anne brames

Comdial was acquired by Vertical in Spetember 2004. During the period prior to the acquisition: Led organization responsible for delivering technical support and for the development and delivery of technical training for Comdial’s portfolio of communications products, including Key Voice voice mail and call center products. Through aggressive restructuring of processes and procedures was able to dramatically improve wait times and customer satisfaction, reducing Average Speed of Answer (ASA) and Customer complaints by half within a six month period. Converted all technical training from classroom to a combination of self-directed and instructor-led, web-based training. This conversion resulted in significant cost savings to the company and to our network of dealers. As a result of easier access to technical training, the number of dealers who achieved technical certification increased, thereby improving the support provided to our Customers.

Managed six nationally deployed network management service centers. Responsible for customer satisfaction, managing a staff of 198 employees and a $12M budget, planning and implementation, and daily operation of the service centers. Met regularly with customers to review performance, address transition concerns, determine customer requirements for service, and communicate future strategy. Planned and managed consolidation of five network management centers located throughout the United States into one center in Largo, Fl. Realized annual savings in excess of $3M. Performance resulted in being awarded the Vice President’s Award for Excellence for 1991

Responsible for all line and staff functions associated with AT&T's network management centers and technical support organization. Managed staff in excess of 300 employees, planned and managed consolidation of network management centers from seventeen centers to five, including reassignment of affected personnel. Resulted in staff reduction of 100 and annual savings of $5M. Member of task force charged with designing future Data Communications Equipment (DCE) service organizations in preparation for consolidation into AT&T Paradyne. Worked with Labor Relations and Human Resources to deploy 198 service personnel from Computer Systems division within AT&T into AT&T Paradyne and other AT&T business units

Director, Customer Support – Voice, 2000 to 2002 Led Customer Support Center responsible for repair and maintenance of Intermedia’s portfolio of voice services, designed for U.S. based business and government customers. Within, six months significantly improved performance across all key indicators. Average Speed of Answer (ASA) improved dramatically, to 5% of that reported in September, 2000. Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), chronic failures and customer complaints reflected a similar improvement. Director, Customer Loyalty Programs, 1999 Responsible for all customer satisfaction research. Initiated event surveys for installation and repair processes for all market segments. Delivered previously unavailable performance statistics to the organization. Redesigned decision-maker survey process to better capture reliable market information relative to Intermedia’s performance versus that of its key competitors

Director, Customer Loyalty & Value, 1998 Developed and executed strategic plans to aid Nortel in achieving key goal of accelerating Customer Loyalty across its various global enterprises. The components of the plan included: education, communication, research, and processes for incorporating Customer information into business planning processes and cycles. Director, Customer Satisfaction, Worldwide - Enterprise Networks, 1996 – 1998 Planned and executed all global customer satisfaction research for the Enterprise Networks business unit, including survey design, execution, analysis, and reporting. Deployed Customer Value research strategies and techniques throughout the business. Developed and executed communication and training programs facilitating the use of the data in cross-functional work groups throughout Enterprise Networks. As a result, business exceeded targets for Customer Satisfaction performance.

Managed all customer research projects for AT&T Paradyne, including customer satisfaction and exploratory research. Responsibilities included oversight of research design and administration, results reporting, and facilitating the use of the data in business planning efforts. Established corporate-wide complaint resolution system in compliance with Malcolm Baldrige criteria and International Standards Organization (ISO) requirements. Interface to AT&T Paradyne's Customer Council. Managed processes for securing Council input, member selection, conference planning and Council communications. Increased effectiveness of this forum by establishing process that ensured input was received, understood and acted upon.

Leads the customer support organization responsible for providing customer support, technical support and technical training for all Vertical products, including the Comdial, Vodavi, Televantage and Instant Office portfolios. Beginning in 2004, and in successive years, integrated the support organizations of three companies which were merged into Vertical Communications. Developed and implemented strategies for reconciling policies and processes to optimize support delivered to integrated dealer and customer base. Maintained customer satisfaction during a period of extensive product change and corporate restructuring; cross-training technical staff on new products as a result of force reductions, staffing and training on new technologies required to support going-forward product portfolio and implementing targeted support and escalation processes designed to meet the needs of critical customer segments and accounts.

Vice President, Customer Support at Windstream Communications