"Think Pink" & Be Aware

This year in the United States, it is estimated that 178,480 women will be diagnosed with and face Breast Cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, a little over 40,000 of those women will lose that battle. Although new strides are being made to combat the disease, there are still so many unknown variables with Breast Cancer. One such variable is called Inflammatory Breast Cancer, or IBC. It is the most aggressive form of Breast Cancer and if not detected early, the most fatal. With IBC, mammograms are simply not enough to detect the disease. Education about the radical form of cancer is the best “first step”, but until recently, very little was known about IBC. Fortunately, the medical community is now taking notice and IBC can be detected in early stages. To learn more about IBC, please visit www.ibcresearch.org

Joe Pietsch and his mother.

Not only is October the month for Breast Cancer Awareness, it marks a personal milestone in my life. For years I’ve seen those pink ribbons and pink bracelets, supporting Breast Cancer Awareness. “That’s great”, I thought to myself, never thinking it would affect me personally or that I needed to get involved. That all changed one year ago this month. My mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and immediately life took on a new meaning. Instantly, the woman who raised, nurtured and comforted me was about to experience the biggest battle of her life. In and out of hospitals, rounds of chemotherapy and even months without her children being able to see her. Fortunately, her strength from within and support from her family prevailed and today the outlook is promising.

The HOLDCOM Family showing awareness.
(click for larger view)

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Get involved. Show your support. Think Pink. For more information, visit www.nbcam.org or www.cancer.org

HOLDCOM congratulates Harrison Community Hospital as our Client of the Month for October 2007! Located in Cadiz, Ohio, the Hospital provides reliable, patient-friendly healthcare to their community, including state-of-the-art radiology, surgery, and 24-hour emergency services. With accomodating facilities, advanced-technology equipment, and an expert staff, the Hospital supports a wide range of primary, acute, and rehabilitative services – all with a personal touch.

For over 10 years, HOLDCOM has provided Harrison Community Hospital with Message-On-Hold service, helping them effectively communicate timely information about their various programs and services. They have also utilized their on-hold program to introduce new physicians that have been added to their Medical Staff, as well as offer tips and advice to their callers for living a healthy lifestyle.

Carole Patton, Executive Assistant for Administration and Medical Staff Services, had the following to express about the Hospital’s positive partnership with HOLDCOM: "Our Hospital considers the HOLDCOM Message-On-Hold service to be an integral and effective part of our marketing program. We know that people listen to the messages because we often receive feedback from patients who say they heard something new about the hospital in the on-hold program. In addition, the HOLDCOM representatives are always very helpful and professional. If any technical problems develop with the service, they are taken care of promptly. Overall, we are very pleased with HOLDCOM and the service they provide."

We at HOLDCOM appreciate the kind words and look forward to continuing in providing Harrison Community Hospital with effective Message-On-Hold services in the years to come.

Voice Over Spotlight

From the other side of the pond, we recognize John. With an unfair advantage, because a British accent almost always sounds good, John makes it look easy. As many in the voice over business, he wanted to be a DJ, which is hard to do without any experience. Using voice over work as his entry, he not only achieved his ambition to be a DJ, he ultimately wound up owning his own production company, some 23 years later. Which is one way to guarantee commercial work.

John enjoys the challenge of the amazing diversity of scripts he is asked to read. As he so eloquently puts it “I am completely rubbish at doing character voices and accents. Therefore I stick to the straight-read stuff. I always feel enormously flattered that people cast me to be the voice of their company or brand.”

John’s fiancée has told him that he often voices radio spots in his sleep. So he truly takes his work home with him. And at home he is the proud father of 14-month-old Dan, who will be available for voiceovers in about a year’s time, (at very reasonable introductory rates!). When not working or shamelessly promoting his son, John enjoys cinema and an unhealthy obsession with hard rock and heavy metal.

Oddcast develops and distributes talking avatar products, enabling companies to improve business results, and consumers to personalize online communications and self-expression. Oddcast's technology is the industry-leading solution, serving over 8,000 business customers worldwide and millions of consumers. SitePal allows you to design a variety of animated characters whose message can be constantly and easily updated. You can even use your own photo to create a 3D character.

One SitePal client, a specialty gift retailer, needed to find their spot in a very competitive field. They quickly realized that a large inventory, fairly priced, was not enough to distinguish them in the internet marketplace. They believed that customer service was the key to their success. Not a revolutionary idea, but how to achieve a high level of personal service on what can be a very impersonal platform? Enter “Mia,” a talking avatar who welcomes you to their site and acts as a virtual host. Her look and HOLDCOM’s sound would reflect the natural and serene feel of the company. One of the more remarkable aspects of an avatar is that it can be personalized in every way.

This company estimates that Mia has increased traffic by almost 50%, and online sales by 40%. That may be the best part, but the easiest is the ability to reinvent Mia. Her speech, look and feel can be changed with the click of a button and simply visiting the SitePal Voice Talent Store allows Holdcom's professionals to put new words in her mouth. Say goodbye to the days of scratchy, inaudible audio and embrace a high quality, top notch sound that will speak volumes to your audience.

Come join us at SOCAP International’s 2007 Annual Conference, October 7-10, 2007, at the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Hotel in Palm Springs, California.

The 2007 Annual Conference will examine Customer Care Best Practices in a global marketplace. Additionally, the conference features a new track on Professional Development, with sessions focused on career-building skills for today's customer care leader.

As is with every SOCAP event, this year’s conference is the “must attend” for the customer care professional and always provides a wealth of information and resources from attendees and exhibitors. The list of this year’s exhibitors include:

Visit their web sites to learn more about them, or stop by their booth at the conference! For more information go to the SOCAP website at www.socap.org or download a copy of the annual brochure. We’ll see you there!

THE HOLDCOM VOICE is published and distributed monthly by HOLDCOM, as a service to our valued clients. This month’s contributors include Megan Andriulli, Stacey Caropreso, Andy Begnoche,
Steve Brown, Juan Sanchez, Rob Lefever, Joe Pietsch and Harvey Edelman.
© 2007 by HOLDCOM. All Rights Reserved.