Avatel Employee Spotlight

We believe that the Avatel employees or as we like to say, our Avatel family members are our biggest asset, contributing to the success, innovation and advancement of our company. Our spotlight page is an effort to recognize our employees that make a big difference and demonstrate behaviors that exemplify Avatel’s values.

Avatel is dedicated to provide meaningful recognition for the accomplishments of our employees. We feel that recognition creates a work environment that helps us feel good about what we do and about each other. In addition, recognition encourages teamwork, stimulates innovation, energizes people, helps individuals grow and, most of all, feel valued for their contributions.

Every day, employees at Avatel go above and beyond the call of duty for customers and co-workers. Our employee spotlight page reflects the spirit of reaching new heights of results and behaviors in support of our high performance work environment.

Our employee spotlight is a space for inspirations, observations and celebrations of each other. We believe that life is too short to not have fun, and “Fun” is an important part of the Avatel culture.

See for yourself the kinds of wonderful things employees are doing behind the scenes at Avatel.

 

Avatel 2011 in Review

We can acknowledge our accomplishments and the areas that need improvement to use as a motivator to keep on going. The challenge comes in building on our past success and innovating new ways to use our strengths. Reviewing our progress over the last year can give us a boost of confidence and help us plan for even greater success in the year to come.

The year in review has seen a significant increase in sales from the previous year. Our last quarter’s performance clearly demonstrates the resiliency of our SME Sales team and the ability to deliver results for Avatel. Armed with courage and determination, the majority of the Avatel Team had impressive results. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Sales Team for your excellent execution and continued dedication.

Sales Team Top Performers for 2011

  • Rujel Brooks - 199% of  January quota
  • Evelyn Guzman - 197% of February quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 176% of March quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 164% of 1st Quarter quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 180% of April quota
  • Deb Woodford - 185% of May quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 290% of June quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 202% of 2nd Quarter quota
  • Teresa Boully - 171 of July quota
  • Marc Irvin - 170% of August quota
  • Teresa Boully - 354% of September quota
  • Teresa Boully - 202% of 3rd Quarter quota
  • Teresa Boully - 337% of October quota
  • Rujel Brooks – 228% of November quota
  • Marc Irvin – 160% of December quota
  • Rujel Brooks - 203% of 4th Quarter quota

Top Performer for 2011 – Rujel Brooks with 196% of 2011 quota

Customer Feedback

Customer satisfaction and experience is a key performance indicator within our business. Our customers are the heart of our operation and we must always strive to be in tune with what they think and how they feel.

Optimizing customer loyalty has a direct and positive impact on our company’s financial performance and strategy. Increasing customer loyalty through improved customer experiences can be driven by the insight gained from our customer feedback program. Our customer surveys allow us to establish measures and disciplines to ensure continuous improvement.

2011 Customer Survey Results

  • Sales Associate Overall Customer Satisfaction Rating ~ 94.27%
  • Project Manager Overall Customer Satisfaction Rating ~ 96.40%
  • Engineer/Technician Overall Customer Satisfaction Rating ~ 94.90%

2011 Above and Beyond

Awarded to Annette Duarte

So often, there are those that we know better as “Unsung Heroes”, because they do not sing their own praises.  They do not make a point of showing off what they do or what they accomplish.  They are the ones behind the scenes not only doing their job and supporting others every day, but rather the ones with the drive and ingenuity to make a difference for the company without anyone even being aware. 

Annette is an “Unsung Hero” for Avatel.  She not only supports the Finance Team in almost every aspect of the financial process of the business from receivables to payables to financial postings to back up support for purchasing. She works tirelessly to ensure Avatel’s finances are protected through inventive and strategic auditing preparation and presentation.  She has saved the business thousands of dollars and ensured that Avatel is always shown in the best possible light at any given point. 

Annette is a dependable, committed, creative, and overall treasured member of the Avatel Finance Team and the Avatel Family!  We couldn’t do it without her!

