AO on Air: Recent Episodes
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Bringing you and your business the right insight, tips, and ideas for the future of workforce management and employee productivity.
In service operations, one thing is certain – workloads fluctuate. As an operations leader, it’s your job to make the unpredictable…predictable.
In this edition of AO on Air, our host Michael Cupps is joined by Elliott Tiernan, Product Director at ActiveOps to discuss the challenges operations leaders face when planning and managing service levels, and how over-servicing can be as costly as not hitting SLAs. Elliott also gives us an overview of Service Indicators, a new feature of ControliQ from ActiveOps, gearing up operations leaders across the globe to deliver service on target, with optimal cost.
As a former operations leader himself, Elliott knows of the many struggles that leaders experience when it comes to SLAs and predicting and planning the optimal level of resources to meet targets. That’s why he worked closely with ActiveOps customers to better understand their day-to-day challenges and find the right solution, embedding that capability into ControliQ. ActiveOps is excited to add Service Indicators to Planning, providing leaders with powerful forecasting, allowing them to not only plan for the work that’s coming in but also to comfortably predict the service levels of weeks to come. Delivering consistency across service levels, predicting outcomes, and avoiding employee stress due to fluctuations in work.
Want to know more about Service Indicators and ControliQ? If you're interested in learning more, visit https://activeops.com
Meet our guest Elliott Tiernan, Product Director at ActiveOps
Elliott Tiernan works with our client base to ensure they get the best from our products and the ActiveOps methodology. Starting his career as a Mechanical Engineer, Elliott transitioned to financial services as a Process Improvement specialist in 2003. After working in the London Insurance Market for 10 years, Elliott initially joined ActiveOps as a Delivery Director and now works within our product function as Product Director.
As with many of our employees, Elliott was a client of ActiveOps and enjoyed a close working relationship with the organisation during his career.
Over 50 million people at US companies quit their job in 2022, known as the ‘Great Resignation’ or ‘Great Reshuffling’, causing high strain and risk for Ops teams in banking, insurance and healthcare. So, what can Ops managers do now as this trend is predicted to continue during 2023.
In this episode of AO on Air, our host Michael Cupps is joined by Mark Alpern, President & Co-Founder at Cinareo and Santosh Joy, EVP Head of Operations at ActiveOps, to explore all the factors driving employees to seek employment elsewhere. And what you can do to reduce attrition in the front and back office to save costs.
Watch to learn how to use data to identify early signs of disengagement, proactively prepare for attrition, and create a working environment where Ops teams want to stay... instead of leave.
Learn more on how to retain your team & make them feel special in our blog: https://activeops.com/blog/blog-post-help-your-high-performers-feel-the-love
Meet our guests
Mark Alpern, President & Co-Founder at Cinareo
Mark has been a management consultant & contact center executive for 20 years, helping front and back-office teams lead transformation projects and solve challenges like high staff attrition.
If you would like to get in touch with Mark, please connect on LinkedIn or call (647) 283-7373.
Santosh Joy, EVP Head of Operations at ActiveOps
Santosh joined ActiveOps over 14 years ago, leading the delivery and customer success teams within North America.
If you would like to get in touch with Santosh, please connect on LinkedIn or email santosh.joy@activeops.com.
How well are your operations being run? No two businesses operate in exactly the same way – with different customers, channels, technology and compliance rules across different sectors and regions. So, how can you measure your performance fairly and find benchmarking data you can trust?
In this episode of AO on Air, watch Michael Cupps, Stuart Pugh and Bhavesh Vaghela from ActiveOps delve into the new Performance Tracker for Operations – to reveal how operations teams have performed before, during and post pandemic, plus hear all the important trends to help COOs and their teams to plan for the year ahead.
Key highlights include:
- Global and regional intelligence on how operations are being run in Financial Services
- The five metrics every COO should know – agility, control, effectiveness, efficiency and focus
- How to benchmark your own performance and fine-tune your team to drive the best productivity possible
Get your copy of the Performance Tracker for Operations via the link here – www.activeops.com/Opstracker.
