Billhighway Nonprofit Financial Management Solutions

Billhighway is fortunate to be a host company for the 2012-2013 Adams Entrepreneurial Fellowship program through Automation Alley.  We’ve had the pleasure of working with Kevin Tuczek, an Adams Fellowship recipient and 2011 Wayne State University MBA graduate, since August of 2012.  Kevin works at Billhighway as a Growth Development Analyst and has taken on a variety of challenges including spearheading channel partner development and client implementation.  We sat down with Kevin and asked him a few questions about his experience so far.

Kevin Tuczek, Growth Development Analyst at Billhighway and 2012-2013 Adams Entrepreneurial Fellowship recipient

BH: This April marks your 8th month with Billhighway.  How has your role as Growth Development Analyst changed?

KT: My role has changed multiple times during the fellowship, which is a great thing because it gives me a true taste of the rapidly-changing nature of entrepreneurship.  I’ve gone from doing indirect sales management, to direct sales operations, to now leading new client implementations.  And it might change again!  I consider the variety of roles, and the strategy behind each one, to be a huge benefit of the relationship.

BH: Can you highlight one project that you’ve led, worked on or contributed to that has been most memorable for you and why?

KT: The one I’m working on right now – implementing a new client onto our system – is becoming increasingly memorable for a number of reasons.  First, it’s for a new market in our business, so it’s fun and exciting to break new ground in that regard.  Second, the project allows me to interact will all facets of our business and learn about what our system can do, and perhaps more importantly, what more it can do in the future.  And lastly, as leader on the project, I’m going down two parallel paths of completing the project and also creating a framework for future implementations.  It’s the culmination of all I’ve learned at Billhighway so far!

BH: Entrepreneur and Program Director Terry Cross helps mentor the fellows and provides books to read.  What does he have you reading now and what have you learned from it?

KT: Currently, Terry has us reading “The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki.  While I just started it, so far it’s teaching me about the realities of starting any business and further cementing that starting a company is a difficult and highly uncertain exercise.  Terry also had us read books about networking, business development, product strategy and other topics.  All in all, I think it’s great to keep the learning going, and when someone like Terry says it’s a good idea to read something, you better read it!

BH: What have you learned from other fellows in the program?

KT: I love getting together with other fellows because we bounce problems off each other, brainstorm together and most importantly, help each other out.  Even though we are at different companies doing different things, we experience a lot of the same challenges!  One of the main things I’ve learned from the other fellows is that when you surround yourself with really good people, you can make great things happen.  This has proven true with each of us at our respective companies because we all work with great people, as well as when we get together outside of work.  Collectively, we’ve been able to help each other solve problems and generate ideas.  I’m fully confident that we’ll stay connected long after this fellowship program is complete.

BH: What advice would you give to new fellows entering the program?

KT: I would tell new fellows that they should be prepared to work hard to make a substantial impact and soak up as much knowledge as possible.  I think all the fellows have had many opportunities to learn and make a difference, and if you’re not ready and willing to take full advantage of those, you won’t maximize the fellowship experience.  Simply put – work hard, listen a lot, and bite off as much as you can chew.  Do that and you’ll be in a good position to succeed.

BH: Has your experience as an Adams fellow altered your long range vision for your career/life, and if so how?

KT: The Adams Fellowship experience has undoubtedly altered my vision in a positive way.  Going into it, I thought the fellowship could be a catalyst for my future endeavors and a way for me to expand my network with the kinds of people I want to associate with over the long-term.  It’s done that and more.  I’ve had “in the trenches” experiences with Billhighway that taught me important first-hand lessons like how to pursue a new market, for instance.  The Adams Fellowship was a goal of mine since I first heard about it and it hasn’t disappointed in any way.  It’s been a continued stream of meaningful experiences and great people.

To learn more about the fellowship program, visit Automation Alley’s website, call 800-427-5100 or email:  adamsfellows@automationalley.com.

Katie Hayes (l) and Kim Ng (r), accept the Bronze Stevie Award for Innovation in Customer Service

Billhighway’s Client Care team was presented with a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Innovation in Customer Service category in the 7th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service this past Monday.

The awards were presented to honorees during a gala banquet on February 25th at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.  More than 300 nominated customer service and sales executives from the U.S. and several other countries attended.  More than 100 members of eight specialized judging committees determined Stevie Award placements from among the Finalists during final judging this year.

Billhighway was in good company at this years awards, other nominees in the same category of computer services and software included Cisco Systems, Informatica Corporation and Norton by Symantec.

The Client Care team plays an integral role in the success of the company; in fact it is so important that management requires all new hires to spend one week training with Client Care.  This provides a first-hand look at customer issues and the cross-functional role the team plays in helping to maintain a 96% customer loyalty rate.

States Client Care Team Leader Kim Ng, “I’m so proud of the accomplishments we have made as a team and the national recognition we’ve received for it.  It’s our philosophy that no customer interaction is over until the problem is solved.  This sets us apart from many other contact centers today, where efficiency is more important than quality and customer health.”

To back that sentiment up, below are a few testimonials from current Billhighway clients:

“…the response was almost instantaneous – within an hour – very helpful!”  -Golden Key administrator

“Billhighway has a great client support team. I know I can call anytime and always get the answers I need. Thanks so much for all of your help!” Higher Education Client, Miami University

“Thanks for the prompt service….I sure wish other businesses could manage prompt service! I am a business owner, so I really respect and appreciate good service.” - American Buildings, Inc.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/sales.

And last but not least…the final installment in our Here’s to my Mentor’s series, from our Chief Operating Officer, John Schelske.

I like to tell people that potential mentors are all around you.  Don’t wait for a formal program, but look around you at the people you respect or would like to emulate. Most people are happy to share their approaches and experiences, if you show an interest.  Further, when you do find the right role model, the mentoring will come naturally and evolve at its own pace.

I have had experiences at different types of businesses before coming to Billhighway. Throughout my career I’ve been involved in formal and informal mentoring programs.  For me, the informal relationships created the most impact in my career.  I think the reason I enjoyed the informal mentoring model the most, was a result of the natural evolution of the relationships.

I had a few supervisors that made big impressions on me early in my career.  I learned a lot by observing and asking questions .  For instance, early in my career, I had one manager that really helped me with priority setting.   He looked at each situation and thought about what type of impact that you could make on the situation, and in some cases, what was the worst thing that could happen.  This simple thought process is something that I use today, when thinking about how to prioritize potential activities.