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eSharings

Insights, hints, tips, and resources for service and support professionals.

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Industry Quiz

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Tele-seminar:
Jerry Keely

August 12th, 2008

Customer Service and Support Conference

Sept. 28 - Oct. 1, 2008
in San Diego

Opportunities for partner sponsors.
Taking submissions now

 
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This issue of eSharings addresses ergonomic working conditions and options for offering modified work environments. 

I tried to mount my horse like they do in the old cowboy movies - over the rump from the back-end of the horse.  The only problem was that I didn't stay on the horse. I hit the ground and fell down a steep bank. I went down with my ankle bent entirely the wrong way - taking all my weight - though slight as it is - it was enough to screw up my leg real good. It’s almost a third degree sprain.  Crutches and a 10 pound compression cast does not make getting around very easy, hence the reason for the topic of this issue of eSharings.  Thank goodness for being able to work from home when this sort of thing happens. Yippee Kai Yay, as Eric Rabinowitz said to me.

Be well my friends and I hope you can stay on your horse better then I did,

Ivy Meadors
High Tech High Touch Solutions, Inc.

www.ivymeadors.com or www.hthts.com

Office: 425-398-9292

Contact us anytime.  www.hthts.com ~~~ 425-398-9292 ~~~ solutions4u@hthts.com


Walking and working simultaneously. The Walkstation is the fully integrated combination of an electric height-adjustable work-surface with an exclusively engineered, low speed commercial grade treadmill. And it’s the first product in the entirely new FitWork category of products from Details designed to bring healthy habits to sedentary workers while they are actually working.
www.details-worktools.com/product_details.php?pid=740#

The Walk N Work gives us a brand new opportunity to stay healthy while we work. Most of us spend entire days in front of the computer. If you’re going to work this hard you might as well stay fit at the same time. The Walk N Work is a custom treadmill computer station that allows you to utilize your treadmill for a healthy new way to work!

 

The Flite Tech is an ergonomic leg mounted mouse pad that was developed by an F-16 fighter pilot. The Flite Tech straps to your leg allowing computer users to keep their hands, arms and shoulders in a more natural alignment. Use of the Flite Tech may reduce fatigue and muscle strain associated with long term computer use. Works best with a cordless mouse.

 

Foot Mouse (Slipper Mouse) with Programmable Pedal. In addition to its wide applications in ergonomics, rehab, assistive technology, clean room (lab), dirty room (car repair), cyber room (video game), etc, Footime foot mouse is also a very powerful input device for audio/video editor, animator, graphic designer, architect, composer, arranger, product designer (CAD, etc), CT scanner, software programmer or any intensive computer user. It's more than a mouse. It's a smart mouse (programmable). A mouse with brain!

 

Additional resources:

  • Just for fun - Corny Ergonomic cartoons.  Seems appropriate to find one with the caption "'Well if you've got a back problem mister, might I suggest you switch to the more comfortable, Ergonomic Palomino."  (Coincidentally, my horse is a palomino.)

  • Interesting read: The making of the mouse

  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet

  • Unicor for furniture and other services. Unicor is an active sponsor at our events and others in our industry. "It is the mission of Federal Prison Industries, Inc. (FPI) to employ and provide job skills training to the greatest practicable number of inmates confined within the Federal Bureau of Prisons; contribute to the safety and security of our Nation's correctional facilities by keeping inmates constructively occupied; produce market-price quality goods and services for sale to the Federal Government; operate in a self-sustaining manner; and minimize FPI's impact on private business and labor."

  • Aroga. Loads of excellent resources for people with low vision or need unique communication aids, have limited physical access, etc.  They have used equipment too.  "Live. Learn. See. Communicate. These words not only serve as a company motto, but also resonates with every one of our clients because they represent the difference our products make in people's lives. For over 20 years, Aroga has strived to help our clients attain a measure of independence, and with our policy of lifetime technical support, price matching, and extended product warranties, we are Canada's premiere Assistive Technology retailer."

  • Ergoweb. Welcome to Ergoweb®, the number one source for ergonomics. We deliver ergonomics consulting and ergonomics training services, carefully selected ergonomic products, publish loads of industry news and information, and host the world's largest ergonomics specific collaboration and discussion community.

  • Ergonomics - Ask the Ergonomist. Lots of resource and answers on this site. Ergonomics inc. is a consulting, training, and smart tool development company dedicated to preventing occupational injury and reducing employer costs.

