Contact Center 2010 - New Hire Manual

1. Contact Center 2010 - New Hire Manual “At CCCS we help financially-distressed people move from crisis to control by providing compassionate service and innovative and practical solutions. We see ourselves as a financial emergency room, creating hope and inspiring lasting change”. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

2. Table of Contents • Introduction • About this manual (3) • Human Resources structure (4) • About the Contact Center (5) • Contact Center Org Chart (6) • Contact Center (7) • Contact Center Policies & Procedures • Performance Metrics (11) • Scorecard (12) • Attendance Policy (13) * Absences (16) * Tardiness (18) * Timecard Sheets – Missed punches in / out (19) • Emergency closing (22) • Dress Code and personal appearance (24) • Email Instructions (28) • Use of Agency Resources (31) • Contact Center Motivators • Les’s get to know each other – Fun Facts (34) • Attachments (36) Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

3. About this manual The purpose of this manual is to give you a readily available reference regarding your employment with CCCS Contact Center. This handbook is a summary of the Contact Center structure, policies, procedures and training curriculums. This handbook applies to all Contact Center employees. If any statement in this handbook is not completely clear to you, please feel free to contact a member of the Contact Center Leadership Team. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

4. Human Resources Structure • Your assigned Human Resources Generalist will ensure you are well informed regarding organizational changes that may affect you. • In turn, you will contact your assigned HR Generalist anytime you have questions or concerns that does not include payroll. We do have payroll administrators to address those concerns. • The best way to contact your HR generalist is through email. If the matter is urgent, please put urgent in the subject line of the email. Of course you may always call them directly. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

5. About the CCCS Contact Center Our call center is open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year including the holidays. We have call centers in Atlanta, Cumberland, Sugarloaf, West Palm Beach and Orlando, Florida. Our Contact Center representatives are available to assist clients with scheduling appointments for Budget & Credit Counseling, Housing Counseling and Bankruptcy Education, and various Educational Workshops Our mission is to deliver “World Class” customer service to every client. Our goal is to ensure our client’s are treated with dignity, respect and compassion. Our mission is to help consumers avoid and conquer financial problems that tear at the fabric of individual self esteem, family life and community. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

6. Contact Center Organizational Chart(Inbound/Outbound) Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

7. Contact Center WELCOME to our Contact Center at CCCS. We want to take some time to ensure you are aware your goals and expectations as a Contact Center Representative. Call QualityMonitoring The Contact Center monitors calls via Audio Log and your supervisor will give you feedback on a weekly or monthly basis. As part of your monthly reviews, we sometimes have you listen to some of your own calls. We find this is a very effective coaching method. • We have call audit forms that will set more specific expectations regarding the monitoring guidelines. Your direct supervisor review a copy of the form with you. • Always be courteous to the caller. Anything less would be unacceptable. Tone, etiquette & kindness is of utmost importance in our line of business. • If you have a question or are uncertain about how to handle the call, please contact the Escalation Line at x3201. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

8. Contact Center • Personal Phone Calls Please use the wall phone by the clock in the Contact Center or phones in the break room on your lunch or break. Do not place any personal calls from your workstation. • Cell Phones Cell phones are not permitted on the floor. You may use them on your scheduled Lunch or Break but not on the floor. If you are not on lunch or break and your cell phone rings, do not run off the floor to answer your phone. This will not be tolerated. • Internet The internet for personal use is only to be accessed during your scheduled Lunch or Break. • Lunch and Break Schedule The Lunch and Break schedules are to be followed at all times unless a change is approved by a Supervisor. If you miss your scheduled time contact your Supervisor so they can coordinate another time for you. • Roaming Around Roaming around the Contact Center floor is prohibited. Kathy Gray’s motto "just because you are on break doesn't mean the other person is also”. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

9. Contact Center • Timesheets - ADI You need to have 4 punches per day. The best thing to do is to make yourself a sign to remind you to: • Clock in when you arrive • When you go to lunch • When you come back from lunch • When you leave for the day • If you forget to clock in/out, please email your Supervisor because they will have to make manual adjustments. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

