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 behaviours that exemplify Avatel’s values. Avatel is dedicated to provide meaningful recognition for the accomplishments of our employees.
Check out the articles below and see for yourself the kinds of wonderful things our employees are doing behind the scenes at Avatel. We believe that life is too short to not have fun, and “Fun” is an important part of the Avatel culture.
(See our 2012 Employee Spotlight Page)
Avatel Christmas 2015
Just as last year, our Holiday theme for 2015 involved Christmas Elves. According to the legends, elves are magical, mischievous pranksters who make special appearances during the lead up to Christmas. At Avatel, we have discovered that the Christmas Elves are adventurous! Their Elfcapades range from the sweet to the mischievous and have been known to get up to all sorts of pranks and mischief in the Avatel office. We never know where our Magic Elf will turn up!
Avatel Elfcapades
The good news is that when this magical creature made a visit to an Avatel workspace, he released performance enhancing magic in their direction. All they had to do is believe and the magic began to move in ways they could only imagine. Apparently, Elves love to be in pictures. See all the Magic Elf selfies below with their new Avatel friends.
Christmas 2015 Toy Drive
Elf Magic is the Christmas spirit you can hold in your hand and feel in your heart! At Avatel, the Christmas elves spark the spirit of giving with our Avatel Christmas Toy Drive as we partner with Metropolitan Ministries to provide toys to boys and girls.
Avatel appreciates our Volunteer Elves – Andrew, Yesie, Eric and Teryle.
We believe that our holiday toy drive helps families with children rediscover the magic of the season
Naughty & Nice Christmas Elf Party
On Christmas Eve, we all joined together for great food, happy Elf punch, and our Naughty Elf gift exchange game. Of course, during our game, Elf Bribing, Elf haggling, and Elf pleading was part of the game. We were also blessed to have some of the Avatel children join the fun.
Also, last year we held a contest for the most creative Elf attire, and the year before we did an Ugly Christmas sweater contest. We added a twist this year and offered two prizes – One prize for the best Elf outfit attire and one prize for the most whimsical (outrageous) outfit (ugly Christmas sweater, crazy Santa, or anything funny and outrageous).
Our winners Dan and Keon outdid themselves!
All Avatel family members hope your holidays were blessed. Now, since the holidays are over it's time to get ready for the New Year! Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
November – The Avatel Giving Spirit is alive and well
November is not only about gratitude, it is also about giving. Giving brings virtues such as understanding, respect, compassion, gratitude, and humility together into a powerfully positive and enduring act. The spirit of giving is a sustaining force, enriching whatever endeavor or circumstance it touches.
As part of Avatel's Giving Back program, every year we team up with Metropolitan Ministries to provide holiday meals for struggling individuals and families in our community. Our food drive is a great way to give back and feed the hungry families in our community, as it gives them a sense of hope for the day and warmth in their tummies and hearts.
Thanks to the generosity of our Avatel team members and Andrew and Teryle volunteering, our gifts of hope provided homeless and hurting families with warm meals on Thanksgiving.
Every time you interact with someone else, you have the opportunity to give that person some kind of value. Whether it is a thing, or a thought, a gesture or a kind word, the most powerful gifts are those that come straight from the heart.
Avatel Harvest Brunch
Harvest, by definition is the season for gathering. So, our Harvest Brunch was a great time to gather together and interact with each other.
We believe that every day is rich with opportunities for each one of us to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.
October 2015 Updates
Our theme for the month of October was ~ "Let's Make Some Magic Happen".
The world is a magical place. Just because you have grown accustomed to the magic does not make it any less so. The real magic of life is not a trick or a supernatural phenomenon, it is in the fact that you can see, feel, think, choose, live and love.
At Avatel, we believe that every day is our opportunity to perform magic in this life and in this world. If the day is dreary, we can brighten it with our words and our actions. We understand that our days can be filled with magic only if we make it so. Our Avatel team members use every opportunity to fill each moment with the real and priceless magic of being fully and positively engaged in life. At Avatel, we experience the magic and the joy of simply being around the people who make us feel that anything is possible in this world.
3rd Quarter 2015 Review and Awards Ceremony
We started our 3rd Quarter review with the exciting news that we broke our all-time record with our sales results for the Quarter.
Then we announced our top Sales Performers for the Quarter:
- July Top Performer – Laura Martinez – 303% Goal attainment
- August Top Performer – Laura Martinez – 297% Goal attainment
- September Top Performer – Dan Meunier – 265% Goal attainment
Next we announced the contributions to our 3rd Quarter results and the unbelievable efforts that our support departments provided. We had record breaking activity in all support groups.
Engineering Team – 1644 Completed Service Tasks, 126 Demo/Customer Presales calls/Tech calls and 83 New Product Configurations.
Project Management Team - 1365 solutions managed, 123 internal activity requests, 1643 service tasks created and 5148 Service calls handled with a 99.73% service level.
Operations Team – The Finance Group handled 23,540 finance transactions, HR handled over 300 employee support transactions, and IT handled programed 26 CRM programming updates and developed a new Avatel proprietary remote desktop access tool and our Purchasing team processed over 1700 product orders and employee internal requests.
Shining Star Awards
Bruce Brewer – You've lifted us to new heights. You've surpassed expectations and reached for the stars. You motivate others to perform at their best, leading your Team toward ultimate success. Thank you for your remarkable performance.
Jim Kelly - Your outstanding dedication and leadership have been truly appreciated by the entire organization. Your attitude, outlook and commitment inspire us onward and upward. Thank you for always leading the way.
3rd Quarter - Avaya and Scansource/Catalyst Hot Deals for Hot days Distributer Promotion
With our outstanding results from the Quarter, it was no surprise that Avatel won 3 out of the 8 weekly sweepstakes drawings based on our product orders.
We then held our own drawing to reward all 3 hardworking depts. with the prizes. Our winners were:
- Kevin Woodford – Sales Associate in the Sales Dept.
- Joey Martinez – Purchasing Manager in the Operations Dept.
- Lonnie Ledford – Senior Project Manager in the Service Dept.
2015 Avatel Halloween Party
A Halloween celebration at Avatel would not be complete without good food, good drinks (including a little Witches Brew) and the opportunity for Avatel family members to wear costumes.
As always part of our Halloween activity is a costume contest. All Avatel team members voted on for their favorite costumes – scariest costume, funniest costume, and best overall costume.
Avatel Halloween Costume Winners!!!
Funniest – Andrew and Tom
Scariest – Keon
Best Overall – Deb and Annette
October 2015 – Avatel Celebrates Customer Service Week
Customer service is not just a department, it's an attitude. Whether our service team members are interacting with customers or with co-workers, rewarding their willingness to serve others is our top priority.
With that said, Avatel was proud to celebrate Customer Service Week 2015, October 5th – October 9th. We believe that it is important to recognize our Service Staff and express thanks and appreciation for what they do throughout the year but specifically during the first week of October.
This year's CSW theme was Everyday Heroes. The theme recognized that every day, frontline service professionals are heroes in their customer's eyes and their co-workers that they support. Avatel, along with other companies across the country came together to recognize the everyday heroes in our midst: our selfless and hard-working technical support and customer service teams.
This was our 5th year participating with other service professionals world-wide as we celebrated our Service team member's achievements. Service-oriented departments are the backbone of any successful business, and there wasn't a better time to shine the spotlight on our dedicated teams!
CSW is our greatest opportunity to show the service department staff that we appreciate their hard work and dedication!!! As their customer service and great attitude shines bright for all to see!
The week of celebration at Avatel was filled with a wide-range of activities that capture the spirit of CSW, focused on recognizing our Service Department for their hard work and commitment to service. Avatel celebrated CSW in style by incorporating fun activities, tempting treats and special gifts that made it a week to remember.
September 2015
For the month of September, we put a challenge to the Avatel Sales Associates. We challenged the team members to achieve a six figure sales month. We called the challenge “The Six Figure Success Club”.
The reward for meeting and or exceeding the challenge was an afternoon at the Hard Rock Café including lunch, drinks and a little gambling fun.
The winners had a GREAT time, as you can see!
2nd Quarter 2015 Awards and Recognition Ceremony and Bowling Party
Finding the motivation to stay focused, work hard and believe in your dreams requires mental strength, fortitude and dedication. It's one thing to have a dream; it's another to set goals and to work hard year after year, month after month, day after day to achieve it.
By celebrating our achievements, we not only acknowledge a winning result but also reinforce the attitudes and behaviours that contributed to the successful outcome. When we get excited, rejoice, celebrate and feel genuinely happy for someone else's success and good fortune, we are moving this energy and information forward into the Universe. We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.
Everyone wants to be recognized and appreciated for doing a great job. Receiving recognition for achievements is one of the most fundamental human needs. I want to take this opportunity to thank All Avatel team members for your excellent execution and continued dedication.
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Top Sales Performers
April 2015 Top Sales – Jorge Rodriguez
May 2015 Top Sales – Bryan Kelley
June 2015 Top Sales Performer – Kim Whisman
2nd Quarter 2015 Top Sales Performer – Kim Whisman
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Shining Star Award
Emily Woodford – Avatel Sales Assistant
Emily has been going above and beyond the minute she took her first step at Avatel. When Emily is given a task she not only completes it with accuracy but always on time and stays on task. Dedicated, tenacious and organized are words that easily describe Emily. She champions the issues and helps each AE work through them in a timely fashion.
Emily is truly an asset to Avatel. She is more than we could have ever asked for. Emily ALWAYS goes above and beyond for Avatel. Thank you for being such a shining star and always giving your best. We are so very happy you are part of our family.
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Shooting Star Awards
Tom Wood – Avatel Project Manager
Since joining Avatel in February, Tom has done an outstanding job in Service. When Andrew Cohen was promoted to a Sales Management role, Tom stepped in and took over managing the Avaya Legacy Program, which was no small task. It means keeping/tracking data on every install, which requires coordination with all the PMs. It involves weekly calls with Avaya, going over and refining the entire process.
Tom has been the liaison between Avaya and Avatel on the install process and has communicated effectively to both sides as we improved the process along the way. Tom has demonstrated a high level of customer service skills when dealing with our customers.
Shawn Roderick – Avatel Project Manager
In the short time Shawn has been here, he has been an outstanding asset to Avatel. Shawn quickly grasped our processes and almost immediately maintained a workload on par with our tenured PMs. In addition, Shawn has demonstrated outstanding customer service skills and how to effectively work through issues with our customers and with the Avaya TSMs and Technicians.
Bowling Fun
At Avatel, we're committed to building a winning company. While we are very serious about winning, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. A winning workplace culture must also be a fun environment. Fun is a big element of our culture at Avatel. So, let's go bowling!
We have fun together and we work hard together, which creates a team spirit of working together as one. Avatel has a unique winning culture that is supported by extraordinary team spirit and having a good time.
Companies like Avatel, rise above the noise and get noticed!
Avatel Spirit Week 2015
The reason for Spirit Week is to promote a positive morale and create a work atmosphere of team spirit. I believe that group spirit bonds people together. Companies that foster team member’s interaction are in a better position to be successful and a workplace infused with team spirit is one that is energized, innovative and motivated. Avatel’s Spirit Week is meant to stimulate social activity, which contributes to higher camaraderie. Team members are eager to come to work because it is a place where they can thrive professionally and enjoy the company of co-workers.
Contrary to popular belief, play and work are not mutually exclusive! I believe that a playful workplace relieves stress, increases motivation, and builds relationships with coworkers. When companies promote play, it engenders a more lighthearted atmosphere. When companies lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication.
After a well-deserved long Memorial Day week-end, we began our week with “Crazy Mismatch Day”.
Twisted Tuesday/Crazy Mismatch Day
We came to work on Tuesday with crazy hair, freaky mismatched clothes, strange mismatched socks and shoes, and clashing patterns.
Two of our “Best Dressed” team members – Annette and Jennifer
Wacky Wednesday/Disco Day
On Wednesday, we went back in time to the Disco era. Oh my! Our Disco queens and kings from the '70s put on their sequins and bright colors, min dresses, bell bottoms, flashy jewelry, and whatever else looks good on the dance floor. We also brought the DISCO DONUTS mobile mini-donut cart to our office that served hot, fresh mini-donuts while playing Disco music on our patio area.
Pajama Day / Pillow Talk Thursday
On Thursday, we celebrated Spirit Week in our pajamas. We called it “Pillow Talk Thursday”. We Just got out of bed and came to work as we were!- Pajama Day is the ultimate comfiness at Avatel. We wore our festive pajama bottoms, flannels, footie pajamas and fluffy slippers, along with enjoying each other’s company as we feasted at the breakfast buffet.
Freaky Friday Beach Day
We all came to work dressed in our favorite beach attire, shorts and Hawaiian shirts, beach dresses, flip flops and straw hats. We enjoyed the Avatel Happy Hour from 4:30 – 6:00 on the patio. The Kona Ice truck served up our choice of tropical shaved ice drinks, along with our adult beverage Tiki bar. Avatel team members had lots of fun with the water guns and our hula hoop contest.
We had several team members that stood out during Spirit Week that showed great team spirit and a willingness to let loose and have some fun. Annette Duarte and Jennifer Smalling were chosen as the individuals that displayed what Spirit Week is all about.
And, let’s not forget our Hula Hoop contest. Brandye Byers was hands down the best of the best!
Annette and Jennifer Brandye
At Avatel, we believe that a fun work environment is one in which formal and informal activities occur regularly that are designed to uplift people’s spirits and remind people of their value to our organization, and to each other.
Avatel Family, Thanks for the great Spirit Week 2015 memories!!
1st Quarter 2015 Awards and Recognition Ceremony
At Avatel we believe that recognition and appreciation are a fundamental human need. We each respond to appreciation expressed through recognition of our good work because it confirms our work is valued. As we recognized the exceptional performance of our team members, we were all inspired by each and every achievement.
It’s important to take time to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished together and to consider how, in good times as well as in challenging times, our company performs at the level we do because of the talents and dedication of our people. Reviewing our 1st quarter progress gives us a boost of confidence and helps us plan for even greater success throughout the year to come.
Our 1st quarter 2015 performance clearly demonstrates the resiliency of our 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.
Avatel 1st Quarter 2015 Top Sales Performers
January 2015 Top Sales – Fred Sternberg
February 2015 Top Sales – Laura Martinez
March 2015 Top Sales – Rujel Buggs
1st Quarter 2015 Top Sales – Rujel Buggs
Great job Top Performers!!!!
We also want to recognize our new sales team members. Of the 8 new reps we planned to hire for our March sales training, we were able to bring in 7 very skilled individuals to join our Avatel family. I am happy to say that all 7 sales associates completed their Avatel training course and passed the Avaya certifications with flying colors. We are pleased that each new team member is excelling in their new positions.
New Sales Associates – Jonathan Carlile, Daniel Meunier, Mike Cooke, Katrina Noel, Darren Brantley, Eric Escalante and Kevin Woodford
1st Quarter 2015 Above and Beyond Recipients
You’re Performance Inspires Us All by going “above and beyond” the normal job requirements to deliver note-worthy service to our customers and co-workers.
Lonnie Ledford, Brandye Byers and Frank Peraza
The management team would like to recognize Lonnie Ledford for embracing change and championing our growth initiative. When the growth plan was announced, Lonnie was very vocal in support of our initiative. As a result of recent personnel changes, some PMs, Lonnie included, had an increased workload. Not only did Lonnie enthusiastically accept the additional workload, but has championed our Avaya customer satisfaction survey efforts. Thank you Lonnie, for all that you do!
Brandye Byers is being recognized for her consistent willingness to take on any new task assigned to her, and her constant desire to learn new and more challenging business operations. Brandye’s willingness to grow her skills and ability to contribute above and beyond sends a powerful message. Brandye consistently demonstrates her potential to grow with her ability to quickly identify gaps and issues, and work to resolve them, she consistently looks at the “big picture” and maintains the desire to find the best solution for Avatel and its employees. Thank you Brandye, for all that you do!
The management team would like to recognize Frank Peraza for continually going above and beyond. Frank is one of the unsung Avatel heroes. Often times, Frank leaves very early in the morning and works late into the evening on system installs. Frank will stay late to program a customer’s system or come in on the weekends to do work. All the while, Frank never complains. His work ethic and efforts to satisfy our customers is something to be admired! Thank you Frank, for all that you do!
Avatel March Updates
By March, the winter holidays are long over, and summer seems an eternity away. Who could resist a month devoted to leprechauns, legends, and green galore? A March leprechaun ambush at Avatel was a great way for us to shake off the early-spring doldrums and create a general aura of luck, happiness and fun.
A Leprechaun cannot escape as long as you are paying attention to him, but if your eyes move away, he will be gone in a flash! So, for the whole month of March, we were joined by our new Leprechaun friend.
If our Avatel team members were lucky enough to outwit the little trickster and keep him long enough to get his picture as proof of his existence, they won Leprechaun Loot in the form of "pot of gold" lottery tickets.
Then on March 17th, we added a bit of "almost spring cheer" to the Avatel workplace with a St. Patty's day party.
Everyone was invited to our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration lunch including fun contests. Celebrating St. Paddy's Day at Avatel brought cheer and festivities, as we all become Irish for the Day! We got into the spirit of the occasion by selecting our "green-wear" that was whimsical to wacky. We gave out prizes for the best St. Patrick's Day outfit, the best Irish toast and the best Irish jig dance.
We put our Leprechaun green on, perfected our Irish toasts, got a little Jiggy with it as we shook our shamrocks, and had a great time!!!
After work, the Avatel Team along with our friends from Avaya Financial Services hit O'Brien's Irish Pub for a little green beer and more fun!
You can't beat green beer on St. Patrick's Day!
Avatel Operations Team Recognition Week – February 2015
As part our culture of recognition at Avatel, It’s time to shine a light on our Operations dept., our “Behind the Scenes Superstars” (April Peoples, Joe C., Torina Schmidt, Jose Martinez, Brandye Byers, Keon Hines and Annette Duarte) and show a little extra appreciation and gratitude.
