Career Scoop: Meeting the Digital Demand

Matt Gloster, Senior Director of Career Solutions

Goodwill’s Document Archiving Program was started in response the growing need of businesses to quickly and securely store and retrieve the information in paper documents. The business expense associated with paper documents, both in terms of space and time, has led to a real demand for support services that can safely and securely archive company business information assets.

While technology has advanced, the need for people who possess the skills to do this work has not kept pace.  The basic knowledge and understanding of proper workflow, preparation, and indexing of the documents is essential in today’s workforce.

Goodwill has been helping people by providing relevant and timely job skills training and placement assistance for over 50 years and the addition of the document archiving program is a key step in marrying the business community’s needs with skilled employees.

The Goodwill document archiving program focuses on:

• Overview of document management and workflow
• Confidentiality and security procedures
• Computer software to scan and index
• Document and file preparation
• Creation and printing of barcodes
• Scanning and inspection of images
• Correcting or appending image files
• Repackaging  files and documents

Participants in the document archiving program first learn the basics of document management with an emphasis on document scanning. They also learn best practices that allow for a smooth workflow.

Due to the sensitivity of many documents, our trainees are instructed in confidentiality procedures and sign a confidentiality agreement. Trainees are also instructed on security methods concerning all files.

The training includes use of document imaging software package for scanning and indexing. Trainees learn all facets of the software pertaining to these areas.

One of the most important aspects of the process is document preparation. This responsibility demands attention to detail. All staples and paper clips must be removed to avoid damaging the scanner and expediting the scanning process. Pages are also aligned and participants learn proper indexing and how to create appropriate file organizational structure, which is critical to a quality outcome.  We train participants how to create barcode cover sheets to allow for batch scanning and indexing. Trainees learn the fundamentals of the barcode coversheet program and print unique barcode coversheets for each file.

Trainees learn to scan documents on our high speed scanner. Documents are scanned and thoroughly inspected to ensure discrepancies are noted, reviewed and repaired in a subsequent inspection process. It’s during this process that pages are appended or deleted as necessary.

In the final step, the trainees return the scanned documents to a designated area to await their final disposition.  Trainees are assigned to various areas as needed to ensure that files move in an efficient manner. The trainee learns and executes all facets of the process.

Goodwill’s document archiving program allows the trainees to learn the necessary elements of back file conversions. Computer skills are learned and enhanced. Quality is emphasized in every phase. Trainees work in every station and share the responsibility of completing the task with co-workers in the department.

For more information about our program or information about any of our trainees, visit Goodwill Career Solutions or contact us.

The Latest Career Scoop: Serving up Trained Clients with a Side of Success

Jerry Richardson, Contact Center Lead

Have you ever called the 1-800 number on the back of your debit or credit card?  Or have you ever dialed 611 from your cell phone?  If you have, then you’ve likely spoken to someone working in one of those company’s call centers.  It’s much easier to pick up a phone to call customer service, rather than visit your bank or a retailer for basic information.  It also can be comforting to know that whether early in the morning or late a night, a customer service agent is waiting to help you with any concerns or requests you may have, in some cases 24/7.  It’s convenient.  And that’s why call centers have flourished.

Convenience also brings certain expectations from customers.  Courtesy, easy resolution of issues and ending the phone call feeling that the company is really concerned with our concerns.

Companies go to great lengths researching not only what customers want and need, but also how customers want these needs addressed.  A satisfied customer is a customer who will continue to do business with the company.  So how do you provide world class customer service?  Goodwill!

Goodwill’s Contact Center Training program prepares participants for work in a call center environment with extensive training that focuses on learning to maneuver a computer system in a phone environment, while problem solving and providing the highest level of customer service.  This training program was designed to assist entry level workers gain the knowledge and experience needed to thrive in a call center career path.  Goodwill’s program has a real world element, as trainees spend time discussing communication skills, participating in role playing exercises, observing and discussing live calls, and finally taking live calls in a controlled environment.  There are also a series of knowledge check points throughout the course of this training.  Calls are monitored and graded just like in any typical call center environment.

Our training focuses on preparing workers to meet attendance expectations.  A common goal of many call centers is to make their facility ‘the best place to work’ so a great deal is invested in creating a workplace that is not only successful, but also staffed with the best possible candidates.  Working in a Call Center can offer stability, fulfillment, many rewards, and opportunities for advancement and requires multi-tasking while staying calm and authoritative

Well, our goal is to help those who really want to work in the call center customer service field, are serious about obtaining a job and starting a career in a call center.  Similar to any company’s hiring process, enrolling in Goodwill’s contact center training program is extensive and requires pre-assessment before being considered for class. The pre-assessment includes a typing test, basic computer skills and a series of problem-solving questions. Those who pass the pre-assessment then take part in an interview process before being accepted.

How successful are our graduates?  Luis began Contact Center Training in March of 2011 and in June of 2011 he was hired by a local Call Center as a bilingual customer service representative.  So how do you get started in this exciting, challenging, and rewarding program?  Learn more.