 

Avatel 2012 – The Future is Ours

To continue to thrive as a business, we must look ahead, understand the trends and forces that will shape our business in the future and move swiftly to prepare for what's to come.

We need to leave everything behind that keeps us from fully focusing on our future success. As we leave 2011, let us leave behind all those things that do us no good! We must not walk into the future backwards.  If we spend too much time on the past, we will remain in that mode, and we can’t create the future. Creating the future requires present and future orientation.  There is no point in building a vision on a foundation muddied with unfinished business, because the vision will not be fully realized.

When we think about our past success, we can’t stop there and switch to cruise control; we must understand that rarely do stagnant things stay successful. We must build from a foundation of realism, acknowledging our company’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Without a clear vision for the future, a company simply floats along aimlessly. If we don’t plan for and create our future, we can become reactive and fall into the victim mentality of blaming the economy, the competition or any other convenient excuse. We must develop strategies that address tomorrow’s business realities.

Avatel’s future is created by each and every single one of us. Each action we take every day plays into our future. The future is that place ahead of us and the things we do today can affect that future. We should think of every day as building blocks in our future foundation and we are placing those blocks exactly where we want them. We must take action. One step at a time, one day at a time until the foundation is complete, and all the blocks are in place. The goal is to have each day add to the day previous, until the year is complete.

Our vision ultimately becomes our company’s direction, objectives, priorities, strategies, and tactics for the year ahead of us. Our vision will give us direction, motivation, creativity and resilience. Without one we could become passive, aimless, bored, and vulnerable to quitting.

Our strategic approach is to build on our strengths, resolve any weaknesses, exploit all opportunities and avoid threats. Avatel’s business growth strategies need to align with our company aspirations (mission, vision, values).

Our objectives will cover our overall brand awareness and communication strategy, customer service, sales channels, sales training and development and current and new revenue opportunities. This plan will not be exhaustive. It will cover the highest priority areas to address in our business practices that can generate rapid returns.

It’s an exciting time for Avatel. We are anticipating growth and preparing for our future. We are well positioned for growth in 2011.Avatel 2012 – The Future is ours!!

 

Avatel Christmas Toy Drive


As we decorated our Avatel Christmas tree and hung all of our beautiful decorations at the beginning of December, we had to stop for just a moment and remember those who do not have this simple luxury of being able to do the things we take for granted every holiday season. This is a joyous time for many of us, but what about those less fortune? What about those who cannot afford a Christmas tree, let alone Christmas presents for the children to put under it.

While some adults suffer through a barren Christmas, nothing is sadder than a child without the toys that other kids enjoy at Christmas. In these tough economic times, more parents are struggling to put gifts under the Christmas tree.  It would be horrible to think that there could be children in our community who might wake up on Christmas morning and not have a present to open, but that could be the sad reality. A prolonged sluggish economy, job losses, foreclosures and a host of “unintended consequences” are leading your neighbors to Metropolitan Ministries doorstep in unprecedented numbers. They are praying for answers, not by choice but by cold, unyielding circumstance.

When we look at our children, we see their smiling faces and think about how much joy we will get from seeing their eyes light up on Christmas morning. Shouldn't every child have that joy? Shouldn't every child have presents to open up on Christmas morning?

                                                              

 

On December 20th, we were so excited to know that we could help answer their prayers by joining together with Metropolitan Ministries to celebrate hope for the children.  I am so grateful to every Avatel family member for supporting our toy drive and giving a holiday of hope for the children! We believe that every child should have something to open on Christmas morning!

                             



Avatel Thanksgiving

At Avatel, the attitude of gratefulness and mindfulness is one that we all strive to cultivate every day of the year. We believe that every time you think a thankful thought, you connect your life to more abundance. Everything for which you are grateful takes on added value as a result of your gratitude.  And, the sincere appreciation for what we have, adds value to all that we are.

