y'all in Memphis!"

Hey Bob!

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Hey Bob?

Anybody who has ever had much contact with Telescan over the years has undoubtedly run into Bob Vornberg. Bob has guided product development for Telescan for many years. Most of you know him as the tireless, kind, gentle voice of technical knowledge always ready to help. Over the years, Bob has helped guide Telescan through massive changes in the industry. We thought you’d like to know this sage of technology a little better. Here is our interview with Telescan’s Director of Product Development, Bob Vornberg.

Q: How long have been at Telescan?
A: My involvement with Telescan began as a consultant in 1981. In November of 1994 I officially joined Telescan as a full-time staff member.

Q: What did you do before Telescan?
A: I earned my Masters degree in computer science at Missouri University of Science and Technology at Rolla. After college I lived in Minneapolis for a couple of years and worked at Control Data Corporation. This was the era of large mainframe computers. I came back to St. Louis and worked for McDonnell-Douglas and various small companies before venturing out on my own as a consultant. I worked with a number of companies in the St. Louis area, including, beginning in 1981, with Telescan. The rest, as they say, is history.

Q: What drew you to Telescan?
A: Telescan circa 1981 was very different. There was no Internet then. Microprocessors were just coming into commercial use and I was starting to do a lot of work in that area. George Meyer was outsourcing most of Telescan’s development work and there was plenty to do. My first project was to create the firmware for the Microscan II and Telescan II. There have been a few generations since then. Looking back, I thank George and Judy (his wife and partner) for their confidence in me and for providing me an opportunity.

Q. Why did you stay?
A: The thing I like about the Answering Service Business from a developer’s point of view, is that the industry is very diverse: telecommunications, data communications, database applications, the Internet … all of it is always changing and never gets boring. There’s always something new to discover. But beyond that, there is a people-side to the business that I find most rewarding. There is a direct line to the people that use the products, to the point that their development is truly a mutual effort.

Q: Tell us about your family.
A: I’ve have been married to my wife, Brenda, for 35 years. We have two grown children, a son, Bob and a daughter, Katy. Our daughter and her husband have been blessed with two little girls, Maddie 4, and Kayla 2. They are just finishing a new house in St. Charles County. That’s very exciting.

Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I’ve worked for very large and very small companies, and I prefer the small company atmosphere we have here at Telescan. Here I have more direct involvement with all aspects of the company and I have the opportunity to get involved with the people who use the products we develop. The involvement with our users is very important. They give life to everything we do here, and that interdependence is what makes the job so satisfying.

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishments at Telescan?
A: I don’t think about that too much. There’s always the next thing I’m looking forward to. There’s never a dull moment in this industry.

Q: What do you see for the Future of Telescan?
A: I think that the biggest thing that’s happening in this industry is the move to mobile devices as the communication method of choice. The industry is trying to keep up with the changes, including the phone company. We’ve followed evolution of telephony from cord boards to mobile devices. It’s been an amazing journey. What’s just beyond that, we don’t know yet. But, as long as both we as vendors and users have the energy to adapt there will be opportunities for new products. That’s very exciting.

Q: If you have any spare time, what do you like to do?
A: I am very involved in my church, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Catholic Church. For the last 10 years, I’ve been the director of charity golf tournament that raises money for scholarships for seminarians. That and other related projects in the Knights of Columbus takes up most of my spare time. I am a sports fan, too. My favorite teams are the Cardinals and the Blues.

Q: Tell us one thing you’d like to do that you haven’t done yet?
A: Well, I’d like to do more traveling. At the top of the list would be traveling to Rome to see the Vatican. I’d also like to see Mozart’s home in Austria.

TUNe Meeting in September

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:05:00 GMT

TUNe Will Sizzle in September

The annual TUNe meeting will be held this year, September 9, 10, and 11^th at the sizzling Ameristar Casino Resort and Spa in St. Charles, Missouri

The featured topic at this year’s TUNe meeting will be choosing and maintaining an effective workforce. TUNe members will lead a presentation on the best practices for finding and hiring topnotch employees. Included in this presentation is how to evaluate employees and how to terminate ineffective employees without costly missteps.

“Finding good employees is one of the biggest issues in our industry,” said TUNe president, Robbie Parnell, of Medcom in South Carolina. “Eliminating poor performers can be an even bigger challenge. We have some members who have good success in both areas and we are going to have them share their techniques. I think this is something that concerns us all.”

