ATSI Update: "Step Up to the Plate"
at the ATSI Convention!

By Doug Gregg and Charlene Glorieux

January/February 2008

Mark your calendars for the 64^th Annual ATSI Convention and Expo, June 18-20, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Union Station in St. Louis, Missouri.  The early registration deadline is April 1, 2008, and you can achieve substantial registration savings with multiple attendees from your company, so be sure to check the ATSI website (www.atsi.org) for details to get your registration in before the big savings deadline!

ATSI's annual convention offers educational, networking, social, and business opportunities.  It provides the chance to interact with the best minds in the business, across all equipment platforms, to learn the latest information that affects your industry and your business.  As much can be gained in unstructured networking time outside the sessions and in the Expo Hall as you will learn in the classroom.  And you can expect the best exhibit hall in the teleservice industry!

The program continues to build on the January Owner's Forum in Philadelphia.  There will be sessions dealing with the current and future trends of teleservice in America, human resources and legal issues of a remote workforce, documenting your site and the importance of certification, what industry benchmarking tells you about your business, and the FUSF (Federal Universal Service Fund).  There will also be breakout sessions with three separate tracks:

• Operations, which will explore areas such as call center design, the pay-for-performance model, monitoring your agents, optimizing performance and continuing education, pre-employment screening, and scheduling staff

• Technology, focusing on topics like FUSF and one number call forwarding, TCP/IP, network security, telephony technology, and co-locating your equipment with the phone company

• Sales and marketing, which will present concepts for sales commission, prospecting, pricing structures and strategies, marketing resources and the marketing tool kit, and branding your product

All of this will be in one place and under one roof, targeted exclusively to the teleservice industry.  This is an opportunity to learn from your colleagues all over the U.S. and Canada and for them to learn from you.  St. Louis is easy to get to, with many interesting things to do.  The city is known around the world for its collection of fascinating attractions, great restaurants, sports, and exciting blues scene and nightlife. 

Don't miss the action, don't miss the opportunity, and don't miss the contribution your attendance will make to the success of your business!  Watch for registration details in the April issue of Connections Magazine and on the ATSI website.