Meet our hosts/guests
Michael Cupps, Stuart Pugh and Bhavesh Vaghela are all senior leaders at ActiveOps. ActiveOps is a global SaaS software and services provider helping banks, insurance companies and healthcare providers do more with their operations.
Visit www.activeops.com for more info.
For every Operations leader, trying to understand how work gets done, how long it takes and how many people you need to do that work, are some of the trickiest questions you may ever need to answer.
In this episode of AO on Air, we welcome Elle Bianco, an Operations specialist from CoreLogic.
Elle talks about the difference ActiveOps has made on the way CoreLogic and its team use data to build operational agility - by managing day-to-day activities, planning, forecasting, looking after employee wellbeing and helping to make clear decisions on the people needed to deliver great service to customers.
Elle also shares 3 top tips for new Ops Managers and lessons learned when preparing for a crisis.
Want more insight? Get in touch at activeops.com.
Meet our guest
Elle Bianco, Senior Leader Client Operations at CoreLogic
CoreLogic is the leading property data, information, analytics and services provider in Australia and New Zealand – and has been an ActiveOps customer since 2014.
As a Senior Operations Professional, Elle Bianco has over 20 years of experience in onshore and offshore operations across telecommunications, financial services and property market industry sectors. Elle specialises in automation, service delivery, staff leadership and development, strategic execution, and driving and enhancing the employee and customer experience to deliver business growth.
If you would like to get in touch with Elle, please reach out via LinkedIn.
Digital Transformation Associate Professor Dr. Mona Ashok joins AO on Air to delve into the emerging role of AI in Ops management, how it is used today and its future developments.
Tune in to this episode for a crash course on the application of AI and Machine Learning – from professional sports to public sector and financial services – including use cases from the front, middle and back office.
Dr. Ashok also shares ethical considerations when working with machines and their importance when implementing AI into your own organization.
Want to understand how AI can support your ops team? Get in touch at activeops.com.
Meet our guest:
Dr. Mona Ashok, Associate Professor of Digital Transformation, Henley Business School at the University of Reading
Mona has extensive industry experience, having worked for global IT and BPO organizations, an Accounting firm, and a Business School, covering a wide spectrum of customers. Her professional and academic projects cover topics such as process improvement, programme management, research methodology, accounting, financial, functional, managerial and consulting. Mona has lived and worked in India, UK and the USA. She holds Certified Software Quality Assurance (2002), is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt (2002), and is trained in Change Acceleration Process (CAP) methods. Mona Ashok is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Mona is part of a team working on the Knowledge Transfer partnership between ActiveOps, Henley Business School and Innovate UK – which is supporting our innovation and leveraging AI/ML into the ActiveOps product suite.
Reach out to Dr. Ashok via LinkedIn or email here - m.ashok@henley.ac.uk.
Operations teams around the globe are navigating the complexities of recession planning. But where do you start?
In this episode of AO on Air, we welcome Operations Management specialist, Professor Danny Samson to explore 5 key areas Ops team should focus on to get ready for tricky times ahead.
Watch Professor Samson share best practice examples from Bank of America and Toyota to show you how to survive and thrive into the future.
Want more insights? Download a copy of the new whitepaper, Are you recession ready? How to do more with less for expert tips and practical advice. [Add link]
Meet our hosts
Professor Danny Samson
Professor Samson has been at the forefront of Melbourne Business School and has consulted for NAB at Group CEO level for a decade on business strategy.
Michael Cupps, EVP Growth, North America at ActiveOps
Michael has over 30 years of experience in leading change in sales and marketing operations. His career has spanned the technology sector in BPM, RPA, content management, portals, cybersecurity and community management.
For more information about ActiveOps visit activeops.com.
On this episode of AO on Air, we welcome Darren Taylor to discuss the opportunities and challenges that large US Healthcare payers are dealing with during turbulent labor conditions.
