How Employee Engagement Shapes Success at TAS United

Company Name: TAS United LLC
Industry: Multinational Telecommunication Company
Headquarters: Texas, USA
Employee Size: Under 200 Employees

We had the privilege of speaking with Dan Kilday, the Director of Employee Engagement at TAS United, a prominent player in the telecommunications industry. TAS United operates a mission-critical 'concierge' answering service that spans various industries, ensuring their clients' customers have guaranteed access to essential services 24/7.

TAS' Goals & Challenges

In June 2023, TAS approached Applauz as the company had experienced a sharp decline in employee engagement exacerbated by the pandemic.

The need for a substantial shift in direction was evident, prompted by concerns of employee dissatisfaction and decreased motivation. The goal was clear: improve recognition and address challenges related to turnover.

“We realized in November of 2022 that we had slipped so much in this area during the pandemic that we needed to do something drastic!”
- Dan Kilday, Director of Employee Engagement at TAS United

They also aimed to address challenges related to their existing reward practices. Desiring to cultivate an environment where employees genuinely felt acknowledged for their contributions and performance, while moving away from the cumbersome and uninspiring reward initiatives they had previously employed.

Applauz Results

Introducing a new platform in a 24/7 business environment with a well-established tech stack, critical for client operations, poses certain challenges to employee adoption.

Leveraging expert guidance from Applauz, TAS United implemented daily contests and engagement strategies using Applauz Points.

This approach proved highly effective, with over 85% of their workforce actively utilizing the software within the first month of launching their recognition program in August 2023.

“Since using Applauz we’ve had fewer complaints from our clients about hold times. We’ve had less stress among our employees because there were more people there to help. It was worth every single penny.”
- Dan Kilday, Director of Employee Engagement at TAS United

TAS United witnessed improvements in key performance indicators such as call handle times, message volume, and disconnect times, demonstrating a positive correlation between employee engagement initiatives facilitated by Applauz and operational success.

For Dan Kilday, the use of Pulse Surveys became instrumental in assessing employee sentiment and providing location-specific scores for operations managers. Monthly review sessions became a standard practice to address areas requiring enhancement.

TAS United's experience with Applauz reflects a measured approach to employee engagement. From acknowledging challenges to implementing practical solutions, resulting in a reduction of their turnover rate from an initial 157% to a final rate of 108%, the journey is indicative of a commitment to fostering a positive work environment.

Additionally to the exclusive video interview, Dan Kilday also shared his firsthand perspective on leveraging Applauz to successfully attain his HR objectives in a written interview.

We extend our gratitude to Dan for sharing his experience with us and appreciate TAS United's openness in sharing their Applauz success story with the world.

Interview

Q: Can you describe the state of employee engagement within TAS United before integrating Applauz?

In a word: “Yikes!” We realized in November of 2022 that we had slipped so much in this area during the pandemic that we needed to do something drastic, or the bleeding would continue. Our employees felt disregarded, overworked, underrecognized, and miserable. Luckily, we are led by a company president who is not afraid to take drastic steps when faced with a challenge like this. He recognized that we needed to inject a shot of adrenaline into our employee morale as quickly as possible. We implemented several successful strategies, but Applauz has had the biggest impact, by far.

Q: What particular HR challenges or initiatives did you hope to handle using Applauz?

Our employees are begging us for more ways to feel seen. If they are putting in the extra work and performing at a high level, they should be celebrated! We also had a clunky way of rewarding our employees for attendance and holidays. We would usually draw names for a cheap TV, or gift cards, which the employee would later have to be taxed for. These “rewards” were usually met with a tone of, “gee…thanks, I guess.”

Q: How seamlessly did Applauz integrate into TAS United's existing HR workflow and business processes?

Honestly, it’s difficult to introduce a new platform to this bunch. They already interact with our call-answering software, Microsoft Teams, our ticketing system, and various other platforms. So getting them to go to yet another place seemed like an uphill battle. But we came up with a few daily contests, using Applauz points, which forced them to go onto the platform to see who won and view other recognitions. We also started having costume contests in the office and would post the pictures on Applauz for everyone. Once they got into the habit of checking in, things took off.

Q: Were there specific Applauz features or customizations that were especially interesting for TAS United's line of work?

The Pulse Surveys are great! That was an unexpected bonus that came out of all of this. I was looking for someone who could handle rewards and was planning on looking for a separate provider for surveys. Applauz killed two birds with one stone.

Q: Which program features do you love the most?

The newsfeed is where the action happens! Our team loves going on there and posting pictures, or memes/gifs. Applauz has become sort of our own, private, social media platform.

Q: How does TAS United measure the success of its employee engagement initiatives facilitated by Applauz?

We started a contest called “The AHOD Squad” (AHOD = All Hands On Deck). It’s a daily contest during our peak hours that measures various stats that we feel will help the network. The four winners of the contest receive Applauz points. We recently measured our KPIs before we started the contest vs once we started the contest in September and there is a significant improvement in our call handle times, # of messages taken, and disconnect times. Our employees are more excited and motivated to process calls during these times and we have stats to back up this improvement.

Q: Which Applauz reports do you turn to to gauge the success of your program?

The pulse surveys are excellent and we can see scores by location which is helpful to those operations managers. We go over areas where we need to improve once a month.

Q: Was there a material impact on the overall quality of service provided by TAS United since using Applauz?

Our turnover rate has improved dramatically, which means that we have agents who are staying with the company longer, which positively impacts overall employee performance.

Q: Are there any plans to further leverage Applauz for employee engagement initiatives?

Yes! We have big plans to emphasize employee attendance in 2024, as this is an ongoing problem. Rather than focusing on what happens when you don’t come to work, let’s focus on the employees who do come to work and reward them as such. I’m considering weekly perfect attendance rewards for this. We’re also planning some fun games and additional contests. 

Q: Based on TAS United's experience, what advice or recommendations would you give to companies in similar industries?

I would tell them to stay away from Applauz! We want them all to ourselves! But seriously, I think our industry is a perfect fit for Applauz because it’s a job that can be sort of a grind. It’s doing the same thing over and over all day. So the employees are starving for something fun and exciting to do and Applauz fits that role very nicely.

Our employees are scattered across the country, including Puerto Rico, and we have this place where we can gather virtually to celebrate each other’s accomplishments. It’s been truly great!

Inspired by TAS United's approach?

Explore Applauz for your employee engagement solutions. Reach out for a demo and take steps towards cultivating a more engaged and motivated workforce!