Accurate RSVP

What Steve Jobs Taught Us

2011-10-19T08:07:00.001-07:00

By now, we have all heard about the passing of Steve Jobs. Whether or not you are a fan of Apple, there is no denying that Steve Jobs has profoundly affected the lives of us all. In the 1970’s, Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs formed Apple and it soon became the symbol of the personal computing revolution worldwide. The company went public after just four years! But what made Apple different from other computer companies? Well, most importantly, Apple made personal computers accessible to just about anyone. Apple was also the first company to focus on aesthetics. An unsurpassed, sleek design has always been Apple’s trademark. However, Steve Jobs taught us about more than just the design of personal electronics. Entrepreneur Media shared an article stating Jobs’ 7 Rules of Success.

1. Do what you love.

2. Put a dent in the universe.

3. Make connections.

4. Say no to 1,000 things.

5. Create insanely different experiences.

6. Master the message.

7. Sell dreams, not products.

While we thank Jobs for the products he introduced to us, we must also thank him for the lessons he taught us.

The article of Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success can be found in its entirety here.

Feature Employee October 2011- Traci A.

2011-10-14T10:23:00.001-07:00

Our feature employee for October is Traci. Traci has now been with Accurate for 6 years; she started as a temp and decided to stay full time because she liked it so much. She mentioned, “I love Accurate. I like working for the people I work for. I love what I do.” Traci said that her favorite accounts to help are the ones that require a lot of details and research. Her favorite part about the job is getting an upset customer on the phone, helping them out, and then receiving a “thank you” at the end of the call; “I like seeing the reverse,” she says. “Accurate really encourages good customer service and courtesy.”

One funny story Traci shared is that people are often distracted on the phone by her deep, raspy voice. “It’s this way because I sing a lot at church”, Traci explains.

Last week was Customer Service Week and Traci pointed out that she tried to be more involved this year; she even wore a hat for Accurate’s “Hat Day” and pink on “Breast Cancer Awareness Day”. Thank you, Traci, for participating in the activities this week and all you have done for Accurate!

Feature Employee September 2011- Kelly M.

2011-09-20T08:03:00.001-07:00

Our Feature Employee this month is Kelly. Kelly started with the company when it was called "Answer Omaha" 32 years ago, in 1979, and was in a different location. She likes the current building much better! Kelly is now on her third owner of the company and started back when the company had only about 3-4 agents, she said. She remembers when, “The agents and management were all in one room.” She, too, started as an agent. Kelly was an agent on the telephone for over 20 years!

Over the years, Kelly’s various roles in the company have included telephone agent, supervisor, receptionist and customer service representative. Her favorite, and most recent, position is being a customer service representative. “It’s easier for me because I’ve been an agent before. I understand how the system works from the agent’s view and the customer’s view. I understand both sides,” Kelly says about her current role. She mentions that previously, when the company was smaller, there were no CSR’s, just agent supervisors to handle issues with clients. “Now, we can take the time to look into issues and review them. Supervisors are helping the agents. We are here just for the clients.”

Join us in congratulating Kelly for a wonderful 32 years of service and an exceptional job well done!!

Accurate Communications

www.accurate800.com

Great Service is a Choice

2011-07-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

At AccurateRSVP, we strongly believe great service is a choice. It's not something that comes without effort and we strive each and every day to provide our customers with great service.
Below is a great article about the mindset in choosing to give great service.

Great Service is a Choice

No one can make you serve customers well. That’s because great service is a choice. Have you taken a taxi ride recently? Well, I was told a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. A man called Harvey was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey. He handed Harvey a laminated card and said:
“I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk, I’d like you to read my mission statement.”
Taken back, Harvey read the card. It said:
Wally’s Mission Statement:
“To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest, and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment”
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!
As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”
Harvey said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.”
Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.”
Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke”
Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”
As they were pulling away, Wally handed Harvey another laminated card. “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.”
As if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of the day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights, or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
“Tell me, Wally,” Harvey asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”
Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, on the radio one day. He said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’
“That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “He was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”
“I take it this has paid off for you,” Harvey said.
“It sure had,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cab stands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles. How about you?
Excerpt from: The Simple Truths of Service,
by Ken Blanchard and Barbara Glanz

www.accurateRSVP.com

Call Center Humor

2011-07-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

HELLO OPERATOR

Enjoy some call center humor! Actual call center conversations!

