Axel Tolksdorf
Greensboro
Summary
Dynamic operations leader with extensive experience at United Healthcare, driving performance metrics and enhancing call center operations. Proven track record in staffing management and quality assurance, achieving significant revenue growth while fostering strong customer relationships. Expert in training development, consistently exceeding KPIs and improving service quality across diverse teams.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Manager
United Healthcare
01.2014 - Current
- Led Inbound Member Services
- Maintained positive working relationships with Client Management Teams
Director of Operations
EGS/APAC
01.2012 - Current
- iConsistently worked to improve call metrics for queues and individual agents ensuring high quality service for up to twelve individual call centers supporting five lines of business including Connectivity, General Inquiries, Home Theatre, Car/Audio and Post Purchase Support.
- Drove performance by consistently exceeding Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) leading the division to receive Partner of the Year Award (2012)
- Planned, interviewed, hired and implemented call center teams for over 200 stores including up to 600 agents and supervisors, covering two shifts, with an extremely short ramp up time (approximately 60 days).
- Worked closely with end client to understand sales events that would impact staffing level forecasts.
- Communicated clearly with C level executives the necessity of managing staffing levels (occupancy) to forecasted call volume to ensure excellent customer service and continued profitability based on revenue and billable hours.
- Accomplished this by creating and implementing a more effective training model, updating IVR to keep customers up to date on non-controllables, and accurately managing staffing levels allowing for over/under time when necessary
- Performed root cause analysis to understand when Service Levels weren’t met and corrected the problems immediately.
- This involved monitoring overall volume for up to 12 individual call queues, and individual calls for up to 600 agents to ensure handle time, abandonment rate and close rate were in line with contractual obligations.
- Simultaneously achieved client service level and internal occupancy goals while driving over $20M in revenue annually
- Site used as Best Practices case for opening and implementing other call centers throughout the organization.
Center Manager
North Carolina Eye Bank
01.2011 - 01.2012
- Directed a team of 18 including Coordinators and Team Leads that were responsible for obtaining authorization for eye and tissue donation.
- This was an extremely time sensitive process as the next of kin had to be contacted and tissue harvested in less than 20 hours from time of death.
- Streamlined case file workflow after interviewing team leads to understand current process and making changes to improve donor family experience and ratio of committed donors to actual tissue harvest.
- Accomplished this by combining two previous skillsets, building on existing rapport with donor’s family member and finalizing all information needed in one phone call/meeting instead of several.
- Increased actual harvest numbers by understanding the process, maximized tissue viability and improved quality scores as a result of improved workflow.
Customer Service Manager
Hatch, Inc.
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Managed a team of 35 field representatives responsible for installing, training, and maintaining over $30M of early childhood technology and classroom products
- Coordinated with clients to ensure viability of sales, ensure accuracy of invoice and develop time line for delivery, installation and training of product
- Managed in-house scheduling team overseeing logistics for field service appointments to install equipment and train users in various school systems, daycare and early childhood centers across the United States.
- Implemented a tracking process that allowed the time from order to invoice to improve by 30% in the first six months of implementation.
- Established performance metrics to quantify service quality and efficiency
Area Manager
Vanguard Cellular/Cingular Wireless/AT&T
Greensboro
01.1998 - 01.2009
- Led Team of 12 Supervisors and 150 Representatives in a call center of 650 employees handling and inbound volume of 2.5 million calls annually
- Coached teams to exceed company goals for quality, handle time, occupancy, first call resolution, and transfer rate to ensure customer satisfaction and retention rates
- Developed monthly scorecard to capture individual performance metrics for coaching and recognition which led to lower call hold time and increased customer service.
- Used this monthly scorecard to stack rank employees and identify candidates for promotion, lead potential and creating personal improvement plans when call metrics for individuals were inappropriately low.
Call Center Manager
Vanguard Cellular/Cingular Wireless/AT&T
Pensacola
01.1993 - 01.2009
- Established new regional customer care call center, including staffing, training, and creating job descriptions and standard operating procedures
- Staffed and trained center’s customer care and financial services teams
- Promoted region-specific customer care via media and community involvement initiatives
Education
Bachelor of Arts - English and Modern Languages
Emory University
Atlanta, GASkills
- Performance metrics
- Call center operations
- Staffing management
- Quality assurance
- Training development
- Customer relationship management
References
References are available on request.
Timeline
Business Manager
United Healthcare
01.2014 - Current
Director of Operations
EGS/APAC
01.2012 - Current
Center Manager
North Carolina Eye Bank
01.2011 - 01.2012
Customer Service Manager
Hatch, Inc.
01.2009 - 01.2010
Area Manager
Vanguard Cellular/Cingular Wireless/AT&T
01.1998 - 01.2009
Call Center Manager
Vanguard Cellular/Cingular Wireless/AT&T
01.1993 - 01.2009
Bachelor of Arts - English and Modern Languages
Emory University