Breakout Sessions

Servicing the Latino Community: More Than Having an Option to “Press 2” for Spanish
Presented by:
• Richard Shapiro, The Center for Client Retention
• Mindy Figueroa, Latin2Latin Marketing + Communications

What are the differences in the views, expectations and experiences of the Latino community compared to other consumer groups? This session will focus on specific ways to demonstrate your company’s appreciation and knowledge of the Latino culture and community when servicing Latinos through your contact centers.

Making the At-Home Agent Model Work for You: A Cross-Company, Cross-Industry Discussion
Presented by:
• Cindy Fritton, ConAgra Foods
• BJ McDonald, Continental Airlines
• Jeff Hagen, General Mills
• Ana Venezia, Breast Cancer Network of Strength

This panel discussion featuring senior customer care professionals from industry leaders General Mills, Continental Airlines, ConAgra Foods and Breast Cancer Network of Strength will explore the benefits and opportunities of using at-home or virtual agents from the workforce management, business, cost saving, environmental and social responsibility perspectives.

Building Customer Loyalty and Trust
Presented by:
• Teresa Omar, Hitachi

Maintaining an unwavering focus on understanding and responding to the voice-of-the-customer has been critical in the efforts of Hitachi Home Electronics to deploy service strategies that stay ahead of customer expectations. Through its 1-800-Hitachi customer support center, Hitachi has leveraged customer data to understand the true impact of both their products and their customer service delivery to create a customer service experience that is leading the industry. Ms. Omar will share how Hitachi's approach to creating an unexpectedly exceptional customer experience is delivered through service empowerment at the agent level, a strong focus on earning customer trust, loyalty and advocacy, and Hitachi's live-agent-answer initiatives.

Clorox: A Case Study on Social Responsibility
Presented by:
• Beverly Randolph-Meeks, Clorox

Clorox’s social responsibility principles reflect a deep commitment to maintaining high standards of business conduct, integrity, safety, quality and respect for people and the environment. Learn how Clorox consumer affairs agents are trained to inform consumers of initiatives, gather insight, promote participation and respond to concerns.

Consumer Affairs—From a Policy Perspective
Presented by:
• Anna Flores, American Express
• Chris Irving, Publishers Clearing House
• Kerry Tassopoulos, Mary Kay, Inc.
• Frank Torres, Microsoft

Join American Express and an expert panel from Microsoft, Mary Kay and Publishers Clearinghouse for a policy discussion on consumer affairs strategies at these major companies and how these strategies are applied to support and protect consumers.

Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000
Presented by:
• Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services

This session, named after the title of Pete Blackshaw’s newest book, will introduce SOCAP members to the world of consumer generated media—blogs, social networking pages, message boards, product review sites—where even a single disgruntled customer can broadcast his or her complaints to an audience of millions. Learn the critical role consumer affairs can and should play in this enterprise.

Consumer Loyalty: From Amazon to Mom & Pop Stores
Presented by:
• Robert Spector, Author

Robert Spector, author of The Nordstrom Way, Amazon.com: Get Big Fast and the upcoming book, The Mom & Pop Store, will discuss how Amazon and mom and pop stores promote similar types of consumer loyalty and advocacy in spite of their different structures and retail approaches. Attendees will learn strategies and philosophies from these leaders and also hear case studies of some of America’s most interesting mom and pop stores.

Protecting Your Company and Employees From Aggressive "Guerilla" Attacks
Presented by:
Panel:
• Pete Edghill, Chrysler LLC
• Susan Baranowsky, Campbell Soup Company
• Linnea Johnson, Unilever

Well-organized consumer groups who disagree with a company’s positioning, product or service often declare war with that company with aggressive campaigns that employ “guerilla” attacks on physical corporate locations, corporate email networks, Web sites and servers. This panel discussion will explore how consumer affairs departments at different companies combat these guerilla tactics by aligning defensive tactics and crisis communications while protecting the needs of the consumer and still delivering quality customer service.

Charting the Course Towards Sustainability
Presented by:
• Colleen Kohlsaat, Levi Strauss & Co.

Learn how Levi Strauss has developed a successful roadmap for its social responsibility programs, including the company’s focus on environmental sustainability. Learn more about Levi’s philosophies and tactics for building and maintaining a positive brand image through social responsibility.

Consumer Advocacy: Social Consciousness in an Increasingly Aggressive Consumer Marketplace
Presented by:
• Elena Chavez, Consumers Union/Consumer Reports
• Reggie James , Consumers Union/Consumer Reports

This presentation will address Consumers Union’s online / grassroots advocacy campaigns relating to consumer protection in Health care, Finance and Food & Product Safety as well as efforts to address consumer education and protection in the growing Latino market.

The Marriage of Coaching and Training
Presented by:
• Ronna Caras, Caras Training

Does your company invest in training that is forgotten within weeks? In this program, learn what great companies are doing to take their training curriculum into the real world and make it stick, why people forget what was taught in training and what coaches can do in a small amount of time.

Executive Session: Globalization Trends*
(note this session will run from 1:15-3:00 pm — Registration Required)
Presenters TBD

This high-level session will focus on key globalization trends and strategies, and what they mean for customer care executives. Current and vitally important to every business today, the impact of globalization is a must-know for all executives.
(NOTE: This session is open only to attendees who are director level or higher or who have senior-most responsibility for customer care in their departments or companies.)

How to Deliver Presentations with Style and Pizzazz
Presented by:
• Jane Cleland

This interactive workshop will teach you how to deliver persuasive, engaging presentations. The workshop is divided into three key areas: content development, presentation style, and Power Point and other media construction. Whether getting help overcoming butterflies, thinking logically or avoiding verbal tics like “ah” and “um,” attendees report dramatic and lasting improvement. .