TekSavvy Solutions Inc.

Company Description

TekSavvy Solutions Inc (TSI), is one of the leading independent providers of telecommunications services in Canada.

Founded in 1998, TSI provides residential, business and wholesale Internet and phone services in Canada. Today, TSI's services are used by tens of thousands of Canadians. Based in Chatham, Ontario, TSI operates offices in Chatham and Ottawa. TSI is a privately held company that is in the forefront of protecting Canadian consumers' rights online

TekSavvy is the first organization in North America to attain the Contact Center Employer of Choice certification, Canadian Telecom Employer of Choice award and the Top Telecom CEO award.

The following issues were key factors in the decision to pursue the CCEOC designation:

• Managing new challenges for a growing, dynamic workforce
• Attracting the best candidates in a tight labour market
• Motivating & guiding employees
• Open and trusting communications between staff and management

Becoming certified through the Contact Center Employer of Choice program allows TekSavvy to benefit from promoting the designation, addressing key employee satisfaction and engagement issues, and developing and implementing an action plan for continuous improvement.

Health & Wellness and Work/life Balance

To help improve the health and well-being of employees companywide, events such as Wellness Wednesdays provide wellness education, tips, tricks and free samples for all employees. Special activities such as relaxation and yoga sessions, meditation classes, weight loss challenges (i.e. TekSavvy Biggest Loser Contest), and CPR/First Aid training for Health and Safety members are also built into the regular work day. By supporting a number of Employee – Run committees, such as the Wellness Committee, Health and Safety, etc., and providing the resources necessary to offer health and wellness incentives that focus on living healthy lifestyles, management shares their care and concern for employees on a more personal level.

Leadership also demonstrates their concern for employee well-being by taking great care to create a warm, inviting, and community orientated work environment. In addition to making a diverse range of free snacks (i.e. fruit, nuts, and granola bars to cookies and chips) and beverages available in the cafeteria, we have celebrations and theme days when we serve additional food, such as pizza, baked goods, etc. Just this year, we had a pancake day (for Fat Tuesday), we celebrated the CEO's birthday by serving cupcakes, and served pizza to everyone on the extreme weather conditions day to thank everyone who made it in for work. By making events such as the annual holiday parties and Family Days a priority for employees and their families, the company encourages family values and mutual respect.

Communication & Corporate Developments

Insisting on an open door policy, all our C-level executives spend a considerable amount of time on the floor, talking to employees. Our COO recently conducted focus groups to collect and address the employee's feedback. No appointments are generally necessary if any employee wants to talk to a Director or a member of our Executive Team.

For any disagreements in the Quality results or error logging, a dispute/review process is in place; any employee who does not agree with the feedback provided, can get the results reversed if their argument is valid. For employees who are on LOA and are waiting for their employment benefits to kick in, we do pay advances (this is not a widely-known or advertised fact, not sure if this should be included)

In a continual effort to share the bigger picture about how individual performance affects the success of the community, the executive team participates in Town Halls where they share the plans and accomplishments of the company with all employees. In addition, daily performance reporting is available to all employees whereby Leaders promote awareness and coach for better results. How processes and procedures impact the company as a whole is communicated directly through open and honest communication with employees. More specifically, Leaders explain to their Team member how the individual stats, such as the number of hours spent in tasks, QA scores, AHT, etc. impact our ability to serve our customers.

