Persolvent - Customer Service Training Professional of the Year

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Company: Persolvent Minneapolis, MN
Company Description: Persolvent has been solving payment acceptance problems for over 20 years. We provide credit card and payment processing solutions and technology for businesses, school districts, and government entities. Founded in 1993 by Jay Bruber, we have regularly won awards for culture, support and product innovation. Our goal is to earn the right to be recommended. Our mission is to make life easier.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Training Professional of the Year

Nomination Title: AJ Kurkowski: The Man Behind Customer Driven Training

AJ Kurkowski joined Persolvent as an Eleyo Implementation Specialist on March 24, 2019. AJ makes quite the first impression with his big smile and bowtie. Once AJ starts talking, you learn about his passion for training and for customers. AJ will tell you, “Interaction with customers is the reward.” and that “Training is just a fancy word for change management.”

The implementation of software is a responsibility frequently left to the customer, reading manuals, short introductory videos or even worse, nothing at all. Eleyo strives to make life easier for our customers by offering something many of our competitors don't, a dedicated individual to ensure a seamless onboarding of the software. Since July 2019, AJ has personally assisted 20% of Eleyo's current customers with successful program implementation while achieving a CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) of 97.

AJ’s mentality of adapting to customers instead of the other way around is what makes him stand out and is why in July 2020, AJ was promoted to Implementation Manager. So, what happens when you give someone with a passion for training a management role? Amazing things!

Achievements

Beginning in October 2020 and reaching full usability in March 2021, AJ led his team through standardizing the implementation experience by applying the philosophy of 5Ss: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. Leveraging Asana as the platform, Eleyo implementation is now fully documented step-by-step with supporting documentation and resources just a click away. This takes the 3–6-month implementation experience and allows each member of the team to manage the process and track the progress of each district with ease. In addition, each phase of the implementation has been through the process of knowledge documentation, taking each step of the customer's journey and providing each Eleyo team member with the knowledge and content applicable.

A New User Webinar Series was identified by business leadership as an opportunity and in June 2020, AJ join the project. The start of each school year is a busy time for our customers and team alike, with programs starting and new staff in each district, so ensuring they are trained and up to speed is a crucial aspect to success. When the project wrapped up in September 2020, AJ had facilitated Eleyo's New User Webinar Series and the foundational information that was recorded is now used regularly by school districts for on-demand learning.

AJ also implemented fun elements into the software training program. Starting in October 2020, the team now uses Kahoot to test new software users’ knowledge and discover where more training is needed. Opening training to gamification brings an element of fun and new users look forward to their training sessions.

Eleyo’s mission is to make life easier through innovation and technology. AJ embodies that mission. He innovated the way Eleyo implements and trains its software users. He took the understanding of learning psychology and added technology to make training more engaging and fun.

If you are ever fortunate to spend 15 minutes with AJ, you'll find him uncovering for you the different ways that people learn and why it’s important to meet people in the way that best fits their learning needs. Training isn’t just a checkmark on a long list to AJ; it’s setting up those users for success and helping them feel confident in using Eleyo’s software.

In AJ’s time as Implementation Manager, he has changed the way that Eleyo implements and trains customers. He has introduced tools that help the Implementation and Training Team as well as Eleyo’s customers succeed. AJ will tell you that it’s about “empowering the customers. It’s not our implementation process, it’s a shared experience.”

Achievement Summary

  • 96% CSAT Score on user Comfortability post Implementation
  • 97% CSAT Score on Trainer Knowledgeability
  • Assisted20%ofEleyo'scurrent customers with successful program implementation
  • Created and facilitated a 7-part New User Webinar Series for on-demand learning
  • Promoted to manager
  • Driving a customer-focused mindset for the training team
  • Managed multiple expedited district implementations while onboarding a new team member
  • Standardized and documented the full implementation process
  • Integrated Kahoot into training
  • Internal Knowledge Documentation of ImplementationExperience
  • Standardization of Implementation Experience (TOTF)


Supporting Material

Please reference the associated Powerpoint for:

  • Achievement Recap
  • Project Overviews
  • Customer feedback
  • Internal reviews and feedback