We had a week long motivational theme based on Gratitude, Appreciation and Thankfulness. I wanted each of us to feel how good it is and feel how empowering it is to fill ourselves with gratitude and appreciation. With a thankful heart, we can lovingly and successfully make our world an even better place.

Gratitude

Gratitude is an essential component of a life that’s filled with joy and meaning and richness. Whenever, wherever we choose gratitude, it always makes life better. Being grateful means that everything that happens to us is seen to have a value and gratitude demonstrates the wisdom to respect that insight.

As human beings, we have a natural tendency to unconsciously take things for granted. Practice gratitude, even in the midst of despair, and it will open your eyes to the positive possibilities all around you. As your gratitude grows deeper and more all-encompassing, life’s abundance shines more brilliantly for you. The benefits of practicing daily gratitude helps rewire our minds to focus on the things that we like, the things that make us happy. It keeps us on the path of being present, helps us acknowledge the gifts we have already been blessed with, and cultivates positive thinking.

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation." ~ Brian Tracy

Appreciation

The more you appreciate something or someone, the more real value it takes on. When you sincerely enjoy and appreciate life’s small, simple treasures, the big, impressive achievements will soon be headed your way. Demonstrate, with joy and enthusiasm, your appreciation for something, and you’re likely to get much more of it. Generally, appreciation means some blend of thankfulness, admiration, approval, and gratitude. Anything that appreciates grows in value. With the power of appreciation, you learn to be consistently thankful and approving, and your life will become more valuable—both to yourself and others.

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary”. ~ Margaret Cousins

The beauty of appreciation is that we can give it to anyone we choose and it costs nothing, except a few moments of our time. The true beauty of appreciation is that it dwells in the mind of the beholder. There are no limits. We are free to use it whenever we like and how often we like. Like love, appreciation knows only the bounds we create for it. Like hope, it opens our sense of possibility. Like compassion, it suggests we always have a positive role to play with our companions on this earth.

Thankfulness

Every thankful thought you think connects you more solidly to life’s magnificent abundance. Don’t postpone your thankfulness until you have something for which to be thankful. Realize that there’s always something to be thankful for, and your thankfulness will enable you to see it. So challenge yourself to be truly thankful for all that is around you, for all that is in you, and for all that happens to you and through you. By so doing, you give richness and value to everything you touch.

Thankfulness brings real abundance out of hiding by raising your expectations in a way that is undeniably genuine. Every day is filled with opportunities to be thankful. You can be thankful for your blessings, for your problems, for the things you know, for the things you’ve yet to learn, and for everything in between. Look for reasons to be thankful. And you will find a treasure of real, lasting value. Be truly, constantly thankful, and there is no end to the level of abundance that you will experience.

“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.”

The blessings we enjoy are blessings precisely because we see them as such. Be thankful, and draw strength from those blessings. The more you appreciate something, the more valuable it becomes. By being truly and actively thankful, you actually increase and expand the reasons you have for being thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Avatel Family!

 

 

Avatel Halloween Costume contest Winners

  • Annette Duarte (Finance Dept.) ~ Funniest Costume
  • Andrew Cohen (Enterprise Project Manager) ~ Scariest Costume
  • Annette Duarte (Finance Dept.) ~ Best Overall Costume

 

Avatel Customer Service Week Oct. 3 – 7

(See pictures here)

In 1992 Customer Service Week was proclaimed a nationally recognized event, celebrated annually during the first full week in October. Customer Service Week (October 3 – October 7) is an international event devoted to recognizing the importance of customer service and to honoring the people who serve and support customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism.

Avatel had a wonderful time while creating companywide awareness of the importance of customer service. We want to thank our service department for their support and remind customers of our commitment to customer satisfaction. The week of celebration at Avatel was filled with a wide-range of activities that capture the spirit of customer service. We focused on recognizing our Service team for their hard work and commitment to service.