Pay & Benefits

Financial

• Competitive wages
• Company bonuses
• Reimbursement for continuing education and courses related to work
• Employee referral programs

Work/Life Initiatives

• Vacation allowance after first year
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Eldercare initiatives (may range from referral program, eldercare assessment, case management, a list of local organizations or businesses that can help with information or products, or seminars and support groups)
• Standard parental leave
• Parental leave for adoptive parents
• Family leave policies and other leaves of absence policies such as educational leave, community service leaves, self-funded leave or sabbaticals
• EAP (employee assistance programs): on-site seminars and workshops on such topics as stress, nutrition, smoking cessation, communication etc.
• Subsidized internal and/or external educational or training opportunities
• Fitness facilities or fitness membership assistance
• Tele-work option for employees
• Tuition subsidies
• Relocation services for transferred employees

Healthcare

• Life Insurance
• Accidental death & dismemberment
• Short term disability
• Long Term Disability
• Eye care – eye exams, check-ups, eye glass purchase subsidy
• Dental Coverage
• Ergonomic assessment of work area

Rewards, Recognition and Incentives

The company recognizes excellence on a regular basis by using a variety of strategies that highlight team goals and foster achievement. The diverse nature of these short term and long term rewards reflect the unique characteristics, diverse interests, and motivating factors of every employee. Contests such as Crazy Hair Day, Staff Appreciation Days where food is served to everyone at no charge to the employees (we had pizza day, chili day, baked goods day, etc.), and other team events help to maintain a positive morale and sense of community, promote employee engagement, and provide a fun work environment.

Certificates and special collecting cards with the associate's picture are awarded to staff that complete 100% QAs. Associates are also given gift cards and other small prizes by their leader to provide positive reinforcement for a job well done.

In addition, leadership recognizes professional dedication and growth by supporting overtime contests and prize draws. Although the rules vary from contest to contest, the conditions and rules of each contest are communicated in advance to ensure that every employee has an equal opportunity to participate and showcase their knowledge and skills. Money is provided in each department's budget and allocated to team leaders to purchase prizes and incentives for their team. Personal messages of congratulations and praise from customers to employees are also shared with the entire team as are Employee of the Month achievements.

Other rewards such as Christmas bonuses for everyone, quarterly Leader team building outings, 3rd party leadership development courses, and skill development contests whereby agents are encouraged to share best practices with peers provide opportunities for associates to win gift cards, enjoy lunch with the Chief Operating Officer and/or spend in the department of their choosing to learn about what the department does and how they do it to achieve the 100% performance awards that are signed by leadership. Promotional items and fun swag are also provided as incentives for high performing team members that participate in the many training and professional development opportunities that are provided on a regular basis.

Internal Transfer Opportunities

To adjust to our ever-changing business needs, we constantly review and adjust our staff requirements for all departments, which creates internal opportunities for employees to spend time learning yet another part of the business and finding their perfect job fit.

Working from home

Remote access to our corporate system is also enabled for various employees allowing the flexibility of working from home if needed.

Employee Gear

Our dress code is casual attire with a company shirt that is provided at no cost to the employee, which means that people do not have to spend as much on their work wardrobe.

Community Involvement and Volunteerism

Teksavvy takes corporate responsibility very seriously and takes great care to promote charitable contributions and community based initiatives that share our mission to improve the lives of others.

Yearly Commitments

Each year Teksavvy donates to the Canadian Cancer Society during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Funds are generated through campaigns like "Planet Pink". Planet Pink encourages employees, as well as customers, to "like and share" "Planet Pink" through social media channels. For each interaction received through the campaign, TekSavvy donates $1 to Breast Cancer.

TekSavvy also supports "Christmas in Muskoka" and the "YMCA Strong Kids" Campaign. These events are designed to ensure that all kids have access to programs within the school system as well as at the YMCA. Christmas in Muskoka proceeds fund a class trip to Muskoka, and The Strong Kids program ensures that all kids are able to participate in YMCA programs, regardless of their families' financial situation. TekSavvy employees are proud to be able to make a difference in the greater community beyond the workplace.

Finally, TekSavvy donates and contributes to many other organizations such as the Children's Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent, The Chatham-Kent Children's Safety Village and local sports teams that help to improve the quality of life for many Canadians.