Why should we recognize our Operations Team? Not only do we have dedicated and hardworking team members in the Operations Dept., Operations is really the heart of most companies, as the focus is on People, Processes and Profitability. The Operations department is the department that handles all the day to day operations of the business and the glue that holds the organization together. It is the proverbial oil that keeps all of the parts moving without grinding to a halt. It is part oversight and part insight.
Although this team typically works behind the scenes and stays out of the limelight, barely an hour goes by during the day when a member of our Operations team is not providing something for somebody. The operations group drives flawless execution across all engagements. They are responsible for driving operational excellence across the organization and the backbone of all our business processes. The group consists of our “Behind the Scenes” Superstars that handle a collection of business support functions: human resources, information technology, finance and procurement and more, and acts as a lubricant to keep the business running.
An operations department is responsible for a diverse range of responsibilities. They provide a bridge between strategic vision and operational readiness; actively manages the planning and budget process; handles all business process and auditing to ensure best practices across all departments and manages overall costs and productivity consistent with financial objective. Understanding and effectively managing the operations side of Avatel is key to our success.
With that said, Avatel celebrated our Operations Department successes, accomplishments and contributions the week of February 16th through February 20th. Our theme for the week had a “Hollywood flare” as we honored our Operations Starlets.
The week started with a with a Hollywood trivia game based on classic quotes from famous films and a cupcake Break. The following day we treated the team to a “Hollywood” lunch – In honor of our “Behind the Scenes Superstars and the Oscar’s right around the corner. As we continued our celebration for our “Behind the Scenes Superstars”, were invited to a “Star-studded - Into the Limelight” Operations Team brunch. We recognized that all Starlets need to relieve stress, so all our Operations team members received a chair massages to relieve stress and muscle tension along with fun stress free support gifts.
We all must realize just how much of the day-to-day business activities truly require operational oversight. Our well-defined and appropriately empowered operations team has a significant reach throughout the organization. So, on the last day of our recognition week, we invite all our Operations team “Leading Ladies and Leading Men: to celebrate a “Behind the Scenes” Superstars Appreciation Dinner; as we wanted each one to know how much we appreciate them.
The Avatel Operations Team Rocks!!!
Avatel 2015 ~ The Year for Growth
After we completed our year-end review for 2014, we proceeded to discuss our plans for 2015. Every leader must have a vision for growth and the capacity to see both the needs that must be met and the possibilities for the future.
I believe that the enthusiasm generated by “growth” conversations will positively impact Avatel’s climate and inject renewed optimism for 2015 and beyond. We must break off limitations, confinements, restrictions, and small thinking.
There’s a vibe in growth companies, a certain attitude that’s easy to pick up. It’s an atmosphere that’s completely absent from companies that are stagnate. Avatel has a choice, we can either create internal environments that either enable growth or inhibit it.
Our mindset must shift from maintaining to growing. With a “growth mindset”, we can all understand that individual and organizational capabilities can be cultivated and developed. We must cultivate a culture that embraces growth. We must see the vision set before us and make a decision to go up to meet the challenges. Avatel will never reach the next level unless we take it there and rise to the challenge.
One of the biggest challenges in business can be figuring out how to leverage what we’ve already done and safely move to the next level. We must create our growth initiatives without losing discipline and focus on the core business.
To achieve new heights and revenue marks in 2015, there has to be a solid plan. Avatel must have a clear growth strategy and strong execution infrastructure. One without the other impairs the probability of success.
Having the right human capital is critical to surviving and ultimately growing Avatel. Having the right people in the right roles, performing at peak levels, is the key to getting results. We must review our current organizational structure, including roles and responsibilities as well as understanding our current staff capabilities based on current and proposed department responsibilities.
Staff evaluation is often an overlooked aspect in a growth strategy, employee assessment is crucial when moving a business to the next level. Evaluating our sales and support staff is our first step in our growth strategy. This will happen by:
- Identifying strengths, weaknesses, skills and competencies, areas of focus and ineffectiveness, and the ability to achieve consistent results.
- Determining which areas need improvement, how much can we improve and what training and development programs are needed to improve and achieve results.
- Uncovering the potential for growth in each of our team members and the steps we need to put in place to realize that growth.
Evaluating our existing staff is a crucial step; however, to realize the substantial growth we require, we must understand what our growth gap is. The Avatel growth gap is the difference between the increase in revenue that the core business can attain through normal activities with the current staff, and the increase in revenue needed to raise Avatel to the next level.
We must ensure that Avatel is adequately staffed and has a solid infrastructure to support growth. With that said, it's time to hire new sales associates as well as support personnel as needed. We can’t make the mistake of thinking we can grow our business without growing our staff.
Our growth plan will allow our current staff to see opportunities for change and future growth in their positions and career path. This is an opportunity for greater skill development and enhanced abilities, on the career ladder for professional growth.
I am excited and eager to grow a new turbocharged workforce for 2015! Now, it’s time to eat some cake and cheer to the New Year!
We can only grow if we spread our wings. In order to survive in today’s competitive business environment, we must be open to change and willing to step outside our comfort zone. With such big opportunities for growth we have a strong future ahead of us. We are proud of our past and excited about Our Future, I believe this year is our opportunity to move to the next level. This is an exciting time to be at Avatel, as we “Think Big” and pull the trigger! And so, Avatel, we begin, again. A new year. An important year. Our best year ever!
Avatel – 2014 Year in Review
As we look forward to establishing new goals for the New Year ahead, this is the perfect time to review our 2014 results. It is an important time to reflect upon the contributions, accomplishments, and successes of our Avatel team members. I am all for being forward-thinking and focusing on achieving new goals for the New Year. However, when a new year begins, it's really important to take a look back to see how far you've come.
So, before we close the book on another year, we recognized and celebrated our achievements during our 2014 review and year-end awards ceremony luncheon on Friday, Jan. 23rd 2015.
Avatel Sales Department
We began our review with our sales department. The sales team is the lifeblood of any business organization. If the sales team has a clear vision of its future, it can pursue its sales efforts with an aim to turn that vision into a reality. With a new year, it's a great time to re-charge, re-organize and re-focus. It is also the time to reflect on sales performance and re-examine our efforts in 2014.
In that spirit of contemplating how we can launch into 2015, and make it as prosperous as possible, we first have to review the prior year's results and acknowledge our successes as well as our performance gaps.
The Avatel Sales Team
We recognized our Top Achievers for 2014:
• Fred Sternberg - Overall top sales revenue for 2014 with 192% of quota
• Rujel Buggs - Top system unit sales for 2014 with 83 Avaya IP Office system sales
All 2014 "Over Quota" Achievers
| Fred Sternberg | 192% |
| Laura Martinez | 169% |
| Rujel Brooks | 161% |
| Marc Irvin | 119% |
| Teresa Boully | 114% |
| Bryan Kelly | 112% |
| Evelyn Guzman | 111% |
| Frank Fautas | 103% |
In the Sales Dept., there's constant pressure to achieve performance targets and reach higher performance levels. However, overall performance goes beyond sales results. High quality performance exhibits the desire and the will to contribute more to the organization.
By focusing on purely quantitative results such as sales results, we overlook several other elements of performance that also impact our business. By taking a broader view of performance, we should also recognize employee behaviors and competencies demonstrated.
So with that said, we recognized Deb Woodford for her Intelligence, willingness to learn and take on new tasks, and her overall support of Avatel's initiatives.
We thanked Deb for supporting her co-workers unconditionally. We appreciate her for being a problem solver and having a proactive approach. Team members like Deb are the bricks that make our company strong.
Avatel Service Department
Delivering service excellence is not just a phrase; it's a way of doing business. At Avatel, we strive to sustain a culture of service excellence. Service excellence not only holds the key to customer retention & engagement but also makes a real contribution to a positive work culture.
Our Service Department consists of two divisions, our Project Managers and our Engineers.
Avatel Project Managers organize tasks, time, resources, and people. Our Project Management team members possess organizational, communication and problem-solving skills to ensure the smooth transition of technology for our customers.
Their definition of service shapes every interaction they have with our customers. Great customer service is not an accident. It takes effort, dedication and commitment. Service excellence is an attitude engrained in every Avatel Project Manager.
The Avatel Project Management Team
Avatel's Engineers are the technical experts that help deliver our solutions with agility and speed in order to help maintain our competitive edge. Their knowledge positions them as a resource with a proven track record of success; through customer and staff support, system configuration and customer demos to assisting techs in the field and complex site implementations.
Our Engineers make communications technology the best it can be through unmatched technical expertise and depth.
The Avatel Engineering Team
Delivering service excellence is a winning strategy for the Avatel Service Dept.; it sustains our customers' confidence and is essential for our competitive advantage. With service excellence, there are no losers - Customers win. Employees win. Avatel wins.
Avatel Operations Department
In every workplace there are individuals who get things done, help their colleagues become successful, but generally stay out of the limelight. Barely an hour goes by during the day when a member of our Operations team is not, in some form or another, providing something for somebody.
They consist of team members that support all of our business functions: HR, IT, Finance and Procurement. They are all necessary pieces to the Avatel puzzle.
- Finance and HR - The Finance Dept. for a business can't be undervalued and it can be regarded as the lifeline of a business which is required for its well-being. It acts as a lubricant helping to keep the business running. The Avatel Finance department has a significant amount of responsibility in accounting for the company's finances through accounts receivable and accounts payable. The Finance department is also responsible for HR functions such as payroll administration, securing, offering and explaining benefits, like health insurance or 401ks more.
- Purchasing and Procurement - The Avatel Purchasing Team's procurement and supply management functions have a huge impact on Avatel's profitability and long-term business success. The role of Avatel's Purchasing team is to procure goods and/or services at the best possible cost to meet the needs of Avatel and our customers through negotiating with potential suppliers and resolving purchasing-related problems. Every time we save money on procurement we are directly contributing to Avatel's bottom line.
- IT - The IT department plays a valuable role in making all other departments productive and successful in their endeavors. The IT Department of Avatel is responsible for setting up and making changes to existing workstations, maintaining operating systems, anti-virus programs, email and Avatel's CRM platform. Our IT department also installs and maintains all Avatel web-site setups, coordinates content, manages web software, and monitors site performance. And, last but not least, developing our electronic document repository.
The Avatel Operations Team
2014 Avatel Shinning Stars
Throughout our 2014 presentation, we recognized Avatel's "Shining Stars" who consistently go above and beyond what their job requires. Our Avatel "Shining Stars" possess a wide range of qualities. They are reliable, dependable, proactive and take initiative. They are diligent, dedicated, committed, hardworking and loyal.
Avatel Shinning Stars - In recognition of their shimmering achievements in 2014. Their shining example is what inspires others to Greatness!
Andrew Cohen – Avatel Lead Project Manager
Bruce Brewer – Avatel Lead Engineer
Joe C. – Avatel IT Director
Our "Shining Stars" deserve the chance to sparkle! So, join us in congratulating our "Shining Stars" for 2014.
2014 Avatel Business Initiatives
CRM Enhancements and Improvements - With many different staff members interacting with the same customer, it is essential to have a great CRM platform in place to access, view and edit information and document the customer exchanges that took place.
Through our CI initiative, there have been a total 69 (79%) of improvement suggestions made and implemented in the CRM as requested. Including a multitude of interoperable functionality including automated notifications via a window in CRM vs via email; numerous field and functionality adds to enhance associate performance and eliminate errors; and a complete redesign of the most used forms in CRM to allow for easier reading and location of key information.
Going Green in a Paperless Environment – On June 23, 2014, Avatel become a paperless environment by implementing a new platform for storing documentation electronically in a repository that we call the "Avatel Vault". The Avatel Vault is an awesome new way to upload and store our sales, service, and finance documentation. Since being implemented, we are no longer required to submit large printed sales packages that are reviewed and handed off department to department.
The Avatel Vault advantages:
• Reduces business cost associated with paper, printers, copiers, fax machines, ink and toner cartridges
• No more files, No more file room, yet easy access to all documentation
• Increased efficiency of Avatel staff by removing the time spent searching for and sending documents
• Secure backup of all documents
• Real time updates and delivery of documents
• Conduct business in an environmentally friendly way
2014 Avatel Rising Stars
We could not end our review of 2014 without recognizing 2 new Avatel Team Members that I believe to be Rising Stars. The star is a perfect symbol for high-achievement. Stars dot the expansive sky, sparkling across the highest reaches of our universe. They're bright and luminous and dazzling. A rising star is always working to improve their performance and is serious about reaching the next level.
Both of our newest team members have hit the ground running and have shown a desire to learn and the ability to grasp new information. Both have stepped up in assisting their peers and our customers with what is needed.
Lem Riddick – Avatel Engineer
Jeff Chancey – Avatel Engineer
Our Rising Stars are great new additions to the Avatel Family. Please join me in congratulating them.
2014 Closing Thoughts
In 2014, we take pride in knowing we pushed ourselves to our limits and beyond! We have confidence that we did everything in our power to be our absolute best. Avatel has established a culture where there is a passionate commitment to excellence characterized by high productivity, full engagement and dedication by all team members.
At Avatel, we create a culture where employees are empowered and confident. We believe when employee satisfaction is approached as aggressively as customer satisfaction, companies like Avatel place themselves well ahead of the competition.
Avatel strives for a workplace where opportunity, openness, enthusiasm, diversity, teamwork, accountability and a sense of purpose combine to provide a rewarding professional experience that promotes fairness, dignity and a respect for all employees and all Avatel customers.
To the Avatel Family,
I want to thank each of our Avatel team member's for your contributions to Avatel's success in 2014. I appreciate your dedication and hard work and I want each of you to know, the things you do for the company do not go unnoticed. Every day I feel blessed to work with people so dedicated to our company. Thank you for the work you do to make Avatel great. Without your commitment and high standards, we would not be the thriving company we are. I am very grateful for your efforts. I hope you all had an amazing year and feel a renewed commitment to the year ahead.
Christmas time at Avatel
Along with our Avatel Elf toy drive, we also decided to incorporate Elves in our holiday decorations and all of our month long fun. I am not sure if you are aware, but Santa's Elves are rather mischievous little creatures when they're away from Santa, and have been known to get up to all sorts of pranks and mischief.
Our "Naughty & Nice" Christmas Eve Elf party wouldn't have been complete without a "Sugar & Spice and everything Nice" buffet.
We stepped into a Christmas candy land full of scrumptious sweets. The scene was set with gingerbread houses, Christmas cookies, brownies, cupcakes and an absolute mountain of all kinds of candy!
We had a great time at our party on Christmas Eve as we also served some Holly Jolly "naughty "punch and some Holly Jolly "nice" punch.
We also gave out a prize for the most creative Elf attire. Avatel Elves came dressed in entire Elf costumes or simply an Elf hat. They wore whatever fit their "Elf style", Naughty or Nice ~ it was a fun choice!!!
Avatel Magic Elf
Even Elves need a break from the cold weather of the North Pole and sometimes they can't resist the call of warmer weather in Florida. So, all throughout the month of December, we enjoyed a visit from a Special Magic Elf. On December 2nd, he magically appeared on his Elfcapade, hiding in our workspaces. We found out quickly that he was very mischievous and at times was up to no good.
See pictures of the lucky Avatel family members that received an unexpected visit from our little friend.
The good news was that when the magical little creature visited our workspace, he released performance enhancing magic in our direction. All we had to do was believe, and the magic began to move in ways we could only imagine.
I am sure you would agree, Christmas time at Avatel was a magical experience for us all.
The 2014 Avatel Gold Medal program was a GREAT success!!
At the beginning of 2014, we asked that all Avatel staff members nominate their co-workers for a gold medal when they encounter above and beyond behavior. Our team members nominated gold medal candidates who displayed excellent skills, strongly supported co-workers, displayed excellent customer service abilities, exhibited drive and enthusiasm with an optimistic attitude.
Congratulations to our final Gold Medal nominees for December: Bruce Brewer, Garrett Phillips, Joe C., Andrew Cohen, Joseph Ramos, Lem Riddick, Jeff Chancey, Casey Conerly, Brandye Byers, Angela McKnight, Joey Martinez, Frank Peraza, Bryan Kelley, Rhonda Schmidt, Jennifer Smalling, Fred Sternberg, Emily Woodford, Marc Irvin, Deb Woodford, Myra Ourso, Laura Martinez, Evelyn Guzman, Salena Miller, Jim Kelly and Torina Schmidt
I have to say that I am sad to see this program end, but happy to say the program was a great success.
Throughout the year we handed out 182 Gold Medals. WOW!!
The gold medals were given to team member’s that embody a can-do, figure-it-out-or-figure-a-way-around it attitude, someone who always strives to perform any given task with excellence, a co-worker that has critical thinking and problem solving ability, and individuals that contribute to a positive attitude in the workplace.
Employee recognition from peers is a sure sign of a positive workplace. Peer-to-peer recognition is the genuine expression of appreciation exchanged between co-workers. I believe that our 2014 gold medal program created a positive workplace where co-workers openly recognized the talents and contributions each team member brings to the Avatel work environment.
Recognition from a coworker contributes to a positive workplace culture, including increased productivity and creativity, heightened morale, enhanced personal performance and stronger team cohesiveness. Everyone likes a compliment, whether they admit it or not.
By supporting recognition between co-workers at Avatel, desired behaviors have been reinforced and celebrated. Our gold medal program has created a medium where EVERYONE could share in the celebration.
2014 Christmas Toy Drive
This year, we decided to incorporate Christmas Elves in our Toy Drive. We believe at Avatel that the Christmas Elves are some of the most underrated part of the holidays. Santa Claus gets a lot of attention during the holiday season. As it turns out, Santa's not alone. Working hard behind the scenes and under the big guy's shadow are Santa's elves. The amount of labor these tiny, mythical creatures clock in is pretty astounding.
All of Santa’s Elves agree with Avatel that no child should go without a toy this holiday season. Santa’s Elves and the “Avatel Elves” want to share the Christmas spirit with the less fortunate, making Christmas brighter for those children disadvantaged in our community.
So the Avatel Elves got busy and collected almost 100 toys and gifts for Metropolitan Ministries appropriate for kids from toddlers up to teens.
