Richard Dearing

* ********* ******* ********* *** 5HY

074******** acw4xr@r.postjobfree.com

Personal Profile

A delivery focused transformation professional with a consistent track record in identifying innovation that has positive and significant commercial impact on the business and operates as a differentiator within the marketplace. This is coupled with strong Project Management and Business Analysis experience that specialises in operational systems and processes, to enable an improved customer journey and efficiency within the organization.

With extensive experience working across the full project lifecycle, backed-up by a hands-on understanding of the agents’ role. I have strong problem-solving skills and a proven ability to introduce new ideas and deliver results. My experience is further enhanced by a dynamic self-starter approach.

In-depth experience within large multisite and smaller single site contact center transformations has helped to cultivate both flexibility and commercial awareness; this has also allowed me to become the focal point for all business areas to facilitate the business objectives and goals.

A natural leader with a strong technical background and excellent statistical and analytical skills. An effective communicator at all levels with highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to persuade and influence others; driving key initiatives and programs in the pursuit of efficiency and improving the customer experience

Key Skills and Abilities

Project Management:

Delivery of complex projects to scope, on time and budget including Software development and implementation, Business Process Change, Infrastructure and Regulatory Compliance.

Proactive identification of opportunities for efficiency and revenue generation through structured analysis.

Use of business language to bridge the translation gap from IT to operations to ensure that all parties understand the solutions.

Management of stakeholder relationships, comfortable working across all levels of seniority.

Milestone based tracking and reporting or projects.

Definition of product and deployment roadmaps in line with strategic objectives.

Defining new process and documentation to streamline and improve the transformation and delivery approach.

Business Analysis skills:

Full lifecycle analysis and documentation inc: Feasibility study, Cost Benefit Analysis, Terms of Reference, Business Requirements, Functional Specifications and Implementation Plans, Process Modeling, UAT test planning and management, Budgetary control, Project Governance: Risks & Issues, Stakeholder Management, Change management.

Produce high quality business analyst deliverables, including user stories, use cases, wireframes, acceptance criteria, and functional specifications

Technical Experience:

Comprehensive knowledge of Cisco, Skype for Business, and Avaya Unified comms solutions as well as Salesforce CRM and business telephony solutions including IVR and web chat

Extensive demonstrable experience in designing world class multi-site contact center architecture

Proficient in a range of key PC packages and platforms, including Microsoft software, Avaya CMS and Aspect, Cisco hardware and Callmedia and Noetica systems, with the ability to adapt to new programs quickly and effectively.

Extensive experience in transitioning from ISDN packages to SIP and installation of DECT, IP, Digital phone systems and mixed solutions to meet the business requirements

Use of key reporting packages such as Business objects and SQL to represent data for reporting purposes and campaign management.

Extensive experience of utilising VOIP and SIP telephony in multi country, multi-site deployments to achieve business goals and consolidate infrastructure

Career History

PCI DSS Audit Project Manager – Travel lodge (Agile)

Aug 2016 - September

Role: Ensure all remediation work from 2015 PCI audit was catalogued and completed according to recommendations

Deliverables included:

Ensure new SaaS card payments platform was operating as defined

Catalogue responses to PCI DSS audit tender process

Write up findings and recommendations for ways to proceed with selecting an auditor

Ensure telephony platform operating as designed to pause and resume call recordings when taking payments

Telephony Specialist and PCI Project Manager – Harrington Brooks Debt management (Interim) (Agile)

March 2016 – July 2016

Role: Define medium and long term unified communications strategy for business and Customer contact centre and deliver PCI DSS into contact Centre/ IVR and CRM systems as well as

Deliverables included:

Build and approve High and Low-level designs from business perspective for WAN and telephony upgrades

Install SIP gateways and trunks on Avaya platform to replace ISDN channels bringing cost saving and increased resilience

Purchase and deploy Cisco Webex for interoffice conferencing ensuring appropriate GoS provisioned for video.

Propose and deliver standard IVR platform and best practice to consolidate the customer experience.

Negotiation with internal and external technical teams to ensure that proposed changes did not alter the customer journey or ability to collect money

Redesign and deliver enhanced self-service and payment features within the IVR along with ensuring no card detailed stored in any location

Port 496 NGN telephone numbers to on provider to allow for web-enabled routing and business continuity

Ensure “As Is” documentation valid and up to date to be distributed to PCI DSS and telecommunication vendor.

Manage delivery of new MPLS connectivity to ensure appropriate levels of business continuity

Budgetary control for PCI DSS programme (£350,000)

Define Target Operating Model for consolidation of three telephony platforms into one consolidate Unified communications platform with integration into CRM platform

Write RFP for Unified Communications platform for 350 contact centre staff and 150 back office staff

Establishing small holding infrastructure and operation in the North West

January 2016 – March 2016

Group Telecoms Project Manager (Operations) – Lavendon Group (Interim) (EMEA)

September 2015 – December 2015

Role: Provide operational and implementation leadership in determining how Lavendon will implement, utilise and exploit state of the art Cisco contact centre platform and mobile communications systems across all territories and Business Units.

