ATSI News

ATSI Announces Convention Expo Vendors (6/08)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) has announced that the following vendors have been confirmed as participating in the ATSI 64th Annual Convention & Expo:

The event will be June 18-21, 2008 in St. Louis at the Hyatt Regency Union Station. 

For more information, visit www.atsi.org or call 603-362-9489.

Topics Announced for ATSI’s Owner’s Forum (1/08)

Two “mega” topics are planned for the Second Annual ATSI Owner’s Forum next month at the ACE Conference Center in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, January 21-23, 2008.  Headliners committed to the program are Verne Harnish (“The Growth Guy”) and the Internet marketing team of Susan and Jim McCrossin.

Harnish is a frequent columnist and a contributing editor for Fortune Small Business Magazine.  The McCrossins have individually spent twenty-five years developing Information Technology (IT) systems and products and being involved in the development and management of IT related businesses.

The first day will be devoted entirely to effective strategies for understanding, developing, and growing attendees’ businesses; the focus will be on how to develop the habits necessary to dramatically improve key areas of their business, their people, their processes, and their performance.  Attendees are serious about these areas, and Verne Harnish will provide the input to meet these challenges.

The second day focuses on everything needed to effectively use the Web to advertise business.  Whether it’s search engine optimization, link building, analytics, Web 2.0, or putting it all together, Sue and Jim McCrossin will provide the answers.

For more information, visit www.atsi.org or call 866-896-2874.

ATSI Recertifies Focus Comm Centers (1/08)

Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Focus Comm Centers has recertified for the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award after originally qualifying November 2004.  Donna West, president of Focus Comm Centers and an industry leader in quality education training products, said, “I am delighted that this certification product is available along with other with the other ATSI products that help to demonstrate a standard of quality to our clients and industry as a whole.”

The certification indicates that Focus Comm Centers has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices, life safety, and operations, including normal and emergency procedures, personnel hiring, training, and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on a 99.9% annual run time.

Visit ATSI at www.atsi.org and Focus Comm Centers at www.focustele.com. 

ATSI to Hold Lobbying Boot Camp at ASTAA Meeting  (10/07)

ATSI, the Association of TeleServices International, will host a grassroots lobbying boot camp Tuesday, November 13th, from 1:00 to 6:00 pm, focusing on lobbying techniques, tactics, and strategies.  This will be in conjunction with the ASTAA (Atlantic States Telephone Answering Association) fall annual meeting November 11-13, 2007 at the Lodge in Williamsburg, VA.

Also scheduled for the ASTAA meeting are Roger Schnorbus, visiting professor of management systems at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business, where he teaches courses in Strategic Management and Mergers and Acquisitions at MBA levels and John Hill, finance professor at the University of Virginia, who will be presenting “What Every CEO Needs from His or Her CFO, Plus ‘Tools’ to Help You Become Your Own CFO.” 

For more information, visit www.atsi.org or email DCampbell@infocg.com.  ASTAA’s Web site is www.astaa.org.

Call Centers Earn ATSI Gold Certification (9/07)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Alert Communications and Executive Services have both received the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.   Additionally, A Better Connection has requalified for the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.

Alert Communications (www.alertcommunications.com) is based in Ventura, California; Executive Services is based in Pueblo, Colorado; and A Better Connection (www.abetterconnection.net), which was first certified Gold in 2004, is located in Gilbert, Arizona.

The certification indicates that these call centers have met or exceeded high standards in the areas of business practices, life safety, operations (including normal and emergency procedures), personnel hiring, training, and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on a 99.9 percent annual run time. 

ATSI (www.atsi.org) is an international trade association for the teleservices industry.

ATSI Awards Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification  (3/07)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Combined Communications has received the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.  The certification indicates that Combined Communications has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices; life safety; operations, including normal and emergency procedures; personnel hiring; training; and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.9% annual run time.

Combined Communications was purchased in 1982 by Larry Kinder, a pioneer in technology and author of the StarLink reporting software. 

ATSI (www.atsi.org) is an international trade association established by and for entrepreneurs in the teleservices industry.

ATSI Benchmarks Industry Financial Ratios  (11/06)

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) will be starting its 2006-2007 Financial Benchmarking program this fall.  The program, initially launched in 2004, measures financial data as ratios.  Financial ratios are among the most powerful methods for analyzing the performance and viability of any business.

Benchmarking is an essential management tool for the successful operation of any business in a competitive marketplace.  Benchmarking can identify areas of a call center’s operation in need of improvement, can help management with goal setting, and can assist the company with establishing reasonable target areas for improvement.  It also helps ATSI with the identification of best industry practices by highlighting top performing organizations, so that the methods by which they achieve desired results can be analyzed and shared. 

For more information, contact ATSI at 866-896-2874 or visit www.atsi.org.

ATSI Creates Presentation Library  (11/06)

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) is currently creating a library of industry-specific presentations which will be made available to the industry at large.  ATSI Education Chair, Lori Jenkins, of Answer-All Secretarial Services, appointed Donna West, from Focus Telecommunications, to spearhead this important project. 

“My job will be to help to create a library of conference presentations and other educational materials that our Regional Associations can use to flesh out their meetings,” said West.  “My request to each of you is to think back to the conferences you have attended and let me know which presentations made a great impression on you.  Then, take a moment to let me know which members of our talented industry should be tapped to share their knowledge with the rest of us.”

Material from the library will also be available for individual companies’ in-house use.  The library will be housed on the ATSI Website, where interested parties will be able to read a synopsis of the program, as well as reviews by presenters and participants.

ATSI can be contacted at 866-896-ATSI or on the Web at www.atsi.org.

ATSI Creates Promotional Media (10/06)

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) has created several promotional media pieces for the teleservices industry.  The pieces are designed to promote the reliable service the small call center and telemessaging industry provides.

