Julia Kalkman
Summary
Collaborative leader with dedication to partnering with coworkers to promote engaged, empowering work culture. Documented strengths in building and maintaining relationships with diverse range of stakeholders in dynamic, fast-paced settings.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Manager, eCommerce/Chief of Staff
AT&T Inc
Portage, MI (Remote)
01.2020 - 10.2023
- Delivered $52M in Automation and AI projects with an in-year ROI of 1100%
- Reduced Back Office volume by 7.2M, 360% of target, and 13K truck rolls
- Increased Revenue (LTV) by $75M
- Supported deployment of a new Virtual Assistant and improved site performance & functionality to deliver 33.6M contact shed (168% of target) and $185M of value
- Expanded project roadmap to include a deep backlog; achieved over 425% of Contact Shed target
- Collaborated with Analytics, Finance, and Consumer Transformation teams to ensure accuracy of results and consistent communication to the business
- Planned yearly operational targets and budgetary needs, partnered with Finance for approvals
- Implemented and developed operational standards, policies and procedures
- Led multiple strategic planning sessions/workshops yearly to assess progress and develop the following years' roadmap
- Partnered with the Agent Assist team, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate $75M of incremental LTV
- Developed for leadership presentations on projects and status via weekly updates, quarterly business reviews, and ad hoc requests
- Formed partnerships with the internal and external resources to bring in new technologies (AI) to solve business problems
- Provided strong leadership to enhance team productivity and morale
Senior Manager, Chief of Staff/Program
AT&T Inc.
Portage, MI (Remote)
07.2014 - 12.2019
- Provided strong leadership to enhance team productivity and morale
- Managed large-scale projects and introduced new systems, tools, and processes to achieve challenging objectives
- Implemented and developed operational standards, policies and procedures
- Led Consumer Operations contact shed program using AI and other technology deployments to eliminate 26M calls, 2M units of Back Office work and 2M dispatches, delivering $559M in savings
- Deployed AI to improve sales, increasing customer Lifetime Value by $104M
- Migrated 4.5M customers to a new unified platform, including UAT, agent training, and support across 50 states, 5K Retail Stores, 20K Sales Reps, 6K Technical Support & Chat agents, 16 Indirect Dealers, and 18K Field Technicians
- Initiated a Back Office Optimization and Transformation program that reduced volumes by 30% to deliver $19M in savings (beating target by 36%)
- Drove Call Center First Contact Resolution to 91%, up 19% YoY
- Delivered $22.5M savings in reduced truck rolls
- Beat 3 year (2014-2016) budget by $32M cumulatively while absorbing $16M in pressure by leveraging cross functional best practices, improving on operational metrics, and reducing overtime
- Delivered Sales of $54M, $9M better than plan
- Created new contact rate measurement leading to a Back Office volume reduction of 7% and a contact rate improvement of 16%, at the same time order volumes impacting work increased by 10%
- Collected and analyzed data to form recommendations for business improvement changes
- Managed monthly budget and provided updates to leadership; partnered with Finance on adjustments and transfers;
managed new requests for funding - Reviewed and analyzed reports, records and directives to obtain data required for planning department activities
- Collaborated with multiple teams on AT&T/DTV merger actions
- Responsible for Business Continuity Planning leading up to/during labor contract negotiations
- Established international external partner relationships (including travel overseas) to better manage outsourced work volume
Communications Manager
AT&T Inc
Portage, MI (Remote)
07.2013 - 07.2014
- Responsible for all communications to Assistant Vice President Organization of 2K employees in multiple locations
- Planned and led leadership team strategy meetings
- Streamlined internal communication processes by creating a centralized information hub (website) for employees
- Managed Awards & Recognition program recognizing 23 employees
- Drove Employee Engagement, Results: Raised $77K through local fundraisers, 11K hours volunteered in communities, and 108 Process Improvement ideas submitted
