Monday, January 28, 2008

RICHARD AUSTIN

Sales and Customer Service Management Executive

3113 N WATERFORD CT MOUNT JULIET, TN 37122
615.482.7131 RICK.AUSTIN@GMAIL.COM



PROFILE

Results-focused professional with a successful background in leadership, sales, training, budget management, and customer relations. Extensive call center experience in resource management, issue resolution, and quality control.


TARGET POSITIONS

Customer Service Manager/Director, Contact Center Manager/Director, Call Center Manager/Director, Inside Sales Manager/Director

AREAS OF STRENGTH

- Leadership
- Customer Service and Satisfaction
- Performance Management - KPIs
- Technical Training
- Sales Training
- Executive Temperament
- Continuous Improvement Initiatives
- Resource Deployment - IEX/CentreVu/Nice
- Cost Management
- Strategic Initiatives
- Staff Development
- Meeting Facilitation


PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

Cigna Government Services 2008 - present

Customer Service Manager 2008 - present

Manage customer service department which receives Medicare inquiries from medical provider community.

Key Results

* Significant increases in quality, process improvement, ISO 9000 compliance within department.


T-Mobile USA 2000 - 2007

Customer Service Manager
Nashville, TN 2006 - 2007

Provided service delivery, quality assurance improvement, employee development, resource improvement and employee communication and motivation for 110+ indirect reports.

Key Results

* 650 FTE call center reached its highest quality metric in 6 years with coaching program.
* Reduced center adjustment expense from $100 to less than $20 in one year.
* Reduced group attrition by 20% in first 6 months.
* Improved Employee Satisfaction Survey results by 10% in one year
* Ability to work in a collaborative environment and to influence others at all levels of an organization, even without direct authority.
* Strong knowledge of call center software, technology and KPIs.
* Proven skill in coaching, change management, conflict management and development of a work team of individuals with diverse skill sets.

Center Technology Specialist
Colorado Springs, CO 2004 - 2006

Operated as the technology point of contact for the center, facilitating communication between the business and the COS/IT departments.

Key Results

* Created new Service Level Agreement document for the Avaya PDS support process.
* Performed focus group research with site leadership to ensure support effectiveness.
* Site team member for rollout of new payroll and call recording systems.
* Solicited and tracked feedback from users regarding system performance with Verint Ultra, TCS, RTA, CMS, Click 2 Coach and Remedy.
* Performed Tier-1 and Tier-2 support for 3 Avaya Predictive Dialing Systems.
* Helped implement win-win solutions to boost collection results to all time highs.

Customer Care Supervisor/Outbound Retention Manager
Colorado Springs, CO 2000 - 2004

Supported inbound customer service plus outbound sales and retention teams in a call center environment.

Key Results

* Collaborated with corporate Consumer Marketing to develop successful strategies.
* Created calling scripts and quality guidelines to maximize customer satisfaction.
* Supervised outbound department quality and accuracy monitoring team.
* Analyzed PDS data to maximize dialer productivity and efficiency.
* Improved outbound department closes per hour by 50% via thorough coaching.
* Coached for performance in areas of quality, AHT, and customer satisfaction.
* Reduced customer churn by 5 - 10 basis points over 360 days past outbound call.

Progressive Insurance 1994 - 2000

Direct Sales Manager
Colorado Springs, CO 1995 - 2000

Managed teams of property and casualty licensed Inside Sales Representatives in a call center environment. Coached ISRs to educate the customer on most suitable insurance coverage.

Key Results

* Implemented successful team lead program that increased agent morale and performance.
* Implemented many quality and sales contests that positively drove center performance.
* Strategy team and project team member for process improvement initiatives.
* Analyzed Lucent/Avaya database to maximize inbound call performance.
* Acted as Reward and Recognition Chairman - Organized $25K annual event.

Quality Auditor
Tampa, FL 1994 - 1995

Provided call quality feedback to 60 direct sales representatives.


EDUCATION

* B.S. Management, University of Phoenix
* A.S. Business Administration, Northwestern Connecticut Community College

PROFESSIONAL COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Coach University for Managers (2006)
Get More Commitment (2004)
Performance Management (2002)
Effective Presentations, New Horizons (2005)
Quality Service Coaching, AchieveGlobal (2002)
Quality Service Skills, AchieveGlobal (2001)
Club Hire Interviewing (2006)
Avaya PDS Admin Manager 3.0, Avaya University (2004)
Mosaix System Supervisor, Avaya University (2001)
Avaya CMS CentreVu Supervisor (1997)



View Richard Austin's profile on LinkedIn