Later this month, at TRMA’s 2011 Summer conference in San Francisco, U.S. Cellular’s John Stevenson will facilitate a panel discussion by industry experts entitled “How to Make a First-Party Program Successful.”
Topics will include: roll-out, how to measure success, criteria in choosing a partner, experience around unsuccessful ventures and how to turn it around; training/recruiting (internal versus external).
Panel – How to Make a 1st Party Program Successful
Moderated by: John Stevenson, U.S. Cellular
Wednesday, June 29 | 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
Panelists: Dave Hall, West Asset Management; David Rogers, GC Services; Sterling Shepherd, CPA
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KM: Thanks for joining us today, John. Before we get started, tell us about your background, including what you do for U.S. Cellular and your work on TRMA’s Board of Directors.
JS: My pleasure Kathy. I have been in the wireless industry for over 25 years now, mostly with service providers, including U.S. Cellular, where I have been for the past five and half years. I lead the Financial Services organization, which is responsible for cradle to grave accounts receivable- credit, collections, fraud management, risk assessment and management, all the way through to debt sales and write off. I just joined the TRMA board earlier this year and am starting to dive in to all the activity going on. It’s really a strong trade association for sharing information and best practices that can help all members improve results.
KM: The discussion you’ll be moderating is entitled “How to Make a First-Party Program Successful.” Can you briefly describe the focus of the proceedings and why you believe companies need this information?
JS: Many of our member companies either already use, or are considering the use of an outsource partner for their first party collections. This panel is not going to get into whether a company should or should not, but will focus more on how to make it a success once you have made that choice. We have some real depth on our panel, they have seen a lot of programs and know what it takes to make it a success. We are asking the panel to really focus in on sharing some of the key points to address with a first party program. Our aim is that the TRMA members, both new and experienced with first party programs, have a couple of those AHA moments, where they pick up something new they can use in their own operations.
KM: What are one or two other emerging telecom issues you think people should know about?
JS: There is a recurring theme, and that is the ever changing risk profile that telecom risk managers have to deal with. The devices are more expensive, the services more complex, there is a lot of bundling going on. All that really emphasizes how important it is to ensure your models and strategy are current and continue to deliver the results you expect. That’s part of the value of TRMA, no matter what the latest trend or issue in risk management is, this is a great place to learn more about it, and talk to your peers and support partners about it.
KM: Insightful as ever. Thanks so much for your time.
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Other sessions of interest at the TRMA Summer Conference
Beyond Consumer Credit: Providing a More Comprehensive Assessment of Small-Business Owners
Wednesday, June 29 | 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM
Presenter: Greg Carmean, Experian Program Manager, Small Business Credit Share
Main topic: new technologies that help uncover fraud, improve risk assessment and optimize commercial collections by providing deeper insights into the entity relationships between companies and their associated principals.
Not registered for the TRMA Summer Conference? Go here.