Manager, Sales Program Execution
AT&T Inc
Detroit, MI/Shelton, CT/Portage, MI (Remote)
04.2009 - 01.2013
- Collaborated with IT services to mechanize error fallout resulting in a savings of 30 Full Time Equivalent Employees (FTEs)
- Managed overtime budget resulting in an under run of 15,000 hours, equating to a savings of $484K
- Delivered efficiency improvements (24%) by creating a new cycle time measurement and establishing service level agreements and reporting
- Implemented new work distribution process that reduced work volume by 20% by eliminating duplicate work
- Trained center managers on agent closed time efficiencies and the use of scheduling tools and processes
- Drove change management and transformation of the business through process analysis and improvement, system enhancement and integration, and a laser focus on the customer experience
Associate Director of Sales
AT&T Inc
Detroit/Grand Rapids/Port Huron, MI
01.2006 - 01.2009
- Exceeded sales goals (145%) of multiple products through coaching and development of sales coaches
- Managed porting intervals to #1 in the nation at 9.5 business days
- Reduced porting intervals by 60% resulting in $4M in revenue
- Improved porting intervals by 55%, surpassing EOY goal by 10 percentage points
- Analyzed group and individual results to identify performance gaps, then implemented training to close those gaps
- Coached and developed 13 managers responsible for 250 employees in 3 offices
- Managed coaching, development, training, and corrective action administered to non-management employees
Senior Training Manager
SBC Communications
Kalamazoo, MI
01.2000 - 01.2006
- Enhanced employee performance by designing and implementing comprehensive training programs
- Streamlined onboarding process for new hires, accelerating their integration into the company culture and work expectations
- Increased employee retention rates by creating engaging and relevant professional development opportunities
- Collaborated with department leaders to identify skill gaps and develop targeted training initiatives
Coach Leader
SBC Communications/Ameritech
Kalamazoo, MI
01.1999 - 01.2000
- Collaborated with other coaches to create and execute plans
- Utilized positive communication to encourage team and promote integrity and respect
- Motivated Sales Reps to become more proficient and more effective at recommending products and closing sales
- Monitored performance and conducted one on one coaching as needed
Attendance/Communications Process Support Manager
SBC Communications
Kalamazoo, MI
01.1999 - 01.2000
Assistant Coach
Ameritech
Kalamazoo, MI
07.1998 - 01.1999
Education
Associate of Business Management -
University of Phoenix
Phoenix, AZCertificate in Value Creation -
Florida Atlantic University College of Business
Boca Raton, FLSkills
- Operational Excellence
- Vendor Management
- Telecommunications
- Online Self-Service and Automation
- Back Office Operations
- Contact Centers
- Leadership
- Organizational Improvement
- Conversational AI
- Strategic Planning
- Partnership Development
- Data Analytics
- Documentation and Reporting
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Budget Administration
- Troubleshooting and Problem Resolution
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Training and Development
- Process Improvement
- Change Management
- Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Operations Management
- Data Analysis and Reporting
- Performance Management
- Project Management
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Employee Development
- Customer Service
- Problem Resolution
- Managing Operations and Efficiency
- Business Analysis and Reporting
- Employee Coaching and Mentoring
Certification
Six Sigma (Green Belt)
Timeline
Senior Manager, eCommerce/Chief of Staff
AT&T Inc
01.2020 - 10.2023
Senior Manager, Chief of Staff/Program
AT&T Inc.
07.2014 - 12.2019
Communications Manager
AT&T Inc
07.2013 - 07.2014
Manager, Sales Program Execution
AT&T Inc
04.2009 - 01.2013
Associate Director of Sales
AT&T Inc
01.2006 - 01.2009
Senior Training Manager
SBC Communications
01.2000 - 01.2006
Coach Leader
SBC Communications/Ameritech
01.1999 - 01.2000
Attendance/Communications Process Support Manager
SBC Communications
01.1999 - 01.2000
Assistant Coach
Ameritech
07.1998 - 01.1999
Associate of Business Management -
University of Phoenix
Certificate in Value Creation -
Florida Atlantic University College of Business