Community Management Team Meeting
March 17, 2008 Minutes
The Lifelong Learning Center
Members Present: Jodie Rasmussen-The Lifelong Learning Center, Chris Mitchell-OPA, Marie Garrison-REO, Mark Cumming-Voc Rehab, Brenda Warning-Experience Works, Ron Ciszak-WORD, Kellyann Deniger-Msla Job Service WORC, Chris Mitchell-OPA, Michelle Parks-Child Care Resources, Matt Clausen, Missoula County Public Schools. Larry DeGarmo-Salvation Army, Jason Wiener-City Council, Sundee Carr MPRC
1:30 pm Meeting called to order by Michelle Parks
1:30 pm Guest Speakers:
Paige Singleberry from DirecTV-HR Consultant, recruiting and staffing.
The job market is pretty competitive and DirecTV has high hiring expectations. It is a call center with 1,000 employees, 850 of which are customer service representatives.
They are always looking for people with computer and customer service skills. Wages start at $9 per hour with great benefits. Unemployment is very low so it has become more difficult to find and retain employees. To face this challenge DirecTV is looking at changing recruitment strategies. They went through employees that didn’t make it and asked them why they weren’t successful. The answers were interesting, for example, people with waitress experience have great customer service skills but may not have been successful because they couldn’t move around, you are essentially confined to your desk area and can only leave for structured breaks and lunch. Through an advertising analysis they determined that the best employees came from referrals from other employees. This was in part because they had a good sense for what the job was really like before they were hired. Now they get bonuses for giving good employee referrals. They also tried to give them a more realistic idea of what the job is about, if you don’t want to work with satellites it might not be a good fit. In Missoula area, people were not as aware of what the job really was because we don’t have a lot of call centers. Really looking for a long term fit.
Retention: Training process, if they have not have experience in that position how do you set them up for success? Training is four weeks in the classroom 8 hours a day, and two weeks of on the job training. DirecTV is constantly changing curriculum to keep up with equipment, always sprinting to keep up. Employees can not miss one day during the first four weeks, but have training on several different shifts. Strict attendance policy, scheduled very tightly so they can handle the call volumes.
New attendance policy-used to be one minute late and was counted against you, now looking for more of a trend to account for more life circumstances. More flexibility now for the supervisors to make some of those calls but employees still need to have a plan B to deal with life circumstances. Childcare is a challenge, only school and religious accommodations are made. Former employees can reapply at any time if things change. If it was after 90 days they would have to go through training again.
Computer training skills-Employees must have the ability to multi task, alt tab through windows, up to 10 windows are open at a time. Internet scavenger hunts are good training tools, it is necessary to be able to problem solve and find answers. The deal with two databases, one with customer information and one with the technical help. Also need the ability to cut and paste and type up to 35 words per minute and use you mouse very well. Very fast pace environment and need to have the ability to read scripts while looking for other information.
Positive attitude is also very important. Need to have confidence is their skills. Looking for full time right now, 5-10 pm is a good time for part-time because it is when their calls are highest. Part time can be 20, 25, or 30 hrs, they take a regular shift and shrink it to when call volume is the highest. Employees need to bid into the shifts. Mandatory shift bids about every six months, Occasionally they need to readjust all the shifts which makes it more difficult for employees.
DirecTV is also splitting out call types between billing and general inquiry questions and technical training. This lets people stay longer in the areas that they enjoy the most and are more competent in.
Marci Allen BREDD
Marci has been with the Bitterroot Economic Development group for about a year and a half, it has a regional designation by the Department of Commerce. BREDD just finished a comprehensive economic strategy for the region this fall. Redevelopment, business, land use planning, infrastructure and workforce groups participated. Hopefully this will be a document that people use to help guide our future.
EDA administers several different grants, public works for water and sewer districts. It is also is used for MonTec. Marci recently submitted the Mineral County Challenge grant to help in that area, Workforce adjustments programs can assist with unemployment and layoffs in a certain industry although the numbers have to be pretty high (500 layoffs) in a year to qualify. BREDD also partners with other economic development organizations and creates a foundation for them to run their programs.
Currently they are working on a communication infrastructure assessment of the county and potential strategies to serve underserved areas. Also trying to develop a green building center, that would impact many different sectors. We have choices about what we want to develop and grow in our community, whether it is businesses that we are attracting from out of state or ones we are identifying and growing on our own.
Economic growth is the numbers, economic development is planned, well thoughtout and long term. If the growth isn’t something we really desire then it all growth is not always desirable. One goal is to further develop relationships between the workforce, business and economic development agencies. Human capital is something that people recognize and is essential for growth. Also, BREDD is charged with going after resources to help businesses and people in the three counties to provide solutions.
Child Care Resources is looking for grants to provide incentives for quality non-standard care. Many of the employees at DirecTV do not qualify for the Scholarship program. DirecTV has done child care surveys and passed it on to Child Care Resources. They are considering changing the times shift start and looking at wages.
BREDD if looking for broad-based projects. Outreach to Mineral County for teleconferences for example, they currently work with Flathead Community College for AP classes. Would like to identify industries that people would like to develop in the Missoula area that would create jobs in the rural comities also. Green building center would serve engineers, architects, builders, retails, nurseries, and hundreds of other industries. It is in the very beginning concept stage, the group that is trying to do it has more than enough people who are interested in the sharing the space. Looking at very creative financing so probably won’t come up for at least a year.
www.bredd.org
Next meeting date & location
On April 28 from 1:30-3:00 at the Lifelong Learning Center we have Mayor John Engen and Charlie Wright scheduled. Mayor Engen will discuss affordable housing, Urban Renewal Plans, and answer questions. Charlie Wright will be discussing regional activities of the Department of Commerce.
2:00 pm Meeting adjourned