10. Contact Center • Scheduling appointments for friends and families If you or family member or friend wants to utilize one of our services, please see your Supervisor to schedule an appointment. • Daily Stats The Supervisors will hand out daily stats from the previous day to let you know how you are doing as it pertains to certain benchmarks we have for our department. • Benchmarks Our department’s performance is measured using very specific goals we refer to as benchmarks. You will become very familiar with this term during your employment with CCCS. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

11. Performance Metrics • Department Average Speed to Answer - the average time calls waited in queue and ringing before an agent answered. Our benchmark is 25seconds. • Department Abandon Rate - the number of calls that are abandoned by the caller when calls are in queue or when calls are ringing for this split/skill. Our benchmark is 3%. • Monitoring Score - we monitor calls for quality assurance and training purposes. This includes recorded calls and screen captures of your desktop. The benchmark is 90% or above. • 3201/Partnership Audits – monitoring partnerships and 3201 Escalation line for training purposes. The benchmark is 85% or above. • Quizzes- monthly quizzes are given on a monthly basis to ensure staff always reads emails regarding: • New Partnerships • Newsletters • Other Work Related emails The benchmark is 85% or above. • Occupancy Rate - the percentage of time that you are logged in and auto in to take incoming calls. The occupancy rate is 90% or above. The following metrics are not included but must be aware: • Average Talk Time - the average talk time is the amount of time a CCR spends with a caller during a phone call. The average talk time should be 4 minutes. • CCR Calls per day - 40 hour: 80-100 calls 30 hour: 60-75 calls 25 hour: 50-60 calls 20 hour: 40-50 calls Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

12. Scorecard Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

13. Attendance • Attendance is critical to our department’s success as well as to the overall agency’s success. The first impression our clients have, even before they speak to a Contact Center Representative is how quickly we answer their telephone call. • Your attendance has a direct effect on our performance and your individual performance. Arriving late to work or coming back late from a scheduled break is discourteous to our clients, your co-workers, and supervisors because they have to absorb your workload. • Employees are expected to be at their desk at their scheduled time prepared to work. If your shift starts at 9:00 a.m. and you have not punched in and logged in to the phone system, you are considered late. The expectation is that you are ready to take a call or respond to an email at the beginning of your shift. If you log in 3 minutes after your scheduled time you are consider tardy. • Employees are expected to utilize their earned sick, vacation or floating holiday time when time is needed away from work. • Your immediate supervisor will review the attendance policy in detail with you. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

14. Attendance Arriving late is disrespectful to your co-workers and Supervisors because they have to take up your workload. Additionally, your attendance has a direct effect on your performance evaluation and consequently, any merit increases you may receive. If due to extenuating circumstances you need to call out please communicate that you will be absent by calling the Call Out Line before the beginning of your shift • Supervisor/Support Leader Line (404) 260-3201Escalation Line / Call Out Line • Keara Brown (404) 260-3133 AM Supervisor ATL • Patrena Brown (404) 260-3152 AM Supervisor CBL • Emanuel Rivero (407) 418-0014 AM Supervisor Orlando • Felicia Paul (404) 260-3134 PM Supervisor ATL • Noel Caballero (404) 260-3145 Bilingual Supervisor • Carlton Gray (404) 260-3152 PM Supervisor CBL • Greisy Alvarez (404) 260-3153 Outbound Supervisor CBL • Kathy Gray (404) 653-8841 Call Center Manager Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

15. Attendance (continued) Absences • Illness If unable to report to work, the employee must call the escalation line at line at (404) 260-3201 as soon as possible. Employees must provide as much notice as possible so alternate arrangements can be made to cover the vacant shift. • Scheduled Absence/Vacation/Floating Days Requests for vacation or any other paid absences must be made at least two weeks in advance via the ADI Timekeeping System, but no more than 90 days in advance. Requests are approved on a first come – first serve basis. Requests without at least two weeks notice may not be approved. Generally, no more than two people may be on vacation at any one time; however, a manager may authorize more if business needs will not be adversely affected. • Absence without Pay Absence without pay will not be approved while an employee has any sick, vacation or floating holiday time available. Approval of an absence without pay will be considered as an exception to policy and will not normally be granted. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

