ASTAA Conference Report and Photos

By Nell Norris; photos by Steve Kalinsky

December 2006

The 2006 ASTAA (Atlantic States Telephone Answering Association) Conference, "The Doors of Wisdom," was held in Baltimore, Maryland on October 16-17.  The program was filled with sessions stressing better service through the industry standards of excellence. 

Highlights of the first day were The Award of Excellence from ATSI, certification programs, and an excellent session on "Developing a Legal Eye - Protecting Your Company."  The cocktail party on Monday night with the vendors allowed time to learn and socialize.

On Tuesday, the program had sessions with owner-manager appeal.  Many pertinent proverbs from Poor Richard's Almanac introduced the sessions.  "Lost time is never found again" proceeded the session on Organizing, Prioritizing, and Executing.  "The rotten apple spoils his companions" was appropriate for Toxic Employees.  Other topics were Supervising Remote Staff, Saving Angry Customers, and Disaster Preparation.  New member Elizabeth Rodriguez of Answer One stated, "It was a great program."  She came away with many things she plans to "take to my staff and teach them."  Others commented on the benefits gained from meeting and exchanging ideas.  Truly, "The Doors of Wisdom" are never shut.