  • Ergonomist Job Description, Career as a Ergonomist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job. Ergonomists, also known as human factors engineers, assist in the design of machines, tools, and other equipment to ensure that they can be used easily and correctly. The widespread use of computers has created a large demand for ergonomists to make office and home computer stations more user-friendly. They must take into account human factors, which include difficulty in understanding a machine's functions and discomfort when operating the machine. Such factors can cause vision problems, fatigue, physical pain, or even serious chronic conditions if they are not relieved. Ergonomists are also employed in many other fields, where they work with a variety of equipment and furniture ranging from desk chairs to military aircraft monitors.

  • Salary Survey Report for Job: Ergonomist

  • Occupational Health and Safety. Some really good information on this site as well as some useful statistics. The is from one of their polls:
    Which emerging health and safety issue worries you most?
      - Pandemic flu 23%
      - Nanotechnology 8%
      - Counterfeit PPE 10%
      - Obesity 40%
      - MRSA/staph infections 19%


HOT HOT - RESERVE YOUR ROOM BEFORE THEY ARE ALL GONE

There are a limited number of discounted rooms available at the Loews Coronado in San Diego for The 10th Annual Signature Customer Service and Support Professionals Conference and Expo, September 28 - October 1, 2008.

The rooms sell out quickly and the rest of the resort is almost sold out. Many of the rooms have beautiful views of the water.

Please call their toll free reservation number at 800-815-6397 or their direct number at 619-424-4000 to make your reservation today.

To see the details of this beautiful resort, visit the Loews Coronado website at www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Coronado-Bay-Resort/Overview.aspx

Service Desk / Call Center Quiz

What is the true definition of First Call Resolution?

  1. Any call resolved during the initial call by someone in a group that takes inbound calls, which can include resolution by someone else in the same group as long as resolution occurs on the caller's first call.

  2. A customer calls, and the call center forwards it as a warm transfer to Tier 2 for resolution. Tier 2 resolves the issue.

  3. Any call that is both answered and solved during the single initial call with no further work required by anyone other than the person who answered the call.

  4. Any call that can be resolved by the frontline group.  If it is a call type that isn't typically resolved by this group, it is reclassified and closed as a resolved ticket.

  5. None of the above.

Click here for correct answer and a few additional resources on FCR.


Complimentary Tele-seminar with Jerry Keely
Customer Service Administrator, Pinal County Government

DATE: August 12th, 2008

 TIME: 10:00-11:00 PT / 1:00-2:00 ET

 TOPIC: Tools of the Trade:  Building the Business Case and Legacy System Integration

 COST: None

 CALL-IN NUMBER: 308-344-6400. ACCESS CODE: 1029936#

You have a legacy telecommunications system; you have a need to add ACD, queuing, skill based routing, even multimedia routing.

You are not alone. Many companies are faced with this challenge. The “fork-lift” approach is costly and cannot be justified. Upgrading and adding this functionality to an “end of life” telecommunications system is neither a good investment nor a good business decision.

This teleseminar will provide some cost effective alternatives to adding state-of-the-art technology to your company by identifying ways to ingrate it into your environment. We will discuss the benefits and challenges associated with hosted ACD solutions as well as server-based premise solutions. We will discuss how these types of integration reduce risk and reduce interruptions to the business during implementation.

We will discuss some key points to make in your business case that will help justify the benefits and the return on investment (ROI). We will address disaster recovery and business continuity support that the right implementation can provide.

Benefits of Attending:

  • Learn about options that add the latest technologies and leverage your current telecommunication infrastructure

  • Increase your chances of success by building a robust business case.

  • Learn about hosted and server based ACD solution.

  • Understand how disaster recovery and business continuity can be added to your organization through this type of integration.

Meet the Speaker:

With over 20 years of experience in computer networking and software, I have spent the last 11 years using telecommunications and desktop solutions to support processes and procedures that improve customer service. I was brought in to Pinal County in 2006 to determine how to set up a new contact center environment. After months of research, I opened the Citizen Contact Center on June 27, 2007 using state of the art technologies operating on the legacy telecommunications infrastructure.

 

View prior tele-seminars and access the speaker's handouts.


The 10th Annual Customer Service and Support Professionals
Conference and Expo
Loews Coronado in San Diego
September 28 - October 1, 2008

Chairing the event is Bill Price, President of DrivaSolutions and author of "The Best Service is No Service".  The unforgettable, Dave Stockwell, Help Desk Manager from REI is the Master of Ceremonies. Daryl Covey, Help Desk Manager at NEXRAD, leads the onsite Government activities.