The Theme for the week was:

 

  • Reaffirm your commitment to customer satisfaction
  • Realign your priorities to put customers first
  • Recharge your energy and passion for service
  • Reconnect with valued customers and coworkers
  • Rediscover the importance you make in customers’ lives
  • Reflect on the customers and coworkers who make a difference to you
  • Refresh your spirit

We borrowed some great ideas from the Customer Service Week Website: http://www.CSWeek.com, and purchased colorful posters and banners to create a festive environment at Avatel.

We started the week with kick-off breakfast in the service department with team members signing the Customer Service Week pledge and recommitting to their service mission. Our second day was a “Stress Relief Day” with neck and shoulder chair massages for our Service team. The third day we played customer service bingo and served “tasty treats with a message”. The fourth day we enjoyed a “thank you” lunch together and the service group shared their smiles with their co-workers through photographs. The fifth and final day of our fun filled week was a blast; the service team shared their service spirit in a parade with “chair floats” in our call center, throwing out beads to cheering co-workers. All during the week, the team received many tokens of appreciation from the rest of the Avatel staff. At the end of week, the team proudly displayed their Certificate of Participation in a prominent place in the service department to reflect on the special celebration we all shared!

 

 St. Patrick's Day

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Today, March 17th, 2011, has been a day filled with fun, food and team spirit here at Avatel. This month we are holding a “March Madness Sales Contest”. The contest is based on a points system and consists of two SME sales teams and their “Cheerleaders” from our support departments. The two teams are the Lucky Charms and the Sham-Rockers.

Part of the months challenge was for the teams to come up with the best tasting green food for our St. Patrick’s Day lunch. Along with the wonderful food everyone made, we were entertained by team skits and great team spirit. See video clip on YouTube -

You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

While cooperation and hard work will get the teams to their goal, our support department’s team spirit (the Avatel Cheerleaders) has ignited a new level of excitement and has made the efforts fun along the way. We are just over two weeks into the contest and we have seen great results from both teams.

Enthusiasm is contagious and creates an energetic work environment. When employees work together toward a common goal, it's a winning situation for everyone involved! Promoting team spirit with a little healthy competition generates a buzz. See animated movie -

http://goanimate.com/movie/0u5b4wbVimOg?utm_source=linkshare

The teams have been meeting with their Team Captains to share experiences, customer feedback, successes, and disappointments. They learn from their feedback and then share the lessons with the entire team. Team spirit involves sharing a common passion for something greater than the individual. Both teams are High-performing teams that exhibit selflessness and a sense of spirit.

The Avatel Cheerleaders have taken time out of their workday to increase the two team’s overall morale, to increase productivity and true team spirit. When employees work together toward a common goal, it's a winning situation for everyone involved!

 

The sales team with the most points at the end of the month will win a bowling party, One support member (Cheerleader) will be chosen to join in the winning teams reward based on building and maintaining team spirit providing, inspiration, encouragement, motivation and endeavors to remove barriers and obstacles to support the teams toward goal accomplishments. Stay tuned for contest results at the end of the month.

Got Spirit, Let’s hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Avatel 2010 Year End Awards Ceremony

Avatel held its 2010 Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Friday, January 28, 2011. Throughout history some of mankind’s greatest achievements have happened in the most challenging times. Avatel approached those challenges as opportunities in 2010 by seizing the initiative and executing on our strategies with single-minded determination.

Armed with Courage and Determination

Our Avatel Champions are models of pure character; they are the kind of people who their will and determination to achieve success is untainted by anything. They are adamant, ambitious and highly disciplined individuals who stop at nothing to reach their intended goal. They only know one direction; forward.

Successful companies like Avatel have a diligent work ethic that is undaunted by the prevailing market conditions or the news of the day, no matter how bleak or depressing it may be. We remained consistent in our business development activities – prospecting for new opportunities by networking, obtaining referrals, and doing something relatively unheard of today – making cold calls.

