2. Dear Board of Directors, Members, and fellow staff,
Every day AWS is open for business we receive on
average 390 calls. As the demands for our services
increase domestically and internationally, the number of
calls will also increase.
That’s just one reason why we decided
to launch a new department, the
Customer Operations Department. This
new department will handle our high call
volumes and serve as the flagship
department in regard to how we service
our members and customers. In the past
eight years, our revenues have more
than doubled, growing from $15 million
to $35 million, which has caused us to
have some “nice” growth challenges.
It is the responsibility of all of us who
work at AWS to ensure our continued
success by constantly improving and
innovating. In order to have constant
improvement and innovation we must
always ask ourselves:
a) how we can be better and go
further,
b) how we can work efficiently, and
c) how we can improve our
customer and member
experience.
The creation of the new Customer
Operations Department will help answer
these questions.
Through this new department we will be
able to do the following:
a) Provide an improved customer
experience for current and future
AWS Members by having a
highly skilled professional team
who can assist the caller without
having to forward the call to
multiple departments.
b) Increase operational efficiency by
having the other departments
focus on the operational side of
the business versus having
departments focus on both the
operations and customer aspect.
c) Synchronize sales and marketing
in order to provide members with
a holistic solution to their needs.
This new department will function like an
airline company or any major financial
institution. When you call, the
professional on the line can handle
nearly all aspects of your call without the
need to transfer you to a specialist.
3. Since this new department serves such
a critical role, I wanted it to work closely
with the Executive Office, and this is
why I asked Alex Diaz, Associate
Director of Board & Executive Director
Services to develop, recruit, and
manage the Customer Operations
Department. In April of this year, Alex
launched an internal recruitment
campaign to seek out highly skilled and
highly knowledgeable professionals to
serve on the frontline of this new
department. Danielle Garcia and Vivian
Pupo were selected to be the first to join
the department. Both Daniel and Vivian
were put through a rigorous one-month
cross-training program in the following
departments: Accounting, Certification,
Education, and Member Services.
Additionally, the team, with the help of
Chelsea Lewis, Program Manager of
Board & Executive Director Services,
developed a 165-page operational
manual that provides instructions on
how to answer calls ranging from a
request to buy a Foundation Scholarship
Brick to a request to process a
membership renewal. This is the first
time we have ever had a group of
individuals who can answer calls in such
an all-inclusive manner.
Since the launch of the Customer
Operations Department, the business
units felt an immediate impact in terms
of lowered call volume, as seen through
the call data reports and through the
AWS Staff testimonials included in this
prospectus. As a case in point, the
Certification Department is currently
looking at their workflow process to
reallocate staff time to focus more on
processing applications.
The people who make up AWS are
exceptional. They are always willing to
reinvent themselves and their
departments to better serve AWS
Members and the welding community.
I’m honored to work with these
extraordinary individuals.
Ray Shook
Executive Director, American Welding Society®
4. Fall 2013
Summer 2014
Internal
launch of
the new
website
Alex Diaz begins a needs assessment and
evaluates feedback from AWS staff regarding the
need for a helpdesk that would focus on website
questions. As a result of the assessment, the initial
idea was modified to encompass a centralized
Customer Operations Department that could
answer calls that did not require a specialist within
a business unit.
Late Winter 2014
Official external
launch of the
new website
New department
staff members are
put through an
intensive training
program
feResources
contracted to
evaluate our IT
infrastructure
eResources
suggest we have
a helpdesk to aid
members who call
with questions
regarding the new
website
Early Fall 2014
Early Spring 2015
Internal recruitment,
interviewing process, and
selection process commences
for the new department
Middle of Spring 2015
Late Spring 2015
Launch of the
Customer
Operations
Department
Early Spring 2015
Launch of
the AWS
website
chat
Spring 2016
Our Way Forward,
Upward and onward, it’s the only way to go.
5. Seeking the Best
In most cases, being a good boss means hiring talented
people and then getting out of their way.
The most important capital any organization possesses is their human capital. That is
why it was critical for the new Customer Operations Department to find the right people
for the job. The search was only conducted internally, because we wanted to have
individuals who already had a high knowledge base of AWS operations, and who had a
proven track record of top performance. The candidates we wanted for this elite AWS
team had to have a highly developed sense of integrity and commitment to customer
satisfaction, and a passion for excellence with respect to treating and caring for
customers. Additionally, the individuals had to to be multi-faceted professionals who
could consistently provide world class customer service through communication,
technical skills (thorough understanding of AWS and their products), and problem
resolution, while ensuring a positive customer experience and committed to meet or
exceed customer expectations.
We launched an internal five
week marketing campaign to
introduce the idea of the new
department and set forth the
character and skillset of the
individuals we wanted to
recruit for the Customer
Operations Department.
