Nick Kossovan

There's a dotted line few see that leads to the tipping point where the customer experience an organization delivers enables sales (revenue). My call center / customer service management career is an ongoing story featuring what I love to do; creating / managing call center / customer service ecosystems that delivers an experience which exceeds the customer expectations and is therefore beyond the tipping point.

With over 15 years hands-on B2B call center / customer service management experience (outbound and inbound), including lengthy stints in Europe and India, I have a solid understanding of how customer service directly impacts the bottom-line.

Customer service that "WOWs" doesn't just happen. It takes planning along with an understanding how to motivate a call center’s most valuable asset; its agents. I believe, more than any other single factor, a call center's success is determined by the quality of its leadership. On my office wall hangs the motto I live by: “Those who say it cannot be done should stay out of the way of those who are doing it.”

Specialties:

• Bilingual (French / English)
• Call center operations management
• Coaching / Mentoring
• CRM (Salesforce.com)
• Customer Experience Management
• Customer Retention
• Customer Service (Customer Service is the new marketing.)
• Data Analytics
• Employee Engagement / Motivation
• Hunter mentality
• Incentives (driving the necessary behaviors)
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Leadership (setting the example to follow)
• Public Speaking
• Social Media (Social Media Director, ICSA - Toronto Chapter)

When not providing callers with the ultimate experience I am either golfing, sourcing items to add to my extensive James Bond memorabilia collection, baking my award-winning Apple Ozark Pudding Cake, Tweeting (@Kossovan), or posting on my blog, “A Voice Amongst the Cubicles”.

Customer Service Manager

Crocs, Inc

Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; CROX; Consumer Goods industry

September 2012 – Present (10 months) Richmond Hill, ON, Canada

Crocs is so much more than a clog! They come in over 300 styles and sold in over 130 countries. Comfort is in Crocs DNA. Crocs mission is to bring profound comfort, fun and innovation to the world's feet. In 2012 Crocs celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

Responsibilities:

• Plan, organize, direct, manage, and evaluate customer service activities and budget.
• Liaise with field sales reps and upper-management to determine customer service strategy and tactics to ensure all customer service activities support and strengthen the overall objectives of Crocs.
• Utilizing Salesforce.com develop key performance indicators to determine and improve the effectiveness of all customer service / call center activities.
• Provide CSRs with guidance in handling difficult or complex issues or problems so they can be resolved effectively and efficiently. Provide guidance on how to escalate
complaints / disputes within Crocs.
• Analyze customer service related information and evaluate the results to choose the best resolutions and alternatives to customer service challenges, and to identify opportunities to improve the customer experience being delivered.
• Work closely with shared services in Mexico (order entry) and team in Boulder, Colorado (Crocs head-office) to ensure SLA deliverables are being met.

Social Media Director (Executive Board Member)

International Customer Service Association - Toronto Chapter

Nonprofit; 11-50 employees; Professional Training & Coaching industry

October 2010 – Present (2 years 9 months) Toronto, Canada

As Social Media Director for International Customer Service Association's Toronto chapter I develop and maintain an organic Social Media strategy that creates a constant buzz around the organization, thus leading to awareness of its existence and the benefits of joining the ICSA (a must for any customer service professional in the Toronto area).

I highly recommend if you are a customer service professional in the greater Toronto area you join the ICSA - Toronto chapter group here on LinkedIn.

Call Center Manager

The Travel Corporation Canada

Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry

September 2004 – August 2012 (8 years) Toronto, Canada

The Travel Corporation is the owner of well known brands such as Trafalgar Tours, Insight Vacations and Contiki Holidays.

Managed The Travel Corporation’s call center (primarily inbound) in Toronto selling to travel agents throughout North America.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborated directly with top level management to determine sales strategy and tactics.
• Managed, tracked and monitored call center goals; preparing / analyzing reports to drive sales.
• Monitored the outcomes of daily calls; perform forecasting and analysis of call trends.
• Collaborated with marketing departments to ensure a healthy ROI from marketing campaigns.
• Championed the call center throughout the organization; act as head cheerleader for my managers, supervisors and agents.
• Reported and analyzed call center productivity results against plan (targets).
• Monitored customer satisfaction.

Key Accomplishments:

• Developed and implemented an incentive program / bonus structure resulting in the call center’s culture migrating from simply taking orders to proactively closing business resulting in a dramatic increase in revenue.
• Created a home-based agent program (tele-commuting); reducing operating costs while significantly improving productivity and offers agents a work / life balance option.
• Developed a call centre scorecard, linking performance to the overall business strategy, keeping initiatives in line with corporate strategic direction.

Operations Director, Call Center

e3R

November 2002 – August 2004 (1 year 10 months) Chandigarh, India

E3r is a Los Angeles, California based international outsourcing provider in the contact center industry. I joined E3r to oversee and grow their blended (outbound / inbound) call center located in Chandigarh, India. As with Wonderfulbuys.com I worked on-site and was very much involved (hands on) in the call center’s day-to-day operation.

Responsibilities:

• Collaboratively worked with my direct reports (2 call center managers, 6 team leaders, 5 administrative staff) with the focus of having the call center consistently functioning at optimum efficiency.
• Identified the call center’s training requirements and coordinated the fulfillment of those needs with the Training Director.
• Responsible for the on boarding of new clients / campaigns, along with scheduling, budgeting for new hires and creating contingency forecasting models to maximize resources quickly for volume changes and objectives.
• Directly accountable for making certain service level agreements (SLA), established by the client, were being met and exceeded.