And thanks to our Avatel Elf volunteers all the toys got safely to the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday of Hope tent.
"Avatel Elves"
Teresa Boully, Annette Duarte, Lonie Ledford, and Andrew Cohen
Avatel Elves having fun.
I want to thank everyone at Avatel for your kindness and generosity!!
Avatel Thanksgiving Harvest
It’s worth noting that the origins of Thanksgiving are rooted in work. In its earliest incarnations, it was a day to celebrate the hard-earned bounty of the harvest. And the very first Thanksgiving feast in America came about when the Pilgrims wanted to express their gratitude to the Wampanoag Native Americans who had helped them survive their first year in their new home. So in a very real sense, the tradition of Thanksgiving began as a way of celebrating the timeless workplace values of hard work and cooperation.
Just as important as feeling good about the kind of work we do is feeling good about the people we work with. At Avatel, we come to work for much more profound reasons than a paycheck—a point for which we should all be thankful.
As a team, we get up each day and sow seeds, serve, give and contribute…and then we look back and realize that as a result of all of those contributions, we have all reaped a huge harvest—a harvest of wisdom, character and friendships and we realize that we have truly become a success.
So with that said, the Avatel family came together to celebrate “Our Harvest” with a Harvest Brunch.
“A cooperative spirit enjoys a better harvest.” ~ T.F. Hodge
We must press on in our lives by sowing for the future. We must we must press on whether we have experienced victory and growth, or failure, or a lack of growth. It is either a harvest that will be worthy of praise or burning—or perhaps portions of both—but whatever is produced, stands as the record of the lives we live on this earth.
“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.”
Avatel 2014 Thanksgiving Food Drive
When individuals and families need help in our area, they turn to Metropolitan Ministries. According to a recent survey, more than 840,000 people in the Tampa Bay region have faced hunger at some point this year. That translates into thousands of hungry men, women and children - including 160,000 seniors who must sometimes choose between buying food and paying for medicine. But we can give these people hope. Above all, our witness will be to the power of love in healing broken lives and building strong, caring communities.
With the help of the community, 22,638 families and 19,126 children received holiday food and toys from Metropolitan Ministries in 2013. There was joy in the air, smiles on their faces, and hearts full of hope. This year is expected to be equally challenging. Our neighbors are hurting and hungry. As a Holiday of Hope partner with Metropolitan Ministries and as a part of our Giving Back program, Avatel hosted a food donation drive “Hope starts with a Meal” on Nov. 3rd and ran through the 21st to care for the families in need at Thanksgiving time.
Nobody in America should go hungry, especially at Thanksgiving. WE have an opportunity to be hope for men, women and children all over the Tampa Bay area. We pray that our gifts of hope provide homeless and hurting families with warm meals this Thanksgiving.
I want to thank our Avatel family for donating over 500 lbs. of food this year. It is this type of selfless giving during the holiday season that allows miracles to happen in the lives of hurting families.
Avatel “Going for the Gold”
November Medal Awards
Nothing of value comes easy, and the same holds true as you aim to seek excellence and “Go for the Gold”. Achieving excellence in the workplace cannot be easily defined, and the word excellence may have different meanings in the eyes of different individuals. However, no matter what area of work you are pursuing, it is important to stand out and prove your worth to the organization. You must show willingness to strive hard, make bold decisions and commit wholeheartedly, all of which must be visible through your thinking patterns, emotions and more importantly, actions.
“Going for the Gold” at Avatel means having the will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to excellence.
Congratulations to our November Gold Medal nominees ~ Bruce Brewer, Joe C., Teresa Boully, Joseph Ramos, Jennifer Smalling, Andrew Cohen, Lonnie Ledford, Brandye Byers, Johnann Favata, Emily Woodford, Frank Peraza, Jim Kelly, Evelyn Guzman, Kim Whisman, Jorge Rodriquez and Bryan Kelley.
We are proud to announce that Lonnie Ledford was nominated for the 2014 Heroes at Work Award presented by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The award is intended to recognize Tampa Bay veterans who, through their professional and personal efforts, are making a positive impact throughout the community. Lonnie was one of 150 individuals that were nominated and he was one of only 32 chosen to receive the award.
Lonnie was recognized and celebrated at the 2014 Heroes at Work Awards Inaugural breakfast event on November 13, 2014 at the Westin Tampa Harbour Island hotel. Avatel sponsored a table in honor of Lonnie at the awards ceremony to thank him for his service to our country and recognize him for his contributions to Avatel and the community.
Lonnie enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17 while a junior in high school. He trained as a 91W – Combat Medic – at Ft. Sam Houston, TX. He received his commission as a Second Lieutenant during his junior year at Knox College via the ROTC Program. He then trained as a 14B – Short Range Air Defense Artillery (SHORAD) Officer at Ft. Bliss, TX. He served as Desert Storm Historian for the Illinois Army National Guard in Springfield, IL. Lonnie served as the Counter-Drug Enforcement Office for the Illinois Army National Guard in Springfield, IL.
Lonnie volunteers with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) as Citizen Patrolman, graduated from the Citizens Academy, Citizen Patrol Program, Parking Enforcement Specialist Program and the SafetyNet Specialist Program. Lonnie is a volunteer board member for the Friends of Florida State Parks and serve as the organization’s Social Media Director. Lonnie also volunteers in the Suncoast Softball League as league auditor and as a Tournament Field Director for the Gasparilla Softball Classic. Lonnie also trained and became a certified, court appointed Guardian ad Litem in June, 2011. He worked in that capacity for one year with the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
Everyone at Avatel congratulates you Lonnie!!
2014 Avatel Halloween
I think most of you would agree that costumes are the essence of celebrating Halloween. So, no Halloween celebration at Avatel would be complete without the opportunity for staff to wear costumes.
And of course a costume contest is, naturally, a shoe-in as part of Avatel’s Halloween activity. All Avatel team members voted on for their favorite costumes – scariest costume, funniest costume, and best overall costume.
Avatel Halloween Costume Winners!!!
Scariest- Annette Duarte (Haunted Marionette)
Funniest- Angela McKnight (Andrew Cohen – Avatel Co-worker)
Best Overall- Deb Woodford (Chewbacca from Star Wars)
October 2014 Avatel Gold Medal Nominees
What does ''Go for the gold" mean to Avatel Team Members?
- Push for all that you can be
- Strive for the highest achievements
- Going out of your way for a customer or co-worker
- Are willing to do more than what is required
- Enjoy challenges that stretch their capabilities
- Set high standards for themselves
- Set challenging goals for themselves
- Maintain a positive attitude
- Always strives to perform any given task with excellence
Congratulations to our October Gold Medal Winners – Deb Woodford, Bruce Brewer, Frank Peraza, Romelio Chirino, Laura Martinez, Andrew Cohen, Jennifer Smalling, Johnann Favata, Lonnie Ledford and Marc Irvin
Avatel Customer Service Week 2014, October 6th – 10th
The first week of October honors those who serve customers every day with dedication and professionalism. Avatel is proud to celebrate Customer Service Week, October 6th to the 10th. This year’s theme for the week is “Say YES to Excellence”.
Monday, October 6th ~ we started our week-long celebration by having breakfast in our pajamas and signing the Customer Service Week Pledge. We joined 1,000”s of individuals in celebrating our achievements and in recommitting ourselves to our service mission.
As our 4th year participating in National Customer Service Week, we called on all Avatel team members to pledge to Say YES in all of your daily interactions with customers, coworkers, and others.
Saying YES to excellence encourages behaviors that create an environment which fosters exemplary customer service and teamwork among co-workers.
“Excellence is the Result of Caring more than others think is Wise, Risking more than others think is Safe, Dreaming more than others think is Practical, and Expecting more than others think is Possible."
Tuesday, October 7th – Stress Release Day ~ The Service team enjoyed neck and shoulder chair massages, stress release gifts, a few stress relieving tips and afternoon treats. We also agreed that even if we are powerless to change the source of our stress, we have the power to choose how we respond to it.
We believe that it is important to recognize our Service Staff and express thanks and appreciation for what they do throughout the year but specifically during the first week of October. Nothing says “thanks” better than a cupcake!!!
Wednesday October 8th ~ Appreciation Lunch ~ every single day I think how lucky I am to work with people so dedicated to our company, each other and our customers. I sincerely thank our service team for the work they do to make Avatel great. Without their commitment and high standards, we would not be the thriving company we are.
Thursday, October 9th – Customer Service Superhero Day ~ Avatel Customer service Superheroes are mere mortals who exhibit super-human characteristics in times of trouble, need, or just because. They can’t melt steel, fly or lift a two-ton boulder (although that would be awesome), but their best customer service efforts are the stuff of which legends are made.
They are crusaders for the customer experience, a super hero on the front lines of customer satisfaction! As a super hero representative, they are attune to the customer’s feelings, and are first on the scene to solve the issue.
An Avatel customer service superhero is a mild-mannered individual by day that is able to set even the most monstrous customer service situation right.
Providing excellent customer service is how superheroes are made. Every day we have the opportunity to go above and beyond to assist perfect strangers who are counting on us to solve their problems and help them in times of trouble, need, or just because. We may not be faster than a speeding bullet or be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but when we go above and beyond, we can be someone’s superhero too.
Friday, October 10th – Celebration of Excellence Dinner ~ We ended the week with a recognition of excellence dinner and handed out the certificates of participation in recognition of the teams outstanding commitment to their customers and co-workers during Customer Service Week October 6 - 10, 2014 and all year long.
Excellence is not itself a skill. Excellence is an attitude that greatly multiplies the value of all the skills you have. Excellence is certainly within your reach. All you have to do is make a firm commitment to it, and then stick with that commitment.
Whatever you have the opportunity to do, choose to do it with excellence. Invest your passions, your commitment, your attention to detail, your thoroughness, your persistence, and excellence will be the result. The actions that build excellence naturally flow from an attitude that sincerely values excellence. Life is yours to live as you choose, and in every moment, on every day, you can choose to live it with excellence. When we “Say YES to Excellence”, we find the goodness and value in any situation. With a commitment to excellence, we can absolutely make life even better than it already is. Avatel says “YES to Excellence” now, and always. Anything less is not worthy of our magnificent team!
July and August 2014 Avatel Gold Medal Nominees
At Avatel, we “Go for the Gold” by embracing the following gold standards of excellence:
- Quality: We do our work right the first time and continually look for ways to improve.
- Integrity: We perform our jobs in an ethical manner through our decisions, practices and behaviors.
- Inclusion: We maintain a culture that respects the viewpoints, characteristics and backgrounds of our co-workers.
- Responsibility: We hold ourselves accountable and take ownership of our work and behavior.
- Timeliness: We promptly respond to our customers and co-workers while meeting all deadlines.
- Professionalism: We demonstrate behavior that reflects well on Avatel and each other through our actions and attitude.
- Teamwork: We collaborate to get the job done and to bring out the best in each other.
Commitment to these gold standards of excellence enhances service to our customers, improves productivity, unifies Avatel team members and promotes individual growth.
July Gold Medal Winners- Lonnie Ledford, Angela McKnight , Jennifer Smalling , Andrew Cohen , Garrett Phillips , Bruce Brewer, Salena Miller , Jessica Paquette , Frank Peraza, Myra Ourso, Teresa Boully, Rhonda Schmidt, April Peoples, Romelio Chirino, Brandye Byers and Joey Martinez
August Gold Medal Winners - Rujel Buggs, Annette Duarte, Joe C., Lonnie Ledford, Deb Woodford, Teresa Boully, Brandy Byers, Joseph Ramos, Romelio Chirino, Andrew Cohen, Bruce Brewer, Frank Peraza, Garrett Philips and Jessica Paquette
June 2014 Avatel Gold Medal Nominees
Excellence is deliberate, not an accident that we stumble upon. It is when we ask more of ourselves than others do; it is about maintaining a mind-set of excellence. As long as we aim for a more ideal self, success will naturally follow. And the good news is excellence is within the grasp of all, for it is merely about doing our best at every moment. It is not about perfection, which is an unattainable goal, but about becoming what we are capable of being.
Avatel has established a culture where there is a passionate commitment to excellence characterized by high productivity, full engagement and dedication. Our Avatel Gold Medal recipients have demonstrated performance at a level far above and beyond normal expectations.
June Gold Medal Recipients
Andrew Cohen (Lead Project Manager), Deb Wood (Senior Account Executive) Teresa Boully (Senior Account Executive) Garrett Phillip (Engineer) Star Futch (Maintenance Specialist), Johnann Favata (Project Manager), Angela McKnight (Project Manager), Lonnie Ledford (Project Manager) and Jennifer Smalling (Project Manager).
June Gold Medal Recipients
Romelio Chirino (Engineer), Bruce Brewer (Engineer), Brandye Byers (Finance Specialist), Annette Duarte (Finance Specialist), Torina Schmidt (Operations Vice President) and Frank Peraza (Service Technician).
May 2014 Avatel Gold Medal Nominees
You don't have to wait for something exceptional to happen to you before you become awesome. By setting high personal standards you just become awesome and then exceptional things start to happen. One foolproof way to aggressively pursue personal growth is to hold yourself to a high set of personal standards, and then ruthlessly strive to live up to your own expectations.
Our Avatel Gold Medal recipients have very high standards. They constantly push themselves to achieve more and are consistently outperforming past versions of themselves.
May Gold Medal Recipients
Keon Hines (Avatel Purchasing Assistant), Joey Martinez (Avatel Senior Purchasing Manager), Star Futch (Avatel Maintenance Specialist), Frank Fautas (Avatel Senior Account Executive) and Joe C. (IT Director)
May Gold Medal Recipients
Romelio Chirino (Avatel Engineer), Bruce Brewer (Avatel Engineer), Garrett Philips (Avatel Engineer) and Rhonda Schmidt (Avatel Lead Manager and Maintenance Specialist)
May Gold Medal Recipients
Jennifer Smalling (Avatel Project Manager), Frank Peraza (Avatel Engineer), Myra Ourso (Avatel Account Executive), Andrew Cohen (Avatel Project Manager), Deb Woodford (Avatel Account Executive)
Avatel Supports the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department Volunteer Citizen Patrol Program
A good community is based upon the people within it. We believe that if you're active in your community, there's nothing more empowering. Employee volunteer programs fulfill many of the elements of corporate citizenship, including living your values, practicing good governance and ethics, building trust and relationships, and having a positive, social impact on the community.
The benefits of employee volunteerism transcend these elements, though, and in many ways outperform the benefits offered by other types of community outreach, such as in-kind donations and financial contributions.
Avatel agrees with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, only by working together will we address and resolve community problems and affect lasting change in the communities where we live and raise our families.
The Volunteer Citizen Patrol Program (VCPP) is based on the concept of utilizing the talents and skills of volunteers from within the local community as partners in public safety. Citizen patrol volunteers are specially trained by the Sheriff's Office to respond to many non-emergency and routine calls for service that do not require law enforcement or regulatory authority.
The VCPP was created to reduce crime, improve the safety of our citizens, improve the quality of life within Hillsborough County and allow community members to become active participants in the process of crime control and prevention.
Avatel is proud of our two volunteers, Joe C. and Lonnie Ledford.
Joe C., Avatel IT Director
Lonnie Ledford, Avatel Project Manager and Social Media Administrator
On May 6th, 2014, Avatel sponsored the Sheriff's Office appreciation event for members of the Volunteer Citizens Patrol Program.
We believe that volunteerism and community involvement are essential to Avatel's success, as it provides an opportunity for team members to connect with the community, and it affirms the values of the company.
One of the best feelings in the world is giving your time and effort, while not expecting anything in return. The reward for your selfless acts can be a beautiful thing for both you and your community.
April 2014 Avatel Gold Medal Nominees
I believe that consistent examples of gold standard behavior create an environment of high morale, good principles and respect among co-workers.
Our gold medal program is based on individuals who exceeds expectations and performs above and beyond expectations. High standards are the behaviors you hold yourself to. High standards aren't what you think you "should" do or what expect you to do. Rather, high standards are behaviors that you commit to because they will help you be your best.
April Gold Medal Recipients
Bruce Brewer (Avatel Engineer), Jennifer Smalling (Avatel Project Manager), Rujel Buggs (Avatel Senior Sales Executive) Lonnie Ledford (Avatel Project Manager)
April Gold Medal Recipients
Teresa Boully (Avatel Senior Sales Executive), Brandye Byers (Avatel Operations Specialist), Johnann Favata (Avatel Project Manager)
April Gold Medal Recipients
Andrew Cohen (Avatel Project Manager), Frank Peraza (Avatel Engineer), Frank Fautas (Avatel Senior Sales Executive)
Avatel 2014 Gold Medal Winners
The Gold Standard exemplifies the pinnacle of quality, the heart of achievement and the best of the best. Our new medal winners all stand out for above and beyond behavior, displays excellent skills, strongly supports a co-worker, displays excellent customer service abilities, exhibits drive and enthusiasm and has an optimistic attitude.
Gold Medal Recipients – Keon Hines (Avatel Purchasing Dept.), Jennifer Smalling (Avatel Project Manager), Andrew Cohen (Avatel Project Manager), and Joe C. (Avatel IT Manager)
Avatel – March 2014
Avatel Celebrates St. Patrick's Day
On St. Patrick's Day, everyone's Irish, no matter what your true heritage is. Celebrating St. Paddy's Day at Avatel brought cheer and festivities into an otherwise routine day at the office. We were ALL Irish for the day as we held our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration lunch.
We also held three fun contests with prizes going to the winners
Prize for the best St. Patrick's Day Character
Think green! We created characters with green clothes, green hair, green socks, funny Leprechaun hats and beards to glasses, mustaches, boas, necklaces and more!
And the winner was Torina Schmidt, Avatel Vice President Operations
Prize for the best Irish accent
The participants had to recite the above Limerick in their most convincing Irish accent!
And the winner was Fred Sternberg, Avatel Sales Associate
Prize for an Irish jig dance
Last but not least, we held a contest for the Avatel family member that could dance an Irish jig.
And the winner was Jennifer Smalling, Avatel Project Manager
What fun we had, we put our lucky green on, perfected our Irish accents, and danced a little Jig!!!
