The City of Los Angeles wins Markie Award

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The Angeleno Card Program is one that has made us immensely proud. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our client, the City of Los Angeles wanted to help citizens who had been financially hit the hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Angeleno Card Program was launched in March 2020 to provide direct financial assistance, via no-fee debit cards. This assistance was going to go towards low-wage hourly workers who had jobs in industries such as restaurants and tourism, as well as seasonal workers, day laborers, and self-employed individuals. The program was designed to serve residents regardless of immigration status.

The original plan was to require citizens to have their eligibility appointments over the phone. In an effort to be more efficient and help people receive faster assistance, the Office of Mayor Garcetti worked with Apex IT, TimeTrade, and Oracle to design a simple, safe and secure system that could help the office receive applicants and schedule appointments online.

Together with these tech partners, we were able to create a dual-language and easy-to-use portal to serve residents of Los Angeles. And we’re proud to say that we designed and implemented this in just three short weeks.

“Apex IT’s work helped double our pace of delivery,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “When people need help putting food on the table, they need help fast.”

The city was able to schedule more than 50,000 appointments across 21 locations in just 9 weeks. With an original goal of raising $10 million, The Mayor’s Fund surpassed that goal and raised over $36 million from private donors. This allowed them to distribute to over 100,000 residents. Not only did the system help many families in need, but it was less costly than the original approach of handling applicants through the call center. This initiative reduced costs by 30% and created a direct ROI for the city.

Due to the impressive vision and quick action, The City of Los Angeles and its Mayor Eric Garcetti were awarded two Markie Awards this year.

 

Call Center Representative Talking with a Customer

Modernizing Your Call Center is Critical to World Class Customer Experience

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As the logistics and supply chain industry evolves in keeping with changing market dynamics, customer expectations have evolved to match how they engaging – just like in the consumer world.

Customers expect flexibility, which is the freedom to change the order within a certain time period to suit the new customer requirement. They also expect visibility and transparency throughout the order placement and delivery process, in real time.

While technology can enable these functions on digital channels, many customers would also prefer timely updates and responsive customer service from their logistics providers, as well as to get assistance from them for their inquiries and problem resolution.

If you haven’t replaced or upgraded your call center practices and solutions recently, there’s a good chance your customers have noticed. In that case, it’s probably time for a little contact center modernization.

Customer care has made huge advances over the last several years in focusing on the customer experience. Texting is now a common communication track for businesses, and AI and chatbots continue to forge new ground.

Today’s customers demand the flexibility to communicate in their preferred channel at their preferred time. And they no longer accept long wait times, multiple transfers, and impersonal service as the norm.

Save money over time by updating the systems you need today and prepare for the growing customer service channels of the future. Obviously, an incentive of modernizing contact centers is cost savings. As new technologies develop, make sure you have a roadmap in place that incorporates those technologies into your plan. Customers want to connect through traditional (phone) and more modern channels (email, chat, mobile, social). There is an investment to implement these channels, but they are easily automated and can cut costs and agent workflow. Upgrading your premise-based systems is also very costly. By moving to the cloud, you can cut multiple infrastructure costs and innovate faster.

Create better experiences for your customers and agents with solutions that make agents’ jobs easier. Modern solutions raise agents’ and managers’ productivity and job satisfaction while lowering attrition and training costs. Automated solutions, such as IVR and CTI improve the speed of agent assignment and knowledge as they engage via phone or chat. SMS assistants and provide proactive text messages and automated responses. Chatbots can engage and then pull in an agent at the right time.

Focus on strategy and a partner that will help you keep your contact center ahead of the curve. Apex IT and Oracle provide best practices, methodologies, strategies, business processes, and technology solutions that help you define and execute your roadmap. We bring benchmarks and best practices to the table from other organizations in the transportation and logistics industry, but also provide general CRM and Customer Experience leading practices. By finding a partner that will help with your strategy, you can also focus more time on your operational objectives.

If you are interested in learning more or having a conversation, please contact us.

Apex IT is a leading CX/CRM consulting firm helping transportation and logistics organizations improve their customer’s journey. To learn more about Apex IT, please visit our website.

Oracle is a Gartner and Forrester leader, providing solutions in CX/CRM, BI, and Data. To learn more about Oracle CX, please visit their website.

Transportation & Logistics Shipping Containers

With Today’s Transportation Challenges, Focus on Improving Your Customers Experience (CX)

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The challenges in transportation and logistics in 2017 are carrying into 2018. Regulatory change has been at the forefront. Warning signs of tightening capacity means sharply higher rates in a new era of pricing. Consumers just-in-time demands and continual increase of e-commerce increases the need for optimization.

Business transformation, enabled by technology innovation, is enabling greater visibility and optimization.

For shippers, carriers, and providers in the ground, air, ocean, and rail transportation industry, Apex IT and Oracle can help you identify your customer’s ideal journey and enable your customer experience transformation leveraging Oracle CX.

