5250 E US 36  |#1102B
Avon, IN 46123

info@paceassociation.org

The PACE Pulse is an informational newsletter designed to keep you up-to-date on all things PACE and on the latest news from and about the contact center industry!
P artnerships . A dvocacy. C ompliance. E vents.
A Letter from Our CEO
Stuart Discount

Happy November!

I hope that you are enjoying our monthly PACE Pulse and other important information that are sent to your email. The staff, along with our marketing partners and Board of Directors, work hard to produce material, events and opportunities that bring value to our PACE members and their staff and consumers. 

I am one who looks for value and, when I find it, I make sure to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, many of our PACE members are not doing that. At PACE, we want to make sure you are taking advantage of all we have to offer. So, in case you missed it, I would like to review what a PACE membership comes with and who in your organization benefits. 

  1. ANY employee of your company can be included in your company’s profile. 
  2. Each corporate membership level includes a certain number of paid BenchmarkPortal courses and certifications. 
  3. Our new online Resource Directory is LIVE. Members have to opt-in to receive their listing. The listing comes with the PACE membership. If you are looking to network and get your company’s services out to the business community, we encourage our members to take advantage of what has been paid for already. 
  4. PACE is always looking for original content - information FROM our members that will HELP our members. This does not cost anything extra! 
  5. Some of our live events may already be included in your membership dues. Check your membership level or contact us to see what events you can attend at a discounted rate or no cost.

Don't forget to join us at ACX’19, March 31 – April 3 at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort and Spa in San Antonio, TX. Our Call for Speakers is open and we will be accepting submissions through January 4, 2019.  Early-Bird registrations and hotel reservations are open as well. We welcome our members AND future members!

Members, please take advantage of what your membership offers. Prospective members please reach out and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have!

I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving and upcoming holiday season.

To read Stuart's letter in its entirety, click here.
Partnerships and Network
At PACE, we pride ourselves in building and growing partnerships to better benefit our members and the customers they serve. Check out the highlights and news from our member partners.

Want to experience a true partnership? Contact us to see how you can be a #ProudPACEMember!
Our member in the spotlight. November's member spotlight features Infutor Data Solutions.

Infutor was recently presented with the 2018 PACE Technovation Award.
 
An expert in Consumer Identity Management, Infutor is 100% focused on enabling brands to instantly know what they need to about consumers. Infutor is a specialist in delivering solutions that accurately verify, score and complete consumer identities as well as build and maintain robust consumer profiles using demographic and lifestyle attributes.

Infutor’s ID Max solution was awarded the 2018 PACE Technovation Award for its ability to help organizations complete, verify, update and enhance fractional consumer information for an improved customer experience. 

For more information on Infutor, click  here.
PACE's Resource and Supplier Directory 

Don't forget to take advantage of the PACE resource directory. The directory is open to the public and allows PACE members to promote their businesses to those looking for all types of contact center services. Each PACE member is entitled to a listing as part of the increased value we are offering to all of our corporate members.

For more information on the benefits of the PACE resource directory, click here.
BenchmarkPortal/PACE College of Call Center Excellence Certification Program
Have you taken advantage of our certification program? Show your employees that you care about their success by sharing this program with them! Our partnership with BenchmarkPortal allows mid-level managers and any of your staff members in need of certification to receive them. It's all part of the PACE membership!

The offerings include:

  • Contact Center Manager
  • 3-day in-person course
  • Quality Assurance Management
  • self-paced on-demand course
  • Coaching for Performance
  • self-paced on-demand course
  • Workforce Management
  • self-paced on-demand course
  • Supervisor
  • self-paced on-demand course
  • Agent
  • self-paced on-demand course

The following PACE members are qualified to take one or more BMP courses for free:

Silver Members : One (1) free course for the duration of your Silver membership
Gold Members: Three (3) free courses for the duration of your Gold membership
Platinum Members: Five (5) free courses for the duration of your Platinum membership
Welcome New Members
Thank You Renewed Members
Advocacy and Articles
Abiding by our pillars of education and advocacy, PACE brings you the latest news and articles impacting the contact center realm.
Congratulations to Mac Murray & Shuster
U.S. News & World Report recently named PACE Member, Mac Murray & Shuster to the U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers 2019 “Best Law Firms” list. "We are grateful for our wonderful clients and for the distinguished work of the entire M&S team, whose commitment to excellence in law has earned the firm this recognition for the fourth straight year." Read about the honor here .
To submit an article for the PACE Pulse, contact Chris Haerich .