16. Attendance (continued) Absences Two-Thirds day (2/3 day) • If an employee has to leave work for medical reasons, CCCS allows employees who work at least 2/3 of their normal workday to be paid for the entire workday. Supervisors may require that the employee obtain a doctor’s certificate verifying the need for the absence. • Four 2/3 days are considered acceptable in a calendar year (January - December). Documentation will be required. • Once an employee has utilized all of their sick, vacation or floating time or has excessive 2/3rd days they will be subject to corrective action. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

17. Attendance (continued) Corrective action if absence guidelines are not met • Step One: Verbal Reminder Employee will receive a verbal warning at two (2) occurrences with no remaining sick, vacation or floating days to cover the time off. • Step Two: Written Warning Employee will receive a written warning at three (3) occurrences with no remaining sick, vacation or floating days to cover the time off. • Step Three: Final Warning Employee will receive a final warning at four (4) occurrences with no remaining sick, vacation or floating days to cover the time off. Further disciplinary action up to and including termination will be given when an employee has five (5) occurrences with no remaining sick, vacation or floating days to cover the time off. * Occurrences include calling out sick from work, or leaving work before the end of your shift. (Each incident equals one occurrence. For example, one call out equals one occurrence and one leave early equals a second occurrence. Two consecutive call out equals two occurrences.) Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

18. Attendance Tardiness Employees must be at their desk and ready for work at the start of their scheduled shift including returning from breaks, lunch and meetings. Employees who log into their phone more than two minutes late are considered tardy. Corrective Action for Tardiness • Step One: Verbal Reminder Employee will receive a verbal warning after six (6) unexcused tardies in a 12 month period. • Step Two: Written Warning Employee will receive a written warning after eight (8) unexcused tardies in a 12 month period. • Step Three: Final Warning Employee will receive a final warning after ten (10) unexcused tardies in a 12 month period. Further disciplinary action up to and including termination will be given after an employee has eleven (11) unexcused tardies. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

19. Attendance Timecard Sheets – Missed punches in / out Employees are required to clock in at the beginning of their shift, clock out/in for lunch and out when their shift ends. Failure to clock in or out properly may create an error in your paycheck and does create extra work for others. To ensure adherence to this policy, the following corrective action will be taken based on excessive missed punches. Corrective Action for Missed Punches • Step One: Verbal Reminder Employee will receive a verbal warning after four (4) missed punches. • Step Two: Written Warning Employee will receive a written warning after eight (8) missed punches. • Step Three: Final Warning Employee will receive a final warning after twelve (12)missed punches. Further disciplinary action up to and including termination will be given after an employee has thirteen missed punches. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

20. Attendance (continued) • Please feel free to ask any questions regarding any of the department policies outlined in this presentation. • If you are planning a family reunion, celebrating an event such as anniversary or wedding or an emergency arises and need to buy the ticket in advance then let your Supervisor know ahead of time • Make up Time When an employee calls out sick or an emergency arises, the Supervisor will not allow staff to make-up their time.Staff will need to utilize their vacation or sick time. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

21. Emergency Closing Severe weather • Consumer Credit Counseling Service facilities remain open in all but the most extreme circumstances. Unless an emergency closing is announced, all employees are expected to report to work. Employees are urged to use sound judgment in determining whether they can commute safely to work. • When an emergency closing has not been declared, employees who do not report to work because of inclement weather must contact their supervisor/manager directly to notify them that they are unable to report to work as scheduled due to inclement weather conditions. In such cases when the agency is open but employees are unable to report to work due to inclement weather, they have the option of taking vacation, float day, sick time or leave without pay. • Only by authorization of the senior leadership team will CCCS cease operations due to emergency circumstances. In the event of severe weather conditions or other emergencies, the senior management team may decide to close one or more departments or locations, for several hours or for the remainder of the day. Your manager or supervisor will notify you as soon as such decisions are made. No loss of pay will occur as a result of early dismissal or closure for this reason. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