While the meeting will include all the important new product information from Telescan, the star of the conference will undoubtedly be the fabulous, AAA four-diamond Ameristar Casino Resort (http://www.ameristar.com/St_CharlesGaming.aspx.). Located just north of St. Louis on the banks of the mighty Missouri River, this resort has something for everyone. In addition to the glamorous casino, it includes no less than eight dining choices from casual to elegant. If you need a little tension release you could try a dip in the indoor/outdoor pool, with poolside service, or try a hot rocks massage in their Ara Spa. Should you have time for more excitement, walk outside and you can experience the cobblestone streets of historic Old Towne St. Charles where Lewis and Clark met to start their epic journey. The historic district includes no less than a dozen world class restaurants, museums and unique shopping experiences at every turn.

“We’ve tried several different venues, but this is the best,” said Robbie. “The luxurious 800 sq. ft. suites alone make the trip worthwhile. There is so much to do you can have a complete vacation without leaving the resort.”

Don’t miss this year’s TUNe adventure. Make your reservation today. Contact Dan L’Heureux at dan@callconsult.net to register.

Virtual Observer Enhances Quality Control

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:02:00 GMT

Virtual Observer Enhances Quality Control

One the most exciting new specialty products from Telescan is Virtual Observer, a secure call recording and quality monitoring solution for TAS businesses and call centers. It allows you to record customer interactions throughout your business and give you the ability to leverage those recordings for employee development and training. Virtual Observer will help you identify training needs, reduce agent turnover and improve customer satisfaction at a surprisingly low cost. Several Telescan users have had great success with Virtual Observer. Two satisfied Telescan users are A Quality Answering Service and Edwards Answering Service.

Judy Vincent, owner of A Quality Answering Service in Hudson, Florida, installed Virtual Observer in April of 2011 with her new Telescan system. She has found that it solves many questions in their call taking process. Judy said, “Labor is a huge issue in this business and we need to make sure our operators are saying the right things and making people feel comfortable. Virtual Observer along with the Telescan Voice Logger allows us to clarify and verify operator calls by hearing and watching what they are typing into the messages. The voice and video monitoring are wonderful training tools. This process allows us to verify with the operators that they are using the “please” and “thank you” that is required on all calls. Virtual Observer helps us keep our call quality level where it should be.”

Edwards Answering Service in Vernon, Connecticut, was the first Telescan user to install Virtual Observer. They have been using it now for three years. Ron Wendus said before Virtual Observer, they could only monitor calls through audio recording. Now they can see screens and video and hear how an operator handles a call.

“Virtual Observer has given us the ability to monitor operators more closely and implement a detailed quality control plan,” Ron said. “We do it now on every pay period. We can give operators detailed feedback on how well they’re doing or what areas they need to improve. We can actually show them the video. This tool makes us better. It’s a great training tool and a great evaluation tool.”

Virtual Observer is not just for Telescan users. It works on many TAS systems. If you want to improve your call monitoring, ask Patty about Virtual Observer. You can contact Patty at 314-616-2445 or patty@telescan.net.

About Patty

Wed, 30 May 2012 17:08:00 GMT

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Patty
It’s hard to publish an article about myself, so when my writer suggested it, I was reluctant. But she convinced me many of you would find it fun. We decided to make it a question and answer article. Hope you enjoy it.

Q: How long have been at Telescan?
Patty: 14 years this May.
Q: What did you do before Telescan?
Patty: I owned a chain of mail and packaging stores in the St. Louis area called Mail Authority. After that I traveled across the country selling our business model and my company image and identity.
Q: What drew you to Telescan:?
Patty: One of my customers was George Meyer’s daughter. He said George was looking for someone like me. George was the founder of Telescan. I meet with him and have been here ever since.
Q: Tell us about your family.
Patty: I have two adult children, Monica and Jimmy and one granddaughter, Violet. Violet is Monica’s daughter and the apple of my eye. She likes to hang out with her Ya Ya as much as possible and Ya Ya feels the same. Monica is expecting my second grand child in November. I can’t wait.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
Patty: I’m one of those really lucky people who loves their job. I love all our clients. I love meeting new people. I love the constant changing dynamics of this industry. I love being able to help people with their businesses. I just love my work and the friends I’ve made over the years.
Q: If you have any spare time, what do you like to do?
Patty: First I am passionate about music, especially the oldies from the 70’s. I go to concerts whenever I can. My favorite band is Pink Floyd I also like Ozzy Osbourne and Eric Clapton. When I was in high school, I thought I would be a radio DJ. I also love sports, especially boxing and hockey. My favorite team is the Boston Bruins. I also enjoy art. When we can, my boyfriend, Scott, and I take trips on our motorcycles. I also love to fish, any kind of fishing.
Q: I’ve heard you also like to travel. Where do you most like to go?
Patty: I do like traveling. I mostly like to go anyplace tropical. I like the Caribbean a lot.
Q: What are the most interesting trips you’ve taken?
Patty: I like the West Indies a lot. It’s very laidback and not so touristy. I like hiking through the rain forest there. I also liked Russia. The architecture was amazing. I’d love to go back sometime.
Q: Tell us one thing you’d like to do that you haven’t done yet?
Patty: I’d like to see the baby sea turtles hatching in Trinidad and Tobago.
When she’s not traveling to meet with clients, or just for fun, Patty spends her time between family in St. Louis and Niagara Falls, Canada with her boyfriend, Scott. You can contact Patty at 314-616-2445 or patty@telescan.net.