Watch Darren chat about the need for transparency and empathy when dealing with employee engagement, and cover key topics such as:
-How to integrate a siloed organisation
-Using communication strategies to nurture company culture and live your values
-Planning and balancing spikes in demand during peak times
-Keeping your rockstar employees and developing your workforce
-And the importance of taking a data-driven approach to manage relationships and make the right decisions.
Want more insights? Download a copy of our new whitepaper, Are you recession ready? How to do more with less, for expert tips and practical advice.
Meet our hosts
Darren Taylor
Darren has over 30 years of experience in Healthcare and worked with leading organisations like Blue Cross Blue Shield and GEHA. He has also run ventures for health payers with analytics solutions. Connect with Darren on LinkedIn.
Michael Cupps, EVP Growth, North America at ActiveOps
Michael has over 30 years of experience of leading change in sales and marketing operations. His career has spanned the technology sector in BPM, RPA, content management, portals, cybersecurity and community management. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.
For more information about ActiveOps, visit our website or follow our social channels on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
In this special edition of AOTv, Spencer O' Leary discusses the growing trend of Front and Back offices finding collaboration opportunities to help lift performance and wellbeing across both operations.
Be sure to catch, Spencer next week at the CRMXchange and SWPP virtual panel discussing this topic.
https://ActiveOps.com
ActiveOps recently conducted a global survey to learn from operations experts how to prepare for turbulent economic times. In this episode of AO on Air, we interview Vincent Brennan. Vincent shares his key topics to focus your planning and operations on track regardless of the economic conditions. Great advice from a key banking expert.
One of the best parts of ActiveOps is the collective experience in banking operations. Join this episode of AO on Air, where we interview a wealth of management experience. We sit down and talk operations management with our Australian team members Jane Pretty, Martin Hogg, and Rosalie Spies. Listen in to learn about their experiences with consistency, cost, quality, and overall operations management.
If you are in the Melbourne area, you can learn more about experiences on October 24th in person. Check our website for details. www.activeops.com
Join us for a quick chat with Bhavesh as we discuss the opportunity for ActiveOps customers with new innovations like smart planning, skills analysis, and more. During this interview, you will have the opportunity to meet Bhavesh and get excited about the upcoming Capacity22 conferences in London and Melbourne. A great opportunity to network with your peers at wonderful venues.
You can also learn more about Capacity 22 and ActiveOps at activeops.com.
Join us as we discuss with banking industry leader, Jude Pinto, the potential impact of a recession or economic challenges for large operations. Jude shares his experience in previous recessions and offers advice for managing through turbulent times. Listen in as he explains the details of these key points.
- Don't lose sight of your customer-driven process
- Build for Agility
- Redefine operations excellence
- Get ready for a different form of employee engagement
We hope you enjoy this episode of AO on Air and look for more interviews to help you prepare to Do More with Less.
A bit about Jude Pinto:
Jude has been part of the Canadian and Caribbean Financial Services industry for the past 30+ years. He has played senior executive leadership roles in a variety of Retail and Commercial Banking, Payments, Insurance, Technology, Operations, and Finance areas.
Jude has led transformation strategies and programs around industry utility evolution, process, and technology-driven automation, service and customer experience excellence, digital banking, acquisitions and divestitures, new market entries, strategic cost management, business line optimization and technology modernization. You can learn more at
https://jpintoadvisory.com/
For a little different experience in AO on Air. We had the opportunity to interview two customers together recently on AOTv. Because it is a treat to listen to seasoned leaders share their wisdom in operations and coaching the next generation of leaders. We thought sharing this experience would be useful. Please enjoy listening to Christopher Matz from AIG Retirement Services and Tom Frosina from TD Card Services discuss the state of operations management.
www.activeops.com
In this episode of AO on Air, we visit with our three product managers. Ian Carter, Phil Moody, and Peter Cregg. Listen in as they discuss the various highlights and use cases of the ActiveOps product portfolio.
Along with discussing the benefits of ControliQ, CaseworkiQ, and WorkiQ, we introduce a few details of our upcoming conference in London - Capacity 2022.
