Customer Service Management
Resume:
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Imelda B. Watkins
Metro Atlanta, GA
www.linkedin.com/in/imeldawatkins/
*******@****.***
Areas of Expertise
Over 15 years of leadership within a Call Center Management environment. Extensive
experience in strategic planning, employee development, performance management, and
bottom-line results that are profit impacting. Self-starter and excellent multi-lingual
communicator with the ability to project and elicit interest, enthusiasm, and drive using a
combined leadership approach. High-energy, successful professional with over 20 years of
providing the highest level of customer service and integrity with customers, and within
internal groups.
Key Competencies
• Trained and educated in the human side of managing organizations, including
communication, group behavior, decision-making, human resource management,
and ethics
• Proven ability in hiring, training, developing, motivating, coaching, evaluating and
retaining qualified staff
• Trained and educated in building and motivating teams to exceed departmental
goals for call center standards, including average handling times, calls
answered/abandoned rates, customer satisfaction expectations, workforce and
schedule management adherence, and speeds to answer.
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks, projects, and assignments simultaneously
• Skilled in the use of effective methods of alternative dispute resolution and
negotiation leadership skills
• Skilled in managing employee conflict to positive resolutions, utilizing standard labor
and human resource guidelines and practices
• Skilled in managing internal and external escalated issues and challenges to positive
resolution utilizing organizational standards and effective conflict resolution
procedures
• Knowledgeable in employing quantitative and qualitative decision-making tools
• Fluent in speaking, reading and writing English/Spanish
Career Highlights
RICOH USA
Duluth, GA 2013 – 2015
Managed and lead the performance of a team consisting of 17 Customer Care Billing Specialist
and 165 indirect reports in all activities relating to providing accurate and timely customer
billing utilizing knowledge of the organization’s products, services, processes, and internal
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resources to secure timely revenue billing. Ensured a high level of customer service to internal
and external customers is provided by developing positive desired behavior and performance of
the agents. Drove prompt and thorough attention to issues and service request by preparing,
summarizing, and analyzing statistical data reports that are performance, and work volume
indicators. Secured a positive working relationship with other members of the organization in
order to provide world class customer service to the organization’s ultimate customer.
• Utilize expertise in employee relations, team building, and conflict management that
proof effective in increasing productivity by 75%, and ensure a positive working
environment.
• Ensure all billing items and disputes are handled within a prescribed timeframe
based on the issue at a 95% accuracy rate without sacrificing world class customer
service.
• Excellent ability to collaborate, organize, and manage the resolution turnaround
time expediently of challenging and difficult issues to accomplished a win-win
outcome for both the organization and the customer with a 90% success rate.
• Active liaison and coordinator of financial activities between the billing department
and other departments of the organization that affect the customer’s billing and
dispute concerns. Able to build an open communication between the departments
in order to best serve the organization’s external and internal customers.
• Ensured billing policies and process are in compliance with SOX regulations.
• Work closely with the organization’s process and procedure team to enhance,
improve, and implement processes pertaining to the billing and customer dispute
process.
• Member of The Generational Council, a sub-team of RICOH Diversity Council. The
council was designed to better understand the different generations in the workforce
today and how it can best leverage their strengths to better serve both external and
internal customers.
Comcast Corporation Inbound Call Center Bilingual Supervisor
Atlanta, GA 1996 – 2012
Managed the performance of a team consisting of 12 Customer Account Executives (CAE) in all
activities related to Comcast products, services, customer equipment, as well as knowledge
pertaining to competitors. Developed personal performance plans with CAE's and provided on-
going performance feedback and quarterly performance plan reviews. Managed the team’s
activities pertaining to the call center and all aspects of workforce management, including, but
not limited to, the monitoring, maintaining, and tracking of real time call volume and
distributing the calls based on availability.
• Created, coordinated, and developed the first bilingual customer service team of 20
agents for the Atlanta Call Center Region. Performed the recruiting, selection, team
training, development, and overall reporting of productivity
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• Became a liaison and coordinated the activities of other departments and vendors to
ensure optimal service to the Hispanic Market
• Utilized expertise in employee relations, conflict management, and introduced
innovative ideas into day-to-day operations to ensure employee loyalty, morale and
to increase productivity while exceeding 90% of the organization’s required goals
• Developed and implemented a coaching and mentoring initiative that developed
talent and achieved strong performance for 250 agents. It included coaching and
mentoring by the leadership team at all levels, peer-to-peer leadership at the agent
level, and network mentoring. The initiative allowed for receptiveness and
acceptance of the organization’s vision
• Developed, trained, and coached the team utilizing innovative methods in order to
increase sales and up-sale on a consistent basis; within 3 months overall team sales
increased 65% exceeding the required quota
• Reduced the team’s overall talk time from 750 seconds average handle time to 445
seconds average handle time within thirty days by:
o conducting real-time phone monitoring and coaching to Customer Service
Agents in order to maintain required service levels
o enhancing call quality, and increasing productivity levels without
compromising excellent customer service
• Proven positive team builder and catalyst, fostering an environment of open
communication, approachability, fairness and consistent treatment that led to
exceeding 9 out of 10 required organizational goals
• Consistently achieved one of the highest adherences to the call center staffing
requirement in the call center for a 12 month period
• Recognized and valued for the ability to increase productivity of the lowest
performing team to the highest performing team of the call center by integrating
best practices using technological tools such as VERINT, WITNESS, and ASPECT for
daily management of productivity.
• Recognized for proven skills in organizing, prioritizing and successfully managing
multiple assigned tasks and monthly special projects simultaneously, effectively and
efficiently
• Developed and integrated a peer-to-peer mentoring and learning initiative which
created a learning environment within the call center enhancing management and
leadership skills
• Communicated and managed expectations for quality and accuracy of work, as well
as key productivity metrics associated with service level achievements. Identified
variances and created effective plans to
address gaps
Education
Jones International University (Centennial, Colorado)
Master of Business Administration in Global Enterprise Management
Master of Business Administration in Negotiation and Conflict Management
Ashford University (Clinton, Iowa)
Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management
Certifications
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American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages – Spanish
Conflict Resolution Academy Resources, LLC – General Civil Mediation and Dispute Resolution
Software Proficiencies
Microsoft Applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
Oracle
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