What TUNe is Playing

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:06:00 GMT

What TUNe is Playing?

TUNe is not a new music group, but they are always singing the praises of Telescan. TUNe stands for Telecommunications User’s Network. It is a group of call center owners and managers across the U.S. who conducts business with Telescan equipment. TUNe members work directly with Telescan management to help develop equipment and improve performance. Currently about 75% of Telescan users are members of TUNe.

Robbie Parnell, of Medcom in Columbia, SC, is in his second year as President of TUNe. Robbie has been a Telescan user since 1994. “Through the TUNe network,” Robbie said, “we conduct field testing on products being developed at Telescan. We are currently working on VoIP products. This is a major technology shift for our industry. TUNe set up a committee to explore VoIP with Telescan. We have been working directly with Roger Young, Telescan President, to discover areas of technology that will make our business more productive. It’s a great system for us and Telescan.”

Robbie and his group have recently completed a new logo for TUNe and a new website: http://www.tunegroup.net. Members can share ideas or ask questions through the web server. They even have a Telescan “wish list” of products or improvements they’d like Telescan to develop.

“It’s great to share with other Telescan users,” said Robbie. “If you post any question about your system or business operation, chances are you’ll get 20 answers from other TUNe members. Sharing ideas about your Telescan system makes us all more efficient.”

TUNe also sells keyboards and conducts webinars for their members. They hold an annual meeting in the fall. The next meeting will be September 9, 10 and 11 in St. Charles, Missouri. In 2013, the annual meeting will be moved to May.

For more information about TUNe you can check their website: http://www.tunegroup.net..

Keeping Your Business in Business With a Phoenix

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:05:00 GMT

Keeping Your Business in Business With a Phoenix

Last year was a record year for tornadoes. In 2011 there were 1,691 tornadoes reported across the country, breaking many storm records including greatest number of tornadoes in a single month (758 in April) and the greatest daily total (200 on April 27). Joplin, Missouri, saw one of the deadliest tornados in recent memory with 160 deaths. What will this year bring? Tornadoes? Hurricanes? Earthquakes? Who knows? It only takes a good thunderstorm to knock out your TAS system. How long would a major event keep your business down?

One answer to this dilemma is Telescan’s Phoenix Back-Up Server. Edwards Answering Service Enterprises, Vernon, Connecticut, is one of many Telescan users who worry less about disaster because they have installed the Phoenix Back-Up Server. Gary Edwards, owner of Edwards Answering Service is a bit of a pioneer with Telescan and loves to try new things. He’s always looking for better ways to backup his valuable data, so when Telescan introduced the Phoenix Back-Up Server he wanted to try it.

“The Phoenix Back-Up Server copies real-time data from our three production servers to the backup server,” says Ron Wendus, Sales & Client Relations Manager for Edwards. “If one of the production servers would go out, we can bring up the information on the Phoenix Back-Up Server. It gives us a seamless operation even if the server goes down, without losing any data.”

Unfortunately, Edwards had an opportunity to test the Phoenix Back-Up server. “One of our communications servers stopped working," said Ron. “It’s crucial because it provides faxes, instant messaging, emails, and text messaging. When it’s down we can’t communicate to clients or our operators. It went down one time about a year ago. All we had to do was bring up the window for the Phoenix Back-Up Server and we were back in business. Without the Phoenix, we could have been down for a couple of days.”

“This means a lot to our business,” said Ron. “We tell our clients we are always there, 24/7/365 and we take great pride in keeping that promise. If we fail, if we have to be out of service for any amount of time, we could lose clients. The Phoenix Back-Up server helps us deliver on that promise, and keep our clients. In addition it saves us money because we don’t have to buy parts and put them on the shelf in case of an emergency. “

If you want to know more about the Phoenix Back-Up Server, call Telescan at 800-770-7662, or Patty at 314-616-2445 or patty@telescan.net.