You can find more information about all of our solutions and Capacity 2022 at www.activeops.com
Ever wonder how a strong partnership works? Join Kevin Lasitz In this episode of AO on Air. We take a detailed look at the technology and commercial elements of the Microsoft and ActiveOps value proposition.
From the tech perspective, we discuss the relationship between ActiveOps and Microsoft Viva, Teams, and Azure.
All of this comes together for our mutual customers, by making it easy to transact for new technologies using the Azure Marketplace or your own MACC commitments. Providing a seamless and connected experience.
We hope you enjoy the discussion and find new ways to enhance your own employee's experience and collaboration. For additional information please check out our Partner page at www.activeops.com.
This episode of "AO on Air" discusses new innovations that deliver opportunities for complex and high-value casework. Financial Crime, Medical Reviews, and Complaints are organizations that are considered specialty operations areas and for too long have fallen outside the typical workforce management solutions capabilities. ActiveOps is happy to announce the new product release of CaseworkiQ. Designed specifically for these heavy casework types of operations, listen as Peter Cregg, Product Director, discusses how this new technology delivers visibility, predictability, and control to new areas of your operations.
Learn more about CaseworkiQ at https://activeops.com/caseworkiq
Join your team from AO on Air and ActiveOps for a fun interview with Melissa Gagnon from TD Bank, America's most convenient bank. Melissa walks us through how workforce management delivers customer service, employee experience, and performance to the back office operations.
https://ActiveOps.com
The world of work has changed and new dynamics are driving the need for new management practices. One area that is getting a lot of coverage is employee engagement and wellness. Join AO on Air as we discuss this topic with Stuart Pugh, Chief Customer Officer, and Spencer O'Leary, CEO of North America, about this important topic and how leading companies are creating great places to work.
https://ActiveOps.com
Join in an insightful conversation with Client Relationship Director, Martin Hogg, from the ActiveOps APAC team based in Australia.
Martin does an excellent job describing the transition from fire-fighting operations to truly transforming operational outcomes. Martin describes the benefits to employees, managers, and senior leaders all while providing his own experience in delivering on these results in the real banking world. The key elements of operational change you can take from this interview will be the impact on:
Operations leadership
Enablement
Leader capability
Martin describes the impact of AI/ML on the post-pandemic workplace. His insights give you a hint of how to start the journey of transformation.
Learn more at www.activeops.com
See John Henderson explain the operations conundrum and how, with the right blueprint, you can see things differently. In this episode of AO on Air, John will walk through a journey of how things seemingly fit together but in new ways. John will be presenting this same presentation today, April 28th, in Vienna at a banking event focused on back office excellence.
https://backofficeexcellence.com/
Excellent discussion to bring focus in this "AO on Air" by visiting Ian Carter, Product Director (ControliQ & Insights and Innovation Lab). Innovation is accelerating quickly with the use of Machine Learning:
1.ControliQ beyond your normal Workforce Management platform
2.Using benchmarks to learn and grow - OpsIndex
3.Insights & Innovation Lab (just the beginning)
4.Management Process Automation
Ian has extensive experience in operations and data insights, which leads him to more discoveries on the road to autonomous operations. On LinkedIn, you can learn more about Ian at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-carter-22315490/
Learn more about us at www.activeops.com
The annual conference of the SWPP (Society of Workforce Planners Professionals {https://swpp.org}) will be held next week in Nashville, Tennessee. ActiveOps is a vendor sponsor and is sponsoring the Keynote address. Spencer O'Leary joins AO on Air to discuss the upcoming conference and opportunities for ActiveOps customers. From management process automation to machine learning-powered planning. Listen in on the discussion to learn how workforce management is evolving to meet the demands of today's complex business environment.
We had the opportunity to bring Tech into focus in this "AO on Air" by visiting Kevin Evans, CTO of ActiveOps. While there is much to discuss, this conversation will concentrate on four topics:
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Technology's impact on the hybrid workforce
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How AI and machine learning can improve operations management
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The need for seamless data collection in operations
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Partnering with Microsoft
Kevin shares his personal observations and key learnings from working alongside ActiveOps customers, development teams, and the customer success team. Kevin has extensive experience in technology, as well as a keen interest in aviation and diving. On LinkedIn, you can learn more about Kevin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinevansmbcscitp/.