Customer: 'I've been calling 700-1000 for two days and can't get through;
can you help?'
Operator: 'Where did you get that number, sir?'
Customer: 'It's on the door of your business.'
Operator: 'Sir, those are the hours that we are open.'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Samsung Electronics
Caller: 'Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?'
Operator: 'I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand who you are talking about.'
Caller: 'On page 1, section 5, of the user guide it clearly states that
I need to unplug the fax machine from the AC wall socket and
telephone Jack before cleaning. Now, can you give me the number for Jack?'
Operator: 'I think it means the telephone plug on the wall.'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
RAC Motoring Services
Caller: 'Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am
traveling in Australia?'
Operator: ‘Does the policy name give you a clue?'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Caller: (inquiring about legal requirements while traveling in Europe)
'If I register my car in France, and then take it to England,
do I have to change the steering wheel to the other side of the car?'

Check back in the future for some more call center humor!

And don't forget to visit our website for 24/7 call center answering service:

www.accurate800.com

Have a great day, everyone!

Owner Jeff Zindel Appointed to Universal Service Fund Advisory Board

2011-06-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

In April of this year, Accurate Communications owner, Jeff Zindel, was appointed to the Nebraska Universal Service Fun Advisory Board as a representative of the Public on behalf of the Nebraska Public Service Commission.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission’s mission is to assure Nebraskans receive high quality, safe and reliable public services at fair and affordable rates.

This appointment is for a 3-year period. Jeff is also involved in the legislative committee for the Association of TeleServices International and has served on the boards of Downtown Omaha Inc., Park East, Opera Omaha, ASID, Fontenelle Nature Center and Sacred Heart throughout his career.

More information on the services of the Nebraska Public Service Commission can be found at http://www.psc.state.ne.us

Meet the Millennials

2011-06-20T13:01:00.001-07:00

Many of us are hiring these millennial folks right now. If you’re like me, you don’t know, or haven’t heard, that the new young people you are hiring are Millennials (they are anyone born since 1982).

I have been perplexed about this generation for quite a while now- what motivates them, how they dress, how they communicate (or not), and even how they think.

Well, these answers and many more are revealed in Neil Howe’s “Millennials in the Workplace”.

Surprisingly for me, I wasn’t out in left field with my questions and concerns about the millennials. In fact, many of us are wondering the same things about this generation. I am just beginning the book, but highly recommend already.

- Owner, Jeff Zindel

Accurate Communications in Omaha World Herald for offering relief efforts

2011-06-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

As you know, many businesses are being affected by the recent flooding of the Missouri river. The Omaha World Herald posted an article today about this flooding. The article states that, “The worst of the flooding is likely still on its way”.

Many businesses who are not affected by the flooding, are pitching in to help. Accurate Communications is one of them. The article explains that, “Accurate Communications officials want to help businesses dealing with hardships answer their phones. In a statement, Accurate said it's offering answering services, customer care, medical call assistance and order entry.”

The article can be found here: http://www.omaha.com/article/20110616/MONEY/706169870

We would like to help as many businesses as possible, so please help us get the word out about our offerings. Thank you.

RSVP Service For Fundraiser Events

2011-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

We receive quite a few hits on our web site and inquiries from people putting together fundraising events that are looking for an RSVP service. Many fundraising events are organized by people who volunteer their time and could use a helping hand wherever possible to make the event as smooth as possible.

Our fundraiser RSVP service is a perfect solution to help track the guest responses for attendance to your upcoming event. Accurate RSVP service is also very cost-effective for fundraiser events on a budget.

CONTACT US
Please contact us at 800.779.5505 or visit the 'events' page of our web site at http://www.accuratersvp.com/eventsrsvp.html for more information on Accurate RSVP service.

Getting Busy!

