15 Ways to Make the Most of Your QATC Membership

If you are reading this article as a QATC member, congratulations for making a great decision and hopefully you’ll learn about how to take even more advantage of all your membership benefits. If you are not yet a member, reading this piece will most likely prompt you to sign up right away!

QATC was founded in 2008 with the mission of supporting quality assurance and training professionals in the contact center industry. The vision then – and now – was to provide a platform where industry professionals could find the educational offerings to build specialized knowledge and skills, a full range of resources to apply to real-life work situations, and a community of peers for networking and growth. Over the last 13 years, these educational offerings, resources, and pool of professionals have evolved and expanded to provide members ways to be more successful in their careers.

Let’s take a look at these many benefits and capabilities, starting with a full range of educational events and offerings.

1. Web Seminar Series. Every year, QATC provides a web seminar series for QATC members. In 2021, this series, entitled Fundamentals of Quality Monitoring, will be presented on Thursday afternoons beginning in March. (See the Six Techniques for Creating a Motivating Workplace article or the website for specific dates and times.) This five-part seminar series will be facilitated by Deelee Freeman, one of the industry’s leading experts in quality monitoring best practices. Topics to be covered include creating a quality form, form weighting and scoring, constructing a quality standards document, monitoring consistently, and call coaching. These seminars are presented free of charge to QATC members and an unlimited number of students may participate around a single connection.
2. Annual Conference. QATC presents an Annual Conference that has occurred as a 3-day event for the last 13 years until the 2020 pandemic shifted the event into a virtual conference. Whether in person or virtual, the Annual Conference provides over 30 workshops presented by industry experts on all areas related to quality assurance and training. Stay tuned for news of the conference for Fall 2021. It is currently scheduled for September 14-16 in Nashville, TN. QATC members receive a discount to attend the conference.
3. E-Learning Programs. QATC has partnered with The Call Center School since its inception to bring quality education to the membership in many different formats. One significant benefit is that each member receives a credit towards The Call Center School e-learning programs in their first year of membership. Members may choose from a wide variety of topics to design a curriculum to fit their needs. Once the free benefits have been used, members also receive a 10% discount on additional offerings.
4. Regional Meetings. Prior to the pandemic, QATC (in partnership with its sister association SWPP) provided dozens of regional meetings around the country. These half-day meetings provided a way for contact center professionals to gather to hear exciting speakers, tour a local center, and have the opportunity to network with peers. Many members noted that these meetings were one of the most valuable experiences for them since they provided a way to meet their local peers in a smaller group setting. These meetings have enabled professional relationships to be formed with those in the region. While there are no in-person meetings scheduled so far in 2021, these regional meetings are back on the schedule as virtual meetings. While anyone is invited to attend these meetings, there will be some special focus on making local/regional connections.
5. Quarterly Newsletter. What you are reading now is one of the benefits of membership. The quarterly newsletter, The Connection, is a 16-page newsletter full of how-to articles and the latest industry news to help you build your knowledge and keep abreast of industry happenings. There are many different contributors to The Connection, ranging from industry educators and consultants, vendors, and contact center professionals. These folks share best practices, thought-provoking new ideas, and real-life stories of what works and what doesn’t from first-hand experiences. The newsletter always contains a survey on current topics and survey results from the previous newsletter.
6. Newsletter Archives. The current newsletter is always available for all to view on the QATC website. But a huge benefit for QATC members is access to the QATC Library, which includes an archive of all our past newsletters. Members can look up any subject of interest and browse through years of content. At 16 pages per newsletter multiplied by 4 times per year over more than 13 years adds up to over 800 pages of content. There’s no better place to research your problems and projects than this comprehensive archive.
7. Quarterly Surveys. Wondering what other centers are doing and how your processes and practices compare? Each quarterly newsletter contains a survey about quality assurance and/or training practices. The surveys include typically 10-12 questions on a specific topic, with participants able to complete surveys online or via a manual approach. Results are tabulated and included in the next newsletter, along with editorial comments on the findings and implications.
8. Survey Archives. Read about the most recent survey in the newsletter or on the website. But if you need to delve back into past surveys, that’s available too. Members have access to the survey archives as part of the QATC Library. If there is a particular topic of interest, members can go back and take a look at how their industry peers have responded.
9. Articles and White Papers. In addition to the huge library of newsletter articles and survey results, there are also many relevant articles and white papers in the QATC Library. These are typically full-length, how-to articles supplied by our educational advisors, board members, and vendor community.
10. Tip of the Week. In addition to the full-length articles and newsletter content, members get a shorter dose of how-to information and clever ideas as a Sunday evening Tip of the Week. You’ll find this tip in your email inbox on Monday morning and many find it a positive way to kick off their week. As a “emergency” service during the Spring of 2020, QATC sprang into action and supplied a Tip of the Day for extra ideas and encouragement during the early, trying days of the pandemic. These came as a welcome reminder that we were all in this together as all of us figured out how to deal with the new ways of working. Members can also access these archived tips in the QATC Library.
11. Ask the Expert. Do you have a particular question or work situation where you simply need an answer or some sage advice? Email your question to Vicki Herrell, Executive Director of QATC, at vicki.herrell@qatc.org and she’ll forward the question along to a panel of experts who are certain to have some ideas on the topic. You’ll get a response back and you may find widely applicable issues showing up as a mini-column in a future newsletter.
12. Industry News. It’s hard to find vendor news all in one place. The Industry News section of the QATC website provides a place for all the QATC vendors and sponsors to share what’s new with their products and technologies. Read about new product launches and keep up with the latest technology innovations here. You’ll find contact information if you’d like to learn more about your own vendor’s news or reach out to new potential vendors.
13. Books. Check out the web site for books that can support your functions in the contact center. For quality assurance and training specialists, you’ll find a book called Essentials of Call Center Coaching: Supervisory Strategies for Improving Performance Improvement. This book is currently only available through the QATC website.
14. Job Posting Board. If you need a place to post job openings that are very specific to a quality assurance or training position, the QATC and SWPP Job Board is perhaps the most targeted marketplace. Individuals viewing these ads are industry professionals who understand the position, the job tasks and competencies, and the likely scope of work. You will find people with the requisite skills to fill those positions or a least forward to a contact in the industry. This board is also a great place to find job titles and job descriptions as you refine your own job information.
15. Networking Opportunities. Last, but certainly not least, is one of the biggest and most important benefits of being a QATC member. Whether it’s talking with others in an online seminar, attending the Annual Conference, or participating in a regional meeting, as a QATC member, you’ll have the opportunity to meet others that do the same job that you do every day. QATC provides ways to meet others that do what you do and helps you foster these relationships. You’ll make contacts, learn from others, and continue to expand your professional network.

There are many benefits for QATC members and several different options for joining. An individual may join for $295 per year, or if you have multiple people that would benefit from membership, there is a site membership for $595 that supports up to three members. If you have multiple locations and many eligible individuals, a corporate membership is available for $4,995 for an unlimited number of locations and members, as well as unlimited members in our sister association, the Society of Workforce Planning Professionals (SWPP).

If you’re not a member and would like to begin taking advantage of these opportunities, visit the QATC website to join, or contact Vicki Herrell at vicki.herrell@qatc.org.