A good recipe for a partnership's success is domain expertise, combined with regional presence, and with timing that results in an increasing and immediate market need. This is exactly the position Xcentuate dominates in within the ActiveOps community. Having strong ties in Ireland and New Zealand, combined with a proven background in Operations Excellence, Xcentuate delivers success for our combined customers.
In this "AO on Air" we had the pleasure to visit with Ray Bowe the CEO of Xcentuate. Please tune in to hear about the current state of affairs in Ireland, and how businesses, large and small, are managing and optimizing their performance in this continued pandemic world. Learn how Xcentuate is helping organizations balance productivity, well-being, and office eligibility as it relates to operations management and the work-life balance for employers. Ireland is leading the way in connecting international businesses to the European community, through shared services and new operating models. This increasing international business footprint provides a greater need for operational control and employee performance management. Ray shares key initiatives and observations from his personal experience and the work Xcentuate has been doing across Ireland.
As companies grow, they have the opportunity to expand the team. Life at ActiveOps is no different, as we have seen record growth across the globe. These new hires have a unique opportunity to integrate into the company culture and also push new ideas based on their previous experiences.
This episode of "AO on Air" introduces two of these new team members. Jeremy Mendoza and Nick Avossa. Take a few minutes to hear how they have integrated into the business and their observations on hybrid working. We discuss both their own impressions of what is new and exciting, but also what they hear from customers, partners, and potential customers.
Please also feel free to connect with Nick and Jeremy on LinkedIn, as they would enjoy opening up conversations about your hybrid work challenges and opportunities.
2022 begins with more uncertainty. One thing is for certain: managers and employees want better ways to balance the hybrid workplace.
This episode of "AO on Air" discusses new innovations that deliver opportunities for companies, and specifically, managers to deliver balance back into a chaotic hybrid workplace. Everyone wants to feel in control, and this responsibility largely falls on the manager. Protecting well-being, time, and work SLAs doesn't come easy. Especially when those managers spend 80% of their time looking for data or buried in a spreadsheet. Here, Elliott Tiernan of ActiveOps discusses new innovations that automate tasks and data, helping managers get back to their specialty. Helping their people and company thrive.
2021 found much of the same challenges as the previous year. However, despite all the talk of the chaos, companies began to balance operational risk with a new way of working.
Join 'AO on Air' for an end-of-year visit with Richard Jeffery, CEO ActiveOps & Spencer O'Leary, CEO of ActiveOps USA in discussing the challenges and opportunities facing operations management. This podcast discusses several key themes that carry into 2022... the Great Resignation, Operational Risk, Agility, and the new generation of data needed to keep on pace. We are all rewriting the future of operations and the competitive advantage is the certainty of what you control in the uncertainty of seas ahead. Happy New Year and welcome to 2022.
Join us while interviewing the author of "Digital Customer Service" and "The Effortless Experience".
Listen in to AO on Air while we discuss the future of customer experiences. Whether vendors know it or not, customer service has changed dramatically. If you aren't delivering a seamless or effortless experience, you will likely be falling behind. Join us as we talk with Rick DeLisi about the new customer experience. Rick has been researching customer service and experience for the last two decades. He has co-authored "The Effortless Experience" and has had many published pieces in HBR and won four AP awards for outstanding reporting. His latest book "Digital Customer Service" is now available on your favorite book or digital platform.
Join us while interviewing Vicki Herrell, Executive Director of the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (www.SWPP.org).
How is your just-in-time workforce? We enjoyed visiting with Vicki to understand the role of WFM in the workplace in particular in the new hybrid workplace. We also review a recent SWPP survey and the effects of the pandemic on scheduling and planning a modern workplace. Finally don't miss the insights and the opportunity to join future collaboration, education, and SWPP conferences to learn more.
https://ActiveOps.com
Vaccination mandates for companies and how those policies will be implemented have created a question for managers of their employees that will be difficult to answer effectively – Who is eligible to safely work and from where?
