National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day


National Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day

By Mary E. Hart



Today, April 28, is National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work® Day. Take Our Daughters to Work was created 23 years ago by Marie Wilson to allow and actually welcome daughters to spend the day at a parent’s workplace. Sons were added to this tradition in 2003.

For some parents, though, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is more than just one day during the year. Think about when your child is sick or school is closed for the day (be it for snow or any other reason) or it’s summer time, but you can’t afford day camp or it hasn’t yet started. What do parents do then? Either they take their daughter or son to work with them and set them up in their office, a vacant cube or conference room or, if they’re able to do so, they work from home that day.

Over the years, I’ve been very lucky to be able to work from home when needed and even worked from home full-time for four years and again now. That made it very easy to keep my son home if he wasn’t feeling well -- which was very common in his first days of daycare and school -- or if there was a snow day or a half day at school. Instead of rushing around trying to figure out who would be picking him up or who would stay home with him, it fell to me by default. I’d rearrange any phone meetings that I had if he was home sick to make sure I’d be able to take care of him. If a meeting couldn’t be rescheduled, I would just hope for the mute button to work if I had to rush him to the bathroom.

When my son was younger, I’d wind up doing a lot of work on any day he was home during his nap or after he went to sleep for the night and off and on during the actual day while he was feeling okay for the moment or was glued to the TV (thank you to the movie “Cars” and “Happy Feet” for keeping him entertained back then). But if he was feeling fine and school was just closed, often, I’d find that he and his sock monkey would find their way into my office as the sock monkey also wanted to “work”, which entailed sitting on my lap and typing away on my keyboard. Luckily, none of those sock monkey-typed spreadsheets nor emails made their way past my own computer because my bosses would have thought I was the one who was sick.

These days were precious to me because it showed my son a bit more about what I actually do while he’s at school. I’m sure he thought I was just watching TV all day (oh, no…) And he got a glimpse into work calls and what goes on when he was in his room playing and could hear me right down the hallway on the phone for a meeting. On many of these days, we also talked about what his dad does, too and how the jobs were different, so it showed our son that there are a number of different paths he can take career-wise. 
Now that my son is older, his days of being out sick are less (let’s hope I didn’t just jinx myself typing that!) and when he is home for whatever reason, his video games keep him entertained while I take calls and write blogs like this one.

As parents, we all do what we can to make this whole thing work. I’m hopeful that more and more companies will start to understand the challenges that all workers face in their day to day lives, be it needing to be home with a sick child or working flexible hours while still getting everything done -- just not in the normal 9 to 5 (although exactly how normal are those hours these days? That’s a whole different blog post) workday.




- See more at: http://blog.nticentral.org/#sthash.kZFM8psE.dpuf
Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.

NTI National Telephone Day

National Telephone Day

Allons-y! I’m the Doctor. Yes, just “the Doctor”. I’m here with my trusty travel companion, the TARDIS. That’s short for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. Yes, it looks like a policeman’s phone box from the 1960’s. Just go with it. It’s easier that way. 






Why am I here? Come inside the phone box with me and we’re going to take a trip back in time to February of 1876. Yes, I know it’s bigger on the inside of the phone box. Everyone says that. We’re heading back to 1876 to make sure that history remains stable and Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, is the person who has his name on the patent.

One of my fellow time lords, the Master (oh, he’s a tricky fellow), is trying to interfere by sending Elisha Gray to the patent office the same day with a patent caveat for the same device. We can’t let that happen and need to make sure that Marcellus Bailey, one of Bell’s attorneys, is successful getting there. So, we’re going to dash over and stop Gray with a question to slow him down since the Master delayed Bailey by putting a wounded horse in his path.

Phew! Mission accomplished. Bell’s patent was awarded to him on March 7, 1876 and Bell and his team put on a public demonstration of the telephone at the World’s Fair in Philadelphia on May 8, 1876 and the world was astounded. One year later, the first telephone was installed in the White House and telephones being making their way throughout the United States.

Now we can go back to present day and rest assured that Alexander Graham Bell is still known to this day as the inventor of the telephone. What a relief!

Thanks to Bell and Bailey (and now us to keep things on track!), the telephone is here to stay. Telephones are so very important, as we all know. Families and friends use them to connect with each other; companies use them to stay in business; and customers use them to reach companies for information. Who do customers talk to when they call a company? Why, the call center agents that man those telephone lines to keep customers happy.

Non-Doctor Who now: We here at NTI are always looking for more call center agents for our partners. If you are interested in being a call center agent for us, visit www.nticentral.org/learnmore or for business inquires, feel free to contact us via email at info@nticentral.org.