22. Emergency Closing Severe weather (continued) An Emergency Operations Team consisting of Local Area Presidents, Directors, and Program Managers is responsible for monitoring weather and emergency conditions for the purpose of communicating and implementing emergency plans, in conjunction with the senior leadership team. The emergency response team will also make decisions on the possible relocation of staff to work at other locations. Procedures During Closings If weather or other emergency conditions occur, employees should call the hotline telephone number listed below to obtain information about delayed opening or facility closure. The message will be updated several times during the day. It is the responsibility of employees to call this hotline prior to their start time to find out if the agency is open or is delaying its opening. If the facility is open but weather conditions prevent employees from reporting to work on time, employees are responsible for notifying their supervisor prior to their scheduled start time, but no later than within the first hour of the scheduled workday. Such notification must be made by a telephone conversation directly with their supervisor/manager. If direct contact is not possible, leaving a detailed voice mail message or message with another supervisor/manager is acceptable. Employees should leave a phone number where they can be reached. Failure to report to work as scheduled and/or failure to provide the required notification to your manager/supervisor will result in disciplinary action. Emergency Hotline Phone Number - 866-689-6061 Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

23. Dress code and personal appearance CCCS wishes to portray a professional business appearance and therefore, requires that all employees’ style of dress and grooming reflect such an image. Employees are required to present themselves during working hours in attire that is appropriate for their position and the nature of the work performed. You are expected to be suitably attired and groomed during working hours or when representing CCCS. All employees should dress in appropriate business attire. Clothing should always be pressed and never wrinkled. Torn, dirty, or frayed clothing is unacceptable. Any clothing that has words, terms, or pictures that may be offensive are unacceptable. Examples of acceptable business casual attire: • CCCS logo shirt • Banded or collared shirts • Sweaters • Dresses and skirts at least 20” long; • Dockers’-style khaki pants • Slacks • Loafers • Dress shoes • Business shoes • Solid black, casual shoes Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

24. Dress code and personal appearance (continued) Examples of unacceptable attire: • Clothing that is revealing or involves excessive exposure • Clothing containing slogans or symbols that may be considered offensive to others • Jeans (or any colored denim, including jackets) • T-Shirts of any kind, with or without pictures or verbiage • Sweat pants or sweat shirts • Shorts • Form-fitting clothing • Spandex • Hats • Workout clothes • Mini-skirts • Flip flops • Jellies • Athletic shoes • Extreme hairstyles • Facial piercing (nose, tongue, eye-brow or lip) excessive for a financial services organizations • Large tattoos excessive for a financial services organizations • Cosmetic gold and silver dental coverings (don’t “Let me see your Grills”)  Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

25. Dress code and personal appearance (continued) This list of unacceptable attire is not all-inclusive. Rather, the list should help to set the general parameters for proper business casual attire. Employees who are in doubt, or have questions about specific personal appearance standards or the dress code should consult their manager. Any employee who appears for work in a manner that does not conform to CCCS’s standards, may be required to return home to obtain appropriate attire, and the period of absence will be treated as unpaid leave. Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

26. Dress code and personal appearance (continued) • Casual Day Dress Code Policy From time to time, the agency’s Management will declare a Casual Dress Day. On this day, jeans and a more casual approach to dressing, although never potentially offensive to others, is allowed. Below is a general overview of unacceptable Casual Day attire. This list is not all-inclusive and is subject to change. • Slogans or pictures on T-shirts. Certainly profanity and nude or semi-nude pictures printed on shirts are inappropriate attire and are prohibited. In addition, suggestive cartoons or drawings are inappropriate for our worksite and is prohibited. • Torn pants or jeans. • Extremely baggy pants. • Jogging suits, sweat suits or workout attire of any kind. • Revealing attire. Clothes such as shorts, crop tops, tank tops, and clothes made of see- through materials or clothes that expose areas of the body usually covered in the workplace are prohibited. Spandex, form-fitting clothing, and mini skirts are also prohibited • Hats or baseball caps. Any employee who appears for work in a manner that does not conform to CCCS’ standards, may be required to return home to obtain appropriate attire, and the period of absence will be treated as unpaid leave. Violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

