Category Archives: News

Wisconsin State Journal Names Amtelco a Top Workplaces, 2023

Amtelco Cloud-Based Platform Solution

Amtelco announced that it has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by the Wisconsin State Journal Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC.

The confidential survey uniquely measures fifteen culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

Amtelco, a family-owned business located in McFarland, Wisconsin, has been a trusted name in call center systems, software applications, and secure texting technologies for over forty-five years.

Founder Bill Curtin, II, and Amtelco have received more than 30 U.S. Patents for telephony software, data handling methodologies, and telephone switching devices. Millions of calls are processed every day by Amtelco systems around the world.

Mr. Curtin’s ingenuity and generous spirit are reflected throughout the company. Amtelco has earned industry praise with its award-winning products and proudly supports local and international charities.

Both employees and customers are treated like family. Matt Heron, president, and CEO of AnswerFirst, an Amtelco customer, states, “Working with the Amtelco folks has always been a pleasure, and I can’t say enough about you all. I am always impressed at your success in creating a strong culture, lasting relationships, and people-first support.”

Amtelco and Telescan

 For more information, visit Amtelco.com.

nCall v4 Released

Gives Performance, Security, and Resilience

The result of nearly two years’ work, nSolve released nCall v4, Jan 2023. It is a significant rework of the suite bringing performance, security, and resilience. Major enhancements include:

Operator Console Offline Mode: If the operator’s console detects a connection dropout with the nCall central server, it automatically switches to offline mode. In offline mode operators can continue to handle calls and take messages, even if the connectivity loss is multiple hours. When the console detects connectivity has been re-established the calls and messages taken offline are automatically synchronized to the central server. The console then reverts to its normal mode with no operator input required.

Console-Server Security: Console to server connections are now secured by SSL certificates. This provides extra data privacy protection. In the long term it removes the need for a private network connection (VPN), along with associated IT administration savings.

Built in Web-Browser Updated: nCall v4 now uses the Edge Browser. This allows support for more modern websites and scripts. It also provides security and performance improvements.

Rebuilt with Newer Development Tools: While invisible to the user, nCall applications are now created using up-to-date compiler tools. This ensures better long-term support to the nCall suite.

Softphone Encrypted Audio Added: Improvements to the nCall Buzz softphone include allowing the audio calls to be encrypted and the SIP server to be verified using TLS certificates.

For more information contact sales@nsolve.com or visit nsolve.com.

AnswerNet Expands Traditional Answering Service to Include Text Support


AnswerNet launched AnswerMyTexts, the first true business text answering service solution. AnswerMyTexts lets business owners handle texts on their business phone number or have those texts handled by AnswerNet agents. The goal of AnswerMyTexts is to allow businesses to use their answering service for non-voice channels for the first time, and to encourage all businesses to text-enable their business phone lines.

AnswerMyTexts, allows the business owner to manage their own texts and leverage support in three ways, with Scheduled Answering, On-Demand Answering, and Overflow Answering.

As part of this new service, AnswerMyTexts has created an easy-to-use system to text-enable any landline number in minutes. If a business does not have an existing number, AnswerNet will provide a new one.

“The use of texting-to-business numbers has been slowed because there has been no solution that allows the business to handle its own texts, or to have a third party handle them when the business is unavailable”, said Gary Pudles, CEO of AnswerNet. “With the AnswerMyTexts service, AnswerNet is leading the revolution in helping businesses move seamlessly into text communications.”

Today, statistics show that nine out of ten consumers prefer communication with companies via text, which leads to a better customer experience and a higher perceived customer satisfaction. 

Headquartered in Willow Grove, PA, AnswerNet is a full-service provider of inbound, outbound, automated, and BPO call center services. Founded in 1998, the company has over 30 sites with 2,000 full-time employees across the U.S. and Canada.

Amtelco Adds Staff to Support Increasing Customer Base

Amtelco Cloud-Based Platform Solution

Amtelco announced that several new positions have been added as part of a growth program to develop new innovations and provide even better service to their growing customer base. These include additions in various departments, including implementation, software development, project management, customer support, and administration.

Recognized as a Top Workplaces employer, Amtelco is committed to designing outstanding innovations, providing the tools to help customers run their businesses more efficiently today, and software to help them build their businesses for the future.

Amtelco was founded in 1976 to provide communication solutions to the answering service and healthcare communications industry and is a leading supplier and trusted name in contact center systems, software applications, and secure texting technologies. Amtelco is focused on innovative contact center solutions that meet or exceed customer expectations and are backed by top-notch service and support. For more information, visit Amtelco.com.

New Sales and Marketing Book

Peter Lyle DeHaan Releases Sticky Sales and Marketing

Peter Lyle DeHaan released his latest book, Sticky Sales and Marketing: Produce Positive Long-Term Results and Relationships. It is book two in the Sticky series.

Sticky Sales and Marketing addresses sales management, sales tips, marketing management, and marketing tactics.

