The December 2012 Issue of TAS Trader

Map Communications: Make more when you sell to us!

Donald William Craik Inducted into CAM-X Hall of Fame

The late Donald William Craik has been inducted into the 2012 CAM-X Hall of Fame. Donald’s daughter, Judy Craik, proudly accepted the award during the Gala banquet at the 48th Annual Convention and Trade Show held recently at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort & Spa in Victoria, BC.

Donald was born in Greenway, Manitoba, in 1931 and died at the age of fifty-four in 1985. Foremost in his extensive list of life accomplishments was his marriage to Shirley, which produced three accomplished daughters: Judy, Polly, and Donna. His second significant area of achievement was as an engineer and educator. Don received degrees from both the University of Manitoba and the University of Minnesota. He was a lecturer and later an associate professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Manitoba.

Donald Craik’s third area of achievement was as an elected municipal and provincial politician, multi-portfolio cabinet minister, and deputy premier of Manitoba. It is the fourth area of accomplishment that leads to his induction into the CAM-X Hall of Fame.

Don opened Fine Line Telephone Answering and Secretarial Services in Winnipeg in the early 1970s. Initially, Fine Line operated a business-hours answering service for approximately twenty-five clients but rapidly grew to fifty clients. The young company moved into a storefront office space, rented a cordboard, and began their adventures in the twenty-four-hour answering service business. Donald’s eighteen-year-old daughter Judy was his first – and probably only – choice for the midnight shift.

Don Craik recognized early on the benefits to be derived from membership in industry associations. He joined ATAE and TAAC (the precursors of ATSI and CAM-X) and encouraged his daughters to become actively involved. Don generated two past presidents of CAM-X: Judy Craik in 1989–1990 and Polly’s husband, David Rattray, in 1997–1998.

The CAM-X Hall of Fame was established by the Canadian Call Management Association in 2001 in order to recognize dynamic individuals whose leadership has contributed to the evolution of the telephone answering service and call center industry. The Hall of Fame celebrates inductees for their accomplishments, their vision, and their leadership as well as for their tireless efforts to promote, support, and protect TAS and the call center industry.

CAM-X (www.camx.ca) is a Canadian-based trade association for the call management industry.

CAM-X 2012 Award of Excellence Winners

For twenty-three years, CAM-X (The Canadian Call Management Association) has recognized call centers that have achieved and maintained excellence. This achievement puts them among the top telephone answering services worldwide. The CAM-X Award of Excellence is a mystery caller program that uses independent judges to evaluate calls. The 2012 CAM-X Award of Excellence winners are:

Twenty-Three Years
@liveconx, Ottawa, ON

Twenty Years
Re: Messaging Solutions Inc., Abbotsford, BC

Eighteen Years
Answer Plus, Hamilton, ON

Seventeen Years
Teleconnect International, Wetaskiwin, AB

Sixteen Years
Tele-Page, Montreal, QC
Northern Communications Services Inc., Sudbury, ON
PDL Contact Centres, Calgary, AB
T.A.S. Communications, Belleville, ON

Fifteen Years
Select Call Centre – Edmonton, Edmonton, AB
AnswerPlus, Toronto, ON
Connections Call Center, Squamish, BC

Fourteen Years
Extend Communications Inc., Brantford, ON

Thirteen Years
Alliance Wireless Communications, Kingston, ON
Select Call Centre – Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie, AB

Twelve Years
Kelcom, Windsor, ON
Intercon Messaging Inc., Drayton Valley, AB

Ten Years
Encore TeleSolutions, Barrie, ON
Central Communications, Welland, ON
Select Call Centre – Calgary, Calgary, AB
Select Call Centre – Red Deer, Red Deer, AB

Nine Years
Telelink, St. John’s, NL

Eight Years
Focus Telecommunications, Inc., Eldersburg, MD
Answer 1 Communications, Phoenix, AZ
A-Team, Newington, CT
Extend Communications Inc., Cambridge, ON
Answer 365, Halifax, NS

Seven Years
On Call Centre Inc., Ottawa, ON
Scotia Business Centre, Limited, Bridgewater, NS
Time Communications, White Bear Lake, MN
Answer Quick, Louisville, TN
Direct Line Teleresponse, Berkeley, CA
Keener Communications, Inc., Richmond, VA
TigerTel Oshawa, Oshawa, ON
All Call, Georgetown, ON
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Portland, ME
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Wilmington, DE
The Legacy Connection, Tuscaloosa, AL

Six Years
Billie Clarke’s Answering Service, San Diego, CA
Anser Services, Green Bay, WI
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Anaheim, CA

Five Years
AnswerOne, Brooklyn, NY
Alert Communications, Ventura, CA
Always On Call Answering Service LLC, Concord, NH
Main Line TeleCommunications, Aston, PA
TigerTel Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
MedCom Professional Services, Inc., Levittown, PA
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Houma, LA
Call Experts, Charleston, SC
Business Connect, New Holland, PA
Keystone Answering Service, Allentown, PA
Dexcomm, Carencro, LA
Allgood Communications, Inc., Pueblo, CO

Four Years
Tel-Us Call Center, Beverly Hills, CA
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., St. Louis, MO

Three Years
Ambs Call Center, Jackson, MI
A Better Connection Inc., Gilbert, AZ
Advanced Answering, Manchester, TN
TigerTel Nanaimo, Nanaimo, BC
TAS-Page Communications, Peterborough, ON
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Boston, MA
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Sacramento, CA