Finding Gold In Funeral Homes

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Finding Gold in Funeral Homes
Dustin R. Cremeans of Huntington, WV, may not have found gold in his Funeral Home clients, but he has found a way to make this business very profitable with Telescan’s Spectrum Funeral Home Manager. Dustin has owned Tri State Answering Service (dba Funeral Directors Answering Service) since 2009. In 2010, Dustin installed Telescan’s Spectrum System, including the Funeral Home Manager. Since 80% of Dustin’s clients are Funeral Homes, this was an important step for his business.

“Telescan’s Funeral Home Manager allows the funeral home staff to log into our data base and enter the funeral arrangements directly into the system. This allows the funeral home to have complete control of the information our operators will provide to callers. A typical funeral home may have up to eight visitations a week. Since we don’t have to enter all that data into the system the Funeral Home Manager saves my business the cost of one full-time position. That’s time and money. It saves our clients too, because we can charge them less,” said Dustin.

“The Spectrum Funeral Home Manager has helped our business grow,” Added Dustin. “It has been a significant factor in getting more Funeral Homes for our business. With this system, we don’t have to rely on websites, which we know can go down without warning. The Funeral Home Manger data is clear, consistent, and concise and it is always there for our operators to see. It is more precise and more secure system than any other system I’ve seen.”

If you want to see how Spectrum Funeral Home Manager will help you increase business in the highly lucrative market, call Telescan at 800-770-7662, or Patty at 314-616-2445 or patty@telescan.net.

Telescan Users Talk About Training

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Telescan Users Talk About Training
Tina Wilkerson came all the way from Florence to attend Telescan’s Level 1 Technical Training. Florence, Alabama, that is. Tina was one of three people from Tele-Sec to attend the training. “The training gave me a much better ‘big picture’ of the system,” said Tina, Tele-Sec’s IT manager. “Now I can follow a call all the way through the system. It will also help me diagnose and solve problems on my own. “

Nine Telescan users attended the Telescan Technical Certification Level 1 Training, March 13 – 15 at Telescan in St. Louis. The class covered an overview of the Spectrum system architecture, general telephony, basic networking, system hardware and essential spares, environment and system monitoring, routine maintenances and updates, and remote support.

Mike Bloomberg, owner of Medical Dental in Youngstown, Ohio, said, “I upgraded to Spectrum in 2010 and I wanted to know everything there is to know about the system from the operator’s function to identify and resolving problems. To manage my company well, I need to thoroughly understand the equipment and every program. I also learned different ways to do things from the other Telescan users in the class. This was great. I’m looking forward to continuing with the Level 2 Training.”
“One of the benefits of training for me was working with the Telescan service staff,” said Bill Sabol of Industrial Communications in Odessa, Texas. “It was great to meet the people I rely on for service. Now I have a much better understanding of how the programs interact and work together. I know I will be able to trouble shoot much better.”

Rod Schell of Mobilpage in St. Joseph, Missouri, said it gave him the chance to learn more about the operator side of the business. “Before this training I didn’t really know much about the operator side,” he said. “Now I understand the operator function much better, and I know that different programs use different technology. I will be able to diagnosis a problem much better,” Rod added.

At the end of the course, attendees took a 133 question test. A passing score of 80% or better was required for attendee to receive a certificate of achievement. Level 2 Technical Training will be July 23 – 27 in St. Louis. The next Level 1 Technical Training will be September 12 - 14.

Meet Beth Cooper, ATSI President

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:38:00 GMT

Meet Beth Cooper, ATSI President

Last June, Beth Cooper, owner of Answer Quick in Knoxville, Tennessee, became the president of ATSI (Association of Teleservices, International). It seems that the vivacious, Beth had the world by the horns. She had a successful answering service business, Answer Quick, and she was on the verge of acquiring another service, and married to a budding actor. So why would someone so successful want to add to her very full plate by serving as ATSI president? “Well, it’s a pre-requisite to being a past-president,” she said smiling broadly. “Seriously,” she quickly added, “This was an opportunity to give back to the industry that has given me so much. My company is a better business today because of ATSI.”

That’s the essence of Beth Cooper. She is a smart, successful business woman who is tireless, energetic and always joking. Beth has owned Answer Quick since 1983. While at the ATSI conference last June, Beth was about to close on the purchase of A Message Connection in Chattanooga. At the same time, her husband was about to open in his first play. In October, Beth acquired the customers of AAA Answering Service, also of Chattanooga. Like most TAS owners, Beth was already working seven days a week. We wanted to find out how Beth does it all, so we asked a few questions.

