May 1st, 2018 PACE Pulse
I love the springtime. It’s the time of year when for most of the country, the sun starts to reappear and replaces dreary gray skies, giving a sense of renewed hope for what is to come. In full disclosure, I live in Sunny Arizona where March is extraordinarily beautiful but the change in weather does not indicate a promise of what’s to come but rather a reminder that the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the weather is right now before everything heats up for the long summer.
Whether the March sunshine signals hope for a future change or reminds you to take action now before it’s too late, the 2017 PACE Convention is the perfect way to refine your strategies, make new contacts and get armed with the knowledge you need to truly impact 2017. The PACE convention is another thing that I love about spring. I have been going to PACE (and formerly ATA) conventions for 20 years. I have never missed one and quite frankly, I really look forward to them.
For me, PACE provides value in so many ways. Clearly the knowledge I have gained over the years on contact center best practices and compliance has been of critical value to my company, Synergy Solutions. The ideas and learnings that I have brought back to the team after each of these 20 conventions have shaped the way we commit ourselves to excellence in serving our customers. We frequently have been able to distinguish ourselves from our competition based on our deep knowledge of the regulatory environment that impacts contact centers. None of this would be possible without attending PACE events at the National and Chapter level.
I also find great value in the relationships that I have built with PACE members. Some of these relationships develop immediately and some blossom over time, but I can’t even possibly count how many clients, suppliers, employees and trusted advisors I have met through PACE. At its core, an association dedicated to contact center and customer experience is going to be rooted in people and relationships. This is something that is so unique to PACE and I have never experienced it elsewhere. PACE members love to work with other PACE members. We greet each other at Convention enthusiastically with a big hug because we really care about each other. We make introductions to help newcomers get acquainted and freely share tips and strategies with each other. We collaborate and work on ideas and deals together. We volunteer through Call Centers Care to give back to our communities together. And, rumor has it that we sometimes like to have some fun together and we throw some pretty great parties at Convention as well.
Over the years I have become increasingly more involved with PACE. I have served as a Chapter President and a National Board member and now serve as Vice Chair. This year I also had the honor to Chair the Board Convention Committee. This was a group of volunteers that dedicated their time to ensuring that we had the best industry leaders presenting to our attendees at Convention. Our hard work has paid off and we have an incredible line up of thought leaders that are excited to share their success stories with you at convention April 2-4, at the Grand Hyatt at Tampa Bay. Leaders from companies such as Home Shopping Network, AT&T, Ring, CareFirst, Sirius XM, Independence Blue Cross, MasterCard, Shutterfly, Charter Communications, Excellus and some of the nation’s leading experts on compliance and government affairs are shaping the way for our best convention ever.
With great education, networking, collaboration, and socializing, it’s no wonder that the PACE Annual Convention just makes me love springtime even more.
Please join me in Tampa Bay for another exciting PACE convention.
Lori Fentem
President, Synergy Solutions
Vice Chair, PACE Board of Directors
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