Why choose this event when there are so many others to choose from and travel costs have increased?

  • 46 sessions to choose from and 5 keynotes

  • Full day workshop with Bill Price to learn how and why "The Best Service is No Service" or choose from two half-day workshops.

  • Go deeper into topics - extended mini-workshops offered in the core conference.

  • Large variety of topics ranging from global support, outsourcing, workforce management, stress management, unbiased review of technology, managing change, online service, remote workers, speech analytics, benchmarking, coaching, ITIL, Going Green, wikis and blogs, loads of case studies and more.

  • Service Desk Manager and Service Desk Analyst Certification developed by Service Desk Institute from the United Kingdom.  This is some of the most advanced certification you can get for the Service Desk.  The material has been taught worldwide with positive results. Sign up today.

  • Learn from a distinctive line-up of respected names, industry experts and individuals from the private and public sectors with progressive Service Desks and Contact Centers.

  • Go home with fresh knowledge, complimentary handouts, templates and free books provided by the speakers PLUS a bonus flash drive loaded with the slides from the sessions  The flash drives also include additional handouts and other resources. These resource handouts, white papers, behavioral skills testing tools, customer service material, guideline documents, etc. are excellent tools to use as references and share with others.

Cost Savings

  • Get Service Desk certified and attend the conference all in one trip. Bring your staff and share the learnings. If more then 3 attend save an extra 15% off the full fare costs, including the certification training.

  • Come one day early or stay one day later and visit a local destination on us. Email our CEO, Ivy Meadors, directly at ivy@hthts.com to let her know you are bringing two or more from your organization and she will buy up to four people in your group,  complimentary passes to Sea World or the San Diego Zoo - your choice.  This is only available if you email her directly.  This offer only applies to those who bring 3 or more paid attendees from the same group.  Respond between July 1st - August 31st, 2008 to be eligible for this offer.  The limit for free passes per group is five - one per paid attendee.

  • Gas prices making it hard to take the family on vacation?  Bring the family with you to stay at the incredible resort.  While you are getting an education during the day they can go play at Sea World, Disney World, San Diego Zoo, and do other fun things.  Take the evening to share the resort, the beach and visit downtown San Diego. You travel on business expenses - one less air-fare to purchase and the resort costs are covered by expenses. The cost savings will justify bringing the family on a vacation.

  • Can't travel outside of California? This is one of the last chances to attend a Help Desk or Call Center conference in California in 2008.

  • Get more training on more topics in one trip then attending numerous events and seminars.

See the rest of the program now.
 


Job Openings at Amazon.com

Company: Amazon.com
Job Title: Customer Service Senior Site Leader

The Customer Service Site Director will be responsible for overall leadership and operations of the Latin American Contact Center. The Site Director will set the vision and direction while leading a large team of associates and managers to improve the customer experience, increase productivity and maintain service levels. This is a senior-level management position that is fully accountable for the results of the customer service center. This position requires a candidate who has the ability to drive process improvements and keep pace with our explosive growth while motivating others to meet the challenges of an extremely deadline-driven environment.

Amazon.com, Inc., (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as books, movies, music & games, digital downloads, electronics & computers, home & garden, toys, kids & baby, grocery, apparel, shoes & jewelry, health & beauty, sports & outdoors, and tools, auto & industrial.

Responsibilities:

* Maintain a complete and thorough understanding of technical systems in a complex automated customer service center
* Implement change or develop new processes as necessary to provide the ability to better direct multiple queues
* Continually measure and evaluate all work processes
* Responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of the site
* Carry out supervisory and management responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and procedures
* Responsibilities include training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; rewarding and disciplining employees; resolving conflict; staffing; and development of employees; SOPs, high quality and productivity within the department

Qualifications

* The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to leadership, employee development, an understanding of Lean and Six Sigma, and a keen interest in and familiarity with technical systems, in addition to an exceptional level of dedication, motivation, and intelligence
* Strong oral and written communication skills, as well as a strong technical and analytical aptitude and a four year degree are required
* An advanced degree in a quantitative field is preferred (math, stats, engineering, or science) or an MBA
* Seeking candidates with experience leading a large CS site
* Seeking candidates fluent in Spanish and preferred current location in Latin America.

We are hiring all levels of customer servicing associates and managers for the coming launch, so please forward any prospective resumes to Tammy Perkins
at tammyp@amazon.com.  You have to tell her you heard about the job in eSharings produced by Ivy Meadors.


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