Last Updated: 2012-03-06

VereQuest Incorporated

Company information

Legal Name:   VereQuest Incorporated
Operating Name:   VereQuest Incorporated
Mailing Address 301-370 Queens Quay W TORONTO, Ontario M5V 3J3	Location Address 301-370 Queens Quay W TORONTO, Ontario M5V 3J3
Telephone: (416) 362-6777
Toll Free Phone: 1-877-652-6777
Email: soatway@verequest.com
Website URL: http://www.verequest.com

Contact information

Sharon Oatway
	Title:   President & Chief Experience Officer
	Telephone:   (416) 362-6777
	Email:   soatway@verequest.com

Company description

Trusted by some of the world's most respected companies, VereQuest can take your customer experience to the next level and keep it there. Some of our services include: Reality Check™ for Contact Centers - Outsourced call and email quality monitoring provides impartial, real-time reporting for less. Mystery Shopping for Contact Centers – Simulated customer calls reinforces training and sustains skills/knowledge. Check-Up™ Training for Contact Centers – Competency-based telephone, customer service, customer relationship management and sales skills for contact center agents. Includes Self-Directed Coaching™ program for front-line managers. High Velocity Testing™ - Real-time direct response testing refines marketing messages in a live sales and service environment. Business Transformation Consulting – Marketing and sales support including short-/long-term planning with a focus on alternative channels, direct marketing and small/medium business.
Country of Ownership:	Canada
Year Established:	2002
Exporting:	Yes
Primary Industry (NAICS):	561420 - Telephone Call Centres
Alternate Industries (NAICS):	541619 - Other Management Consulting Services 541910 - Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling
Primary Business Activity:	Services
Total Sales ($CDN):	$1,000,000 to $4,999,999
Export Sales ($CDN):	$200,000 to $499,999
Number of Employees:	60

Product / Service / Licensing

Service Name:	Business Transformation Consulting
Marketing and sales consultative support including short-/long-term planning with a focus on alternative channels, direct marketing and small/medium business.
Service Name:	Check-Up Training for Contact Centers
Competency-based telephone, customer service, customer relationship management and sales skills for contact center agents. Includes Self-Directed Coaching™ program for front-line managers.
Service Name:	High Velocity Testing
Real-time direct response testing refines marketing messages in a live sales and service environment.
Service Name:	Reality Check for Contact Centers
Service Name:	Third Party Call & Email Quality Assurance
Outsourced call and email quality monitoring provides impartial, real-time reporting for less.
FSC Code:	6910-Training Aids 6940-Communication Training Devices H900-Other Quality Control, Testing, and Inspection Services

Technology profile

Various online applications to support virtual operations including: Quality Assurance, Project Management, etc.

Market profile

Alliances:

• Financial
• Sales/Marketing
• Technology

Strategic alliances:

Align our offering with companies providing technology support in the area of Contact Center infrastructure.

Industry sector market interests:

• Consumer Products
• Culture
• Information Technology and Telecommunications
• Manufacturing
• Medical/Biotechnology/Chemical
• Service Industry
• Tourism
• Transportation
• Wholesale/Retail

Geographic markets:

Export experience:

• United States
• Washington

Sector information

Classification codes

Distribution of employees

90% of employees work from secure head office location; 10% work-at-home employees located across Canada (2% Bilingual)

Key / Major clients:

TD Canada Trust, Expedia.com, John Hancock, Canada Post and more

Success stories:

*At the client’s request, provided independent, unbiased monitoring of calls and emails managed by their service bureau partner. Real-time reporting provided both the client and the service bureau with insight needed to implement coaching and training programs. Grievous errors were escalated in real-time. Performance-based compensation was introduced. Overall agent performance has improved with direct correlation to customer satisfaction.

*Introduced the Check-Up™ program and, through the use of comprehension and competency testing that are a key component of the program, was able to “certify” agents’ skills and capabilities. Complaints declined immediately to less than 1% of all calls placed. Lead rates improved by 26%. The program remained in place at a significantly lower cost to the client.

Testimonial:

“When we first approached VereQuest to help us with our Mystery Shopping program, we had yet to find a service that offered us the flexibility that we felt we needed. Fortunately for us, VereQuest’s Mystery Shopping service met all of our requirements and more! We were pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were able to get up and running. The system is so flexible and easy to use that we can adjust our program in real-time as we learn and our expectations evolve. We are also happy about the fact that we can build an unlimited database of scenarios, which keeps the calls fresh and undetected. And we can do most of the administration ourselves – saving time and money!”

“The online, real-time reporting lets us know what’s happening day-to-day and the escalation of “problem” calls is extremely helpful for immediate coaching. I know that our supplier appreciates this as much as we do. Plus, given that the system is web-hosted, all of our stakeholders have access to the recorded calls and scorecards. From the outset our goal was to use Mystery Shopping, not as a tool to identify the deficiencies of our supplier, but rather to help them achieve their targets and ultimately their bonus. There is no question that the VereQuest Mystery Shopping program has contributed to our ability to achieve best-in-class customer service for our customers.”

"As the Assistant VP, Telesales at TD Canada Trust in the late 90’s and currently as Assistant VP, Planning & Strategy US Group Pensions for John Hancock, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Sharon Oatway in a variety of consultative capacities. Sharon brings a wealth of knowledge about the direct response and contact centre channels across a number of key disciplines including human resources, training, quality, sales & service performance and others. Her hands-on experience and active involvement in the Canadian direct marketing community make her a valued resource to myself and my team."

"As the Marketing Director for Business Markets at Bell Canada I had the opportunity to work with Sharon Oatway and VereQuest on a High Velocity Testing program. Although the program proved to be highly complex and involved multiple product solutions, VereQuest was able to launch the High Velocity Testing program in just over 1 month. Within days the VereQuest agents were selling at a rate equal to and, in some cases, greater than the more experienced Bell agents. As a result, we started to receive valuable insight almost immediately and continued to do so throughout the 8-week test period."

"As the Associate Director, CRM - Database Strategy I was intrigued by how High Velocity Testing could help us with a critical retention program. We were able to provide VereQuest with our objectives and current processes and, in less than 6 weeks, were actively in-market with an HVT pilot. Throughout the program we found VereQuest to be professional and very easy to work with. From the early days of calling, we were able to incorporate key learning into our internal processes with solid results. I continue to endorse High Velocity Testing within my own organization as a highly effective testing approach when live customer behaviour matters."