The most important ingredient required to survive successfully is attitude. Accepting the challenge with a positive attitude has allowed Avatel not only survive, but thrive under difficult circumstances. Armed with courage and determination, Avatel successfully approached challenges as opportunities.

A Look at the Big Picture and Lessons Learned – 2010 Year in Review

Our Awards Ceremony was a great opportunity to take a step back and look at the big picture, notice where we are performing well and what improvements are required. We have to be aware of the internal and external factors that have the potential of having a positive or negative impact on our business efforts.

Avatel has been able to illustrate business flexibility and thought leadership by employing unique tactics to drive growth. By counting the lessons that we have learned along this journey, we developed innovative strategies such as:

  • Balancing growth tactics and communicating strategy clearly
  • Building from the core and playing to existing strengths
  • Innovating with existing products and approach to current market
  • Keeping internal costs under control and using existing reserves to fund growth
  • Optimizing operations and focusing on customers
  • Building partnerships and strengthening relationships

It’s important to keep looking for ways to develop. If we don't, we risk allowing our competitors the room to grow and take market share from us, which could seriously weaken our position.

Avatel feels that listening to what our employees and our customers are saying about our business can be a valuable method of improving our business performance. Avatel feels that feedback is an essential element of any successful business. Without knowledge, we are unable to make educated decisions.

Employee Feedback

I know that listening to our employees and encouraging their involvement can have a positive impact to our business. Late in 2010, Avatel initiated an employee feedback forum for creating a healthy environment which leads to greater productivity and motivation. We asked 3 simple questions to help us gauge and improve upon the health of our business.

  • What went right in 2010?
  • What went wrong in 2010?
  • What would you like to see change in 2011?

The feedback was greatly appreciated and identifies what we are doing well and what we need to improve. The feedback process stimulates discussion and helps us plan for business improvement.

Customer feedback

Getting input from our customers is critical to our success. Our customers, like our employees are the lifeblood of our business. When customers feel that a business truly cares about them and what they think, they may be more likely to be loyal customers. When a business makes changes according to feedback, it shows that they truly listen and respect those opinions.

Our customers are the heart of our operation and we must always strive to be in tune with what they think and how they feel. When a customer expresses frustration with a product or service, this is an opportunity for us to explore deeper and remove the barriers to efficient customer service. Our customer surveys have allowed us to establish measures and disciplines to ensure continuous improvement.

Always Room for Improvement

We acknowledge there is always room for improvement in everything we do. The feedback that we have collected from our customers and employees will determine a plan of action that details the steps needed to increase the businesses effectiveness.
We want to improve the way our organization performs including enhancing customer service, streamlining how work gets done and increasing profitability. We will identify both strengths and areas for improvement within the organization, and use that as a baseline for the business to focus its planning and improvement efforts.


4th Quarter and 2010 Top Performers

The encouraging news is that even in uncertain times, the majority of the Avatel Team has delivered impressive results and was able to grow and prosper. Avatel’s attitude of "possibility" combined with a refusal to abandon our vision, mission and goals was the difference between success and failure in 2010.

Avatel is committed to recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance, and to fostering the success for our employees and our organization. The Avatel Top Performers are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.

Top Performers who have exceeded their monthly targets with outstanding results for 2010 4th Quarter:

Top Sales Oct. 2010 ~ Raymond Kerker
Top Sales Nov. 2010 ~ Raymond Kerker
Top Sales Dec. 2010 ~ Evelyn Guzman
Top Sales 4th Quarter Overall ~ Raymond Kerker

It is a pleasure to recognize key performers at Avatel whose passion has garnered them Top Honors for Sales Success. These top performers display a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and a goal of matching the Avaya product and Avatel solutions best suited for those customers.


2010 Top Performers

Overall Top Sales for 2010 ~ Laura Martinez
Top Avaya Product Sales for 2010 ~ Frank Fautas

Above and Beyond 2010 Awards For their tireless effort and selfless determination

Romelio Chirino Jr - Engineer
Brandye Byers – Finance/HR


Thank you for your exceptional accomplishments and outstanding performance in 2010.