- See more at: http://blog.nticentral.org/#sthash.kZFM8psE.dpuf
Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.

Press Release - Veteran’s Expo | NTI


Press Release - Veteran’s Expo | NTI


For Release Tuesday, April 24, 2016 at 11:00 p.m. EDT

[Boston, MA] - NTI Exhibits at City of Methuen Veteran’s Expo
In honor of our veterans this week, National Telecommuting Institute (NTI) will be an exhibitor at the City of Methuen Veteran’s Expo at the Senior Activity Center in Methuen, MA on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 from 2-5 p.m.
The Methuen Veteran’s Expo will offer a number of opportunities for veterans to learn more about available benefits, services and resources in areas including financial assistance, housing, recreational opportunities, job searches, and more.
Free and open to the public, this special event brings together veterans and organizations in the community and allows attendees to meet representatives from over 20 participating nonprofit organizations, including NTI, who wish to inform and honor our veterans. Other participating groups include the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center; New England Veterans’ Liberty House (NEVLH); Bedford VA Hospital; the City of Methuen Veterans’ Affairs Department; the City of Methuen Senior Activity Center; Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley; and so many more.
Attendance is free, and any questions can be directed to the Methuen Veteran’s Department at 978-983-8585.
National Telecommuting Institute, NTI was founded in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NTI pursued a mission to identify and develop work-at-home jobs for home-based Americans who are physically disabled.
Since that time, NTI has provided trained work-at-home employees to some of the largest U.S. government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and to smaller businesses who want to outsource customer service and technical support operations in order to reduce costs.
Visit  www.nticentral.org/learnmore for more information about how NTI assists American veterans who are disabled in their job searches.


 View a variant picture on Instagram here: https://goo.gl/ylfmJt


- See more at: http://blog.nticentral.org/#sthash.kZFM8psE.dpuf
Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.

Get To Know NTI’s Customers


Get To Know NTI’s Customers


By Mary E. Hart

Today is two-fold. It’s National High Five Day and National Get To Know Your Customers Day. Here at NTI, we want to give a high five to all of our customers and that term encompasses everyone we work with from the companies we partner with to our candidates who wind up working for those companies and even our colleagues as well.

Let’s start with the great folks here at NTI. I want to give a virtual high five to Michelle Simone, Leah Terrasi and Lynda Gardner, who took time from their busy day to speak with me about how NTI works to serve both our partners and our candidates to work together and thrive. Thank you to all three of you!
One of the partners who have found success working with NTI for years thanks to people like Michelle, Leah and Lynda is the IRS. NTI provides the IRS with call center agents, who are known as Order Entry Clerks, for the Forms and Publications line. The candidates who are placed in these positions help those who call in to have forms mailed to them; direct callers to where they can find a form or publication on the website; and answer procedural questions about fraud or a Tax ID number, for example.

The IRS has continued to be pleased with the candidates they receive from NTI, stating “The quality of your candidates is the best we’ve ever seen.” Accuracy, especially when it comes to tax forms and documents, is so important and the IRS reviews calls on a regular basis to ensure that accuracy is being achieved. For NTI, in 2015, the IRS found that the yearly customer service accuracy was 99.47% from January to December of that year. We’re thrilled to be able to provide the IRS with such great candidates who continue to do a great job. 


Flexibility is also a top requirement from our partners, and the IRS is no exception. Last year, due to tax form changes, they anticipated that they’d need more hours than originally budgeted and asked NTI to provide candidates for those additional 12,000 hours. Yes, you read that right. 12,000 hours, and we were able to fulfill those hours with ease. Self high five!

John Hancock is another customer/partner that has found happiness through NTI. When they first talked with us about a partnership, they had never had workers that started off as Work at Home, so they had justifiable concerns about reliability, phone presence and strong tech skills. Customers aren’t looking for IT specialists, but candidates that work at home must be able to install the computer and system that they’re given to work and also be able to figure out any issues that may arise with the technology. 
Recently, John Hancock conducted a presentation at the New England Call Center Conference about work from home employees. During the presentation, they mentioned NTI and gave us a lot of kudos about professionalism and the candidates we’ve given to them. The kudos included:

  • “They sent us super stars”
  • “Hit our sweet spot and allowed us to smooth out our call volumes”
  • “We haven’t missed our service level agreements (SLAs) since they got here”.  

For Work at Home candidates, a phone presence and pleasant demeanor is so important as the only experience a customer may have with a company when they call is the person they speak to on the phone. So, the person must be able to know how to retain and keep customers.