2011-02-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

We want to thank all of our new customers that have chosen to use Accurate RSVP for their upcoming summer weddings. It's really great to know that we provide a service that is not only cost-effective for your wedding but also very helpful for you while you're busy planning.

A definite thank you to our previous customers who have passed our name along to friends and family that are planning their own wedding. Word-of-mouth referrals are much appreciated.

Happy wedding planning and as always, visit our web site at http://www.accurateRSVP.com for all of the details on how our RSVP service can work for YOUR next event!

How to get guests to RSVP

2010-03-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

The headline above is one of the most popular search terms that leads people to our web site. Unfortunately this is becoming the norm - guests simply do not RSVP. It's not very nice of the guests and it's very frustrating for the person putting on the event.

How do you solve this problem?

When you hire us as your RSVP service we provide you with a phone number to print on your invitation (or reception cards for weddings). Your guests call the number to RSVP for your event. Then, each day you will receive an udpated list of who has responded so you always know what's happening with your guest list.

Ok, so what if 25% of the guests still don't call? That's the problem solving part of our RSVP service! We call the guests for you that didn't respond on their own. We gather their information at the time of the outgoing call or remind them again via voice mail to call and RSVP by your final count date.

Problem solved :)

Call 800.779.5505 or visit http://www.accuratersvp.com for more information

Omaha Bridal Show!

2010-02-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

Come see us at our booth at the Omaha Bridal Show this Sunday, February 28th! Don't forget to call ahead to RSVP to the show! 978-7777 - courtesy of Accurate RSVP ;)

Accurate Invitations

2010-01-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

You'll need invitations to go with our RSVP service and pretty soon we'll be your one stop shop. Check back later for details!

Time is running out!

2009-12-11T13:50:00.001-08:00

Don't forget our Postage Stamp Special ends on December 31st! Book our service right now for only 44 cents per invitation sent out.

RSVP for the Omaha Bridal Show!

2009-12-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

Accurate RSVP provides the RSVP service for the Omaha Bridal Show. We'd love to see you at the next show on February 28, 2010 at the Embassy Suites in LaVista.

If you're a bride please be sure to call and RSVP for the show. By calling in you will gain access to the VIP line for faster entry. You will also be registered for the gift gallery. The best part is that by calling to RSVP you will receive a $2 discount off the ticket price at the door.

RSVP for the Omaha Bridal Show by calling 402-978-7777

Hear us in action!

2009-11-25T13:50:00.000-08:00

If you'd like a sneak peek at what our RSVP service sounds like, click the link below. This call recording is for a Wedding but would work very similar for any other type of event. You'll see how easy it is for your guests to call in and RSVP.

http://accuratersvp.com/rsvpdemo.html

Corporate Holiday Parties

2009-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

Accurate RSVP is the perfect choice for your next corporate holiday event. You can relieve your secretary or administrative assistant from the daunting task of keeping track of which employees will be attending the annual holiday party. All they'll have to do is monitor a daily updated list of who has called us to respond. And instead of them tracking each person down that failed to call, we'll call them and confirm their attendance. It's that simple!

Do you have questions about our RSVP service?

2009-11-20T07:49:00.001-08:00

Many people are new to the concept of an RSVP service. We work hard to show you how it can be useful AND cost effective for your next event. Visit the link below for some information that should help shed some light on things and even answer questions you haven't thought about yet.

http://www.accuratersvp.com/rsvpfaq.html

Or contact us at 800.779.5505 and we can review the entire process with you.

Postage Stamp Special

2009-11-18T09:31:00.001-08:00

Book Accurate RSVP by December 31st 2009 and you'll pay only $0.44 per invitation sent out. No other fees - just a flat rate that's incredibly affordable for your next event.

Accurate RSVP Features

2009-11-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here's a quick break down of what you receive when you book with Accurate RSVP for your next event...

- Cost-saving rates: Only $0.50 per invitation (about the cost of a postage stamp!)
- Live operator – no voice mail
- A direct phone number to print on your invitations
- FREE follow-up calls to contact those guests we didn’t hear from
- Daily update of invited guests that have responded
- A custom answer phrase of your choice
- A custom questionnaire – just let us know what you need to find out from your guests
- This service is available nationwide