Click here for pictures


Preparing for our Future

The Avatel entrepreneurial spirit has overcome obstacles and capitalized on opportunities, and our current economic setting is no exception. Businesses striving to stay one step ahead of the trends, develop new strategies and stand out in the crowd are forced to adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.

We will take a serious view of our recent performance. Our analysis will be based on profitability, market share, revenue growth, and customer satisfaction. We will examine our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to prepare us for 2011.

Our business strategy for 2011 will define the direction and scope of our organization over the long-term and will advance our company’s resources to meet market needs.

It is important that our objectives and initiatives for 2011 clearly indicate what is to be achieved. To create appropriate strategic objectives, we need to understand our capabilities as well as our environment. We also need to clarify our purpose or mission with a keen understanding of the history and current performance of our business. We are committed to continuous innovation, taking appropriate risk to search out possibilities to drive performance and growth.

Objectives

  • Customer Focus
  • Training
  • Marketing Initiatives
  • Stability
  • Growth

Customers focus - This is our biggest single driver as we conduct our daily activities. What do our customers need and how do we solve their problems? Avatel’s goal is to continually build strong and sustainable relationship with our customers- The relationship will consist of trust and reliability. A strong relationship is an excellent exit barrier for our customer retention. This relationship ideally will be beyond the immediate gains we can make out of the customer, but a longer term association which builds greater customer loyalty.

Training Initiative - Avatel will make strategic investments in customer service, sales and product and application training. We will expand our training to assist our teams in promoting customer focus in our organization by promoting employee personal development, team development and by providing skills in listening to and interacting with customers.

Marketing Initiative - During these challenging economic times, Avatel will need to find new and creative ways to engage our customers and prospects and drive them to action. We will maximize the effectiveness of our people; improve marketing and ramp up sales activities. Now is not the time to sit idle. Today is about being as aggressive as we can with cost-saving strategies. Marketing strategy defines customers and their requirements; we have to make sure our message is well honed and relevant for our customers, yet different from our competition. These critical marketing elements in turn lead to successful and more consistent revenues.

Stability Initiative - In order to sustain a competitive advantage we must have resources and capabilities superior to our competitors, such as: consistent earnings and earnings growth, consistent high gross margins, consistently carry little or no debt, large installed customer base, good company reputation and product brand awareness.

Growth Initiative - Avatel is well positioned to sustain growth and succeed in today's challenging economy. Avatel will continue to impact the marketplace with its innovative Avaya solutions, our top-notch staff, customer satisfaction and the value we deliver. Avatel will be an organization that can evolve and grow in this economy, which can modify itself as technology, skills, competitors, and the entire business changes. We will identify emerging business opportunities & stay flexible enough to adopt new business models quickly in order to deliver growth through innovation.

Critical Success Factors for 2011

Critical Success Factors are the critical factors or activities required for ensuring the success of our business. In order to sustain a durable competitive advantage we must have resources and capabilities superior to our competitors.

We have to always consider the five key sources of CSFs:

  • Competitive strategy
  • Industry position
  • Environmental factors
  • Temporal factors
  • Managerial position

2011 and Beyond

We have to be able to combat today's fierce market forces and uncertainty. Our competitive advantage needs to be sustainable and able to endure the test of time. Avatel is constantly changing and reinventing ourselves to maintain stability and to stay competitive.

Avatel knows that being successful in business starts with a positive attitude, learning from our mistakes and taking responsibility for our choices. Doing business in tough times requires a tough attitude. With a fresh perspective Avatel will be able to achieve our revenue goals in 2011 while holding true to our principles. To bring success to Avatel in 2011, we must be motivated and prepared and a step ahead of our competition. Perseverance and a clear plan of action are crucial for our success.