Date: Monday, January 29, 2024

Time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.

Location: Van Leer, C240

Speaker: Aleksander Szlam

Speakers' Title: Chairman and CEO of Melita International, Inc

Seminar Title: Genesis of CallerID and Call Centers

Abstract:
Before mid 1980’s – primitive, analog telephone sets without displays were used for voice communications between friends, family and businesses. People were unable to see who was calling and why. Company’s personnel receiving phone calls had to inquire and validate callers through many security steps. Placing outgoing phone calls to customers, agents wasted vast amount of time listening to busy, no answer signals, bad/changed phone number announcements… On the average, agents spent 85% of unproductive time trying to reach customers. Businesses employed much extra personnel due to the high inefficiencies…

It all changed forever with the introduction of CallerID and Call Centers intelligent solutions …Here is a brief story…

Biographical Sketch of the Speaker:
Alek Szlam was the Chairman and CEO of Melita International, Inc., a corporation he founded in 1983. He and wife Halina took the company out of their garage and evolved it into publicly traded, profitable debt-free global leader. The innovations and business solutions laid foundation for the Call Center Industry, with installations in over 40 countries.

Prolific inventor, Alek’s name is associated with over 150 innovations and patents throughout the world, including solutions based on “Caller ID”, “Predictive Dialing” and the various technologies upon which global Call Center Industry and mobile messaging are based today.

Born in Poland, Alek’s family immigrated to the United States, arriving in Atlanta, April of 1970 where he studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology obtaining bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering.

For his efforts as an inventor and entrepreneur, Alek was inducted to Call Center Magazine’s Hall of Fame in December 2021, received “Life time Achievement” award by TMC and Customer Interaction Solutions magazine in May 2006, was named the “Pioneer in the Industry” by Call Center magazine in August 1997 and was named Inc. Magazine's 1991 Entrepreneur of the Year, Southern Region.

He resides with wife Halina in Johns Creek, Georgia and have two children and four grandchildren.