Avatel 2014 Gold Medal Program
I have the pleasure of announcing our first set of Gold Medal recipients for 2014. Each of our Gold Medal Winners are driven to give their best in everything they do. They have a winning attitude and a mindset of passion, dedication and confidence.
They learn from mistakes and refocus quickly on their end result. They are resilient and are determined to achieve their personal bests. They view perfection positively and strive for personal excellence.
Angela McKnight – Avatel Project Manager
Andrew Cohen – Avatel Project Manager
Romelio Chirino– Avatel System Engineer
Bruce Brewer – Avatel System Engineer
Annette Duarte – Avatel Finance Specialist
Avatel Gold Medal Winners believe that if you want to be part of a winning culture, you participate in a winning practice. The Medal biting practice is more than Olympians simply acting like winners; Avatel Gold Medal Winners believe that it creates an emotional connection with your accomplishment.
Bite on…. Gold Medal Winners!!
Avatel 2014 Gold Medal Program
To continue with the excitement generated from the 2014 Winter Olympics and staying with our Olympic theme, "Going for the Gold”, Avatel has initiated a 2014 Gold Medal Program.
There are so many ways to parallel the values of Olympic athletes, as well as the symbolism of the games themselves. We can instil these values at Avatel, with character, determination and hard work and through the attitudes and actions needed to create a successful workplace.
Of course, the Olympics stir up images of being the best and earning the gold medal. Throughout 2014, Avatel Team Members will nominate individuals for gold medals that meet the “Gold Standard” in behavior and character traits.
The “Gold Standard” exemplifies the pinnacle of quality, the heart of achievement and the best of the best. We are looking for candidates who meet the “Gold Standard” in behavior such as:
- A candidate’s ability to generate insightful ideas that indicates they are committed to initiating success.
- Those individuals that embody a can-do, figure-it-out-or-figure-a-way-around it attitude.
- Someone who always strives to perform any given task with excellence.
- A candidate that has critical thinking and problem solving ability.
- An individual that contributes to a positive attitude in the workplace.
The Gold Medal Winners will proudly display their Gold Medals at their desks throughout the year. At the end of the year, there will be prizes handed out associated with the Gold Medals they have earned throughout the year.
Avatel Team Members, your GOLD is out there waiting for you!!!!
Avatel ~ February 2014
Avatel’s Operations Team Recognition and Celebration Week
In every workplace there are unsung heroes who get things done, help their colleagues become successful, but generally stay out of the limelight. They largely go unnoticed, and this is unfortunate, because successful teams absolutely depend upon these folk.
As we cultivate an ongoing culture of recognition, through our Customer Service Week Celebration, Sales incentives and contests, National Employee Appreciation Day, Spirit Week, etc. We thought it was about time to celebrate Avatel’s Operation’s Department successes, accomplishments and contributions as a part of our corporate culture of recognition.
In the world of business there are many essential parts to a successful operation. We all understand how important Sales and Service is to Avatel; however, The Avatel Operations Department is necessary for Avatel's day-to-day functioning and is the backbone of all our business processes. It consists of a collection of business support functions: human resources, information technology, finance and procurement.
Sometimes the Operations Department is referred to as the “back office”. Let’s bring this back office team to the forefront, and give them some well-deserved recognition! As we all are aware that this group of individual’s works hard all year, so we decided to show a little extra appreciation and gratitude for 1 week in February to our “Unsung Heroes” - Torina, Brandye, Annette, April, Joey, Keon and Joe.
This team is “Powered by Experts and Driven by Execution”. The spirit of this team blend together to create an environment that is, in one word, outstanding.
Together, we celebrate the Unsung Heroes of the Business World
We started the week off with our “Unsung Heroes” Recognition Breakfast.
On Tuesday we honored our “Greatest Assets” by serving up the Operations Team Members with complimentary Audit Notices, featuring tasks we “caught” them doing well!
On Wednesday, We saluted our “Back Office” team with a yaD sdrawkaB (Backwards Day) – Our Operations Team Members wore or did something backwards, upside down or inside out. The highlight of the day was a catered lunch with dessert served first!
Thursday was a “Massage and Milkshake” day. The Operations team members received chair massages to de-stress and re-energize, followed by a yummy milkshake.
We ended the week with an Appreciation Dinner. We took this opportunity to show the Operations team how much they are appreciated for all of their hard work and dedication.
Operations Team ~ Roses are red and violets are blue, we want you to know how much we appreciate you!
The Year Ahead - Avatel 2014
Avatel 2014 – “Going for the Gold”
Success isn’t determined by who you are; it’s built by what you do. Successful people DO, successful people “Go for the Gold”. Great achievements rarely happen by chance. They are created by people who make them happen, people that “Go for the Gold”.
“Going for the Gold” Avatel key attributes:
- Visionary Organization
- Customer-Centric Excellence
- Improvement Focused
- Organizational and Personal Learning
- Valuing Staff Members, Customers and Partners
- Agility
- Knowledge Driven
- Results Driven
- Corporate Social Responsibility
“Going for the Gold” requires continuous improvement, EVER day and in EVERY situation.
“Going for the Gold” in Customer Service
To be successful in business we have to “Go for Gold” and provide exceptional service to all our customers. Unlike the Olympic Games that come around every four years, exceptional service to our customers must be provided every day, consistently.
We must empower and encourage all Avatel team members to actively promote and participate in the customer-focused culture of Avatel. “Going for the Gold” in customer service is surely the best long term strategy for Avatel.
“Going for the Gold” in Sales Performance
The business of selling is often compared to sports, and to win the gold, you need to be better than all the competition. You need to keep improving and working on your product knowledge and your selling ability to make sure you are the best you can be.
We must raise the bar on our sales performance and -”Go for the Gold”!
G - Goal-oriented, Growth, Game on!
O - Opportunities, Objectives, Optimize
L - Loyal, Leader, Limitless
D - Dynamic, Determination, Destiny
Setting the “Gold Standard” for 2014
The most successful companies set their standards high and don't settle for anything less than excellence. Goals plus high standards equal excellence. We are calling this concept our "gold standard”.
The Gold Standard exemplifies the pinnacle of quality, the heart of achievement and the best of the best.
If a standard of high expectations is the norm within a company culture, team members appreciate the fact that they and their team members are held to a high standard and, as such, will participate in holding each other accountable to the standard.
The "Gold Standard” in Customer Service
Delivering the gold standard requires a 24/7 passion for excellence, starting with effective leadership and a customer centric approach aligned throughout the organization.
“Gold standard” organizations place themselves in the customer’s shoes and structure their organization accordingly. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you“, has been the gold standard for 2,000 years. We must ask enough questions to understand what the customer wants or expects. Then we must ask what we can do to meet and even exceed those expectations. It really does come down to the Golden Rule of treating people the way we would like to be treated.
Set really high standards and “Go for Gold” every time - We cannot afford to make assumptions about the standard of our customer service – it must deliver the ‘wow’ every time. The future success of Avatel could well depend on whether or not we “go for gold” in customer service.
Setting the Gold Standard with Master Specializations
In 2014, Avatel will go beyond our “Avaya Expert” status and “go for the gold” through achieving Avaya Master Specializations. The Avaya Master Specializations will be awarded to partners that can demonstrate advanced abilities in Avaya Strategic Products. The certifications will be offered for UC solutions, Contact Center solutions, Avaya Video Solutions and Networking solutions. These accreditations will be awarded to Avaya Partners that achieve top levels of training and competency. These are advanced accreditations for professionals who can handle, produce and apply competencies related to multifaceted solutions. It will also be based on meeting "services performance criteria" and proving that we have a high level of experience in selling, marketing and demonstrating Avaya products.
These Master Specializations will also allow Avatel’s Engineers the ability to demonstrate technical aptitude for working with Avaya strategic product solutions. This will enable Avatel to establish a center of technical excellence through our inspiring team of highly-motivated Engineers.
“Going for the Gold” ~ Avatel 2014 - A Year of Excellence
The key attributes of business excellence are the characteristics of well-managed and high-performing organizations like Avatel. These characteristics are embedded in the framework of leadership, planning, information, people, processes and customers, which enables Avatel to achieve performance results.
Exceeding expectations and going that extra mile will set Avatel apart from the competition. We will aim high and push to be our absolute best, and then go even beyond that. We must believe that excellence is the only standard worth pursuing.
Here’s to 2014 – The Year of Excellence!
Avatel 2013 – Year-end Review
Before we close the book on another year, we should pause to reflect on some of Avatel’s remarkable achievements in 2013.
Highlights
- Won 1st place in the TBBJ Best Places to Work in 2013
- 37% increase in year over year Billed Revenue
- 20% Increase in SME Sales in 2013
- Achieved an outstanding 85% on Service Margins in 2013
- Awarded Avaya’s “Partner in Customer Excellence”
- #1 Avaya SME Partner in the Southeast
- #1 AFS/CIT Leasing Partner in the US
2013 Avatel Sales Department
A great sales team is imperative to the success of any company. When a team has a common goal, all of the individual team members are all aiming at the same target or moving towards the same destination.
As we recognize the efforts from the entire sales team, it is equally important to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of our individual team members. Contrary to the old myth, there is an “I” in team. It is based on “Individual Initiative”.
Every Avatel Sales team member should be proud of both individual and collective contributions to our sales effort in 2013.
Avatel Sales Team
2013 Top Product Sales Performer by Month
- Jan. 2013 ~ Deb Woodford ~ 296%
- Feb. 2013 ~ Rujel Brooks ~ 245%
- March 2013 ~ Teresa Boully ~ 537%
- April 2013 ~ Evelyn Guzman ~ 181%
- May 2013 ~ Evelyn Guzman ~ 176%
- June 2013 ~ Fred Sternberg ~ 428%
- July 2013 ~ Jorge Rodriguez ~ 176%
- Aug. 2013 ~ Laura Martinez ~ 165%
- Sept. 2013 ~ Laura Martinez ~ 354%
- Oct. 2013 ~ Frank Fautas ~ 233%
- Nov. 2013 ~ Frank Fautas ~ 304%
- Dec. 2013 ~ Laura Martinez ~ 226%
2013 Top Overall Sales Performers
2013 Top Sale Revenue – Laura Martinez
2013 Top System Sales Units – Rujel Brooks
2013 Top Avaya Sales revenue – Fred Sternberg
2013 Top Quarter Sales Performers
1st Quarter Top Sales – Teresa Boully 2nd Quarter Top Sales – Fred Sternberg
3rd Quarter Top Sales – Jorge Rodriguez 4th Quarter Top Sales – Laura Martinez
Also, as part of the sales contribution, we must recognize our maintenance processing and lead management team. This team has done a fantastic job at processing our maintenance orders for 2013 and their successful and efficient lead management follow-through has improved business alignment and increased trust between Avaya and Avatel.
Rhonda Schmidt and Star Futch – Maintenance and Lead Processing Team
Avatel’s Service Department
The goal of the Avatel Service Department is to provide an elevated customer focus. This elevated customer focus is an organization-wide standard by which all customers come away from contact with us feeling they have been served professionally and respectfully, and that they were our priority.
Delivering excellent service is a winning strategy for Avatel. Quality service sustains our customers' confidence and is essential for our competitive advantage. I think we are all aware that our customers are the life-blood of our business, so providing great customer service is critically important. Keeping our customers satisfied is always the number one goal of the Avatel Service Department.
Avatel Service Team
Avatel Operations Department
The Avatel Operations Department is necessary for Avatel's day-to-day functioning and is the backbone of all our business processes. It consists of a collection of business support functions: human resources, information technology, finance and procurement.
The Operations Department is an integral part of Avatel’s overall operation. The speed and efficiency of the people assigned to handle and manage tasks contribute tremendously to Avatel’s growth and expansion. The spirit of this team blend together to create an environment that is, in one word, outstanding.
Avatel Operations Team
2013 Avatel Above and Beyond Award
The Above and Beyond Award went to Brandye Byers (Avatel Finance and HR Specialist), for her dedication and commitment. Brandye creates enhanced value in her position by under-promising and over-delivering, always going above and beyond what is expected of her. Successful people like Brandye are the ones who always goes the extra mile.
Brandye Byers
Avatel 2013 Continuous Improvement – What a Success!
We are very fortunate for the CI culture that Avatel has created, a business culture that wants to – and can – problem solve to make improvements. We have created a culture where everyone gets involved and thereby creates a receptive atmosphere for change, empowerment and continuous improvement.
The Avatel team members have made suggestions that makes work easier, more productive and more profitable. We have opened communication channels, built trust and identified opportunities for positive change. As we continue our CI program, we now have an even better opportunity to improve and help our organizations drive forward with confidence and conviction.
Companies, like people, change over time, accomplishing things they didn’t once believe were possible. We believe, and always have, that it’s because of the great people in our organization that we are able to continue to achieve new goals and create opportunities at Avatel.
2013 was an amazing year; thank you for your loyalty, effort, energy, resilience and commitment. Your contributions really matter and your hard work will surely take Avatel to the highest level of success. Thank you, for all that you have done.
We start this New Year with greater clarity, a greater determination to succeed and a renewed commitment. We look forward to a great, productive, and successful new year. Let’s build on our 2013 momentum and “Go for the Gold” in 2014!
Now, let’s eat cake!
December 2013 ~ Avatel Celebrates Christmas
We started the month off with a Holiday Toy and Food Drive for Metropolitan Ministries. Maybe it's because we're in a gift-giving mode that giving to others becomes so important at Christmas, or as we believe it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. We couldn’t let the holidays pass by without showing our kindness to our community members in need. All of us have opportunities both large and small to show kindness, especially at Christmastime by collecting and delivering toys for needy kids and by providing families a festive meal for Christmas.
Avatel Holiday Food and Toy Drive
Avatel teamed up with Metropolitan Ministries and its partners to provide holiday assistance to struggling individuals and families in our communities. To many kids, the holiday season means presents, parties and fun with family and friends. However, the reality is that many kids don’t have a Christmas at all.
With the generosity of the Avatel family members, we were able to donate over 140 lbs of food and 45 new toys.
Avatel Christmas Party
We celebrated our Avatel 2013 Christmas Party on Christmas Eve day. During our holiday celebration we enjoyed great food, played our crazy Santa gift exchange game and held an Ugly Christmas sweater contest.
Keon Hines (below), the newest member of our Purchasing Department received the trophy and prize based on votes for the ugliest, most outrageous outfit!
Avatel at Christmastime
Christmas is a time of celebrating and taking a break from the daily grind in life before stepping up again in the New Year which starts shortly after Christmas. We believe that celebrating the Holidays together furthers co-workers appreciation for each other. At Avatel, our family like atmosphere promotes closer relationships among team members and increases one’s drive to remain motivated and dedicated within the group, thus building group cohesiveness.
This is the time we bond with our fellow Avatel family members and come even closer to establish stronger working relationships.
November 2013 – Avatel’s Celebrates Thanksgiving
Attitude of Gratitude
In celebration of Thanksgiving, our theme for November was to have an “Attitude of Gratitude”. Although we should be thankful, grateful and show gratitude all year long, November is the month to truly develop an attitude of gratitude. Giving thanks, and expressing gratitude are very important, and it is appropriate that we set aside an entire month to focus on them.
Be thankful for the person you are, for the situation you’re in, for the challenges you’re given. That is the first step toward a positive, fulfilling life. Gratitude is vital to a successful, fulfilled life. Whatever you want to have, or achieve, or become, the first step is gratitude. The things you appreciate, value, and care for, will increase in your life. Being sincerely thankful for what you already have, will propel you, spiritually, mentally and physically, toward whatever you would like to have.
As our “Attitude of Gratitude” grows deeper and more all-encompassing, life’s abundance shines more brilliantly for us all. When we are truly, constantly thankful, there is no end to the level of abundance that we will experience.
Avatel 2013 Thanksgiving Food Drive
Gratitude and Giving - You can’t have one without the other, they go hand in hand. Helping others is an important tool in helping to teach gratitude and to be thankful for what we have.
We believe that if you are fortunate enough to have your family, your health, a roof over your head and food to eat, you are truly blessed. The unfortunate and sad reality is that many families do not have the luxury or the means to enjoy a hot meal on Thanksgiving Day.
Sometimes we need a little reminder to reconnect with the true holiday spirit, which is selfless giving to those in need. That’s the holiday essence that sometimes gets forgotten. Selfless giving during the holiday season allows miracles to happen in the lives of hurting families.
As successful members of the community we have a responsibility to help those that are less fortunate. This Thanksgiving, Avatel has teamed up with Metropolitan Ministries and its partners to provide holiday assistance to struggling individuals and families in our communities with our Thanksgiving food drive. Avatel held its annual Thanksgiving food drive from Nov. 1st through the 25th to care for the families in need at Thanksgiving time.
Avatel continues to encourage a culture of giving and our Thanksgiving food drive is one way for us to nurture that culture. In giving, the greatest lesson often learned is that you have more than you’ll ever need. Each day is rich with opportunities for us all to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.
I'm proud to be part of an organization where selfless giving is part of our culture and is ingrained in everything we do. Allow me to express my gratitude to all our Avatel family members for the food donations during Thanksgiving food drive to make this time of year a little less distressing for those in need.
Avatel’s Fall Harvest Brunch
During our Fall Harvest Brunch, our Avatel family enjoyed the great food and more importantly enjoyed being together. As we joined together, regardless of our differences we pull together, encourage one another, walk side-by-side, help each other, and take care of one another. Amazing things can happen when a family comes together during the holidays. A family that can bond together will be a family that is united forever.
Continuing with our “Attitude of Gratitude”, as we celebrated our Thanksgiving time together, we asked ourselves – Can a situation we once perceived as negative, now be viewed as positive? What gratitude could we pull; out of past problems or challenges?
Having an “Attitude of Gratitude” helps us see the positive in every situation. When we look for reasons to be grateful, we are sure to find them. Gratitude helps us see how problems can change into opportunities, how difficult challenges can lead to magnificent accomplishments.
We believe that if we can find a way to be thankful for our troubles, they can become our blessings. Everyone's life is filled with negatives and positives. We try to deal with them every day. But if you have negatives, the best way to deal with them is to convert them into positives. In other words, take the glass half empty and see it as half full instead.
