What Steve Jobs Taught Us

By now, we have all heard about the passing of Steve Jobs.  Whether or not you are a fan of Apple, there is no denying that Steve Jobs has profoundly affected the lives of us all.  In the 1970’s, Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs formed Apple and it soon became the symbol of the personal computing revolution worldwide.  The company went public after just four years!  But what made Apple different from other computer companies? Well, most importantly, Apple made personal computers accessible to just about anyone.  Apple was also the first company to focus on aesthetics.  An unsurpassed, sleek design has always been Apple’s trademark. However, Steve Jobs taught us about more than just the design of personal electronics. Entrepreneur Media shared an article stating Jobs’ 7 Rules of Success.

1.    Do what you love.

2.    Put a dent in the universe.

3.    Make connections.

4.    Say no to 1,000 things.

5.    Create insanely different experiences.

6.    Master the message.

7.    Sell dreams, not products. 

While we thank Jobs for the products he introduced to us, we must also thank him for the lessons he taught us.

The article of Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success can be found in its entirety here.

Feature Employee October 2011- Traci A.

Our feature employee for October is Traci. Traci has now been with Accurate for 6 years; she started as a temp and decided to stay full time because she liked it so much.   She mentioned, “I love Accurate. I like working for the people I work for. I love what I do.”  Traci said that her favorite accounts to help are the ones that require a lot of details and research.  Her favorite part about the job is getting an upset customer on the phone, helping them out, and then receiving a “thank you” at the end of the call; “I like seeing the reverse,” she says.  “Accurate really encourages good customer service and courtesy.”

One funny story Traci shared is that people are often distracted on the phone by her deep, raspy voice. “It’s this way because I sing a lot at church”, Traci explains. 

Last week was Customer Service Week and Traci pointed out that she tried to be more involved this year; she even wore a hat for Accurate’s “Hat Day” and pink on “Breast Cancer Awareness Day”.  Thank you, Traci, for participating in the activities this week and all you have done for Accurate!

Customer Service Week 2011

Last week was Customer Service Week.  It is a week devoted to recognizing the importance of customer service and to honoring the people who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.  In 1992 the U.S. Congress proclaimed Customer Service Week a nationally recognized event, celebrated annually during the first full week in October.

We experienced a great Customer Service Week!

Monday was the gumball contest with a prize going to the person who guessed closest to how many gumballs were in the jar! Michelle Baker guessed 355; there were 349 gumballs in the gum jar.  Monday’s QA winner was Lisa Shadle, scoring a 91%!

Tuesday’s QA winner was Katrina Watton, scoring a 90%!

Wednesday was hat day! Thank you to all who got participated and work a hat! Wednesday’s QA winner was Greg Park, who scored a 93%!

Thursday was pink day! Thank you for supporting the fight against breast cancer and wearing your pink to work! Thursday’s QA winner was Amy Walsh, scoring a 92%!

Friday was team day- a day to wear your favorite sports team’s gear! Friday’s QA winner was Michele, with a score of 90%!

Saturday we announced the winner of the Husker Score Guess! Nathan won predicting a score of 35 Nebraska, 31 Ohio- the actual score was 34 Nebraska 27 Ohio! Saturday’s QA winner is Ellen with a score of 94%!

Sunday’s QA winner was Donna! Donna scored a 93%!

Thank you so much to all of you for participating in Customer Service Week!

Feature Employee September 2011- Kelly

Our Feature Employee this month is Kelly. Kelly started with the company when it was called "Answer Omaha" 32 years ago, in 1979, and was in a different location.  She likes the current building much better! Kelly is now on her third owner of the company and started back when the company had only about 3-4 agents, she said.  She remembers when, “The agents and management were all in one room.”  She, too, started as an agent. Kelly was an agent on the telephone for over 20 years!

Over the years, Kelly’s various roles in the company have included telephone agent, supervisor, receptionist and customer service representative.  Her favorite, and most recent, position is being a customer service representative. “It’s easier for me because I’ve been an agent before. I understand how the system works from the agent’s view and the customer’s view. I understand both sides,” Kelly says about her current role. She mentions that previously, when the company was smaller, there were no CSR’s, just agent supervisors to handle issues with clients.  “Now, we can take the time to look into issues and review them. Supervisors are helping the agents. We are here just for the clients.”

Join us in congratulating Kelly for a wonderful 32 years of service and an exceptional job well done!!

Accurate Communications

www.accurate800.com 

Press Release- Accurate Communications has hired Katie Liquori as its Manager of Social Media and Marketing

Accurate Communications is pleased to announce that they have added Katie Liquori as their Manager of Social Media and Marketing.

Accurate Communications, located in Omaha, Nebraska provides telephone answering services, Medical answering services, E-Commerce, Order Entry and Customer Service representatives for businesses nationwide.

Liquori will be responsible for developing and executing the company’s social media strategy and its online community development as well as developing brand awareness for its different services. 

Liquori received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska- Omaha. 

For more information, please call (402) 342-5555.

This article can be found here:
http://strictlybusinessomaha.com/24/112.3993/accurate-communications-welcomes-liquori.aspx

Accurate Communications
www.accurate800.com

Why you need a social media policy NOW

With the increasing use of social media sights such as Facebook, Twitter, blogging and others, it is increasingly important to realize how social media can both help or hurt your company’s reputation.  Social Media can help your brand reach millions of potential customers.  However, negative comments can potentially hurt your reputation as well.

A negative comment from an employee can have devastating consequences for your company’s reputation.  With proper management, you can minimize the risks. Implementing a social media policy is probably the most proactive way to control this behavior leading to a negative reputation.  A social media policy well let employees know their responsibility and expectations when handling social media outlets.

Many websites and articles exist informing you what needs to go into your social media policy. However, one article that I have found particularly helpful is attached below. It discusses the 10 “must-haves” of a social media policy.

Don’t wait to start a social media policy. Your employees need to know what is expected of them and waiting until your reputation has been tarnished is too late!

10 Must-Haves for Your Social Media Policy

Katie Liquori

Social Media Manager
www.accurate800.com

Feature Employee August 2011- Sue S.

Our feature employee this month is Sue.  Sue has been with the company now for 35 years this month! She has seen many changes with the company over the years.  In 1976 when Sue started with the company, there were 6 operators- 4 of them were named Sue! She recalls, “Customers thought it was either a code name or Sue just worked all the time”!  Back then, Sue explains, the owner worked answering the phones every morning from 8:00am until 10:00am and it was not a 24/7 service- they answered phones from 8:00am-6:00pm Monday through Friday, and on Sunday from 8:00am-12:00noon.

Sue recalls that most of the changes she has seen have been with the technology.  There were only three work stations for the operators then and all message tickets were written on paper and hand time stamped by the operators. Customers had to retrieve their message tickets from the office to read them.

Sue names the primary reason she likes working at Accurate so much is the people!  She also mentions she is never bored!

Help us in thanking Sue for a wonderful 35 years of service!!