Every Monday for five weeks
a new flyer was posted on
each floor of the AWS world
headquarters. The poster
immediately created intrigue
and buzz. As every week
went by, the posters revealed more information, and on the fifth week we announced
the opening of the new department via an email, which included the last flyer and a call
to action for those who would be interested in joining the new Customer Operations
Department.
6.
7. Let’s Get to Work
Great things in business are never done by one person.
They’re done by a team of people.
Alex Diaz
Associate Director of Board & Executive Director
Services, American Welding Society®
Alex Diaz is responsible for creating and developing the Customer Operations Department
as well as recruiting and managing staff. As Associate Director of Board & Executive
Director Services he coordinates administrative and operational activities for the Office of
the Executive Director. Alex holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from
Florida International University (FIU) and a Master in Public Administration from FIU. He
also has a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Policy and Management from FIU.
Danielle Garcia
Program Specialist | Customer Operations
Department, American Welding Society®
Danielle Garcia is responsible for providing world class customer service through
communication, technical skills, and problem resolution. As well as generating additional
sales by understanding each unique customer’s needs and providing them with products
and services that best fit the customer’s needs. Danielle holds a Master of Science in
Criminal Justice and a Bachelor’s of Psychology from Florida International University (FIU).
8. Chelsea Lewis
Program Manager | Board & Executive Director
Services, American Welding Society®
Chelsea Lewis has been instrumental in aiding Alex in developing the new department and
in recruitment. Chelsea has a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Business
Management from Palm Beach State College and has six years of combined program
management experience in the hospitality industry and within the AWS Technical
Department were she has served as Committee Secretary to eleven committees.
Vivian Pupo
Program Specialist | Customer Operations, American
Welding Society®
Vivian Pupo is responsible for providing world class customer service through
communication, technical skills, and problem resolution. As well as generating additional
sales by understanding each unique customer’s needs, she provides them with products
and services that best fit their needs. Vivian started with AWS in the Certification
Department as a temporary employee nearly seventeen years ago. Joining AWS is a
journey, and along her journey she has held several positions and has worked in different
departments, all of which has led her to where she is today. Vivian places customers
satisfaction first, goes beyond expectations, and becomes a mentor to others by supporting
those she works with.
9. Our Focus
Your focus determines your reality.
The focus of the Customer Operations Department is to improve both the customers’
experience and to improve operational efficiencies within AWS.
We will improve customer experience by:
Being knowledgeable and professional
Creating lifetime relationships with our customers and members
Engaging, educating, and empowering our customers and members through
our product offerings
Guiding our customers and members by providing them with a holistic
solution to their needs
Being there when our customers need us
Being advocates for our customers and members
We will improve operational efficiencies within AWS by having the other departments
focus on the business side of things and letting us focus on the customer aspect.
10. If all Customer Operations
Department Program
Specialist are on a call
the Customer will be
automatically directed to
their intended destination.
Design
Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is
how it works.
The Customer Operations Department is designed to intercept nearly all calls made into
AWS. When an individual calls AWS, they are prompted by our phone system to select
a particular department. Regardless of the selection made by the individual, that call will
be intercepted by our department. If all the Customer Operations Department Program
Specialists are on a call, then the system will bypass our department and reach the
caller’s intended destination. The only calls we do not intercept are those calls where
the individual calling AWS enters a direct extension for someone within AWS.
Customer
Customer
Operations
Receptionist Accounting Certification Education Membership Technical
11. Prime Time
Keep calm, it’s peak time.
The Customer Operations Department currently has two Program Specialist whose sole
function is to answer calls from 8 AM – 5 PM. Although the Customer Operations
Department has been in existence for a short period of time, the current Program
Specialists have been able to decrease call volume to the business unit by 31%. The
percentage decrease is expected to increase as the Program Specialists become more
familiar with their new job function.
The chart below illustrates in general terms the call volume patterns for AWS as a
whole. There is a “mini peak” in the morning and then two large peak during the lunch
period and prior to closing. Although there exist spikes, or peak patterns at certain times
of day, the calls are constantly coming in to AWS. During the nonpeak times, a total of 4
½ hours out of the day, the Customer Operations Department is able to nearly intersect
all of the calls coming into the business units. During the peak times, a total of 3 ½
hours out of the day, the Customer Operations Department is unable to intersect most
of the calls coming in, and as a result the business units will still receive most of the
calls during this time. With additional Program Specialists, the Customer Operations
Department will be able to have a greater impact during peak hours.
10:00-10:30 AM
Mini Peak
12:30-2:30 PM
Peak
4:00-5:00 PM
Peak
12. Impact,
If your presence doesn’t have an impact then your
absence won’t make a difference.
Since its inception the Customer Operations Department has been able to reduce the
average organizational call volume by 31% (current results have been achieve with two Program Specialist).