We should appreciate all that we have, including our challenges and difficulties. We sometimes look at issues presented to us and only see the negative aspect of them. When we can be thankful, our negative issues are presented in a more positive light.
I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. And always remember to maintain an attitude of gratitude and clearly see how you can change everything in your life that is unpleasant into beautiful works of creation.
Avatel Halloween 2013
The Avatel family had a great time celebrating Halloween. We enjoyed an “No tricks all treats” lunch together.
All month long the teams had a great time with their workplace Halloween decorating contest.
The Winner of the decorating contest was designed be Laura Martinez and Jorge Rodriguez with their Avatel haunted house, named “Ava-Hell”.
Avatel haunted house - “Ava-Hell”
Then we moved on to the Halloween Costum contest. We all voted on Scariest, Funniest and Best overall costums.
The Scariest was Annette Duarte as the “Voodo Witch Doctor” , the funniset was Angela McKight as “Speedy the Alka-Seltzer boy” and the best overall went to Jennifer Smalling as “Edward Scissorhands”.
Annette – Voodoo Witch Doctor (scariest) on the left and Jennifer – Edward Scissor hands (best overall) on the right.
Angela - Speedy the Alka-Seltzer boy (Funniest) on the right
What fun we all had. To see more Halloween pictures – Click here
Avatel Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
We all need to remember that breast cancer is one of the leading health crises for women in the United States. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. There is currently no known cure for breast cancer, and its early diagnosis is critical to survival.
Susan G. Komen is the boldest community fueling the best science and making the biggest impact in the fight against breast cancer. So far they have invested almost $2 billion to fulfill the promise, working to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month — is a cooperative effort of organizations, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure; the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
To sustain momentum of this awareness campaign & gather maximum support, Avatel designated each Friday in October as a “Pink Day” in which Avatel Family Members wore pink at work.
Even NFL players and coaches are decked out in pink equipment during games in October. Below we have a “special picture” of an Avatel team member having fun “in the pink”.
Progress in the Fight against Breast Cancer
- More early detection and effective treatment– Currently, about 70 percent of women 40 and older receive regular mammograms, the single most effective screening tool to find breast cancer early. Since 1990, early detection and effective treatment have resulted in a 33 percent decline in breast cancer mortality in the U.S.
- More hope – In 1980, the 5-year relative survival rate for women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (cancer confined to the breast) was about 74 percent. Today, that number is 98 percent.
- More research – The federal government now devotes more than $850 million each year to breast cancer research, treatment and prevention (compared to $30 million in 1982).
- More survivors – Currently, there are about 3 million breast cancers survivors, the largest group of cancer survivors in the U.S.
Gifts to Susan G. Komen may be made by:
Mail: Susan G. Komen
Attn: Donor Services
PO Box 650309
Dallas, TX 75265-0309
Phone: 1.877.GO.KOMEN
(1.877.465.6636)
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or simply click below:
2013 Customer Service Week ~ October 7th – 11th
This was Avatel’s 3rd year participating in Customer Service Week with tens of thousands of customer service professionals in over 40 countries. We joined them in celebrating our achievements and in recommitting ourselves to our service mission. Delivering excellent service is a winning strategy for Avatel. Quality service sustains our customers' confidence and is essential for our competitive advantage. I think we are all aware that our customers are the life-blood of our business, so providing great customer service is critically important.
Our team believes that excellent service is energizing because it requires the building of an organizational culture in which people are challenged to perform to their potential. In order to build trust and retain client’s long term, Avatel understands that excellent customer service must be at the forefront of our company's operations. This year, Customer Service Week was celebrated from October 7th to the 11th, and our theme was:
“Rise to Excellence”
Why should we “Rise to Excellence”? We strive for excellence not only to achieve success or notoriety, but to enhance the journey of our work to continually strive for meaningful results. Our goal is to provide an elevated customer focus. This elevated customer focus is an organization-wide standard by which all customers come away from contact with us feeling they have been served professionally and respectfully, and that they were our priority.
During this special week, Avatel raised companywide awareness of the importance of customer service, increased morale and motivated our team members with fun activities all week long.
Everyone joined in recognizing our Fantastic Service Department, with Jim Kelly at the helm, our wonderful Project Mangers – Johnann Favata, Jennifer Smalling, Lonnie Ledford, Andrew Cohen and Angela McKnight and our Best in class Engineers – George Jenkins, Romelio Chirino, Joseph Ramos, Garrett Phillips and Frank Peraza.
We started the week off with a “RISE and Shine breakfast” and reflected on the serious and important work that we do by signing our names to this year's Customer Service Week Pledge. The rest of the week, we enjoyed a “Stress Relief Break” with neck and shoulder chair massages, a luncheon where we discussed the things in each of our lives, inside and outside of work that motivate us. On Thursday we participated in a service culture survey and discussion that was followed by a “milkshake party”. We closed out the week with our “Rise to Excellence” Awards and our Certificate of Participations to reflect the special celebration we have all shared!
The whole Avatel staff had a lot of fun voting for the Customer Service People’s Choice Awards. As we considered all the wonderful attributes our Service Team represents, I asked all Avatel staff members to vote for the Service Department member that most represented a “Rise to Excellence” in the categories below.
Speedy Gonzales: This person is a go-getter; he/she approaches issues with a sense of urgency, produces high-quality results, is persistent, and stays on top of things. The winner was Romelio Chirino
Payton Manning: This person is a team player and is always willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done right. He/She offers encouragement and support to the team. The winner was Andrew Cohen
Gumby: This person represents flexibility. He/she is always willing to help a coworker, has excellent multi-tasking skills, and will assist in any area where there is a need. The winners were Garrett Phillips and Andrew Cohen in a tie.
Ellen DeGeneres: This person brings humor to work! He/she enjoys coming to work and creates a fun positive work experience will never losing sight of getting the job done. The winner was Jennifer Smalling.
Martha Stewart: This person is the epitome of “organization”. Everything is in its place in his/her cubicle. The winner was Andrew Cohen.
Buzz Lightyear: This person represents “bright ideas” and is always thinking outside the box. He/She is always looking for ways to improve processes and is the person that will come to your recue. The winner was Lonnie Ledford.
As we celebrated and recognized our Fantastic Service Department during Customer Service Week, we all kept our underlining theme for the week top of mind.
Rise to Excellence
Respect, Integrity, Service and Empathy (RISE)
- Respect: Treating others with courtesy, understanding and consideration.
- Integrity: Being trustworthy and responsible; always doing the right thing - even when no one is watching.
- Service: Taking ownership of a customer's issue with the intent of reaching a satisfactory conclusion.
- Empathy: Listening with compassion and patience in order to understand the other person and their needs.
Avatel believes that it is important to recognize employees who demonstrate excellent customer service skills in an effort to maintain employee engagement and focus. We want to make sure that we express thanks and appreciation for what they do not only Customer Service Week but throughout the year.
As we consider Our “Rise to Excellence”, we must always remember that excellence is in the eye of the beholder, and customer satisfaction is the benchmark by which every Avatel team member should measure their success.
August Heat Brings Cool Treats to Avatel family Members
Being stuck in the office is no fun in the summertime, especially when you know how sunny and warm it is outside. It’s hard to focus at work when all you can think about is hitting the beach or soaking up some rays. So, how do we make the best of the dog days of summer here in Florida?
Well, we liven up the Ho-hum work day and beat the summer heat with a Kona Ice Break! We invited all Avatel Family members to dress down in shorts and enjoy a cool treat on Friday afternoon.
As we entered our outdoor break area, we couldn’t miss the fun truck with its palm tree-lined Tiki hut, parrots and Kona, the happy-go-lucky penguin mascot and lively calypso music flowing out of the Bose sound system.
Our Avatel team deserved to be treated to their choice of premium tropical shaved ice and novelty ice cream treats from the coolest "ice cream truck" ever! For everyone’s hard work, a sweet reward is the least we can do!
Avatel Celebrates and Honors Earth Day and Arbor Day with a Tree Planting
Last week was a great week to create awareness for the Earth's environment and to encourage conservation efforts. Monday, April 22nd was Earth Day and Friday, April 26th was Arbor Day.
Earth Day was was started in the United States in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution. In 1990, Earth Day was taken international, and today, more than 500 million people in 175 countries observe Earth Day. It is the day for us to evaluate what we're doing, or not doing, to protect our planet and its resources.
Arbor Day was observed on April 26th. Arbor Day was a holiday in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees. In the US, the national holiday is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April. The late April date coincides with the ideal time for tree planting in many states. It has been over 135 years since J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day. His simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting is now more important than ever.
The act of tree planting is an old and symbolic one. Trees provide habitats for birds and small animals, they give us shade, clean the air and offer shelter. Trees have traditionally been planted in many cultures in honor of an accomplishment.
What a better time for Avatel to plant a tree that symbolizes all our accomplishments. So, with that said – The Avatel Family planted a tree! Each team member took the shovel and removed a smalll amount of soil from the hole and as a family we planted our tree with loving care.
This to me was a celebration of our Avatel Family, as we will all grow as our tree grows, Our heads lifted straight to the sky, our roots holding fast where they lie, and in the richness below; our branches outspread to the sun pouring down, with the glorious infinite blue stretching over our heads.as we honor our time together on this beautiful earth.
Avatel WINS 2013 Best Place to Work in Tampa Bay
Each year the Tampa Bay Business Journal honors the region's best places to work. The paper honored the best 60 businesses last week in front of a crowd of 600 at the Tampa Hilton. I am very pleased to announce that Avatel was named the WINNER in the “Big” company category with a score of 98.3.
Everyone wants to work for a winning company that’s loved by its employees and loved by its customers. At Avatel, we’re committed to building a winning company. While we are very serious about winning, we try not to take ourselves too seriously.
A winning workplace culture must also be a fun environment. An environment where our team members enjoy coming to work every day, where there’s a feeling of camaraderie and good fellowship, where people care about their work and the people they work with. Fun is a big element of our culture at Avatel. We believe in working together and creating an environment where every individual is motivated to do their best and the work place is fun to be in.
Best Places to Work is a high-energy awards event honoring outstanding companies whose benefits, policies and practices are among the area's best. This year’s theme for the event was “Working at your company is like working in Paradise”.
We believe that when we focus on and celebrate success, we actually create more success. So, with that said it was time to celebrate and have a little fun and show everyone that Avatel is a true “Workplace Paradise”.
2013 Best Place to Work Event
We started our journey to the “best Place to Work” event in an Excursion Super Stretch Limo, with a wild interior with fiber optic lighting, enhanced audio/Videos systems, and a 30 in LCD flat screen. How much fun!!
We left the office in Brandon in our limo and headed to the event at the Hilton…
We arrived at the downtown Hilton Hotel ready to party!
Fun, Fun, Fun!
We are ready to have fun and celebrate!
The winner of each category was announced. When Avatel was announced as the WINNER of the “Big” company category, the Avatel team went wild!
As I walked up to receive the award, I was filled with joy. I am so proud of our Avatel Family members.
As I received the award, I felt so honored to be surrounded by such an extraordinary team. Avatel is a company whose foundation is built on trust, care, appreciation and respect. The most important part of our company is our people and that’s why Avatel will ALWAYS be the best place to work!
As we close out the event with a group picture on stage, I am reminded that we are more than a group of people working for a company, we are a family. We care about each other and we suppoirt each other because we believe in each other. We have fun together and we work hard together which creates a team spirit of working together as one. Avatel has a unique winning culture that is supported by extraordinary team spirit.
When we talk about a winning workplace, we’re really talking about a culture – a culture of trust, pride and camaraderie. Each day, our existing culture is either moving closer to, or further away from, the type of culture that we want it to be. Culture is the environment that surrounds us at work all of the time. Culture is a powerful element that shapes our work enjoyment, our work relationships, and our work processes. But, culture is something that we cannot actually see, except through its physical manifestations in our work place.
Avatel’s winning workplace culture is based on a combination of shared values and supportive behaviors. Our culture at Avatel is based on a passionate team of people who have fun, care about each other, our technology, and our customers. It is one that aims to beat the competition and one that creates the right conditions where Avatel team members choose to do their best every day.
We all sang “We are the Champions” on the way back to the office. Avatel Rocks!
Back from the event and joined by some other Avatel team members that were unable to attend the event.
Congratulations Avatel Family, you certainly deserve a “Workplace Paradise”.
Avatel ~ March 2013 Employee Appreciation Day and Appreciation Month
March 1st was one of the most important holidays of the year: Employee Appreciation Day! Since it first appeared on calendars in 1995, Employee Appreciation Day has reserved the first Friday in March as a time for employers to officially acknowledge their employees’ hard work with more than just a regular paycheck.
We believe that successful cultures like Avatel are built by cultivating and keeping happy, hard-working people in our company. We feel that to be most effective, every Avatel team member must feel empowered to participate, communicate and innovate. 
Workplace happiness is very important to us. I think it works in two ways, an individual’s happiness at work will create happiness throughout all areas of their life, and likewise a company with happy motivated team members will see exceptional results. We strive to be a workplace where opportunity, openness, enthusiasm, diversity, teamwork, accountability and a sense of purpose combine to provide a rewarding professional experience that promotes fairness, dignity and a respect for all team members.
Showing appreciation is much more than a once-a-year event. It’s a core component of Avatel. With that said, one day is not enough; Every Friday during the month of March will also be dedicated as Avatel Employee Appreciation Month!
Avatel Employee Appreciation Month!
Each Friday during the month of March we enjoyed good food, games and contests and everyone was full of the appreciation spirit. Keep reading and see how much fun we have at Avatel!
Friday March 1st – Employee Appreciation Day
At Avatel, employee appreciation and recognition is about cultivating a culture of high regard for every team member, and letting them know that we see their efforts and value their contributions. Of course, I believe that Appreciation Day or Appreciation Month should not be the only time during the year that our Avatel family members are shown gratitude for all of their hard work. True employee appreciation surfaces when we let our team members know daily that they are all an integral part of the team.
This first day of our Appreciation month and the actual recognized Appreciation day was dedicated not only to letting employees know that they are valued and that their contributions in the work world mattered, but also for developing an “attitude of gratitude” within the company. We enjoyed doughnuts in the morning and everyone received a special appreciation certificate with a coupon for paid time off.
Friday March 8th – Strawberry Sensation Day
In honor of our local Strawberry Festival and in celebration of the famous little red berry, Avatel created our own “Mini Strawberry Festival”. We enjoyed a strawberry shortcake buffet; we all dressed in red and white and participated in fun contests.
In Victorian times, the strawberry symbolized sweetness in life and character. So on this day as we were all dressed in red and white and enjoyed our strawberry shortcake, we took a moment to reflect on our characters and all the sweetness that life can offer us.
For additional pictures click here
Friday March 15th – Avatel St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Craic is a Gaelic word, with no exact English translation; the closest you get is “fun.” Put simply, having craic is having a good time! So, for our Avatel St. Paddy's Day, it was all about fun as we put on our lucky green attire with shamrock glasses, boas, hats, necklaces and more! Avatel was full of merriment with our Irish style luncheon and our limerick writing contest.
Winning Limerick by Andrew Cohen
There once was a company named Avatel
Whose goal is never to fail.
Contests, Sales and more,
You will laugh until you hit the floor
While adopting a work family as well.
For additional pictures click here
Friday March 22nd – Star Power Day
We started with a well-deserved red carpet-worthy lunch!! We couldn’t possibly cheer on our favorite stars without some sustenance! We walked the red carpet and dressed as Star Entertainers, such as Movie Stars (the real stars or their characters), TV Stars, TV Reality Stars, and Stars on commercials, Rock Stars, Country Stars, etc.
Star Power Day at Avatel was the perfect time for Avatel Starlets to go all out with their looks, take risks, and make their mark on the fashion world. With so many Avatel celebs in attendance at the big event, our Avatel Paparazzi (Johnann Favata) stayed very busy.
Avatel Paparazzi Johnann Favata
It took a lot to stand out from the crowd and make the best dressed list. Check out the top 5 Avatel Starlets who received awards and made it to the front of the fashion pack at the 2013 Avatel Star Power Day event:
Boy George played by Angela McKnight
The Easter Bunny “Bunny” played by Annette Duarte
Jack Huston in "Boardwalk Empire” played by Joseph Ramos
Forensics Specialist Abby Sciuto (NCIS) played by Deb Woodford
Colonel Sanders - the official face of Kentucky Fried Chicken played by Garrett Phillips
More pictures Click here
Friday March 29th – Avatel Spirit of Sports Day
What a fun day! We came to work representing our favorite sport or sports teams, wearing our jerseys, hats, sweatshirts, and sports props. For our sports luncheon we decided that whether we are tailgating outside the stadium or in our office, we needed hearty eats to get us through the day. And there was nothing better than hearty chili and its perfect sides that kept the sports fans warm and satisfied.
To keep the fun going and to build some healthy team focused completion into our event for the day, we held an Avatel Spirit of Sports Trivia Contest with four teams. We know from our experience that working as teams, everyone strives to win; this is a format that encourages team spirit and boosts morale. Even though a few individuals stood out, the great thing about our sports trivia contest was that it was completely team focused, it's wasn’t just about the individual, everyone on the winning team was a winner! This made our Avatel Spirit of Sports Trivia Contest an effective team building event.
Click here for more sports day pictures
Let me end this employee spotlight update with a message to my wonderful Avatel team members:
I think the biggest mistake that leaders make is being too busy to motivate their employees and give appreciation for a job well done. It’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day tasks of working life. That’s no excuse, however, for us to forget just how important and valuable our Avatel team members are. As leaders we must cut through the clutter of a busy day to create memorable, personal moments that show meaningful appreciation and gratitude. It’s breaking down the wholeness of the company into the individuals that make up that company, establishing a culture where each one can thrive. I just wanted to let you know—the things you do for Avatel do not go unnoticed. You’re a necessary piece to this puzzle and I appreciate your customer care, the skills that each of you has developed, along with your dedication and loyalty. Just telling you that you’re “appreciated” does not do justice; our goal is to create a culture of sustained employee enrichment that acknowledges ALL of your valuable contributions.