Click here for guidelines on submitting an article to News You Can Use!
Continuous Process Improvement: A Part Of A Call Center's DNA
Submitted by Jim Iyoob, Etech Global Services

No matter what industry your call center is in continuous process improvement, a method of continually redesigning business protocols for increased efficiency is a vital cornerstone of business excellence. CPI can turn a struggling company into a major competitor in whatever industry your business is in.

By systematically reviewing current company procedures and introducing incremental changes, you can provide the foundation for a breakthrough. To read the article in its entirety, click here .

Don't Ignore Reality: Employee Engagement Begins In Agent's Pockets
Submitted by Mike Dershowitz, Rethink Staffing

When you evaluate your agents' salaries, you need to change the denominator of your comparison. Instead of comparing agent salaries to what your competitors pay (or worse what finance tells you can pay), you need to benchmark your agents' salaries as they relate to the local economy they're actually in, where they are living day to day trying to survive.
Instead, you need to benchmark your agents' salaries against local economic conditions, because that's where they are living. 

Many companies in our industry are doing this already. This is why we have contact centers in small towns in Canada, India, the Philippines, and Central America. In these places, wages that companies can afford to pay are sufficient to meet the agent's basic needs, so that the remainder of what goes into the contact center can be focused on meeting the higher order needs in Maslow's pyramid. Without strong foundation, no pyramid can be erected.

Read the article in its entirety .

3 Ways Call Center Quality Improves With Artificial Intelligence
Submitted by eTech Global Solutions

The communication that occurs between customers and agents in your call center hold incredibly valuable information. There are many industry advancements that make it easier to collect insights captured by those calls or text-based chats, but Artificial intelligence (AI) is one that has proven incredibly valuable for the call center sector. AI is an especially powerful tool regarding improving and maintaining quality levels in your customer interactions.

Artificial Intelligence is the next step to managing your call center, and maintaining the level of success that your customers have come to expect. AI-derived knowledge from all your calls combines technology with a human touch. Consider investing in one soon.

To read the article in its entirety .
Compliance and Regulatory
We care about keeping our members and their customers compliant. PACE represents those who abide by industry rules and regulations and we are here to keep you abreast of the latest in the compliance and regulatory realms.
Recent Court Decisions Exacerbate TCPA Uncertainty

It’s been more than seven months since the D.C. Circuit’s decision in ACA Int’l v. FCC, yet the definition of automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) remains unclear. In the wake of ACA Int’l, courts consider three primary issues to determine whether a device qualifies as an ATDS. This article addresses those issues in turn. 

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

PACE Submits Comments to the FCC’s Request on How It Should Interrupt the Definition of an ATDS  

PACE submitted comments in response to the Public Notice issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking further comment on interpretation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) following the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Marks v. Crunch San Diego, LLC. 

Click here to read PACE’s comment in their entirety. 
November and December COF Meetings

Due to the upcoming holiday season, we find it necessary to make some adjustments to our November and December Compliance Officer Forum Calls.
 
November call:
Wednesday, November 14
2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT
 
December call:
Wednesday, December 12
2:30 PM ET/1:30 PM CT

If you would like to be on the COF call, please contact Chris Haerich.
November DNC Holidays
Please be advised of the upcoming November 2018 Do Not Call holidays:

  • Monday November 12, 2018 (Veteran's Day observed)- AL, LA MS, RI and UT
  • Thursday November 22, 2018 (Thanksgiving)- AL, LA, MS, RI and UT
  • Friday November 23, 2018 (Acadian Day)*- LA

* Louisiana has not yet declared Acadian Day a state holiday; however, we expect the state to do so. You can check the status by visiting the state's DNC holiday website ( http://www.lpsc.louisiana.gov/DNCHolidays.aspx).   

Outbound telemarketing calls to consumers in these states should be suppressed on the applicable days unless an exemption applies. 

Finally, prerecorded message calls may only be made into Nebraska from 1pm to 9pm on Monday  November 12, 2018 (Veteran's Day observed),  Thursday November 22, 2018 (Thanksgiving) and  Friday November 23, 2018 (day after Thanksgiving) unless an exemption applies.