If you are interested in learning more or having a conversation, please contact us.

Apex IT is a leading CX/CRM consulting firm helping transportation and logistics organizations improve their customer’s journey. To learn more about Apex IT, please visit our website.

Oracle is a Gartner and Forrester leader, providing solutions in CX/CRM, BI, and Data. To learn more about Oracle CX, please visit their website.

Summer Camp Kids Sitting on Dock by Lake

Apex IT Sends 140 Children to Summer Camp

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Gates Camp is a residential summer camp located at the base of the Indian Peaks Wilderness area west of Boulder, Colorado. Our unique camp offers Boys & Girls Club members a chance to experience new activities, learn a variety of new skills, and try new behaviors. Campers have the opportunity to make deep connections with both nature and dedicated staff.

Girls and boys between the ages of 8 and 13 attend one week, single-sex sessions at Gates Camp. These programs and activities teach kids to explore new ideas, work in teams, and support one another. Campers have the opportunity to explore who they are through the lens of our “Five Pillars”: Leadership, Enthusiasm, Respect, Cooperation, and Honesty. Campers are challenged throughout their time at Gates Camp to utilize their heads, their hearts, and their hands as they become increasingly self-aware of who they are and what they have to offer the world.

Our one-of-a-kind facilities at Gates Camp include authentic log cabins which house campers, counselors, and guests. The rustic lodgepole pine buildings were originally built in the 1920s, when the property consisted of more than 800 acres and was known as the Lodge of the Pines Guest Ranch. The Lodge of the Pines operated for a number of years and was a popular get-away for people from all over the country and around the world.

Eventually, a portion of this land with original log structures was donated to what is now Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. Operations as a summer camp began in 1974, and since that time, many additional facilities have been added to the property. Beyond the original log cabins, the Gates Camp property now includes tent platforms for additional camping grounds, a main lodge with a commercial kitchen and dining hall, a shower house, a recreation barn, and an over sized tipi.

Program areas include an archery range, a three-acre lake and fishing dock, a challenge course with low and high elements, volleyball and basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, a brand new gaga ball pit, and 80 acres of pristine Colorado wilderness situated at an elevation of 9,000 feet above sea level.

Eduventures Innovation Awards Team Photo

Eduventures Announces 2016 Innovation Award Winners

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October 25, 2016 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

BOSTON – (BUSINESS WIRE)

The National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA), a leading provider of data and analytics solutions to public and private colleges and universities, announced the winners of the Eduventures 2016 Innovation Award. NRCCUA acquired Eduventures in September 2016. The Eduventures Innovation Awards program recognizes the achievements of individuals and organizations that share Eduventures’ vision for improved outcomes through innovative programming that supports critical areas of an institution. Selected by a jury of higher education leaders and advisors, NRCCUA and Eduventures showcased this year’s winners at a ceremony during Eduventures’ annual summit in Boston.

The 2016 winners include the following institutions:

Award winners were announced by Cara Quackenbush, vice president of research; James Wiley, principal analyst; and Howard Lurie, principal analyst at Eduventures.

Accepting the award for the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado–Boulder was Joanna Iturbe, technical project manager. “We are thrilled to be selected to receive an Eduventures Innovation Award,” said Ms. Iturbe. “With a growing focus on improving student outcomes, our institution has worked hard to create a culture of innovation, which was spearheaded by our adoption of our CRM system.”

“This awards program illustrates that there are true innovations taking place at institutions throughout the country. Many forward-thinking colleges and universities have dramatically changed the way they approach the student life cycle with innovations that provide better outcomes and use technology as a strategic enabler,” said Patrick Vogt, CEO of NRCCUA. “Congratulations to all the Innovation Award winners; we are proud to showcase their work.”

Eduventures Innovation Awards Program is designed to identify and honor higher education institutions that have demonstrated significant innovations when developing and deploying programs in each of these categories:

Judges select winners from written applications and, if needed, conduct follow-up interviews. Entries are scored on value to the institution, innovation and relevance to the mission of the school and are announced in conjunction with the Eduventures Annual Summit.

The National Research Center for College & University Admissions is an educational data platform and research organization based in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Austin, Texas. For 44 years, NRCCUA has been a leading provider of data, technology and programs servicing public and private colleges and universities to enhance their marketing and recruiting efforts. These solutions represent the link between students making important life decisions and providing the resources and information they need to succeed in their postsecondary education and career. NRCCUA is part of Sterling Partners’ Education Opportunity Fund. For more information, visit nrccua.org.

Eduventures is the leading research and advisory firm that is focused exclusively on analyzing the forces that are transforming higher education. Building on 20 years of success in working with education leaders, Eduventures provides forward-looking and actionable research based on proprietary market data and advisory services that support both strategic and operational decision-making. Our recommendations and personalized support enable clients to understand the top traits of leaders in critical disciplines and evaluate the opportunities presented by new technologies. For more information about Eduventures’ research, practice areas and team, visit us at eduventures.com.