Sticky Sales and Marketing: Produce Positive Long-Term Results and Relationships

In Sticky Sales and Marketing, Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD uses a coherent story-driven process to highlight what works and what doesn’t to break down sales and marketing strategies.

Regardless if you’re selling products, services, or ideas, Sticky Sales and Marketing teaches practical, real-world examples of why some techniques work—and others don’t.

Through insightful stories and insightful examples, you’ll discover how to:

  • Close more sales and foster repeat business.
  • Understand the keys to a high-producing sales team.
  • Figure out what marketing channels to use and how to implement them.
  • Apply proven marketing tactics to your business.
  • Gain confidence in your sales and marketing skills.

Sticky Sales and Marketing provides the building blocks to develop a sales and marketing strategy that will stick, as well as escape promotion failures that could damage your reputation, hurt your business, or harm your career.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, Publisher and Editor of Connections Magazine

Peter Lyle DeHaan‘s Sticky Sales and Marketing is book two in the beloved Sticky series. Upcoming titles include Sticky Leadership and Management (2023) and Sticky Living (2024).

Sticky Sales and Marketing is now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine. He’s a passionate wordsmith whose goal is to change the world one word at a time.  Read more of his articles at PeterDeHaanPublishing.com.

Rochester Telemessaging Center Receives Gold Call Center Certification for 5th Time

ATSI Recertifies Longstanding Provider on Their 50th Anniversary

The Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) announced that Rochester Telemessaging Center (RTC) has re-qualified for the Gold 24/7 Call Center Certification Award for the fifth consecutive time, originally qualifying in 2008 and operating as the only Gold 24/7 Call Center in Michigan.

Rochester Telemessaging Center was started by current owners Herb and Jan Chinoski in 1972 with continued operations and are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary in business this year.

The certification shows that RTC 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 percent annual run time.

“As Michigan’s only ATSI-24/7 Certified Call Center, Rochester Telemessaging Center demonstrates a continuing effort to bring the highest quality to the telephone answering service industry,” said Dan L’Heureux, certification examiner.

“The Telephone Answering Service industry is very competitive and one way we are able to differentiate ourselves is by third party testing,” RTC president Ryan Chinoski said. “We participate in the ATSI programs for site certification, agent certification, and are very proud to be the sole recipient of ATSI telephone answering service Award of Excellence for twenty-six consecutive years.”  

ATSI is an international trade association for the teleservices business. This includes telephone answering services, voicemail services, telemarketing services and any other business that provides enhanced communication services.

Research Shows that Consumers Judge Brands Based on their Customer Service Experience

90% of managers think they treat agents as brand guardians, yet only 33% of consumers agree.

Calabrio, workforce performance company, found a direct correlation between contact centers, brand loyalty, and brand revenue. The global research report, State of the Contact Center 2022: Empowering the Contact Center as a Brand Guardian, uncovered a surprising gap between the role contact center agents play in consumer brand perception and how much employers support and empower those same agents to be brand guardians.

Both consumers (97%) and contact center managers (98%) agree that customer service interactions have an impact on whether consumers stay loyal to a brand. And a vast majority (88%) of contact center managers also agree that brand perception directly affects overall company revenue. When positive customer experience (CX) interactions boost loyalty, revenue follows.

“We know that contact center interactions can make or break a customer relationship, leading to increases or decreases in revenue,” said Tom Goodmanson, president and CEO of Calabrio. “How smoothly those interactions go is a direct result of how agents are trained and how they are supported with the right tools and technology. It’s critical for brand loyalty that agents feel confident to make the right decisions at any given moment. And the most efficient way to improve the customer experience is to empower contact center agents as brand guardians.”

The jump to the cloud revolutionized how agents work and learn, opening opportunities to build stronger customer relationships. To accelerate this, agents now need a more flexible and more autonomous work experience, accessibility to best practices, and digital tools that help them shape the optimal customer journey across all interaction channels.

In short, agents need to be truly empowered as frontline brand guardians to protect revenue streams.

Voice Reigns Supreme

AI-powered chatbots have gained in popularity, but 80% of consumers still rank phone interactions as their preferred customer service channel. Yet contact center managers have a mismatched perception of how important voice channels are to brand image. Managers ranked voice channels third, behind email and web interactions.

This gap may be leading to a misplaced focus on newer channels, such as social media and apps. Instead, consumers overwhelmingly think contact centers should prioritize agent training (70%) and fill staffing gaps (58%), instead of adding more channels like chatbots or virtual assistants.

Loyalty is fleeting. Bad experiences have big impacts, with 60% of consumers saying they switched brands due to a negative contact center experience—most leaving after only two negative experiences. Even a single negative experience significantly damages consumers’ perceptions across future interactions. In fact, consumers with a recent negative experience were less than half as likely to say contact centers were doing a decent job in any category. In other words, recency bias is powerful—and it is hard to recover once consumer confidence is lost.