As I express my gratitude, I must never forget that the highest appreciation is not just to utter words, but to live by them. Jamie
Avatel Superstar Cruise ~ February 2013
Avatel is excited to announce a record breaking sales month for January 2013. We had the highest recorded sales month in Avatel’s history. Avatel’s overall sales are up nearly 30% compared to 2012. With such a strong start in January, our sales are now off to the fastest start in company history.
”Let me just say – UNBELIEVABLE. This is simply a staggering success for a communications company in today’s economic climate. I am so proud of everyone for starting 2013 with a BANG. Everyone is truly on their “A game". It takes a large amount of skill and an abundance of experience to produce these results. We are proud to say we have that level of skill and experience with our staff. It starts with our sales team who constantly communicates with customers to provide appropriate cost-effective solutions and our Project Management and technical teams to ensure all requirements are being met.
Avatel employees are encouraged to be the very best at what they do. They accomplish this by providing excellence in client service in a team-oriented workplace where promises, ethics and commitment to quality are priorities. Our employees are the key to our success. Every day Avatel employees drive the company forward. And, while we celebrate personal qualities and talents, we are united in our dedication to delighting customers.
To celebrate our Million Dollar Superstars, we went on a dinner and dancing cruise on the Starship yacht in February.
Starship Yacht II
We enjoyed our celebration on this exquisite yacht with an award-winning menu, freshly prepared by the Executive Chef. We had a great time on the promenade deck with a 360 degree view. And of course the dance floor, the most popular place to be after dining.
We were also fortunate to have Steve Tallman, our Avaya Channel Account Manager join us. Steve has truly become part of the Avatel family. Our relationship with Steve is built on mutual respect and trust, and is one of the cornerstones of our success. Steve empowers Avatel to be successful; it starts with having a good product that meets our customer’s needs. But our relationship is much more; it is a business model of commitment with meaningful "skin in the game" from our manufacturer Avaya.
Avatel Superstars
For more pictures of our Avatel Superstars – Click here
Our team’s motivation, commitment, and expertise have made Avatel the company it is today: A dynamic company with ambitious growth plans. I’m extremely proud of our Avatel team and their success in growing our businesses; we are going to build on this momentum, growing together, as we continue toward our 2013 goal.
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 behaviours that exemplify Avatel’s values. Avatel is dedicated to provide meaningful recognition for the accomplishments of our employees.
Check out the articles below and see for yourself the kinds of wonderful things our employees are doing behind the scenes at Avatel. We believe that life is too short to not have fun, and “Fun” is an important part of the Avatel culture.
(See our 2015 Employee Spotlight Page)
Avatel’s 15th Anniversary
Each anniversary of our company’s beginning represents the end of a chapter and the simultaneous start of another. May 16th was a special day at Avatel. It was our 15th anniversary. This milestone anniversary was is a time for celebration and reflection. A look back at the incredible challenges and persistence that brought us to where we are today.
Milestones are an important way to reflect on where we’ve been and reaffirm our commitment for the future – and we all agree that those things are worth sharing and celebrating.
As part of our 15th Anniversary celebration, we decided to let loose and liven up the Avatel workplace with a Spirit Week. No question about it, Spirit Week at Avatel is one of our favorite weeks.
We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?”
The point of Spirit Week is to promote spirit and enthusiasm. Spirit Week at Avatel is also a time to let our creativity run wild. There’s just something about the camaraderie, big fun, and getting crazy with our teammates that really unites us as a company.
Spirit Week activities from May 15th to the 19th
Sweet Dreams Monday (Pajama Day) – We came to work in our comfy pajamas and cozy slippers and enjoyed fresh coffee, juice and a bagel buffet. We all enjoyed Pajama Day and the ultimate comfiness at Avatel.
Terrific Tuesday Celebration (Avatel’s 15th Anniversary Day) - We all celebrated the day in style in our 15th anniversary t-shirts and enjoyed a fabulous catered lunch and a commemorative anniversary cake. In the evening Steve Caphone form our Financial Partner CIT treated the team to happy hour.
Wacky Wednesday (Disco day) – We went back in time to the Disco era, with our sequins and bright colors, bell bottoms and flashy jewelry. We will also had the DISCO DONUTS mobile mini-donut cart come to the office to serve hot, fresh mini-donuts while playing Disco music on our patio.
Twisted Tacky Thursday (Crazy Mismatch Day) – We enjoyed a pizza lunch in our mismatched clothes, shoes, socks, wacky hair, etc. There were no rules, except to make a bold, fun impression from head to toe.
Fun in the Sun Friday (Beach Day) - We came to work dressed in our favorite beach attire (shorts and Hawaiian shirts, beach dresses, flip flops and straw hats). Enjoy water guns, a hula hoop contest and festive drinks from 3:30 – 5:30 on the patio. The Kona Ice truck will serve up your choice of tropical shaved ice drinks, along with our adult beverages at the Tiki bar.
Pictures from our 15th Anniversary Spirit Week
We are excited by this milestone and very proud of the business that we have built over the last 15 years. We are both extremely proud to look back on all we’ve accomplished and overcome as well as extremely excited about our future and the opportunities it brings.
Companies, like people, change over time, accomplishing things they didn’t once believe were possible. We believe, and always have, that it’s because of the great people in our organization that we are able to continue to achieve new goals and create opportunities at Avatel.
2016 was a year of great success for Avatel. It’s important to take time to reflect on all that we’ve accomplished and acknowledge that our company performs at the level we do because of the talents and dedication of our people.
So, before we close the book on another year, we celebrated with each other during our 2016 year-end awards luncheon.
2016 Year-end Review
Avatel has established a culture where there is a passionate commitment to excellence characterized by high productivity, full engagement and dedication by all team members. As we look forward to the New Year ahead, it is an important time to reflect upon the contributions, accomplishments, and successes of our Avatel team members.
Sales Review
Our sales results for 2016 were quite impressive. We recognize that the sales group has consistently achieved, and often exceeded, their goals throughout the year.
We know such an achievement does not come easily, and we complement each of our sales representatives on their dedication and hard work. Avatel is fortunate to have such energetic, talented salespeople on our team and we look forward to more success in the future.
4th Quarter 2016 results
- Oct. Top Sales Performer was Jorge Rodriguez
- Nov. Top Sales Performer was Deb Woodford
- Dec. Top Sales Performer was Fred Sternberg
- 4th quarter overall Top Sales Performer was Fred Sternberg
Join me in congratulating our 4th Quarter Top Performers
2016 Top Sales Performers
Top System Sales Units for 2016 – Rujel Buggs with 87 Avaya IP Office systems sold
Top Sales Revenue for 2016 – Deb Woodford with 150% quota attainment
Join me in congratulating our 2016 Top Performers for their dedication and hard work throughout 2016! It is an honor for us to have Rujel and Deb on our team!
Service Review
One reason that Avatel is so successful is that we have dedicated employees whose efforts surpass what is required of them. Avatel has a Service group that consistently goes the extra mile for customers, colleagues, and the organization itself. The speed and efficiency of the people assigned to handle and manage service tasks contribute tremendously to Avatel’s growth and expansion. The spirit of this team blend together to create an environment that is, in one word, outstanding.
Service Review - Project Manager’s
Our PM’s exceed our customer’s expectations and bring a higher set of quality and customer service standards to our industry. Their desire and willingness fuel our mutual efforts and lead us to success.
- 6,805 Service tasks managed
- 5,247 Total orders managed
- 360 Internal activity requests managed
- 815 Products registered
- 336 Configuration requests managed
- 76,243 Total calls handled with a 99.96% service level
We thank our Project Management team for the fantastic job they do every day. Words just can’t describe how much they are appreciated.
Service Review – Avatel Engineers
We exist because genuine passion runs deep within our company. We have a team of highly experienced technical experts who are committed to delivering excellence to our customers and their co-workers.
- 6,253 Service tasks complete
- 340 Configurations completed
- 510 Demos/Conference calls/Scheduled Customer and Tech support calls
The above does not reflect the additional work that is performed by our Engineer’s on a daily basis, such as: Systems programmed at Avatel, Field installs, Legacy dial-ins, does not include multiple configs for same customer. Numerous after-hours work on assorted projects.
The service our Engineer's provide, exceeds all expectations and guarantees Avatel’s continued success. We’re better because of them. We thank our Engineer’s for all they do!
Operations Review
The operations group drives flawless execution across all engagements. They are responsible for developing operating policies and processes, and driving operational excellence at across the organization.
Operations Review - Finance
The Finance Group processed 109,040 financial transactions. This includes; invoices, bill payments, credit cards, deposits, purchase orders and journal entries. This does not include CRM/Vault activity, contractor bill posting, invoice payments, and sales tax, as well as collection efforts for non-payment.
Operations Review – Human Resources
Avatel’s HR (Brandye) is responsible for functions such as Avatel’s payroll administration and commission reports. In 2016, HR processed a total of 1,078 HR functions related to missed punches, time corrections and time off requests. Avatel’s HR is also responsible for reviewing, securing, offering, and explaining Avatel benefits.
Operations Review – Purchasing and Procurement
Avatel’s Purchasing and Procurement team provides the right product, at the right price, at the right place and at the right time, to meet the needs of our customers and Avatel staff members. In 2016, the Purchasing Team placed 6,636 total orders for Hardware, software, maintenance, internal requests, and MOH orders. This does not include, returns, packing and shipping and other activities in 2016.
Operations Review – IT
Our IT dept. is responsible for setting up and making changes to Avatel’s existing workstations, maintaining operating systems, email, anti-virus programs, maintains and updates Avatel’s CRM and Vault. Installs and maintains all Avatel web-site setups, content, manages web software, and monitors site performance. In 2016 there were 133 major CRM updates and 11 Vault updates.
Our Empowered Operations Team has a significant reach and impact throughout the organization. We thank them all for making 2016 a success. We couldn’t have done it without them!
2016 Continuous Improvement Program
The clue to successful continuous improvement is in the name. It must be continuous so that opportunities for growth can be highlighted, improvement made and measured and evaluated. Continuous improvement is as much about mind-set as it is about actions.
In 2016 we had 166 CI improvement suggestions. Out of the 166 suggested improvements, we had 95 approved and completed, 7 approved and in process and 10 still in review or on-hold.
For Avatel, continuous improvement is a way of life, not just a fad or program of the month. It is one of the keys to Avatel’s success.
2016 Avatel Star’s
We recognize our Avatel Star’s as:
“Rising Stars” For working to improve their performance and reach the next level of success.
“Shooting Stars” For being reliable, dependable, proactive, self-motivated and taking initiative.
“Shinning Stars” For the drive and the will to succeed, and consistently going above and beyond what their job requires.
The Management group at Avatel had these things to say as our Stars were recognized:
Rising Star – Yesie Valentin (PM) - Yesie has worked very diligently to develop a solid understanding of the processes associated with her role by always reaching for the next level of expertise. She continues to build upon this knowledge and her grasp of the principles of the position and applies these skills well in the course of her support of our customers. Great job Yessie!
Rising Star- Chris Perez (Engineer) - Chris only being here for a short time has absolutely slaughtered the tasks, along with growing his knowledge with the IP Office and IP telephony. He jumps at any opportunity for learning something new and with that motivation has been able to assist in the advance requests of customers. Thanks Chris for becoming a valuable member of our team!
Rising Star – Myra Ourso (Sales Associate) - Myra has been one of Avatel's most consistent AE's. Not only has she met or exceeded quota several years in a row. She is always focused, driven and on top of her calls, data, activity and updates. Myra is always willing to help her peers and has no problem pushing people to the "edge" so they can succeed. Thank you for being such a great team player and employee Myra.
Shooting Star- Frank Peraza (Engineer/Technician) - Frank is one to count on for any project. As his dedication and attention to detail to the job is unsurpassable. He is in early every morning and doesn't leave till the job is done. We appreciate all your hard work and dedication Frank!
Shooting Star - Annette Duarte (Finance) - Annette consistently works to manage a huge degree of the finance related tasks necessary to maintain the optimum workflow in the Operations department. She positively manages vendor, customer, and resource relationships. Thank you for your care and dedication to Avatel.
Shooting Star - Joey Martinez (Purchasing) - Joey is consistently vigilant in ensuring our ordering process is seamless and cost effective, he is always looking for the best savings for Avatel without prompting, and continued to take the initiative to grow and optimize his direct department for better productivity. He's taken on several new processes using vendor and manufacturer's websites to ensure orders flow in the most effective manner. Great work Joey, thanks for all you do!
Shooting Star – Tom Wood (PM) - Tom's approach to managing his projects reflects a high level of attention to detail and a conscientious effort to maintain visibility and control of every aspect of support. He does so by demonstrating the values associated with the spirit of this award. His reliability and proactive methodology make him a very valuable member of the Project Management Team. Great work Tom!
Shooting Star - Rujel Buggs (Sales Associate) - Rujel was a sales machine in 2016. What a year it's been for you. Personally, you had one of the biggest roadblocks a person could come up against, you took the big "C" head on and sent it packing. We can all hear you say "Ain't nobody got time for that". Professionally you kept focus and didn't skip a beat. Your dials and units have been consistently near the top. You wound up finishing top 3 with at least 2 months out and you were still able to increase your sales revenue from the previous year. Nothing will hold you back! Thank you for always wanting to be the very best.
Shooting Star - Deb Woodford (Sales Associate) - Deb consistently rises above and sets a positive example within the organization. Always willing to help her peers and support management when needed. She had a great year and with her continued dedication, focus and commitment she was able to increase her revenue substantially from the previous year. Proving that she can do anything she puts her mind to. Not only did you blow away your numbers. You made the biggest improvement overall, you were top overall sales for 2016 and top "Product" Sales for 2016. Congratulations and great job!
Shooting Star - Emily Woodford (Sales Support) - Emily is a valued employee and plays a huge role in supporting the Avatel Sales Team. She consistently works with the team and management to develop and improve that sales approval process although this is a tough role, Emily takes pride in job and we know that we can ALWAYS count on her to make the right choices and she will look out for the company and our employees. Emily thank you for all that you do. We love and appreciate you. Know that everything you do is valued and doesn't go unnoticed.
Shooting Star - Brandye Byers (Finance/HR) - Brandye made it her mission in 2016 to move beyond her existing responsibilities to take on a more management focused role in the Finance Department as team leader with the future goal of a true management role. She has been the primary owner of Finance oversight for the entire year and has taken the initiative to attend learning courses from external sources that provided more in depth understanding of financial mechanizations and overall financial planning. She took the initiative to learn more about the management of other departments to ensure she understands the integration and the decisions made that will ultimately impact the finance department and the organization as a whole. She consistently provides feedback and input to all departments at all levels. Thank you Brandye for your dedication and hard work!
Shining Star- Jon Damiani (Engineer) - All year, Jon has gone way beyond his initial work expectations. A dedicated hard worker that his day doesn't end at 5:00, but ends when the work is finished. Time and time again I've seen Jon put in 16 hour days and still come into work the next day. Always willing to take on additional responsibilities to help out the team. Thank you Jon for all your hard work and dedication.
Shining Star - Keon Hines (Purchasing) - Keon has really stepped up beyond the day to day tasks to learn inventory management, ordering, returns, etc. He's consistently communicating and providing feedback to better improve processes and works exceptionally well with the Sales and Service Team to manage and integrate their processes for seamless workflow of orders. Great job Keon!
Shining Star – Joe C. (IT) - Joe consistently is looking and implementing enhancements to our systems to ensure we have the tools necessary to ensure productivity as cost effectively as possible. He always looks for solutions to accomplish any programming request, never saying "not possible", until he has researched thoroughly and determined it is absolutely not possible. He has also developed a solution completely independently and offered Avatel first option to front market in 2017 as a potential new source of revenue for the business. Great work Joe!
Please join me in congratulating our Avatel Star’s!!
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all their efforts throughout the year. The success of our company is built on the efforts of our team members and in this past year, we have enjoyed many successes. Thank you for the dedication, loyalty and commitment to Avatel.
No time of year ever feels as motivational or inspirational as the turn of the calendar into a fresh new year. It’s exciting, full of hope and promise.
This year, we are capturing “the Spirit of Possibility with No Limits”. We must be a company that looks beyond the confines of business convention and into a new future; a company who sees opportunity where others see obstacles, by demolishing barriers and revealing the virtually limitless opportunities ahead in 2017.
I want to thank each of our Avatel team member's for your contributions to Avatel's success in 2016. Without your commitment and high standards, we would not be the thriving company we are. I am very grateful for your efforts. I hope you all had an amazing year and feel a renewed commitment to the year ahead.
December 2016
Thank you to all Avatel family members for helping to make our annual Christmas Toy Drive a huge success! We are so appreciative to everyone for making this year’s drive our most successful to date! We would especially like to thank Angela for her thoughtful donation of bicycles.
At Avatel, we believe that Toy drives are a great way to support a very worthy cause - bringing the Christmas spirit to the less fortunate! Your donations brought smiles to the faces of needy children during a magical time of year, as they felt the joy of the season made possible by your kindness and generosity.
Avatel’s “Magic of Christmas” Party
There’s something about the holiday season that changes people, even if for a brief moment. Relationships are strengthened, hearts are mended, people forgive, and in some cases lives can be changed forever. It is truly is magic. We all must remember that believing doesn’t always require seeing. Just as younger children learn to believe in things they cannot see – like friendship, faith, and hope.
For me, the magic is about family, and happiness, and traditions and love. Throughout our lives, we need the capacity to believe: in ourselves, in our friends, in our talents, and in our family. We also need to believe in things we can't measure or even hold in our hands. I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out.
What a joy it is to celebrate the Magic of Christmas with each other.
The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other’s burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes the Magic of Christmas. We should all retain a sense of wide-eyed wonder and understand that magical moments are possible, not only at Christmas but throughout the whole year!
