By: Audrey M Nelligan, Business Manager, Miami Exchange
As you’ve been working hard each day to grow your career or your own business, have you ever thought, Wow! Wouldn’t it be great if I had someone to handle my calls and appointment scheduling so I could be freed up to focus on my core business and providing the best service to my customers?
And how fabulous would it be if the folks that could handle those tasks for you, also supported a terrific charitable organization that has been helping people in need in the community for forty-five years?
That is exactly where Miami Exchange comes in. Brainchild of Catherine Penrod, the well-known and highly-respected CEO of Switchboard of Miami, a long-standing human services and crisis intervention charity, Miami Exchange leverages Switchboard’s extensive background in the contact center arena providing counseling and referrals to essentially every caller.
About a year ago, a popular South Florida healthcare clinic system decided they wanted to take advantage of Miami Exchange’s unique offering, so they contracted with our company to handle all their patients’ calls and schedule appointments. The result was a dramatic increase in the number of calls answered and the number of appointments booked, and a significant increase in patients’ access to medical care. Medical professionals were freed up from these time-consuming tasks and could now focus all of their energy on their patients and providing great care.
During this successful one-year contract, Miami Exchange has consistently provided top-notch customer service, maintained high call answer rates and minimized hold times. The company has also maintained a profitable position in year one, a rare achievement for a start-up with limited funding.
To take the business to the next level, Miami Exchange crafted a detailed three-year business plan that was submitted to the Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge. On May 5, 2014, of 100 entrants, Miami Exchange was selected by the Challenge Judges Panel as one of the six top finalists.
The Miami Herald created videos of each of the finalists delivering their 90-second pitch to prospective investors, and voting in “The People’s Pick” part of the contest ran for the week of May 5, 2014. The winners of “The People’s Pick” and the judges’ top picks were showcased in the Miami Herald’s Business Monday section on May 19, 2014. While it turned out this was not our year to be in the winners’ circle, we are very proud of having been selected as a finalist, and also having consistently maintained the third spot in a very close race throughout the voting process. We look forward to great things ahead.
Everyone at Miami Exchange is thrilled to grow this exciting business while simultaneously raising funds for Switchboard and the great work it does in the community. And we greatly appreciate the support of our friends and colleagues in the local business community.
If you are interested in learning more about Miami Exchange and its services, please contact Audrey Nelligan at anelligan@Miami-Exchange.com. If you are interested in learning more and/or donating to Switchboard of Miami, please contact Amy Crismond at acrismond@switchboardmiami.org, or click here.