A special e-mail newsletter of the International Association of Reservation Executives.

Have you all noticed that we are expected to reach greater levels of productivity than we could possibly have imagined 10, or even 5 years ago? In addition, our awareness of, and ability to respond to, customer needs is becoming more critical than ever before. The challenge is that the demand for our experience, expertise and understanding to grow and develop is oftentimes hindered by the time that it requires to investigate enhancements.

I believe that our continued achievements and our aptitude to improve is directly related to IARE, through the sharing of information via informal channels, as well as in our center size meetings and sessions at conference. If you have not yet registered yourself, your managers, and supervisors for this enticing May event, it’s time to take time to learn and grow.

I look forward to seeing each of you at conference in May!

The nominations have been submitted the IARE Awards Committee has completed its task with the following unanimous selections. All nominations were judged on how they have exceeded expectations in their role and performed in an extraordinary manner deserving of recognition.

It only takes a minute to register and send your registration electronically to the IARE office!
http://www.iare.com/Conference/01conreg.htm

Want to see who's coming? 
http://www.iare.com/Conference/reglist.htm

http//www.iare.com/Conference/01exhlist.htm

IARE relies on the generous support of vendors to provide valuable resources, quality programs and important networking opportunities. This support helps to reduce your costs to attend the Conference.

Please take the time to visit their booths at the IARE Conference or visit their web sites to learn more about how their products and services can enhance your operations.

AT&T Global Markets www.att.com

Business Strategy, Inc. www.businessstrategy.com

ClearCube Technology www.clearcube.com

HSA International www.hsainternational.com

IEX, A Tekelec Company www.iex.com

Interior Concepts www.interiorconcepts.com

Knowlagent www.knowlagent.com

Micros-Fidelio www.micros.com

NBtel An Aliant Company www.callcenters.com

Performix Technologies www.performixtechnologies.com

Predictive Index Arizona, Inc. www.predictivegroup.com

Quester It www.callcentertraining.com

Signature, Inc. www.legendary.net

Syntellect Inc. www.syntellect.com

TARGUSinfo www.targusinfo.com

Willow CSN Incorporated www.willowcsn.com

WizCom International, Ltd. www.wizcom.com

How often do you really have the chance to take the time and look for industry leading information such as the hottest new websites and the newest reading? My guess if you are as busy as the rest of us, that is probably the last item on your checklist each day.

We took a few extra moments this week to put some industry leading information together. I hope you will find these to be helpful in your daily operation.

www.FastCompany.com
Extends the Fast Company magazine experience to the Web. Specifically, the site serves people's individual career needs with six customer built Career Zones. Contains web-only stories, interactive tools, expert opinions, valuable connections to help Fast Company readers get ahead in the new economy.

www.c-interface.com
Customer Interface, this website offers the latest information in CRM, Customer Contact Strategies & E-Business. Information is available on the web site as well as a complimentary monthly magazine subscription is available.

www.Zoomerang.com
Before making big decisions at work wouldn't it be easier to seek out ideas and get feedback prior to taking action? Zoomerang makes it as easy as sending an e-mail. Creating your own survey may sound intimidating, but Zoomerang makes it simple. Choose from more than 100 survey ideas - each one contains sample questions in a ready - to send template.

Basic membership is available at no charge. Basic membership from Zoomerang offers personalized survey's with up to 20 questions, template usage and the ability to report up to 50 responses per survey with new templates available monthly.

www.Mindtools.com
Helping you to think your way to an excellent life! The mindtools website helps you to break down a tough management topic such as Critical Path Analysis or Goal Setting into smaller more manageable chunks so you can maneuver quickly and move onto the next challenge.

www.FaceTime.com
FaceTime delivers Instant Messaging applications for time sensitive business problem resolution. FaceTime customers have implemented contact center solutions using the Instant Message Director for Call Escalation and Customer Interaction.

Thanks to Amazon.com, we took a few moments and browsed their business section and have listed a few new interesting titles.

Best Practices: Building Your Business With Customer-Focused Solutions
by Robert Hiebeler, Thomas Kelly, Charles Ketteman
Thanks to more than six years of ongoing research and an investment of $30 million, Arthur Anderson has created a Global Best Practices Database to uncover breakthrough thinking at work-class companies. Now in Best Practices, Arthur Anderson for the first time shares its understanding of how more than forty best practice companies focus on their customers, create growth, reduce cost, and increase profits. Managers of any business industry can adapt and apply what those companies do best.

Now, Discover Your Strengths
by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O Clifton PhD
Introduces a system for discovering personal strengths and talents, and being able to use them to create personal and professional success. Also shows how to help other realize their potential, using the StrengthsFinder Profile, a system developed from a 25-year effort by Gallup, base don the psychological profiles of more than 2 million people.

Achieving 100% Compliance of Policies and Procedures
by Stephen Page
The second book in a series about policies and procedures. This is a "how to" book for measuring business processes and published policies and procedures; it can be used to minimize variation, improve quality and produce productive and cost effective policies and procedures. Each chapter is based on practical, proven guidelines and examples from an actual case study to provide new insights and show you how to make better decisions.

Navigating the Customer Contact Center in the 21st Century
by William Durr
Supervisors and managers who are responsible for the creation and successful operation of modern customer contact centers must understand and react to the remarkable changes that are transforming call centers in this technological age. Examined in this guide are the influences driving creation and expansion of contact centers; the impact of e-mail, voice mail and the Web; and the management process that focuses on managing productivity and quality in equal measure. Management challenges, the effective use of reports and rewards, and operations issues are also covered.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc, owner of the Sheraton and Westin brands, is taking a page out of the play book of General Electric Co.’s Jack Welch to do everything from cutting down on front-desk waits to collecting on bills more quickly.

By adopting the so-called Six Sigma quality-improvement model, Starwood Chairman Barry S. Sternlicht is hoping to build a better corporate culture at his grab bag of hotels, while boosting annual cash flow by $200 million, or 13%, in the next five years. Ultimately, Starwood might even eliminate front desks, though not soon.

The quality-management method was developed by Motorola Inc. and other industrial companies in an effort to cut costs, build revenues and eliminate manufacturing errors. Mr. Welch’s GE applied it to financial services. Other companies have adopted it, with mixed results. Starwood officials believe they are the first to use it in the lodging industry.

The method’s name refers to a statistic goal of operating with only 3.4 defects per million transactions. Mr. Hyman says that translates to 10 dissatisfied customers per year at each of the Starwood’s hotels, which range from the luxury St. Regis to the basis services Four Points.

This information was quoted from an article written in the Wall Street Journal. If you would like additional information on Six Sigma, please see the web site at www.six-sigma.com.

Forgot the user name and password?
Please email us at  iare@assnoffice.com