Deliverables included:

Define IVR contact centre blueprint to incorporate combines speech and DTMF tone options using Cisco

Define process and technology design for fully exploiting telephony and mobile communications systems to service customers and experience and create a phased roadmap

Run and output from business workshops to ensure the correct architecture is being proposed by the vendor.

Define and implement deployment roadmap to clearly identify and state deliverables, to allow for measurements of customer impact

Approve High-level Design for Contact centre installation and own design of agent desktop layout

Daily management of BT (through Empowered) to ensure tasks completed appropriately

Define scope for web portal and Web chat into Cisco and MS dynamics architecture

Define PCI DSS requirements for Pause and resume of call recording in in Redbox recorders and Cisco finesse desktop

Establishing optimal configuration and data management of systems to deliver process benefits

Service Delivery Work Stream Lead– Marie Curie (Interim)

October 2014 – September 2015

Role: Deliver towards the new five-year strategic objectives my role is to design and deploy a Omni-channel support line for people affected by terminal illness.

Deliverables included:

Purchase and deployment of Salesforce SaaS CRM

Define the charities telephone number policy under the new ‘Free means Free’ guidelines for 0800 numbers

Define, manage and test salesforce pause and resume call recording controls for PCI compliance

Analyse and report on strategic benefits or architecture to align with TOM and define the longer term roadmap for the charity and its customer contact for the Information and support line

Deploy web chat for Information and support line

Ensure all hospices and buildings had relevant interconnectivity to support video conferencing so that Information and Support agents could chat with local SME

Deployment of the new community forum and webchat for differing methods of customer interaction, this was aligned with new internal business communication methods.

Review and redesign in-house Avaya Aura contact centre platform for integration with Salesforce for fundraising

Deployment of new charity with SaaS hosted contact centre platform

Lead MPLS and WAN review and upgrade to ensure appropriate grade of Service was available in all locations

Definition and negotiation of BAU systems support process and procedures with system suppliers and internal service desk and operations leads.

Rebuild contact centre reporting suite from Avaya CMS into the data warehouse to provide timely and accurate contact centre reports to the whole of charity. Leading to ‘once source of truth’ based reporting.

Member of Ethical Fundraising steering group defining how the charity will utilise outbound diallers from for fundraising

Define, report and analyse the benefits realisation for SaaS over in-house software deployment

Write simple, clear documentation for the charity on the benefit of upgrading to Avaya communication manager 6.

Tactical deployment of and outsource contact centre for the Information and Support line ensuring data calls were seamlessly transferred

Cisco UCCE (EMEA) – Maersk (Interim) (EMEA)

June 2013 – September 2014

Role: Working within Maersk line IT I was the focal point between Centre customer service, the local business, vendor and IT. Within my role I had to ensure that local global business buy into the call flow blue print that is the enabler to the new business CARE plan. This role entailed understanding the different methods in which the customers and business want to interact and share updates. Customers in Saudi Arabia want to do business in a different way to customers in Spain. But all journeys had to align to the global customer service blueprint.

Deliverables included:

Collation and dissemination of variables from the IVR blueprint to Centre service and the Vendor for the scope and cost analysis and approval.

Design and build EMEA reporting standards and definition for all business units to be measured by.

Build location specific UAT and business acceptance tests for sign off during the transformation weekend

Run Hypercare process post-transformation prior to handover to Orange Business systems BAU team

Training and awareness of the new customer contact process to local business, ensuring that best practice is followed across all business units to give a standard feel to all customers.

Ensure Cisco video conferencing in each location was fit for purpose

The sole responsibility for ensuring the vendor supplies the design as agreed during the transformation weekend. This encompasses IT UAT and local business UAT and approval.

Tracking of milestones and risks in the run-up to transformation.

Telephony and Integration Manager– Lifetime Legal Services (Interim)

May 2013 – June 13

Deliverables included:

Design of cloud-based telephony solution to in-house Mitel platform

Define the business requirements for the implementation of multichannel Noble AMCAT dialling platform to enhance the customer journey.

Delivery a new suite of telephony reports to based on new contact platforms showing agent performance and also customer touch points

Contact Centre Business Readiness Analyst – BSKYB (Interim)

February 2013 – May 2013

Role: The primary activities of the role are around ensuring operational readiness for the fortnightly technical releases to the contact centers of Archimedes customer management and Genesys telephony. These include

Overall Release readiness from a business perspective (not technical)

Offer / Campaign readiness

Reporting readiness

Defect Management (working with tech team to resolve)

Ensuring continuity in the customer journey

KPI and numerical analysis (operational KPIs -an understanding of the metrics that drive sales)

Specific deliverables

Delivery of a new Sales Continuity capability that allowed for prospects to continue their sales journey in the event of an outage. This includes designing and briefing the back office processing for failed orders that did not meet automatic processing criteria.