November – Avatel Thanksgiving Harvest Brunch
Thanksgiving is a special time of the year when people celebrate the things they are most thankful for. The Thanksgiving holiday season is an opportunity to focus on, and be reminded of, the positive aspects of our work lives. In its earliest incarnations, Thanksgiving was rooted in work as it was a day to celebrate the hard-earned bounty of the harvest.
The harvest has always been a beautiful and important part of life on earth, the time when the year’s work bears fruit and the people are fed. It is symbolic of bounty, health and abundance.
At Avatel, we celebrate the day before Thanksgiving with a Harvest brunch. This is a time we all gather together, enjoy good food and drinks, and show our gratitude to each other. We believe that gratitude is a powerful way to strengthen relationships and establish a positive workplace culture.
The power of appreciation and gratitude is especially felt on the holidays and during special times in our lives, but we can enrich our lives and contribute to creating a healthier and more satisfying workplace culture by practicing a little bit of gratitude every day. When we seek to expand gratitude and graciousness to our co-workers, we cultivate the emotions that create positive self-supportive energy within us all.
At Avatel, we have created a culture of gratitude, in which appreciation and positive energy are the norms rather than the exceptions, a culture in which people feel valued for their work and help those around to do the same. Leading with appreciation has created a positive work place culture for us all.
The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others, harvests a crop of weeds. Any roots of bitterness, ungratefulness, pride, or jealousy, will destroy the possibility of an abundant harvest. If we want our lives to have an abundant harvest spilling over, we need to rip out the old roots and weeds and plant the seeds of kindness, care, compassion and gratitude.
At Avatel our harvest is always plentiful!
November 2016
The month of November at Avatel is all about “Thanks” and “Giving”. We believe that it is through thanks and giving that life’s greatest joys are created. When you give, you open your heart to life and allow great measures of abundance to come pouring in. And, when we are thankful we experience greater levels of optimism, positive mood and feelings of belongingness.
Giving is what keeps us connected. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” is a simple truth, even self-evident, yet magnificently profound and powerful. By sincerely giving, we no longer must merely believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive. By giving of ourselves, we know and experience the reality of that beautiful truth.
The unfortunate reality is that many families do not have the means to enjoy a hot meal on Thanksgiving Day. We believe that nobody in America should go hungry, especially at Thanksgiving. Every year, Avatel teams up with Metropolitan Ministries to provide holiday meals for struggling individuals and families in our community. Our food drive is a great way to provide a sense of hope for the day and warmth in their tummies and hearts.
This year we were able to donate 554 pounds of boxes and canned goods, along with 10 turkeys.
The more we give of ourselves, the more we strengthen our own unique aliveness. The gifts we give become part of the world around us, where they grow in value with each life they touch. Each day is rich with opportunities for you to make a positive difference in the lives of those around you.
November 2016 – Avaya Promotes Avatel to Diamond Level Partner
On November 1st 2016, Avaya announced the Avaya Edge program for fiscal year 2017, its newest global channel partner program. Avaya Edge replaces Avaya Connect, which launched nine years ago. The overall goal of the Avaya Edge Program is to drive a high level of customer satisfaction by supporting and empowering the partners' long-term growth and profitability by providing the tools to succeed.
The Avaya Partner levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Authorized) moved to the new Avaya Partner Gem levels as part of the Avaya Edge program. The new Avaya Edge Gem levels for Partners is now Diamond, Sapphire and Emerald.
Throughout the years, Avatel has been recognized for revenue growth achievement, has acquired the highest level of credentials in sales and design, and has demonstrated excellence in customer satisfaction. However, under the old Avaya Partner program we were unable to move from a "Silver" level partner status.
With that said, the Avaya Leadership Team made a visit to Avatel to reveal our new Avaya Edge Gem level. The Avaya Team held a celebration at the Avatel office to announce our promotion to Diamond status. We appreciate Avaya's recognition of our many years of hard work and dedication to excellence.
The new Diamond level partner status, is the highest ranking available. Reaching Diamond level with Avaya speaks to the standard of excellence, and is reserved only for partners that have demonstrated commitment and results.
Diamond Celebration at Avatel
In the business world, Diamond status has always been the pinnacle of achievement. We are very proud of our Avatel staff members for achieving Avaya's exclusive Diamond Partner Gem level.
October 2016
At Avatel, we believe that recognition serves as a tool for reinforcing the behaviors that drive excellence. Our recognition creates an environment where individuals feel appreciated for their contributions and their accomplishments.
With that said, it's time to recognize the accomplishments and contributions made during the 3rd Quarter of 2016.
Avatel Top Sales Performers for the 3rd Quarter:
- July Top Performer – Jennifer Tishler – 236% Goal attainment
- August Top Performer – Deb Woodford – 222% Goal attainment
- September Top Performer – Richard Riccobono – 277% Goal attainment
Every Avatel Sales Team member should be proud of both individual and collective contributions to our sales effort. Congratulations on a GREAT 3rd Quarter
Next we announced the contributions to our 3rd Quarter results and the activity from our Service Dept.
Engineering Team – 1,520 Completed Service Tasks, 141 Demo/Customer Presales calls/Tech calls and 20 New Product Configurations.
Project Management Team – 1,490 solutions managed, 100 internal activity requests, 1,635 service tasks created and 22,295 Service calls handled with a 100.00% service level.
Service Excellence at Avatel is a way of working, a way of interacting, and a way of thinking about our jobs as we work together with others. Service excellence takes effort, dedication and commitment. Service excellence is an attitude engrained in every Avatel Engineer and Project Manager.
Contributions to our 3rd Quarter results and the activity from our Operation's Team
Understanding and effectively managing the operations side of Avatel is key to our success. The Avatel Operations Department is the backbone of all our business processes necessary for Avatel's day-to-day functioning.
Operations Team – The Finance Group handled 28,132 finance transactions, HR handled over 3,339 employee support transactions, and IT handled 44 CRM programming updates and performed 4 major Vault updates. Our Purchasing team processed over 1,743 product orders and employee internal requests.
We appreciate our Operations group for striving for excellence across all engagements.
Above & Beyond Awards
Deb Woodford – Deb consistently helps her co-workers (answering questions, making suggestions, sending motivating emails) all while maintaining her quota. Deb rises above and thinks outside the box. She is always looking for an answer or solution for her clients and co-workers. Thank you Deb for all of your hard work and dedication!
Bryan Kelley - Thank you Bryan for assisting management and supporting the newer associates. It's refreshing to know Avatel can count on you when a teammate is out, with no complaints, all while meeting or exceeding quota. Thank you Bryan - Your positivity shines and is appreciated. Way to go!
Angela McKnight - Angela is on the Project Management team and consistently goes above & beyond with every single one of her customers. She openly accepts the ownership of the customer's satisfaction from every perspective and she deserves to be acknowledged and recognized. Great job Angela!
Shawn Roderick – The role of a PM involves a significant amount of multi-tasking and attention to details associated with the management of several orders. Shawn's willingness to support extra tasks (outside of his daily workload) is evidence of his above and beyond behavior. His overall attitude and capabilities are also evidenced by the multiple commendations he received from his peers during Customer Service Week. Thank you Shawn for your hard work and dedication!
Jon Damiani - Jon has demonstrated diligence and dedication throughout his tenure as part of the Avatel family. Jon often goes above and beyond by staying after hours, at times as late as into the next morning. Along with tackling numerous daily emergencies, tasks and configuration requests, Jon has even volunteered to go to customer sites on weekends when an emergency arises. Jon's attention to detail, enthusiasm, positive attitude and determination has greatly contributed to Avatel's success. Thank you Jon for consistently going above and beyond normal expectations!
Emily Woodford and Rhonda Schmidt - for their unwavering dedication to Avatel, its customers and to their peers. Attitude is everything! Sure, we can teach skills, but it's nearly impossible to teach and instill enthusiasm, teamwork and independence. But, we have that here at Avatel with staff members like Emily and Rhonda. They are great employees because of their motivation for working on behalf of our customers and their co-workers. Thank you Emily and Rhonda, you guys are truly inspirational.
Gratitude allows us the ability to see not just what we have, but to see the value in what we have. Gratitude encourages each of us to reach higher because we feel valued, respected and important. So, as we celebrate our success, I want to thank each of you for bringing your best to work every single day. We sincerely appreciate all your hard work, commitment and dedication.
2016 Avatel Halloween Party
As always part of our Halloween activity is a costume contest. All Avatel team members voted on for their favorite costumes – scariest costume, funniest costume, and best overall costume.
Avatel Halloween Costume Winners!!!
Funniest – Laura Martinez as Darla in Finding Nemo
Scariest – Annette Duarte as a Ninja
Best Overall Costume – Jennifer Smalling as Cruella de Vil from One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Avatel Customer Service Week 2016 – October 3rd - 7th
During the first full week in October we honor the people who serve and support our customers with the highest degree of care and professionalism. This year’s Customer Service Week theme was Service Champions. The theme recognizes that delivering excellent service is only possible with a team of dedicated professionals working together. It’s a powerful message that everyone celebrated during Customer Service Week 2016. 
Service-oriented departments are the backbone of any successful business. As we celebrate our Service Champions, we shine a spotlight on their selfless and hard-working technical support and customer care excellence.
We believe that it is important to recognize our Service Staff and express thanks and appreciation for what they do throughout the year but specifically during the first week of October. Our Fearless PM Champions - Johnann, Lonnie, Jennifer, Tom, Shawn, Yessie, Teryle, Angela, and their Leader Rick Heitzmann. Our invincible Engineering Champions - Garrett, Frank, Joseph, Jeff, Jon, our newest team member Chris Perez, and their leader Bruce Brewer. And of course, the unstoppable Jim Kelly. 
The week of celebration at Avatel was filled with a wide-range of activities that capture the spirit of Customer Service Week, focused on recognizing our Service Department for their hard work and commitment to service. Avatel celebrated Customer Service Week in style by incorporating fun activities, tempting treats and special gifts that made it a week to remember for our Service Champions.
On Monday, we kicked off the week with our Breakfast of Champions with team members dressed in comfy pajamas and cozy slippers. Special gifts were handed out to make the week memorable. 
Tuesday, all Champions need to De-stress – All Service team members received a chair massage to relieve stress and muscle tension - renewing energy levels, enhancing concentration and focus. Our Service Champions enjoyed some afternoon dessert as “Stressed Spelled Backwards Is Desserts”. 
On Wed. we served a Service Champions thank you lunch catered by Olive Garden and presented to the service team members as an Italian Buffett. Special gifts were handed out to express our gratitude.
Champion’s theme day was on Thursday - All Service team members were encouraged to come to work dressed as their favorite sports champions (sports jerseys, etc.). We also had to keep our Service Champions in tiptop shape, so surved sports drinks, energy bars, and other healthy snacks throughout the day. 
To close out the week, we honored our Service Team Champions at our recognition dinner at the Outback Steakhouse on Friday evening so Avatel could show our appreciation for all of their dedication and service excellence.
Champions do so much more than win. Part attitude, part natural ability, and part hard work, living your life like a champion is possible in all walks of life. Our Avatel Service Champions identify the gifts that they've been given and seek to develop them into expertise.
Every day, our frontline service professionals are Champions in their customer’s eyes and their co-workers that they support. Being a Champion is partly a list of achievements, but even more so a state of mind. Being a Champion has to do with knowing–really knowing–that you're the best at what you do.
We think it is vitally important to recognize people who provide positive experiences through the service they provide. Customer Service Week gave us the perfect opportunity to show the Avatel Service Department that we appreciate their hard work and dedication, as we see them for the true Champions they are!
July 2016
2nd Quarter 2016 Review and Awards Ceremony
Every day Avatel Team Members drive the company forward. Our team's motivation, commitment, and expertise have made Avatel the company it is today. I'm extremely proud of our Avatel team and the success in growing our business. We believe that when we focus on and celebrate success, we actually create more success. So, with that said it is time to recognize the accomplishments and contributions made during this 2nd Quarter of 2016.
Avatel Sales Department
Every Avatel Sales team member should be proud of both individual and collective contributions to our sales effort.
2nd Quarter 2016 Top Sales Performers:
- April Top Performer – Kim Whisman – 298% Goal attainment
- May Top Performer – Rujel Brooks – 262% Goal attainment
- June Top Performer – Deb Woodford – 309% Goal attainment
- 2nd Quarter 2016 Top Sales Performer – Deb Woodford – 162% 2nd Quarter Goal attainment
Congratulations on a Fantastic 2nd Quarter Sales Teams!
Avatel Support Department
Great support takes effort, dedication and commitment. Excellence is an attitude engrained in every Support Department Team Member. We sincerely thank our team members for the work they do to make Avatel great. Without their commitment and high standards, we would not be the thriving company we are.
We are happy to announce the contributions to our 2nd Quarter results and the unbelievable efforts that our support departments provided.
Engineering Team – Avatel Engineers are the technical experts that deliver our solutions with agility and speed. Their knowledge positions them as a resource with a proven track record of success; through customer and staff support, system configuration and customer demos to assisting techs in the field, and complex site implementations. We sincerely appreciate Our Avatel Engineers as they consistently demonstrate performance at a level far above and beyond normal expectations.
2nd Quarter Activity – 1,544 Completed Service Tasks, 141 Demo/Customer Presales calls/Tech calls and 75 New Product Configurations.
Project Management Team – Avatel PM's all stand out for above and beyond behaviour. They display excellent skills, strong support of co-workers, excellent customer service abilities, exhibits drive and enthusiasm and has an optimistic attitude. All of our PM's are resilient and are determined to achieve their personal bests. I want to thank our Fantastic PM's for your excellent execution and continued dedication.
2nd Quarter Activity – 1,168 solutions managed, 1,743 service tasks created and 19,096 Service calls handled with a 99.76% service level.
Operations Team – We all understand how important Sales and Service is to Avatel; however, The Avatel Operations Department is necessary for Avatel's day-to-day functioning and is the backbone of all our business processes. Our empowered operations team has a significant reach throughout the organization. Understanding and effectively managing the operations side of Avatel is key to our success. We appreciate our Operations group for driving flawless execution across all engagements.
2nd Quarter Activity - The Finance Group handled 26,324 finance transactions and Avatel HR handled over 271 employee support transactions. Avatel IT handled programed 34 CRM and Avatel Vault updates. The Avatel Purchasing team processed over 1,568 product orders and employee internal requests.
Congratulations on a VERY productive Quarter Support Departments!
Great job Everyone!!!
April 2016
1st Quarter 2016 Review and Awards Ceremony
It's time to celebrate all our Avatel team members and recognize the accomplishments and contributions made during this 1st Quarter of the year. The more we celebrate our achievements, the more there is to celebrate!
Avatel Sales Department
"To build winning sales teams and a successful department,
You must create a culture of greatness"
In a culture of greatness we create a collective mind-set that expects great things to happen—even during challenging times. We expect our team members to be their best and we try to create a work environment that allows them to be their best.
In a culture of greatness we don't allow negativity to sabotage the moral, performance and success of our co-workers. We find countless ways to enhance communication, build trust and relationships that are the foundation upon which winning teams are built. While most organizations waste a lot of time putting out fires, we spend our time building a great sales organization that rises above the competition.
1st Quarter 2016 Top Sales Performers:
- January Top Performer – Deb Woodford – 206% Goal attainment
- February Top Performer – Teresa Boully – 290% Goal attainment
- March Top Performer – Frank Fautas – 265% Goal attainment
- 1st Quarter 2016 Top Sales Performer – Teresa Boully – 187% 1st Quarter Goal attainment
Congratulations on a "GREAT" 1st Quarter Sales Teams!
Next we announced the contributions to our 1st Quarter results and the unbelievable efforts that our support departments provided.
Avatel Support Departments
The support staff plays a very vital role in any business. At Avatel we understand how crucial our support staff team members are for the productivity of all Avatel Associates. A Great support staff truly makes the difference between a mediocre company and an excellent company.
Engineering Team – 1612 Completed Service Tasks, 80 Demo/Customer Presales calls/Tech calls and 89 New Product Configurations.
Project Management Team - 1043 solutions managed, 89 internal activity requests, 1811 service tasks created and 14,230 Service calls handled with a 99.75% service level.
Operations Team – The Finance Group handled 26,246 finance transactions and Avatel HR handled over 184 employee support transactions. Avatel IT handled programed 30 CRM and Avatel Vault updates. The Avatel Purchasing team processed over 1,483 product orders and employee internal requests.
Congratulations on a VERY productive Quarter Support Departments!
2015 Year-end Review and Celebration
As we focus on what we want to accomplish in 2016, it's also important to take the time to look back at past successes and to celebrate our accomplishments. In our culture, we are always looking ahead at where we want to be and what we want to achieve. However, it is equally important to take the time to celebrate and acknowledge our success. Focusing on our success creates a positive culture that leads to further success.
The more we celebrate our achievements, the more there is to celebrate!
Our Year-end review was most definitely a celebration! It was about coming together and recounting our individual and collective achievements in 2015. Celebrating our success and applauding our hard work allows us take ourselves more seriously and develops confidence and healthy pride –
as well as giving us proof that we are learning, growing and succeeding.
At the beginning of 2015, we had to make a choice, either enable growth or inhibit it. Our choice was clear, if we were to achieve new heights and revenue marks in 2015, we had to shift our mindset from maintaining to growing and create a culture that embraced growth.
Before we closed the book on another year, we take some time to review the results from our 2015 Growth Plan initiative.
• We upgraded our technology infrastructure to sustain our growth initiatives.
• We remodeled our building to accommodate our growth.
• We hired a new team of successful sales associates.
• We hired three new PM's and one new Service Desk Associate - all performing above expectations.
• We promoted four individuals - all stepping up to the plate and all going above and beyond in their positions.
• We hired one new talented Engineer.
• We also brought on a new Service Director at the end of the year.
• Last but not least, we exceeded our 2015 financial goal.
2015 Avatel Staff Recognition
There are stars among us, and our recognition not only helps them to shine brighter,
but helps us to see our own possibilities more clearly.
We have Rising Star's, Shooting Star's and Shinning Star's, that deserve to sparkle!
All our Avatel Star's shine bright as we recognize their 2015 shimmering achievements!