How do you manage all these responsibilities? “I rely heavily on technology. I would be lost without my Blackberry and Outlook,” she said, “I like to be hands-on in my company, but I’ve had to delegate a little more to my excellent staff. I have found that when you can give people a little extra responsibility, they have the opportunity to shine. I can also take advantage of the same services we offer our customers to make our office run more efficiently.”

How does someone prepare for the ATSI presidency? “With ATSI, the presidency is actually a three year process.” Beth said. “The first year you serve as President-elect. I served on several committees as President-elect, including the Convention Committee and the Industry Accreditation Committee. This gave me a good understanding of the important issues at ATSI. After this year’s convention, I will be the Past-President. I will still be involved, but more indirectly. I’m really looking forward to that.”

Did ATSI provide you any help? “I couldn’t do this job without Charlene Glorieux, ATSI’s Executive Vice President. She’s a huge help. She keeps everything in order,” said Beth. “I also relied heavily on the past presidents. They are always there to lean on.”

What was your most challenging task? “It turned out to be this year’s planning meeting for the upcoming year. It was in August, during Hurricane Irene. Many of the critical participants, like Charlene, and some of the board members were unable to make the meeting in person because of the hurricane. That was tough! ”

What have you found most rewarding about serving as ATSI President? “The trust our membership has placed in me to lead ATSI as we work to keep our industry relevant to the business community. That has been the real benefit to this job.”

You can meet Beth at this year’s ATSI Conference, June 13 – 15 in Orlando, Florida.

Answer Direct Crosses Platforms with Telescan

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:37:00 GMT

Answer Direct Crosses Platforms with Telescan

Sharon Campbell of Answer Direct is an Amtelco user. So why is she featured in the Telescan newsletter? Sharon has incorporated two Telescan cross-platform products into her system, Spectrum Messenger and Spectrum Scheduler.

“I’ve had the Spectrum Scheduler for two years,” Sharon said, “We have two locations, one in Fairview Heights, Illinois, and one in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. We found our people were emailing to communicate, and that was ineffective. Spectrum Messenger makes it much easier for us to communicate instantly. With Spectrum Messenger, I can speak directly to an individual in another location in real-time, and I can see what that person is doing. It will show me if they are busy on a call or another task. It has been a great tool to help us stay connected,” she added.

Sharon was first introduced to Spectrum Scheduler at CAMX by Patty Anderson, Telescan’s Director of Sales and Marketing. She was very impressed. She had been looking for scheduling software, but found most of the alternatives lacking. Then at ATSI last year she spoke with Roger Young, President of Telescan about their Scheduler product. Sharon invited Roger to come to her Fairview Heights office and demonstrate Spectrum Scheduler. He did and she was sold.

“Spectrum Scheduler allows you to set up schedules in so many different ways,” Sharon said. “You can create disciplines based on countless different criteria. For example, if you are working with a general practitioner who only takes new patients on Mondays between 1:00 – 3:00 P.M., Spectrum Scheduler will automatically find the next opening at that time. We can take appointments individually or as a group. If your client is a practice with ten doctors in the practice you can easily make appointments for all ten based on their individual schedules. With Spectrum Scheduler there are endless combinations of these disciplines you can create.”

Sharon says the best part of Spectrum Scheduler may be that she can make appointments for a broad range of business, not just doctors. For one client, she is making appointments for their sales people with prospective customers. “It doesn’t matter how many sales people they have, we can program in each person’s schedule. Spectrum Scheduler will even calculate drive time for the appointments.” She added.

Another feature Sharon uses is the ability to follow up appointments with reminders, emails or phone calls.

“Spectrum Scheduler has helped me expand my business,” Sharon said. “I am now able to sell additional services to most of my clients. Many of them I was unable to offer scheduling before. I think we have only scratched the surface of what Spectrum Scheduler can do for us.”

If you want to see how Spectrum Scheduler will work for you, call Telescan at 800-770-7662, or Patty at 314-616-2445 or patty@telescan.net.

March Tech Tips

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:36:00 GMT

To view the entire Tech Tips for March, select a title below.

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New Telescan BlOG

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the new Telescan website! This is my first ever Blog, I’ll get the hang of it as I go.

I hope you enjoy the new features of our new website. We also have new Facebook and Twitter sites, as well this new Blog page.

Lots of things are going on at Telescan, we have some new products, that I’ll talk about on my next blog. We also have a few new clients, I hope to see them active on the Listserv.

It’s that time of year again, all the Regional shows are going on, I hope to see many of you at the GLSTA or the STA meetings. If any of you are bloggers email me with tips!

Thanks,

Patty Anderson