27. Email Instructions CCCS Image Audit Information Email Signatures & Subject Lines Email signatures and subject lines are an important part of our professional image. Your initial message should always include your email signature and a brief subject that describes the message. Please take note of our process to get your information across in a clear and professional way. Subject Line: Be sure to fill in the subject line.A subject line should be concise but contain enough information that the recipient will have some idea what the message is about and want to open the message. Think of it as a headline describing your article. If the topic changes as the message is passed back or passed on, you may want to change the subject line to fit the new information. Spell Check: Click on Tools, Options, Spelling to add or change spell check features. Spell check may not catch everything but is helpful and should always be used prior to sending emails. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

28. Email Instructions (continued) Keep It Simple: Don’t get fancy with color backgrounds, color fonts or icons such as telephones or mailboxes. Keep a clean, professional look. Stick to plain, white backgrounds and use either Arial or Times New Roman font styles with 10pt or 11pt size. Be consistent and don’t mix fonts and sizes! Use Our Whole Name: In any formal message, please spell out Consumer Credit Counseling Service on first reference and please use our whole name in your signature. We do not want to be confused with any other organization. Depending on your location and your recipients, you may want to add your specific area too but this would normally be restricted to managers and functions such as Community Outreach where appropriate. Use a Clear “Signature:” Think of your signature as a business card to identify you. To add your signature to outgoing emails, go to your Inbox and find Tools, Options, Mail Format, and Signatures. Include your email address, phone number(s), our Web site(s). A Member of the CredAbility Network should be in italics. If you want to include a special tagline, please check first with your manager or Public Relations Department. Examples of signatures: Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

29. Email Instructions(continued) Name Contact Center Representative Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta A Member of the CredAbility Network 100 Edgewood Avenue, Suite 1800 Atlanta, GA 30303 800-251-2227 Direct extension Mobile phone fax first.last@cccsinc.org www.cccsinc.org, www.cccsenespanol.org Short version: Name Contact Center Representative Consumer Credit Counseling Service A Member of the CredAbility Network Direct extension first.last@cccsinc.org www.cccsinc.org Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

30. Use of agency’s resources All systems provided by CCCS are to be used for business purposes in serving the interests of the agency and our clients and customers in the course of normal operations. Effective security is a team effort involving the participation and support of every CCCS employee and affiliate who deal with information and/or information systems. It is the responsibility of every computer user to know these guidelines and to conduct their activities accordingly. Scope This policy applies to employees, contractors, third party vendors and all other personnel who come into contact with CCCS information resources. This policy applies to all equipment that is owned or leased by CCCS. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

31. Use of agency’s resources (continued) • Policy on Computer Software (Unauthorized Copying) • CCCS purchases or licenses the use of various computer software programs. Employees must use software in accordance with the agency’s license agreement. CCCS prohibits the illegal duplication of software, as unauthorized duplication of computer software is a federal criminal offense. • Any employee learning of any misuse of software or related documentation shall notify a member of management. • All software that is loaded on any CCCS computer must be approved by the IT Department. Employees that load or use unauthorized software will be disciplined as appropriate, up to and including termination. Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

32. Use of agency’s resources (continued) • Policy on Computers, Electronic Mail, and Voice Mail Usage • Agency equipment should be under restricted use of professional purposes. Massive storage devices (IPOD’s, MP3, Palm pilots, Cellular phones, CD’s, DVD's, etc.) shouldn’t be connected and / or used in the working station. • The system applications are for operational related purposes all agents should refrain from using games previously set up in the computer as these application affects the productivity and quality of the service provided to our clients • Agents should not use the internet during productive operational time for to “surf” in non work related web sites Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

33. LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER Sports: My favorite sport is:________________ My favorite team is:________________ Food: My favorite food is:_________________ Entertainment: My favorite TV Show is:______________ My favorite movie is:________________ Music: My favorite type of music is:____________________ My favorite musical artist is:____________________ First name:___________ Last name:___________ Home Phone:______________ Cell:___________ Manager name:_________________ Email address:____________________________ Birthday: ________________________________ Emergency contact information: First name:___________ Last name:___________ Home Phone:______________ Cell:___________ Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network

34. LET’S GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER In a few words tell us something about yourself that we don’t know _______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ _______________________________________ Other Interest: My favorite author:___________________________ My favorite color:____________________________ My favorite vacation spot:______________________ Consumer Credit Counseling Service a member of the CredAbility Network