Key Accomplishments:

• Through the implementation of benchmarks, policies and procedures increased the call center’s revenue from $300,000 / month to $750,000 / month.
• Created and implemented incentive programs that increased employee recognition and retention while promoting an achievement-oriented culture.
• Grew the call center to 96 seats (2 shifts) by year-end (2003).
• Improved daily attendance from 82% to 95% within the first six months.

Director of Sales, Call Center

Wonderfulbuys.com

Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Retail industry

October 2000 – November 2002 (2 years 2 months) Pune, India

Wonderfulbuys.com was the world’s largest e-tailer of As Seen On TV products based in Mississauga, Ontario. I was brought on board to establish Wonderfulbuys.com’s multi-channel (inbound calls, web chat, e-mails, contact via the website) call center in Pune, India, where I worked on-site for 20 months. After setting up the call center I focused on training that would give the customer service representatives (CSRs), all whom I personally hired, the necessary skills (and tools) to handle calls in a way that would result not only in an order but capture opportunities to up-sell. It was during my time in India I strengthened my training /mentoring skills. Working / living in India for the length of time I did was an amazing professional learning experience, as well I discovered myself in ways I would not have otherwise.

Responsibilities:

• Managed on-site an operational team of 45 CSRs, in a 24/7 multi-channel inbound call center environment, located in Pune, India, along 5 CSRs based in Mississauga, Ontario, making sure the customer experience being delivered was world-class as well as sales focused.
• Ensure customer contacts (inbound calls, e-mail responses and live chats) were capturing selling opportunities.
• Handled escalated issues.

Key Accomplishments:

• Coached CSRs to improve their call handling, communication and selling skills increasing the conversion rate to 65%, and the average order value to $205.
• Repeat customers: 68%

Call Center Manager

Myron Manufacturing

Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Business Supplies and Equipment industry

April 1996 – October 2000 (4 years 7 months) Toronto, Canada

Myron Corporation is a manufacturer and end-distributor of promotional items. It was here I learnt the fundamentals of call center / sales management, how to align key performance indicators (KPIs) with sales efficiency, creating incentive programs that rewards the right behaviors and results and developed my management and coaching style.

Myron’s call center is 100% outbound, calling directly to businesses (B2B) that were either past clients or had lapsed (not purchased in the past 1 -2 years). The call center is purely sales focused with the Telephone Sales Representative (TSRs) compensation being 30% base and 70% commission. Consistent sales training, coaching, mentoring and motivating was the key to achieving sales targets.

Responsibilities:

• Hands-on managed a team of 20 - 25 TSRs in an outbound call center environment.
• Held daily (pre-shift) team meetings (approximately 15 minutes) going over previous day number, updating on policy changes marketing campaigns and most important acknowledging (recognition) individual outstanding performance.
• Directly involved in forecasting and setting sales quotas, while coaching TSRs to reach their fullest potential.
• Prepared various reports to uncover selling opportunities and see how the team / individuals were trending towards achieving annual sales target(s).

Key Accomplishments:

• Completed a 9-month assignment in Europe (United Kingdom) establishing a multi-national call center operation in Slough, UK.
• Piloted calling Australia at night from Toronto (when the call center was not being utilized) thus breaking into a new market without having to incur the overhead cost of setting up a call center in Australia.
• Annually meet and exceeded sales targets (earning bonus).
• Developed and wrote a call guide, which increased sales by 20% while reducing average length of call.

Operations Manager

Quebecor MediaPages Inc.

Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry

October 1994 – April 1996 (1 year 7 months) Toronto, Canada

Street-level outdoor advertising billboards.

• Responsible for company's entire operation (i.e. acquisition of sites, installation of frames, selling of advertising space, etc…) in Ontario and throughout western Canada.
• Established entire Ontario network from 876 outdoor frames to over 5,000 frames.
• Coordinated the changing of advertisement throughout through a network of 60 freelancers.
• Reduced operational costs by 27% through implementation of installation standards, performance measurements, control systems and financial objectives

TICO
- Travel Industry Council of Ontario
- September 2009
Certified Travel Manager
- Travel Industry Council of Ontario
- April 2011
Effective Communications & Human Relations
- Dale Carnegie
- April 2011
Essential Principles of People Management
- International Customer Management Institute
- June 2011

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CEGEP - John Abbott College

D.E.C., Social Sciences

National College

Diploma, Advertising

National College

Diploma, Creative Writing

Stratford Career Institute

Diploma, Business Management

Beaconsfield Highschool

Volunteer Interests
- Causes I care about:
  - Poverty Alleviation
  - Social Services
- Organizations I support:
  - The Yonge Street Mission
  - The Salvation Army

English
(Native or bilingual proficiency)
French
(Native or bilingual proficiency)

Interests:

• Avid golfer. • Collecting James Bond memorabilia. • Expanding my culinary repertoire. • Reading self-help books. • Metal-detecting. • Maintaining my blogs. • Buying / selling domain names. • Writing (Writing a novel. Working title: "Live Your Death").

Groups and Associations:

• Canadian Professional Sales Association (CPSA) • Contact Centre Canada (CCC) • Greater Toronto Area Contact Centre Association (GTACC) • Highland Creek Community Association • International Customer Service Association (ICSA) • Scarborough Historical Society