55%
35%
31%
22%
14%
1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Membership Certification Accounting Education Services Receptionist Technical
Call Volume Percentage Decrease
14. Hilda Aguilera
Certification Coordinator,
American Welding Society®
Irene Rodriguez
Customer Service Coordinator-Education,
American Welding Society®
The Buzz
It is important to have a feedback loop, so you constantly
review what you’ve done and plan how you could do it
better.
Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs in a chain of
cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. In every step of the development and
launch of the Customer Service Department, we have utilized feedback to help us
shape this new department. In order to ensure a continual feedback loop, we plan on
implementing post-call IVR (interactive voice response) surveys at the end of every call
made to AWS in 2016.
Here is some feedback from our AWS staff members within the business units that
handle high call volumes.
I believe that the Customer Operations Department has been very successful. They have been able
to handle incoming calls and inquiries from our customers. They have been assisting customers on
the front end and often handling requests without having to transfer the customer to other
departments. Since the customer service representatives have been trained in several areas like
(accounting, membership, education) I believe they are able to provide the customer with additional
information and explain services much better.
Please accept my sincerest appreciation for the fine job being done by our new Customer Operations
Department. Their enthusiasm and ability to meet Tier one calls has resulted in significant increase in
productivity. I hope you and your team achieve huge targets in the future also. Keep up the good
work!
15. John Franquiz
Accounting Manager,
American Welding Society®
Kim Hugley
Senior Coordinator-Membership,
American Welding Society®
Mabel Orbay
Accounting Lead Coordinator,
American Welding Society®
Nichole Bradley
Lead Certification Coordinator,
American Welding Society®
Since the commencement of The Customer Operations Department I have notice a definite decrease
in the number of interruptions from the amount phone calls that I normally would receive throughout
the work day. This has allowed me to be more focused on other task at hand. I believe that
implementing this department was a great idea that has become a great reality.
The Customer Operation Department has had a great impact in my work experience from the first day
it started. The volume of calls through my extension has noticeably dropped approximately 80%. This
is definitely a step toward a better customer experience. With Vivian and Danielle, I know the COD will
be a complete success. Thanks to all of you for making difference.
I am extremely grateful with the changes the Customer Operations Department has produced. I find
that since the COD has been operational, the phone interruptions that previously prevailed while I was
trying to complete my work have, for the most part, ceased. The fact that my concentration is no
longer broken in the middle of a task has saved me an incredible amount of time. In addition, the
pressure I previously felt trying to make sure the interruptions did not cause me to make mistakes,
has decreased dramatically. All this has enables me to better assist customers and handle urgent
issues. From what I have seen and heard, my feelings are shared by most in my department.
The Customer Operations Department (COD) has been an excellent addition to AWS. While
Accounting still gets plenty of calls, they come in spurts in heavy periods when the COD staff is extra
busy. A good portion does get filtered through COD and this allows Accounting to catch up on other
activities. As time goes, COD will be even more knowledgeable and efficient. This will lessen the load
for the respectful departments even further.
16. Rhenda Kenny
Director of Member Services,
American Welding Society®
Sara Vidal
Senior Administrative Assistant-Technical Dept.,
American Welding Society®
Sharon Campbell
Receptionist,
American Welding Society®
Sylvia Ferreira
Accounting Lead Coordinator,
American Welding Society®
Terry Perez
Director of Operations-Certification,
American Welding Society®
The volume of calls we receive in the general line for Technical (ext. 340) have significantly reduced. I
am personally able to focus more on other aspects of my work. One of our goals is to assist our
customers in a professional manner. I am certain the personnel in the Customer Operations
Department are doing an excellent job of doing this.
Since its inception, the Customer Operations Department has had a very positive impact on our
department. I would say the number of Tier 1 phone calls into the department has been reduced by
35%-40%. In addition, when the need to transfer a call to Membership is needed, both Vivian and
Danielle’s professionalism is evident in the information they relay to Membership staff to better help us
address the member’s needs. The reduction in phone calls also enables Membership staff to be more
focused on the tasks at hand.
The Customer Operations Department is a great service. The calls I am presently getting now is about
25% less.
The Program Specialist at the COD have helped reduce calls to our department enormously, this has
made my days a lot more efficient. I can get things done in ½ the time since I don’t have to stop to take
a call every few minutes and the few calls I do get are issues that I must research and look into.
Congrats to Vivian, Danielle, and Alex on doing a great job.
The Certification Department has seen a significant decrease in the number of calls coming through to
our department since the implementation of the Customer Operation Department. Comparing past call
volume to our current numbers, certification department calls have decreased by 40%. This has been
an overwhelmingly positive change for coordinators, who now have more time to process applications.
We want to express our appreciation in this regard, and thank your team for all their efforts.