One Fortune 500 retail company that partners with NTI for call center workers prides itself on their customer service setting them apart from their competition. Because of that, candidates for their call center positions need to be friendly and bubbly on the phone to keep that reputation going.

How do candidates learn if they have what it takes to be that friendly presence that’s needed on the phone or if they’re even cut out to be a call center representative? Training, training and more training. At NTI, we set expectations very early on in the process with a general pre-screen interview, which covers the skills that are required for call center positions, including having a strong voice quality; strong communication skills; strong technical skills of working on a computer; a certain typing speed (which varies per company and can range from a requirement of 20 wpm to 70 wpm or more); and some sort of customer service position -- be it volunteer or paid.

From there, candidates go through a few assessments, and then partake in a three-day certification training, which helps them learn first hand what it would be like to work as a work from home call center representative. This training helps candidates to brush up on their skills as needed and also provides a reality of the jobs and what’s coming to make sure that it really is the right fit for them.

For candidates that need a little extra help, NTI is creating a mentoring team. The members of this team will help to guide and coach candidates throughout each part of the process from interest to becoming employed by a partner. The mentors will also help with resumes, interview role-playing and any accommodations that are needed. This mentoring team is being created because “We’re successful if they’re successful”.

Give yourselves a high five of thanks from us! If you are interested in being a part, visit www.nticentral.org/learnmore or for business inquires, feel free to contact us via email at info@nticentral.org.





- See more at: http://blog.nticentral.org/#sthash.kZFM8psE.dpuf
Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.

Press Release - NTI Receives SourceAmerica Certificate of Achievement


NTI Receives SourceAmerica Certificate of Achievement


On March 18, 2016, National Telecommuting Institute, Inc. (NTI) received the SourceAmerica™ Certificate of Achievement for 2015. Steve Soroka, President and Chief Executive Officer of SourceAmerica, presented NTI with the award “in recognition of the high standards of performance NTI has maintained in the past year in providing a product/service for the federal government under the Ability One® Program.”
SourceAmerica considered the following criteria in evaluating NTI’s eligibility for the award: The length of time NTI has had a product/service on the Procurement List; the consistent record of accurately fulfilling contracting requirements; the timely submission of reports and commissions; the adherence to AbilityOne regulations; and the Procurement Agency’s overall evaluation of NTI’s contract performance. SourceAmerica found that NTI has excelled in all of these areas.

The SourceAmerica Certificate of Achievement highlights that a job well done. Outstanding overall performance in the Ability One program proves that persons with significant disabilities can be productive, contributing members of society.

SourceAmerica works hard to create jobs for people with disabilities. They connect customers to a national network of nonprofits, including NTI, who hire talented people with disabilities. Through this valuable network of nonprofits and their employees, SourceAmerica supplies products and services that meet the strictest quality standards at a competitive price.

AbilityOne enjoys a long history of supporting the federal government. In 1938, Congress created the Wagner-O’Day Act, which enabled nonprofits that served people who were blind to sell products to the Federal Government. The Act was amended in 1971 to include people with other significant disabilities. This expanded Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Act serves as the basis for the Federal AbilityOne Program.

The AbilityOne Program is among the nation’s largest providers of jobs for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. The Program uses the purchasing power of the Federal Government to buy products and services from participating nonprofit agencies that train and employ workers with disabilities.

National Telecommuting Institute, NTI was founded in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NTI pursued a mission to identify and develop work-at-home jobs for home-based Americans who are physically disabled.
Since that time, NTI has provided trained work-at-home employees to some of the largest U.S. government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and to smaller businesses who want to outsource customer service and technical support operations in order to reduce costs.
Visit  www.nticentral.org/learnmore for more information about how NTI assists Americans who are disabled in their job searches.

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month


By Mary E. Hart


April is Autism Awareness month, and it holds a special place in my heart considering that eight years ago this month, my son -- who is now 13 -- was officially diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum with Asperger’s.
Unofficially, we had known something was up shortly after our son was born. He didn’t point to things; didn’t make eye contact; and was delayed in speaking. Luckily, I had friends who also had children on the spectrum and they advised me to speak with my son’s pediatrician about getting a referral to Early Intervention, which is a statewide developmental service for children from birth to three years of age. At my son’s next appointment, I did just that and the pediatrician agreed that my son would benefit from being evaluated by Early Intervention, so I called and made an appointment.

The Early Intervention coordinator came by and observed our son both at daycare and at home along with an occupational therapist and a speech therapist. After the evaluations, they sat us down and told us that our son was indeed on the autism spectrum and would start with speech therapy and occupational therapy. Even though we knew that was the most likely end result, it was still difficult to hear.