Sales is what drives Avatel's growth. Adding sales personnel and improving our existing sales staff have been essential parts of growing our company. Let's face it, nothing happens until something is sold. The Avatel Sales Staff aren't just the people responsible for building our bottom line. They're also our front-line troops, the ones with the most daily contact with our customers. With that said, we understood the importance to not only grow our sales force, but to grow it properly.
Sales Department Recognition - The Avatel Sales team (new and tenured) are an efficient revenue machine. They have a set of clear cut goals and targets which they are driven to achieve. Our action oriented sales group follows their plan, works to achieve their targets, and pursues success through hard work each and every day. The Avatel Sales Team has a winning edge strategy that pushes them to make one extra call, one last attempt, and one more task before calling it a day.
Avatel 2015 Top Sales Revenue Performer – Teresa Boully
Avatel 2015 Top Sales Ramp-up Revenue Performer - Daniel Meunier
Avatel 2015 Top System Sales Units – Rujel Buggs
Sales Rising Star Recipients – Katrina Noel and Darren Brantley
Sales Shooting Star Recipients – Frank Fautas, Evelyn Guzman and Bryan Kelley
Sales Shinning Star Recipient – Fred Sternberg
Our mission is to be recognized as the standard of excellence in the telecommunications industry, through our dedication to knowledge, emphasis on teamwork and an eye towards addressing customer needs and delivering unsurpassed service. At Avatel, we strive to sustain a culture of service excellence, from system design and implementation to project management, customer training and ongoing service support.The Avatel Service Departments technical ability, has enabled us to be a leading player in our industry.
Avatel Project Manager Recognition - Our PM's have the experience, knowledge, and capabilities to help ensure a successful, transition of technology for our customers. Their key objective is to exceed our customer's expectations and bring a higher set of quality and customer service standards to our industry.
Most total orders processed – Johnann Favata
Most system orders processed – Lonnie Ledford
Most drop ship, MAC, data orders processed – Angela McKnight
Most service orders processed – Jennifer Smalling
Help Desk - Teryle Dickens - above 99% service level
CSAT Champion – Lonnie Ledford
PM Rising Star Recipient – Yessie Valentin
PM Shooting Star Recipients – Tom Wood and Shawn Roderick
Avatel Engineer Recognition - Avatel's Engineers make communications technology the best it can be. They are the technical experts that help deliver our solutions with agility and speed in order to help maintain our competitive edge. Our "Task Master's" are confident in their abilities through unmatched technical expertise and depth. They have strong problem solving abilities and excellent communication skills.
Avatel "Taskmaster" - Most service tasks completed in 2015 - Jeff Chancey
Avatel "Jack of all trades, Master of many" - Lem Riddick
Avatel "Service Excellence" - Frank Peraza - For providing world class customer service in the field
Engineer Rising Star Recepient - Jon Damiani
Engineer Shooting Star Recepient – Garrett Phillips
Engineer Shinning Star Recepient – Joseph Ramos
The Avatel Operations department is the department that handles all the day to day operations of the business and the glue that holds the organization together. They are responsible for driving operational excellence across the organization as they focus on People, Processes and Profitability. They consist of team members that support all of our business functions: HR, IT, Finance and Procurement. They work together to create the backbone of all our business processes.
Avatel Operations Department Recognition
Finance Team- Money is the lifeblood of a business and finance is the nerve center. The Finance department is responsible for all the day to day transactional accounting for the business through accounts receivable and accounts payable.
Finance Rising Star Recipient - April Peoples
Finance Shooting Star Recipient – Annette Duarte
Human Resources Team - The Operations department is also responsible for Avatel's HR functions such as payroll administration, securing, offering and explaining benefits, like health insurance or 401ks more.
HR Shinning Star Recipient - Brandye Byers
Purchasing and Procurement Team - The role of Avatel's Purchasing team is to provide the right product, at the right price, at the right place and at the right time, to meet the needs of Avatel staff members and our customers.
Purchasing Team Rising Star Recipient – Keon Himes
Purchasing Team Shinning Star Recipient - Joey Martinez
IT Team - The Avatel IT department enables our business users to carry out their roles efficiently, productively and securely.
IT Shinning Star Recipient – Joe C.
Our year-end review allowed the whole Avatel family to come together and recognize everyone's individual hard work as well as everyone's collaborative works. We believe that it is really important to take a look back to see how far we've come. It not only put us in a positive mindset as we set goals for 2016, it created the positive momentum needed to achieve even higher goals in the year ahead.
Every day that dawns, brings with it the opportunity for growth and improvement at Avatel. What doesn't work, can be repaired. What does work, can be made better. What is good, can be made great.
2015 was a year of great success for Avatel. I want to thank all our Avatel family members for their contributions to Avatel's success in 2015.
I want to thank each of you for your contributions to Avatel's success in 2015. Now it's time to toast to all of your 2015 accomplishments as you've earned it! Here's to the Avatel team!
Together we will make 2016 shine!
Avatel Christmas 2015
Just as last year, our Holiday theme for 2015 involved Christmas Elves. According to the legends, elves are magical, mischievous pranksters who make special appearances during the lead up to Christmas. At Avatel, we have discovered that the Christmas Elves are adventurous! Their Elfcapades range from the sweet to the mischievous and have been known to get up to all sorts of pranks and mischief in the Avatel office. We never know where our Magic Elf will turn up!
Avatel Elfcapades
The good news is that when this magical creature made a visit to an Avatel workspace, he released performance enhancing magic in their direction. All they had to do is believe and the magic began to move in ways they could only imagine. Apparently, Elves love to be in pictures. See all the Magic Elf selfies below with their new Avatel friends.
Christmas 2015 Toy Drive
Elf Magic is the Christmas spirit you can hold in your hand and feel in your heart! At Avatel, the Christmas elves spark the spirit of giving with our Avatel Christmas Toy Drive as we partner with Metropolitan Ministries to provide toys to boys and girls.
Avatel appreciates our Volunteer Elves – Andrew, Yesie, Eric and Teryle.
We believe that our holiday toy drive helps families with children rediscover the magic of the season
Naughty & Nice Christmas Elf Party
On Christmas Eve, we all joined together for great food, happy Elf punch, and our Naughty Elf gift exchange game. Of course, during our game, Elf Bribing, Elf haggling, and Elf pleading was part of the game. We were also blessed to have some of the Avatel children join the fun.
Also, last year we held a contest for the most creative Elf attire, and the year before we did an Ugly Christmas sweater contest. We added a twist this year and offered two prizes – One prize for the best Elf outfit attire and one prize for the most whimsical (outrageous) outfit (ugly Christmas sweater, crazy Santa, or anything funny and outrageous).
Our winners Dan and Keon outdid themselves!
All Avatel family members hope your holidays were blessed. Now, since the holidays are over it's time to get ready for the New Year! Here's to a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
November – The Avatel Giving Spirit is alive and well
November is not only about gratitude, it is also about giving. Giving brings virtues such as understanding, respect, compassion, gratitude, and humility together into a powerfully positive and enduring act. The spirit of giving is a sustaining force, enriching whatever endeavor or circumstance it touches.
As part of Avatel's Giving Back program, every year we team up with Metropolitan Ministries to provide holiday meals for struggling individuals and families in our community. Our food drive is a great way to give back and feed the hungry families in our community, as it gives them a sense of hope for the day and warmth in their tummies and hearts.
Thanks to the generosity of our Avatel team members and Andrew and Teryle volunteering, our gifts of hope provided homeless and hurting families with warm meals on Thanksgiving.
Every time you interact with someone else, you have the opportunity to give that person some kind of value. Whether it is a thing, or a thought, a gesture or a kind word, the most powerful gifts are those that come straight from the heart.
Avatel Harvest Brunch
Harvest, by definition is the season for gathering. So, our Harvest Brunch was a great time to gather together and interact with each other.
We believe that every day is rich with opportunities for each one of us to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.
October 2015 Updates Our theme for the month of October was ~ "Let's Make Some Magic Happen".
The world is a magical place. Just because you have grown accustomed to the magic does not make it any less so. The real magic of life is not a trick or a supernatural phenomenon, it is in the fact that you can see, feel, think, choose, live and love.
At Avatel, we believe that every day is our opportunity to perform magic in this life and in this world. If the day is dreary, we can brighten it with our words and our actions. We understand that our days can be filled with magic only if we make it so. Our Avatel team members use every opportunity to fill each moment with the real and priceless magic of being fully and positively engaged in life. At Avatel, we experience the magic and the joy of simply being around the people who make us feel that anything is possible in this world.
3rd Quarter 2015 Review and Awards Ceremony
We started our 3rd Quarter review with the exciting news that we broke our all-time record with our sales results for the Quarter.
Then we announced our top Sales Performers for the Quarter:
- July Top Performer – Laura Martinez – 303% Goal attainment
- August Top Performer – Laura Martinez – 297% Goal attainment
- September Top Performer – Dan Meunier – 265% Goal attainment
Next we announced the contributions to our 3rd Quarter results and the unbelievable efforts that our support departments provided. We had record breaking activity in all support groups.
Engineering Team – 1644 Completed Service Tasks, 126 Demo/Customer Presales calls/Tech calls and 83 New Product Configurations.
Project Management Team - 1365 solutions managed, 123 internal activity requests, 1643 service tasks created and 5148 Service calls handled with a 99.73% service level.
Operations Team – The Finance Group handled 23,540 finance transactions, HR handled over 300 employee support transactions, and IT handled programed 26 CRM programming updates and developed a new Avatel proprietary remote desktop access tool and our Purchasing team processed over 1700 product orders and employee internal requests.
Shining Star Awards
Bruce Brewer – You've lifted us to new heights. You've surpassed expectations and reached for the stars. You motivate others to perform at their best, leading your Team toward ultimate success. Thank you for your remarkable performance.
Jim Kelly - Your outstanding dedication and leadership have been truly appreciated by the entire organization. Your attitude, outlook and commitment inspire us onward and upward. Thank you for always leading the way.
3rd Quarter - Avaya and Scansource/Catalyst Hot Deals for Hot days Distributer Promotion
With our outstanding results from the Quarter, it was no surprise that Avatel won 3 out of the 8 weekly sweepstakes drawings based on our product orders. We then held our own drawing to reward all 3 hardworking depts. with the prizes. Our winners were:
- Kevin Woodford – Sales Associate in the Sales Dept.
- Joey Martinez – Purchasing Manager in the Operations Dept.
- Lonnie Ledford – Senior Project Manager in the Service Dept.
2015 Avatel Halloween Party
A Halloween celebration at Avatel would not be complete without good food, good drinks (including a little Witches Brew) and the opportunity for Avatel family members to wear costumes.
As always part of our Halloween activity is a costume contest. All Avatel team members voted on for their favorite costumes – scariest costume, funniest costume, and best overall costume.
Avatel Halloween Costume Winners!!!
Funniest – Andrew and Tom
Scariest – Keon
Best Overall – Deb and Annette
October 2015 – Avatel Celebrates Customer Service Week
Customer service is not just a department, it's an attitude. Whether our service team members are interacting with customers or with co-workers, rewarding their willingness to serve others is our top priority.
With that said, Avatel was proud to celebrate Customer Service Week 2015, October 5th – October 9th. We believe that it is important to recognize our Service Staff and express thanks and appreciation for what they do throughout the year but specifically during the first week of October.
This year's CSW theme was Everyday Heroes. The theme recognized that every day, frontline service professionals are heroes in their customer's eyes and their co-workers that they support. Avatel, along with other companies across the country came together to recognize the everyday heroes in our midst: our selfless and hard-working technical support and customer service teams.
This was our 5th year participating with other service professionals world-wide as we celebrated our Service team member's achievements. Service-oriented departments are the backbone of any successful business, and there wasn't a better time to shine the spotlight on our dedicated teams!
CSW is our greatest opportunity to show the service department staff that we appreciate their hard work and dedication!!! As their customer service and great attitude shines bright for all to see!
The week of celebration at Avatel was filled with a wide-range of activities that capture the spirit of CSW, focused on recognizing our Service Department for their hard work and commitment to service. Avatel celebrated CSW in style by incorporating fun activities, tempting treats and special gifts that made it a week to remember.
September 2015
For the month of September, we put a challenge to the Avatel Sales Associates. We challenged the team members to achieve a six figure sales month. We called the challenge “The Six Figure Success Club”.
The reward for meeting and or exceeding the challenge was an afternoon at the Hard Rock Café including lunch, drinks and a little gambling fun.
The winners had a GREAT time, as you can see!
2nd Quarter 2015 Awards and Recognition Ceremony and Bowling Party
Finding the motivation to stay focused, work hard and believe in your dreams requires mental strength, fortitude and dedication. It's one thing to have a dream; it's another to set goals and to work hard year after year, month after month, day after day to achieve it.
By celebrating our achievements, we not only acknowledge a winning result but also reinforce the attitudes and behaviours that contributed to the successful outcome. When we get excited, rejoice, celebrate and feel genuinely happy for someone else's success and good fortune, we are moving this energy and information forward into the Universe. We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history.
Everyone wants to be recognized and appreciated for doing a great job. Receiving recognition for achievements is one of the most fundamental human needs. I want to take this opportunity to thank All Avatel team members for your excellent execution and continued dedication.
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Top Sales Performers
April 2015 Top Sales – Jorge Rodriguez
May 2015 Top Sales – Bryan Kelley
June 2015 Top Sales Performer – Kim Whisman
2nd Quarter 2015 Top Sales Performer – Kim Whisman
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Shining Star Award
Emily Woodford – Avatel Sales Assistant
Emily has been going above and beyond the minute she took her first step at Avatel. When Emily is given a task she not only completes it with accuracy but always on time and stays on task. Dedicated, tenacious and organized are words that easily describe Emily. She champions the issues and helps each AE work through them in a timely fashion.
Emily is truly an asset to Avatel. She is more than we could have ever asked for. Emily ALWAYS goes above and beyond for Avatel. Thank you for being such a shining star and always giving your best. We are so very happy you are part of our family.
Avatel 2nd Quarter 2015 Shooting Star Awards
Tom Wood – Avatel Project Manager
Since joining Avatel in February, Tom has done an outstanding job in Service. When Andrew Cohen was promoted to a Sales Management role, Tom stepped in and took over managing the Avaya Legacy Program, which was no small task. It means keeping/tracking data on every install, which requires coordination with all the PMs. It involves weekly calls with Avaya, going over and refining the entire process.
Tom has been the liaison between Avaya and Avatel on the install process and has communicated effectively to both sides as we improved the process along the way. Tom has demonstrated a high level of customer service skills when dealing with our customers.
Shawn Roderick – Avatel Project Manager
In the short time Shawn has been here, he has been an outstanding asset to Avatel. Shawn quickly grasped our processes and almost immediately maintained a workload on par with our tenured PMs. In addition, Shawn has demonstrated outstanding customer service skills and how to effectively work through issues with our customers and with the Avaya TSMs and Technicians.
Bowling Fun
At Avatel, we're committed to building a winning company. While we are very serious about winning, we try not to take ourselves too seriously. A winning workplace culture must also be a fun environment. Fun is a big element of our culture at Avatel. So, let's go bowling!
We have fun together and we work hard together, which creates a team spirit of working together as one. Avatel has a unique winning culture that is supported by extraordinary team spirit and having a good time.
Companies like Avatel, rise above the noise and get noticed!
Avatel Spirit Week 2015
The reason for Spirit Week is to promote a positive morale and create a work atmosphere of team spirit. I believe that group spirit bonds people together. Companies that foster team member’s interaction are in a better position to be successful and a workplace infused with team spirit is one that is energized, innovative and motivated. Avatel’s Spirit Week is meant to stimulate social activity, which contributes to higher camaraderie. Team members are eager to come to work because it is a place where they can thrive professionally and enjoy the company of co-workers.
Contrary to popular belief, play and work are not mutually exclusive! I believe that a playful workplace relieves stress, increases motivation, and builds relationships with coworkers. When companies promote play, it engenders a more lighthearted atmosphere. When companies lighten up and create a fun workplace, there is a significant increase in the level of employee trust, creativity and communication.
After a well-deserved long Memorial Day week-end, we began our week with “Crazy Mismatch Day”.
Twisted Tuesday/Crazy Mismatch Day
We came to work on Tuesday with crazy hair, freaky mismatched clothes, strange mismatched socks and shoes, and clashing patterns.
Two of our “Best Dressed” team members – Annette and Jennifer
Wacky Wednesday/Disco Day
On Wednesday, we went back in time to the Disco era. Oh my! Our Disco queens and kings from the '70s put on their sequins and bright colors, min dresses, bell bottoms, flashy jewelry, and whatever else looks good on the dance floor. We also brought the DISCO DONUTS mobile mini-donut cart to our office that served hot, fresh mini-donuts while playing Disco music on our patio area.
Pajama Day / Pillow Talk Thursday
On Thursday, we celebrated Spirit Week in our pajamas. We called it “Pillow Talk Thursday”. We Just got out of bed and came to work as we were!- Pajama Day is the ultimate comfiness at Avatel. We wore our festive pajama bottoms, flannels, footie pajamas and fluffy slippers, along with enjoying each other’s company as we feasted at the breakfast buffet.
Freaky Friday Beach Day
We all came to work dressed in our favorite beach attire, shorts and Hawaiian shirts, beach dresses, flip flops and straw hats. We enjoyed the Avatel Happy Hour from 4:30 – 6:00 on the patio. The Kona Ice truck served up our choice of tropical shaved ice drinks, along with our adult beverage Tiki bar. Avatel team members had lots of fun with the water guns and our hula hoop contest.
We had several team members that stood out during Spirit Week that showed great team spirit and a willingness to let loose and have some fun. Annette Duarte and Jennifer Smalling were chosen as the individuals that displayed what Spirit Week is all about.
And, let’s not forget our Hula Hoop contest. Brandye Byers was hands down the best of the best!
Annette and Jennifer Brandye
At Avatel, we believe that a fun work environment is one in which formal and informal activities occur regularly that are designed to uplift people’s spirits and remind people of their value to our organization, and to each other.
Avatel Family, Thanks for the great Spirit Week 2015 memories!!