Other Critical Disconnects

The study shows significant gaps between consumer experience and the service contact center managers think they deliver:

  • Availability of human agents: 80% of managers think they meet or exceed customer expectations for access to live agents. But only 37% of consumers agree.
  • Quick response times: 79% of managers think they meet or exceed customer expectations for response, but only 45% of consumers agree.
  • Needing to feel heard and understood: 84% of managers think they meet or exceed customers’ needs to feel heard and understood by the brand, but only 45% of consumers agree.

“Consumer expectations continue to grow, demanding better and faster results. In the eyes of the consumer, contact centers are not doing enough to empower agents on the channels that have the most impact on brand perception,” says Blake Morgan, Calabrio customer experience futurist. “Managers acknowledge there is work to do, but the question is, how quickly can changes be made to protect both the brand image and revenue?”

Tom Curtin Receives 2022 ATSI Hall of Fame Award

Amtelco Cloud-Based Platform Solution

Amtelco announced that Tom Curtin, CEO, was recognized as the 2022 Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) Hall of Fame award recipient.

The ATSI Hall of Fame award is given to deserving individuals in appreciation and recognition for their contributions to the industry. ATSI presents the awards at the association’s annual conference to members who show their core values, commitment to peer group success, and the industry.

Tom Curtin, CEO of Amtelco, has worked in the industry since the early 1980s. He has held positions in sales and operations. With the sad passing of his father over twenty years ago, he assumed the helm at Amtelco.

Amtelco CEO Tom Curtin

Under Tom’s stewardship, Amtelco has remained a leader in the development of leading-edge products, set the standard for customer service, opened new markets in healthcare, and always put their customers first.

His calm demeanor and quiet personality are much appreciated. Amtelco has consistently been named a top place to work in Madison, Wisconsin.

“We all benefit from the institutional knowledge held by these folks,” said Tifani Leal, ATSI president. “We are so proud for ATSI to recognize a Curtin for the second time and welcome Tom to the ATSI Hall of Fame.”

“I am so humbled by this honor. I vividly recall Mr. C (aka Mr. Curtin) receiving this award in San Diego, California, and how very proud I was to see him receive it,” said Tom Curtin, Amtelco CEO.

“I am truly blessed that he set the stage for Amtelco’s culture ahead of me. This award is humbly accepted on behalf of and due to all Amtelco family members, including employees and our family of customers.”

Amtelco and Telescan

Amtelco has a strong history in the telemessaging industry and was founded in 1976 to provide communication solutions to the answering service and medical messaging industry. The 1Call Division was created in 1997 to help streamline communications for the healthcare call center marketplace. In 2012, Telescan merged with Amtelco.

Together Amtelco, Telescan, and 1Call focus on supplying call center solutions that meet or exceed customer expectations, backed by top notch service and support.

Peter Lyle DeHaan Publishes Healthcare Call Center Book

Latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials, released earlier this month on June 6, 2022.

Healthcare Call Center Essentials: Optimize Your Medical Contact Center to Improve Patient Outcomes and Drive Organizational Success

The book Healthcare Call Center Essentials is designed for those who want to manage a more effective medical contact center. From daily operations to long-term success, this essential guide will help readers create a thriving contact center that meets the urgent needs of both patients and the medical community.

In it, you can discover how to better manage your team and support achievable strategies to meet goals and support patients and healthcare centers. By implementing the strategies and tips in Healthcare Call Center Essentials, you can improve your daily systems and perfect your contact center operation.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, Publisher and Editor of Connections Magazine

“Though the focus of this book is healthcare contact centers, the content readily applies to call centers in other industries,” DeHaan said. “This includes both corporate and outsource call centers. It’s a vital resource for every call center leader.”

In addition to writing and publishing magazines and books about the call center industry, DeHaan’s lifetime of experience includes managing a multi-location call center, employment with a call center vendor, and consultant for call centers and telephone answering services.

Healthcare Call Center Essentials is available today in e-book, paperback, and hardcover. Get your copy today.

Quality Contact Solutions named Top 10 Healthcare BPO for 2022

Quality Contact Solutions (QCS) shared that they have been recognized among the Top 10 Healthcare BPO Companies 2022 by Healthcare Business Review.

“We are excited to share that Quality Contact Solutions has been named a Top 10 Healthcare BPO for 2022 by Healthcare Business Review, a trusted source by healthcare leaders for information on managing healthcare business and operations,” said Julie Kramme, vice president of sales for QCS.

“With lower costs and increased efficiencies, business process outsourcing (BPO) is the perfect solution for healthcare organizations,” added Kramme. The QCS team can support the various needs of their clients in the nuanced healthcare industry.

Quality Contact Solutions is an industry leader in call center and telemarketing services solutions, including B2B and B2C programs. QCS offers many telemarketing services, including outsourced sales, upselling, cross-selling, surveys, lead generation, sales lead qualification, appointment setting, inside sales, and inbound customer service.