Customer Journey Manager – BSI

November 2012 – February 2013

Role: Through an extensive hands on approach, document the ‘as is’ process for BSI’s customer service emails and define a new process that can be integrated with the introduction of the new Cisco Unified IP telephony platform that enables better management of customer interactions and seeks to answer customer queries within SLA. Another key deliverable is the documentation for a new multi channel reporting suite that clearly shows campaign and agent performance against key metrics.

Barclaycard - Interim Business Analyst

September -2012

Role: Define operational requirements for the install of Genesys dialer and Avaya Aura across Western Europe. These were to include setup and configuration requirements for Dublin and Spain. A key aspect of the role was to define the MI specifications for Western Europe bringing synergy and simplicity the collections dialer operations department. The main focus of this role was to define the customer touch points and ensure that consistency in the approach of each country was ensured.

Allianz Retail Division – Operations Systems Design and Delivery Specialist

May 2011 – June -2012

Role: Responsible for delivering efficiency and uniformity across all contact centre solutions through new technology within their customer operations business, to ensure the customer experience is as streamlined as possible. This included briefing operators and management about new functionality and ensuring that any reporting was accurate and met the business needs

Responsible for the analysis of the compliance requirements and developing the Business Requirement Specification for the introduction of PCI DSS compliant software into Allianz. I ensured that the responsibility for delivering tasks was correctly identified both internally and across complex multiple 3rd party relationships as well as coordinated the completion of tasks to ensure that regulatory compliance was achieved and formally agreed within the required timescale.

Upgrade to latest Avaya Comms manager and integration of Noetica dialler and Nice call recording with AES servers

Build tender process for replacement of Avaya technology and determine the Retail Business requirements for the next 4 years

Define and implement new IVR solution for Retail division to enable greater customer focus and allow for comprehensive reporting to design and monitor best strategy for different customer bases. These changes led to 2% reduction in abandoned calls in the IVR, therefore, reducing repeat calls

Conduct in-depth analysis on the current NICE call recording platform to understand the current utilization of each module and report back to senior management on findings. This led to me running a POC with NICE on Speech Analytics in the Your Cover Home and Motor department to replace Nuance incumbent.

Set the transformation and design roadmap and for the Nice call recording platform

Pioneering the use of the Synthesys dialler to email quotes in the Animal Health department, this will lead to a potential saving in AH of £163,000 in postal and print costs alone and allows quotes to be retrieved through Synthesys and conversion statistics measured. Across-group this could bring an annual saving of over £1m in print and postage.

Instrumental in the delivery of a new 70 FTE in house off shore contact centre to replace 2 outsource providers that dealt with inbound and outbound insurance sales as well as initial back office claims handling. Tasks incudes requirements gathering for the delivery of new equipment and processing as well as building training and best practice guides for the operation.

Produce detailed business requirements for the upgrade to V.7 of Teleopti workforce management system and submit to retail change board for approval for budget sign off. This also included running workshops for all key stakeholders and documenting the benefits to the business.

Dialler Contact Centre Consultant – Allianz Retail Division

April 2010 – May 2011

Role: Review implementation of Avaya PC4 dialler and establish if the technology is best fit for Allianz retail dept.

Report to senior management team on Avaya dialler and ACD technology and whether it is fit for purpose.

Acted as the interface between the business and internal third-party development teams throughout the development cycle

Managed the migration of data to the new solution ensuring all requirements were captured and that all planned tasks were executed.

Coordinated the acceptance testing process and provided troubleshooting support during the launch of the new system

Operated regular workshops regarding the business intelligence delivered from the Contact Centre support team to ensure that all areas of the business were getting timely and relevant information to their departments. These led to a completely new MI dashboard being delivered.

Implementation of the Symon wallboard product across 3 contact centres for the introduction of real time statistics to the operations, this helped bring greater awareness to the agents of call delivery profiles..

Nov 2007 – Feb 2010

Role: Implementation of new dialler technology and responsibility for creation, sign-off and execution of contact strategies to ensure that the business is capitalising fully on its leads in the Home and Life insurance market place

Design and installation of 65 seat Call Media progressive dialler solution to fulfill specific business and strategic requirements. Achieving an immediate uplift in lead penetration of 28%. This was increased to 39% overall increase by honing the dialing rules.

Campaign Manager - Vanquis Bank

Mar 2005 – Nov 2007

Dialler Manager – Broadsystem

Jul 2003 – Mar 2005

Management of Avaya PDS v.11 and systems to the optimum levels of performance and efficiency whilst providing first line support for PDS; being primary relationship manager with Avaya.

Dialler Manager - Contact 24 Ltd

Mar 2000 – Jul 2003

Professional Certifications

Prince 2 foundation Fire Brand training

Introduction to SQL queries Systematix

Microsoft SQL reporting services Systematix

Coaching for success with NLP Joseph O’Connor

Oracle Customer journey Mapping Oracle

University of the West of England:

BEng: Principles of Engineering (incomplete)

Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn:

9 GCSEs 3 A–Levels: Economics, Physics and General Studies

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