Join 'AO on Air' and Gretchen Philips, EVP North America explain how ActiveOps has the unique position of managing employee’s activities is about performance, well-being, and engagement. Introducing new features in WorkiQ that reflects this position because it informs managers of their employees' availability to work in an unbiased view that goes beyond compliance. It is about being a more effective manager which keeps companies running smoothly, while maintaining employee confidentiality and safety.
https://ActiveOps.com
Join us while interviewing author of From Breakdown to Breakthrough. How resilient are your relationships?
Michael is an experienced coach, educator, author and facilitator who has worked with high-tech organizations and their leaders for over 30 years (or something like that).
We discussed how leaders can address wellness, turnover, culture and productivity issues by creating more social resilience and better, more trusting relationships at work.
The new modern workplace will host a variety of innovations and cultural changes. However, despite all the talk of digital transformation, nothing truly happens until an organisation's people get on board to facilitate and participate. Join 'AO on Air' and Richard Jeffery, CEO ActiveOps, in discussing the immediate challenges and opportunities facing operations management in large enterprises.
This podcast will explore the critical elements of the current workforce for senior leaders, managers, and employees. It will also discuss how balancing these opportunities with the right tools, automation, and data will speed transformation and keep your business in control of your future.
EPM was not invented in response to the pandemic, though the pandemic has increased interest in the line of products designed to track employee activity throughout the workday. But the concept of ethical EPM is rather new. It stems from the fine line employers must walk between employee surveillance (generally accepted as poor for employee engagement and morale) and EPM, which emphasizes employee wellness, performance, and employee empowerment rather than corporate oversight.
You won't want to miss out on learning how to monitor your employees' productivity while effectively ensuring their well-being
AOTv Live: The 3 essentials for Hybrid Work to actually work
The Future Fit Hybrid Workforce: The Live Broadcast.
ActiveOps will be broadcasting on LinkedIn Live and AOTv a series of hybrid work related events aimed at helping enterprise operations utilise technology and analytics to drive better and more timely decisions as they implement new ways of working.
The broadcast is designed to address the growing certainty that, regardless of the precise structure of your workforce, the future of work is hybrid.
The sessions will cover key elements of hybrid operations, tips and tricks to prepare or improve your plans. Topics will be covered by a variety of experts in operations management and leadership.
Each session will last 20-45 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A session.We will be broadcasting on LinkedIn Live (follow us there) and AOTv - ActiveOps' YouTube Channel. After the event recordings will also be available to all your favourite podcast channels (e.g. Spotify).
https://ActiveOps.com
Proving a job well done! There are many business leaders and vendors that know how to build an ROI to start a project. These are in the typical format of spreadsheets.
However, the sustainability of true transformations tends to lead to big outcomes, and gaining recognition is vital for funding and team growth. At the same time, asking operations leaders to now be marketers of the transformation can also be difficult. In this podcast, we talk with a branding expert, Arnold Huffman, CEO of Digital Yalo, about how teams leading large transformation projects can think about internally selling the value to secure continued investment or promote the team's accomplishments.
After more than a year of remote work, companies, particularly executives, are anxious to get teams back in the office. While there are a lot of options, there are a few things you must do to avoid a toxic work environment. Join AO on Air and Guru Jayasimha, Strategic Account Manager at ActiveOps, in discussing the immediate challenges facing large operations contemplating a Return to the Office. This podcast will highlight key focus areas, essential data required and how to enable your managers to be prepared. All without losing productivity! Will your hybrid operations strategy differentiate your business?
For more insight, visit www.activeops.com
Hybrid operations are here to stay. Join AO on Air and Jane Lambert, GM ActiveOps AsiaPacific in discussing the immediate challenges facing large operations migrating into the future of work. This podcast will highlight key focus areas for large scale operations in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world. Will your hybrid operations strategy differentiate your business?