Two Years
Aamcom, Redondo Beach, CA
Com Net, LLC, Muncie, IN
Answer Plus, Inc., Las Vegas, NV
Commercial Telephone Exchange, Inc., Reno, NV
We An-Ser Communications Ltd., Lloydminster, AB
Callnet Call Center Services, Bloomington, IN
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Houston, TX
TigerTel Alberta, Alberta
TigerTel Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB
TigerTel Quebec, Quebec

One Year
Monroe Telephone, Beaumont, TX
We An-Ser Communications Ltd., Regina, SK
Advantage TeleMessaging, Inc., West Reading, PA
A Better Answer, Houston, Houston, TX
A Better Answer, Hurst, Hurst, TX
A Better Answer, Plano, TX, Plano, TX
TigerTel Richmond, Richmond, BC
TigerTel Montreal, Montreal, QC
Cititel Inc., Edmonton, AB
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Houston, TX
Appletree Answering Service, Inc., Austin, TX

TAS Trader congratulates all these fine answering services for their participation and success in the CAM-X Award of Excellence program.

Top Scores

The top score was awarded to Answering Service, Pueblo, CO. Rounding out the top ten are:
Re: Messaging Solutions Inc., Abbotsford, BC
T.A.S. Communications, Belleville, ON
Connections Call Center, Squamish, BC
Select Call Centre – Red Deer, Red Deer, AB
Business Connect, New Holland, PA
Keystone Answering Service, Allentown, PA
Dexcomm, Carencro, LA
Callnet Call Center Services, Bloomington, IN
A Better Answer, Plano, TX, Plano, TX

News

CAM-X News
In past few years CAM-X members have donated to and bid on their annual silent auction, as well as raising money by members shaving their heads. CAM-X has raised $235,505 for breast cancer research, education, and advocacy. See more on their Shave to Save website (www.shavetosave.ca), which has been updated to include fund-raising efforts at their recent convention in Victoria. Check it out – and be sure to click on the photos for a smile and a reminder of thanks to those friends who shaved their heads for breast cancer! In other CAM-X news, President Doug Swift announced that the theme for this year is “Connect with Culture.”

Dawn Newborn Joins ProComm
Dawn Newborn joins ProComm on the heels of its national expansion efforts. She currently sits on the ATSI board and chairs several of ATSI’s ongoing efforts. Ms. Newborn is a longstanding funeral industry and answering service advocate, with memberships in the National Funeral Directors Association, Georgia Funeral Directors Association, and Alabama Funeral Directors Association. Having experience with several widely used systems in the industry, Ms. Newborn brings much expertise to the table for ProComm. “I am very excited about this new opportunity to grow with a company that has a vision of excellence in our industry,” she said. Contact Dawn at dawn.newborn@wegetthemessage.com.

Automatic Infinity System Backup
Infinity backup service is a Microsoft Windows service that automatically writes a copy of the Infinity system database to a storage location. The backup file is intended for recovering the Infinity system in case of a service outage or other event. The Infinity backup service eliminates the need for the DAT cassette tape drive in the Infinity server, as well as the need to keep track of those tapes. The backup service can be configured to start when the Infinity system is booted and run in the background as long as Windows is running, or it can be started and stopped manually as needed.

Startel Achieves Microsoft Gold and Silver ISV Competencies
Startel Corporation announced that it has achieved Gold and Silver Independent Software Vendor (ISV) competencies from the Microsoft Partner Network. Startel demonstrated its expertise with Microsoft technologies and its ability to meet customers’ needs. This distinguishes Startel as being in the top one percent of Microsoft Partners. “These Microsoft competencies showcase Startel’s expertise and commitment in today’s technology market and demonstrate our deep knowledge of Microsoft and its products,” said Bill Lane, president and CEO of Startel. “Our plan is to accelerate our customers’ success by serving as technology advisors for their business demands.”

Bill Tucker Receives the Tom Ryan Award
Congratulations go out to Bill Tucker of Answer 365 for winning the 2012 Tom Ryan Award for Ethics, Integrity and Quality Above All. This honor was accepted at the 48th Annual CAM-X Convention and Trade Show. The award is presented annually in memory of Tom Ryan, a pioneer of the telephone message industry. This industry-specific award pays homage to companies that exhibit quality service while being committed to ethics and integrity. Also considered is the company’s dedication to maintaining a cohesive working environment, practicing ongoing internal and external customer service initiatives, and continuous involvement in industry and community programs.

Kelly Shaver Receives Donald Swift Education Endowment
The Donald Swift Education Endowment (DSEE) is presented annually to the person who is deemed to most exemplify the mission statement and values promoted by CAM-X. It is designed to offer one person from a member organization (who may not normally attend) the opportunity to experience the value of a CAM-X Convention. Kelly Shaver of Alliance Wireless Communications in Kingston, Ontario, was honored with the 2012 Donald Swift Education Endowment. “Being chosen for the DSEE award was very exciting. I really appreciate the Swift family giving me the opportunity to attend the 2012 CAM-X Conference in Victoria,” said Kelly Shaver.

AnswerNet Launches Appointment Reminder Service
AnswerNet has launched an appointment reminder service, providing a cloud-based appointment reminder solution that does not require hardware or software setup. The service is a simple, online system that takes appointment data and uses real voice talent to record the details of those appointments. It sends messages to recipients via telephone, email, text, or smartphone application. Patients or customers have the option to accept, change, or cancel appointments through an interactive voice response system. In some cases, they may be transferred to a call center agent or the client’s office to confirm the appointment. To learn more, call 800-411-5777.

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[Posted by Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD for TAS Trader.]