These humorous 30-second spots may be customized with individual company logos and information and are suitable for a variety of uses.  They can be run as television commercials, viewed on Websites, sent as e-cards, shown in trade show booths, or used when speaking to groups.  Combined with ATSI’s industry informational Spotlight On: Communications, these promotional pieces present a great introduction to the role the industry plays in the business and public communities.

ATSI can be contacted at 866-896-ATSI or on the Web at www.atsi.org.

ATSI to Launch Owners Forums (10/06)

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) will be launching owner-specific educational forums this year.  These day-and-a-half forums will focus on issues of particular importance to business owners: 

• Bringing service ideas to the market

• Financial strategies

• Succession planning

Each session will provide examples and expand upon how other businesses have handled these issues.  This overview will be followed by attendee general discussion of how the issues impact their businesses and the industry.  The presentations will be used as a springboard for small group discussion to formulate action plans that will be reported back to the whole group.

ATSI is an international not-for-profit association founded in 1942 to meet the needs of the teleservices industry.  ATSI can be contacted at 866-896-ATSI or on the Web at www.atsi.org.    

ATSI Elects Officers & Directors  (9/06)

The Association of TeleServices International, Inc. (ATSI) Board of Directors elected officers to serve for one-year terms through June 2007.  Raymond P. Shaw, Jr., Business and Professional Exchange, Inc, Beverly, MA will serve as ATSI’s President.  Allan Fromm, Anser Services, Green Bay, WI, President-Elect; Dennis O’Hara, Associated Call Centers, Levittown, PA, Vice President-Treasurer; and Jonathon Pierce, Prestige Medical Telephone Answering Service, Riverdale, GA, Vice President-Secretary.

Board members elected for two-year terms ending in June 2008 were Christopher R. Bell, Medcom Professional Services, Levittown, PA and Dennis O’Hara, Associated Call Centers, Levittown, PA.   Newly appointed board members are Richard Bensman, Corporate Message Services, Inc., Savannah, GA, representing PIN and Michelle Weiss, Cosmopolitan Medical Communications, Phoenix, AZ, representing SNUG.

Continuing board members include Marcy Hewlett, A Better Connection, Phoenix, AZ (WSTA); Jannemieke Keener, Keener Communications, Glen Allen, VA (ASTAA); Michael Leibowitz, Call Experts, Charleston, SC; Tim Neville, Optimum Information Services, Alexandria, VA (TUNe); Gary Pudles, AnswerNet Network, Princeton, NJ (GLTSA); John Robinson, Answering Service, Inc., Southfield, MI; Joni Sadowske, Physicians & Surgeons Exchange, Wichita, KS (SATAS); and, Judy Vincent, A Quality Answering Service, Hudson, FL (CEO).

For more information, contact ATSI at 866-896-2874 or www.atsi.org.

ATSI Introduces Marketing Tool Kit  (9/06)

The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) introduced its latest member benefit, the ATSI Marketing Toolkit, at the 2006 Convention and Expo.  The ATSI Marketing Toolkit is designed to provide users with effective marketing options and strategies.  It includes proven materials that, when put to use, can provide growth in the user’s business.

The Toolkit includes templates for postcards and new leads direct mailers, general and seasonal ads for newspapers and magazines, presentation folders with customized sales sheets, incentive coupons, general sales brochures, bill stuffers to encourage referrals, news releases, outbound telemarketing sales scripts, email cards and other Internet friendly forms of direct sales tools.

These templates are created to target the most common industry customers and professions including healthcare providers, lawyers, property management/real estate companies, funeral homes, HVAC, small office/home office and many others.

The templates in the toolkit can be customized by the user or printer to meet the specific needs of the users and promote their firms’ services.  Specially discounted pre-release orders are being taken now.

ATSI can be contacted at 866-896-2874 or www.atsi.org.         

Cosmopolitan Medical Earns Certification  (7/06)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Cosmopolitan Medical Communications has received the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.  The Certification indicates that Cosmopolitan Medical Communications has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices; life safety; operations, including normal and emergency procedures; personnel hiring; training; and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.9% annual run time.

ATSI is an international trade association for the TeleServices industry.  For more information, visit www.atsi.org.

ATSI Awards Certification to Intercon Messaging (6/06)

Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Intercon Messaging, Inc. has received the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.  Intercon is the second Canadian call center to be so awarded and the first in Alberta. 

The certification indicates that Intercon has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices, life safety, operations including normal and emergency procedures, personnel hiring, training, and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.9% annual run time.

For more information, visit www.atsi.org.

ATSI Awards Call Center Certification  (11/05)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that MTM Communications has received the 24/7 Call Center Certification Award.  The certification indicates that MTM Communications has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices, life safety, operations including normal and emergency procedures, personnel hiring, training, and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.9% annual run time.

MTM is the second CEO (CadCom Equipment Owners) site to be certified.  CEO is a volunteer organization comprised of telemessaging services and call centers who utilize telemessaging equipment manufactured by CadCom Telesystems, Inc.

CadCom is a provider of contact center portal applications, including customer-oriented and advanced products, hosted application services, customer support programs, and business operations professional services.  ATSI, based in Atkinson, NH, is an international trade association established by and for entrepreneurs in the teleservices business.

For more information, visit www.atsi.org and www.ceowners.com.

Business Connections Earns Gold  (11/05)

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Business Connections, Inc. has re-certified and qualifies for the 24/7 Call Center Certification Gold Award.  This Certification indicates that Business Connections has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices, life safety, operations including normal and emergency procedures, personnel hiring, training, and ongoing evaluations.

ATSI is an international trade association for the teleservices industry.  For more information, visit www.atsi.org.

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