Looking back, however, it was the best thing because our son has truly thrived with the therapies he has received. He tested out of speech therapy in the third grade and occupational in fifth. These days, what he needs the most help with and luckily receives from his school are social skills (so important, especially with high school and life in general around the corner) and organizational skills, which are part Asperger’s and part just being a teenage boy.

In the realm of working, people with Autism have a difficult time interviewing and working with people on a day to day basis due to an inability to read social cues; a lack of organizational skills and a tendency to be prone to low short-term memory, but very impressive long-term memory. And yes, I absolutely wonder how my son will fare in the working world, but Temple Grandin and others have helped me learn over time that he certainly can thrive, especially if a field of study in school for future employment is chosen that will work with his skills -- including computer science, accounting, engineering or library science. Also, knowing that organizations like NTI exist to help people with Autism get a job or get back to work helps ease my mind quite a bit. 

On SSI, SSDI or have a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor? Maybe NTI can help you out find your next position? Find out more about NTI at www.NTICentral.org/learnmore.





- See more at: http://blog.nticentral.org/#sthash.kZFM8psE.dpuf
Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.

NTI One Boston Day April 15, 2016


One Boston Day


By Mary E. Hart
Where were you during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013? I was working in my home office writing some copy while listening to the radio and tracking my friend’s run progress online. Then, 2:49 p.m. came and that changed everything. 


Suddenly, that light-hearted day turned into something quite different with radio announcements of the bombings near the finish line on Boylston Street and panicked Facebook posts of friends wondering if their loved ones were okay. I was lucky. My friends who were there at the Marathon were alive and weren’t injured. Others weren’t so lucky with an estimated 264 people injured in the bombings and 3 killed.

In remembrance of this day, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh permanently designated April 15th as One Boston Day in Boston. This day was created as a way to remember how our community came together after the bombings.

On One Boston Day, we want you to spread random acts of kindness and goodwill. Think of the good people that helped out the injured on April 15, 2013, including the cowboy hat-wearing Carlos Arredondo, Dr. Vivek Shah, Joe Andruzzi, and the countless first responders, medics and EMTs.

A moment of silence will be held today at 2:49 p.m. in the city and church bells will ring throughout Boston to honor the occasion.

In this video posted on the One Boston Day website, local and nationally recognizable figures encouraged residents to participate and do good.
 

Looking to start volunteering on One Boston Day? Contact NTI! Some of the volunteer opportunities that exist here include helping Americans with Disabilities and Disabled Veterans in Career Counseling Opportunities as well as Marketing Opportunities. 



Mary E. Hart is the Digital Communications Specialist for NTI. She is also a freelance writer, editor and content strategist, specializing in writing copy that will get stuck in your head like an earworm, prompting you to take action. Previously, she worked in Demand Generation marketing for UBM Tech and Ziff Davis Enterprise. In her spare time, Mary is working on the next great novel.




Press Release - Volunteer Expo | NTI


Press Release - Volunteer Expo | NTI

For Release Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. EDT

[Boston, MA] - NTI Exhibits at Prudential Center’s Annual Volunteer Expo
In honor of National Volunteer Week this week, NTI will be an exhibitor at the Prudential Center’s Annual Volunteer Expo in Boston, MA on Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Expo will be located in the Huntington Arcade in Central Court. When attendees arrive, they will check in at one of the registration areas located by Club Monaco or Barnes & Noble and then proceed to walk through the Expo.
Free and open to the public, this special evening gives attendees a chance to learn about various charity groups and their volunteer opportunities. The annual Volunteer Expo seeks to aid local nonprofit organizations in their search for volunteers.
This event brings together locals, students and workers from the community and allows attendees to meet representatives from over 60 participating nonprofit organizations, including NTI, who are looking for volunteers. Other participating groups include the American Red Cross of MA; New Boston Pride Committee; Cradles to Crayons; Boston Cares; and so many more.
Attendance is free, but registration is appreciated in advance at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/volunteer-expo-prudential-center-tickets-21091711878
National Telecommuting Institute, NTI was founded in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NTI pursued a mission to identify and develop work-at-home jobs for home-based Americans who are physically disabled.
Since that time, NTI has provided trained work-at-home employees to some of the largest U.S. government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and to smaller businesses who want to outsource customer service and technical support operations in order to reduce costs.
Visit  www.nticentral.org/learnmore for more information about how NTI assists Americans who are disabled in their job searches.


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