Volunteerism

Wherever possible, Teksavvy encourages employees to give back to the community by volunteering their time and special skills to outside organizations. The TekSavvy Charity Committee is very active in the community and regularly donates food to the local food bank as well as assisting in local soup kitchens. They also work tirelessly to raise funds for smaller organizations like soup kitchens, the local Shriners, coat drives, food drives, and toy drives. Teksavvy is incredibly proud of the volunteering employees do in the community and as an organization, will continue to support and match the employee's contributions.

TekSavvy also encourages empoyees to donate to the United Way. This past year employees contributed $17000, an incredible feat for such a small workforce (400 locally).

Training and Development

Employees are encouraged to pursue career advancements through a variety of professional growth opportunities that include the development of career paths, internships, and advancement opportunities. All graduates have the opportunity to get a government grant upon their graduation.

Leaders discuss career path with their employees during their regular coaching sessions. Career path goals have to be included with every internal application, when positions are posted for various departments.

Employees are made aware of Internship programs available in certain departments like Quality Assurance and Training that run for 3 months. These programs provide employees with an opportunity to better learn the quality principles and guidelines, gain understanding of different departments within the company, participate in focus groups on process improvement and to receive additional in-house training courses, such as Coaching and Development, etc. Each training interns is provided with 4-6 months to develop facilitating and course design. They are also made aware of the fact that up to 80% of former Interns either got promoted or moved to another department once they graduated from the program. In this manner, Internships create an opportunity for the employees to develop their existing talents, gain new skills, increase their visibility, and see the impact they make on the company. Most positions within the company are first posted internally and the selection process is based on performance and attendance as well as career goals. Given that all of the current front line leaders have started their career at TekSavvy as front line employees, employees are invited to request training and development to help them reach their career goals and improve their performance in the current job.

Coaching and Mentoring

During the times of lower call volumes, when we have availability, we allow for up training, coaching and development time for all employees. This is done by Leaders, QA staff and trainers, both individually and in small groups. We also continuously assess the gaps in performance and learning needs and design training to address those. This makes for more knowledgeable and versatile employees who are motivated and a higher job satisfaction. Some of the skills we train are easily transferrable and can benefit the employees in their personal lives.

Culture and Social Environment

Executive leaders demonstrate consistency by practicing consistent ethical leadership. They create a culture of respect that is grounded in moral values and practices to ensure that high expectations are accomplishable through team work and commitment. Consistency is also demonstrated daily by aligning their own policies and procedures to clarify employee expectations and promote achievement. Finally, executive leaders ensure that team leaders are always skilled, competent, and flexible to change by constantly providing opportunities for training and professional growth. By keeping them, in a constant state of learning, consistency becomes second nature.

TekSavvy Believes:

• IN LEADERSHIP-Do what's right, even if it's tough
• IN COLLABORATION- Leverage our collective genius, be a team
• IN TRANSPARENCY- Be real
• IN ACCOUNTABILITY-Recognize that if it is to be, it's up to me
• IN PASSION- Show commitment in heart and mind
• IN ADVOCACY- Earn trust and business
• IN QUALITY-Ensure what we do, we do well

Employees at TekSavvy are encouraged to stand up for what is right, for both themselves and on behalf of the customer. They are encouraged to show respect for themselves, the company and the customer and take ownership and responsibility in all aspects of their work, and interaction with customers. Employees who excel in these areas are rewarded, and it is encouraged by our senior management. TekSavvy has a history of being extremely transparent with our employees, the public and our customers. Our employees take pride knowing they are in fact working for the good guy. Our core values help preserve the TekSavvy that we know and love.

Above and Beyond Factors

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is unique in the fact that it strives to provide the best customer and employee experience possible by placing the highest priority on meeting the needs and interests of both parties. For customers, the focus is on providing a unique and overwhelmingly positive customer experience that is not scripted and is always user friendly. If problems or challenges arise with customers experience and/or satisfaction, personal contact is used to clarify and rectify the issue as quickly as possible. For employees, providing a workplace community that facilitates success and satisfaction through a number of incentives, initiatives, and promotions ensures optimal achievement and long term retention.