Customer Support Specialist

ROBERT EAST

CUSTOMER SUPPORT SPECIALIST

Client Relations / Call Center Management / Change Management / Operations /

Lean Six Sigma / TQM / Contracts / Organizational Development / Project Management /

Process Improvements / Risk Management / Non-Profit Administration / Adult Education

Developed and implemented customer support initiatives for medium-sized and Fortune 500 medical companies, improving customer care and retention while cutting costs and increasing revenues. Successfully led complex projects and mergers, and managed employees in many different functional areas. Mentored supervisors and group leaders, and developed strategies to attain high client satisfaction and low employee attrition rates. Negotiated contracts, built and maintained strong client relationships, and conducted data research and analysis.

Key Skills: Excellent trainer who easily implements change and inspires others to high productivity. Wins cooperation at all levels. Analyzes situations rapidly to determine appropriate solutions. Effective at organizing labor to synthesize diverse ideas. Utilizes strong theoretical grounding to guide projects.

CAREER HISTORY AND HIGHLIGHTS

Business Consultant, Guidepoint Global (a national leader in consulting expertise in the healthcare industry), 2008 to Present. Worked with equity and venture capital groups as industry consultant regarding current and future market trends, new and specialized testing initiatives, and potential investment opportunities. Also evaluated customer service and client satisfaction / retention protocols for large non-profit state-sponsored hospital outreach program and offered recommendations to improve service levels and reduce client attrition rates.

Project Manager / Client Integration, Quest Diagnostics, 2006 to 2008. An $8B Medical Reference Laboratory. Managed integration of more than 5000 accounts located in four states into a newly created business unit with less than 5% total attrition. Oversaw project plans for clinical trials testing and outreach programs. Mentored Sales Team on client visit protocols and goals. Managed Lean in Lab initiatives for hematology testing as part of client integration process. Performed client needs assessments and addressed client issues. Oversaw $650K budget.

 Implemented scheduled software program, successfully migrating more than 3000 clients’ lab systems to new business unit. Project required integration of three information systems into one system. Worked directly with corporate, client, and vendor analysts and programmers to develop transition schedule for EMR and bi-directional interface clients to complete system transitions. Merged information systems while maintaining good client satisfaction scores.

 Prevented loss of $1.2M key account during lab transition for Quest Diagnostics. Large consolidated physician group did not want to send lab work to distant facility due to complexity of work and established relationship. Met with current lab operations management team and with client, uncovering service needs and specialized testing requirements. Invited physician group’s management team to new lab to discuss concerns. Addressed and accommodated customized needs, keeping client.

 Developed clinical analytics and service metrics measures to assess progress of client integration activities. Reviewed service metrics from three different lab environments to determine critical to quality elements necessary to ensure client satisfaction and retention. Worked with Client Services Director to develop dashboard metrics for responding to third-party provider problem resolution and lab performance requests. Used data obtained throughout the integration to refine Sales Team’s message to clients and improve operational performance.

 Developed route optimization strategies designed to improve specimen arrival times in support of Lean in the Lab initiatives. Worked with laboratory operations and logistics groups to identify volume requirements and arrival times needed to improve process efficiency and productivity to improve testing turn-around times. Utilized route optimization software with prior UPS training to create better courier routes, reduce excess drive times, and improve specimen arrival times and client supply deliveries.

Customer Solutions Manager, Quest Diagnostics, 2001 to 2006. A $6B Medical Reference Laboratory. Managed call center and problem resolution departments as well as client risk, attrition and retention, and customer satisfaction survey processes. Led staff of 27, including supervisors and group leaders, in Sales Support, Referral Testing, Billing, and Customer Service Departments with $875K annual budget. Met or exceeded corporate client service standards every year with high customer and employee satisfaction scores and retention rates. Implemented Service Solutions Department to support sales force in the field and to improve overall problem resolution process. Maintained client data base and ensured that sales volume reports were complete and accurate. Average time in service of department employees was greater than 12 years with no involuntary attrition over six-year time period and world-class employee satisfaction scores.

 Reduced client attrition rates from 7.2% annually to less than 3% annually, resulting in annual savings of $4.7 million annually for Lexington Business Unit. Utilized client satisfaction survey data and feedback from Sales, Operations, and clients to perform root cause analyses to determine primary causes of customer dissatisfaction. Implemented numerous Green Belt projects and other informal process improvement initiatives targeting opportunities for improvement identified. Conducted weekly calls with Sales Representatives to evaluate causes of changes in client volumes and to gather overall customer satisfaction feedback while sharing operational concerns and initiatives with them.

 Increased Quest Diagnostics customer service ratings 10% through standardized call-center training and procedures. Call centers were using different customer service processes, leading to inconsistent customer experiences. Created site manager questionnaires and then analyzed data. Established “Gold Standards” and training teams. Developed printed procedures and trained staff. Unified procedures, improving call times, and attaining near world-class service levels.

 Implemented customer billing problem resolution process, reducing bad debt rates 3.2% and increasing Quest’s revenues $3.2M. Incorrect billing information left $6M+ in annual account receivables uncollected. Worked with outside billing division to identify needed information and most commonly occurring denials. Developed best practices list for customer billing resolution. Retrained Sales Managers and sales staff. Improved client satisfaction scores 50% and reduced bad debt rates from 7% to 3.8%.

 Created and implemented Customer Reference Guide, decreasing $1.3M annual lost revenues for Quest Diagnostics. Identified areas that needed improvement as a result of customer survey data. Used root case analysis to analyze data associated with issues and created plans for each. Developed and wrote a comprehensive guide using sales, operations, and client feedback. Distributed manual, increasing client retention rates 10% in first year. Adopted by 39 business units the following year.

Technical Team Leader, SmithKline Beecham Clinical Labs, 1995 to 2001. A $2B Medical Reference Laboratory. Supervised technical department of eight medical technologists for rapid response laboratory testing with $750K annual budget. Monitored quality assurance processes, evaluated preventive maintenance documentation, and maintained laboratory standards per CAP, CLIA, CMS, GLP, and state guidelines.

Earlier: Next Day Air Supervisor, UPS; Technical Services Supervisor, Laboratory Corporation of America

EDUCATION & TRAINING

MBA, Sullivan University

BS, Biochemistry, University of Louisville

Six Sigma Green Belt with Lean in the Laboratory training

Certified Laboratory Auditor – College of American Pathologists

Adjunct Instructor, Quality Management Systems – Elizabethtown Community College