Several years ago, I was searching for some sort of training that would be relevant to 311 Call Centers.  I had taken previous training for call center managers but it was geared toward the private sector.  When I brought up issues I was having in our government contact center, the others in the class looked at me like I was an alien from another planet.  And I couldn’t relate to their emphasis on sales and profits. 

That is why I was thrilled to find AGCCE, the Association of Government Contact Center Employees.  I attended my first conference in 2007 and found local government contact center employees who had faced the same challenges that I was facing.  It was a goldmine of information and all for an extremely low price.

Better yet, sessions were relevant for those who already had started contact centers as well as those who were just starting them.  Because of the low cost, I had even met government managers whose jurisdictions were just in the “thinking” stage of starting a centralized contact center.

This year, in addition to hearing from experts on how to launch a new contact center, topics will include:

Managing customer perspectives

Keeping the lines of communication open with city or county departments

Introduction to Open 311

Controlling the massive amount of information coming into your contact center

And you will learn about the Knowledge Network, ICMA’s online community for local government professionals, in partnership with the Alliance for Innovation and the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University.  The network covers all facets of local government and encourages new partners, such as local governments, organizations or associations affiliated with local government, to join in the conversation.  Sharing takes place without boundaries, and this allows governments to improve processes and get new perspectives. 

The network is organized by topic, group, documents or blogs and is a wonderful source of information and for sharing successes and new ideas.  Cory Fleming, AGCCE Research Partner and Senior Project Manager with ICMA and Greg Stopka, Central Regional Director for the Alliance of Innovation, will share the many benefits of the network at the AGCCE conference.

This year’s conference will be held in St. Louis, Missouri May 15 – May 17 and attendees can benefit from all the sessions above as well as a visit to the St. Louis contact center, the Citizens Service Bureau and a visit to the Missouri United Way 2-1-1 center.  The cost is an unbelievable $200 for non-members and includes most meals (join AGCCE and save $50).  Attendees will stay at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch for $94 a night.

Register at www.regonline.com/agcceconference2012 and find out more about AGCCE at http://governmentcallcenter.org/ .

Look forward to seeing you in St. Louis May 15 – May 17!