2016 Accounting & Marketing/Customer Service Conference

Dear TSTCI Members and Associate Members

Location, location, location, WE ARE IN A NEW LOCATION! In case you didn’t notice, we are free at last from the contractual obligations we inherited for this meeting. The Westin San Antonio was a wonderful facility and they treated us very nice. But, after so many years at the same location, it is time for a change of scenery! And you can thank us later as we move us down the I35 corridor to Austin. The Westin at the Domain – Austin has shopping and dining at your finger and foot tips!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the ….. no wait. This isn’t that – or is it? There is no lack of fact, fiction or fodder impacting the telecommunications industry these days. And, no better place to come to discern this fact from fiction information than the upcoming TSTCI Accounting & Marketing/Customer Service Conference. Yes, we are back at a new location but what does remain the same is the quality of this great conference. This conference agenda will whet your appetite for the plethora (it’s a word) of information, ideas and resources that will be presented as we prepare to open the registration for this meeting -- July is just around the corner. Our July conference is always a powerful program for the three backbone disciplines of all our companies --accounting, marketing, and customer service. The conference will also appeal to those earning CPE credits with the agenda awarding 4 hours of Ethics Credits and 12 hours of Technical Credits.

We begin our adventure on Wednesday at the Westin at the Domain in Austin with registration at noon and concurrent sessions beginning at 1:00 pm. Through no fault of our own, it is time again for the every other year “Ethics and Values” training for our ethical and valuable CPAs. Dr. Carolyn Conn CPA-CFE, St. Edward’s University will be returning to lead the ethics training for the Accounting discipline Wednesday afternoon. On the other side of the house, the Marketing/Customer Service group will be meeting the challenge of being a CSR and/or Marketing person in today’s environment. The afternoon sessions start off with learning or reviewing their digital marketing plans and learning “Digital Marketing – Top 3 ways you may be screwing up” lead by Mark Fordice and Ashley Brown with Pivot Group. The second session with Jennifer Doss, GVNW, will focus on “How to be a CSR for a Telecommunications Provider and How to Deal with those Negative Customers.” To finish the afternoon on a high note, Russell Kacer, YK Communications, will return to solve the mathematical problem of “Customer Service + Marketing = SUCCESS!”

We will come together Wednesday evening for our traditional Welcome Reception from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. It is a fact that there is camaraderie and bonding that happens when our membership sits down and talks about their day with others over a meal/reception. As has become tradition, what will the fun food be this year?

TSTCI President Tim Humpert and TSTCI CEO Weldon Gray will more officially kick off the Thursday morning session and introduce our Opening General Session keynote speaker, Bryan Dodge, who will give us the verbal and mental tools on “How to Build a Better You.” Continuing General Sessions through the morning, Gary Smith, JSI, will share the “80,000 Foot Overview -- FCC USF Reform Order.” While your brain is still tingling, Debbie Broyles, Curtis Blakley & Co., will do the annual State Sales Tax Review & Update with some focus placed on some of the newer sides of our businesses – i.e. video. To bring the morning trifecta to an end, Clay Moreland, Bolinger Segars Gilbert & Moss, (our newest geek) will take us into cyber space with “Building Better IT Controls – Protecting Your Cyber Space.”

After lunch on your own, we will return into Concurrent Breakout Sessions. For our Customer Service/Marketing attendees, Mark Fordice & Ashley Brown, Pivot Group, will return to present “Customer Experience – Dancing with data: 5 data pieces to improve your customer experience.” Followed by Dee Dee Longnecker, JSI, with an “Update on E-Rate and Lifeline.” Meanwhile, the Accounting group break-outs will nose dive from the 80,000 foot overview straight into the tailspin known as the “Advanced USF-Federal & State” with Chad Duval & Don Nowotny, Moss Adams. Then, Blake Lackey, Curtis Blakely & Co. will lead a session in “Proposed Revenue Recognition Accounting Standards – What it means for your records.”

After a break, the concurrent sessions continue and close out the day. The Marketing/Customer Service group will hear “10 Quick Ideas for Successful Sales” lead by Jennifer Logsdon, Centerra Corp. followed by a Marketing & Customer Service Roundtable discussion facilitated by Toni Rivas, VXT1. The Accounting attendees will join Wade Wilson, Bolinger Segars Gilbert & Moss, for “New FASB Lease Accounting Standards: Impacts on both Lessors and Lessees” followed by “Forecasting and Benchmarks – All you ever wanted to know” with Sharon Minor, Moss Adams.

After an evening of enjoying Austin, we will return Friday morning for breakfast and our closing General Sessions. Starting off our general sessions will be a FCC Tariff Options/Update with Chad Duval, Moss Adams. Then, as always, our most popular Geek, Todd McElmurry, Curtis Blakely & Co., will help us feel empowered with “Excel Computer Stuff – So That’s How You do That!” To help us close out the day, the ever-popular Tim Owens-Cronin will reminds us why we all love and work in this vital and complicated industry with “The Best Industry in the World.”

Before we adjourn, Weldon will give you a status update of the State of the Association and an overview of the upcoming November general elections and the 2017 legislative session.

Last but not least, we will draw for the winner of the Grand Prize drawing (donated by Texas Communications Expo) and the winner of the PAC raffle drawing.

As we adjourn this meeting for another year, we hope that you will have enjoyed the meeting and learned lessons to share back with others in your offices, heard information that helps you better understand our industry, your companies and maybe yourself, networked with old friends and new acquaintances and got a gentle but true reminder that you and Rural Matters. We will adjourn this meeting for another year and look forward to seeing each and every one of you throughout the days ahead.

TSTCI and the Program Planning Committee, want to give special thanks to those Members who give their time, energy and talents to share their expertise with us through their participation as speakers, presenters and facilitators in our programs. Our Association is very lucky to have as members like: Bolinger, Segars, Gilbert & Moss; Centerra Corp., Cronin; Curtis Blakely & Co.; , GVNW Consulting; JSI; Moss Adams, Pivot Group, Valley Telephone Cooperative; & YK Communications; These TSTCI Members help make this conference possible and successful. They are joined by others that help support our efforts with financial support also.

GO FORTH AND REGISTER

The TSTCI online registration process allows and helps participants register online and pay by check or credit card. It’s easy, fast and a little fun. And don't forget to register early for best rates. >>More Information

Hotel Information

We will be at the Domain in Austin. Be sure to make your reservations by the June 13 cut-off date. After that date, rooms will be on a space-available basis at regular hotel rates. >>More Information

Sponsorship/Door Prizes

We are always looking and always grateful for those that help us put these meetings on by their generous sponsorship. With the June Spring Managers’ Conference, we introduced new and improved levels and benefits of TSTCI meeting sponsorships. >>More Information

Have questions about the Conference? If you have any questions or need any additional assistance, please contact Weldon Gray at 903-658-0055 or [email protected], Kari Rouse at the Austin office 512-343-2587 or [email protected] or Pat Holder, Event Planner at 512-349-7470 or [email protected]

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING ALL OF YOU IN AUSTIN!

 

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