This e-alert is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Please log into the  Regulatory Guide for more information. Please consult an attorney for legal advice.
Events and Education
One of PACE's pillars in our mission is to provide our members with networking and educational opportunities on a local, regional and national scale. Below are upcoming events supported or managed by PACE.
There is still time to register to join us in Princeton for an amazing day of education and networking at the PACE Regional Contact Center Summit focusing on Understanding Compliance and Improving Operations in your contact center.
Princeton Summit

November 14, 2018
10 AM – 5 PM CT

$99 for PACE Members
$119 for Non-Members

Hyatt Regency Princeton
102 Carnegie Center Drive
Princeton, NJ  08540

For more information on our Princeton Summit agenda or to register, click here .
Don’t Miss The Best Holiday Gala Ever!
 
Thursday, December 6
5:30 to 8:00 pm
The Salesforce Tower
 

$59 for Members - $69 for Non-Members
 
AGENDA
5:30 PM
Networking, Fun, Hors d’ouevres, Beer and Wine
6:45 PM
Welcome From The Chapter President, Sponsor Recognition, Looking Ahead to 2019
7:30 PM
Networking / US Marines Toys For Tots Door Prize Raffle / The Fun Continues
8:00 PM
Have A Safe Drive Home!
Bring a toy and a generous spirit to support our charitable door prize raffle.

All proceeds from the door prize raffle will be donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Toys For Tots.
PACE Compliance Webinar
Join PACE and Mac Murray and Shuster for our FREE monthly PACE Compliance & Regulatory Webinar Series.
  
Call Labeling/Blocking
1 PM ET/12 PM CT
Thursday, November 15



___________________________________

Navigating the Muddy Waters of the TCPA: Understanding the Impact of Court Decisions on the TCPA's Future

Join M&S Partners Michele Shuster and Nick Whisler for an informative webinar that will help bring clarity to the changing TCPA landscape. Understand the hidden threats your business may be facing and learn steps you can take right now to minimize the risk of TCPA claims as this controversial regulation continues to evolve.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

To register, click here.
PACE - InnerView Part 2 of 4-Part Webinar Series

Integrating the Brand into Agent’s Routines

Wednesday, December 5, 2018
12 – 1 PM CT/1 -2 PM ET

This session will pick up the on the first webinar's topic of consumer trends and the need for a more differentiated and "branded" customer experience by discussing ways the unique elements of a company’s brand and value proposition can be integrated into daily contact center routines. Brands can’t just be about advertisements, they need to connect with customers in every interaction!


Non-Members, register here.
PACE Members, register here.
Annual PACE Convention and Expo

Make plans to join us for our Annual PACE Convention & Expo (ACX’19) at the  Hyatt Hill Country Resort & Spa  in San Antonio, Texas.

Our annual National Convention & Expo is THE signature event for customer engagement/contact center professionals. This event brings together industry executives from around the globe in a truly engaging atmosphere. ACX’19 combines high-powered networking and business development with cutting edge educational content. When you attend our event, you are more than an attendee, you're a valued partner!

Don't delay, register today! Hotel reservations are now open. Book now.
CALL FOR SPEAKERS
Call for speakers is now open!

For more information on speaker and presentation guidelines and deadlines, click here.
Toys for Tots - Toy Drive & Holiday Social
Join SOCAP’s Georgia Chapter, along with CXPA and PACE, as we celebrate the giving of toys to children less fortunate this holiday season. Topical conversations on Customer Experience, prize drawings, and tours of GM Voices Recording Studios. 

Wednesday, December 5
4:30 - 7:30 p.m.
 
Share Toys with Holiday Cheer! A new Toy or $15 donation, or more, for those in need, at the door is not require, but appreciated.  
 
Free event, but registration is required to attend. 
On behalf of all of us at PACE, THANK YOU for an engaging, educational and successful 2018. We are honored to work with each of you to continuously improve our value to members, our regional and national events and the customer experience for all impacted by the contact center industry. This holiday season, we hope you enjoy your time with friends and family.

Thank you for a great 2018 and we look forward to a busy and impactful 2019!

With sincere thanks,

The PACE National Board of Directors, Chapter Presidents, Chapter Board of Directors and Management Staff   
 5250 E US 36 |#1102B
Avon, IN 46123
info@paceassociation.org
1(317) 816-9336
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