GEM Award Program
Nominate a GEMGEM Award: Going the Extra Mile to Achieve Excellence
Every day employees go above and beyond to resolve customer issues, help a teammate, solve a difficult challenge or find new ways to make your organization a better place to work. That's why Alvaria and the Alvaria User Group created the GEM Award Program—to recognize and reward individuals who use an Alvaria solution to turn good customer interactions into exceptional experiences.
Do you know someone who has:
- Used their knowledge of Alvaria solutions to streamline a process or save time?
- Stepped up as an Alvaria power user to pass on tips and tricks to others on your team?
- Resolved a difficult customer issue with exceptional skill and tact?
- Discovered a way to close an information or technology gap, resulting in better outcomes for all involved?
- Suggested a new approach to an existing challenge using out-of-the-box thinking and ingenuity?
GEM Award Program Terms and Conditions

Great customer care comes from front-line agents and back-office team members alike
Take five minutes to nominate a "gem" from your team for the next GEM Award!
Program Details
What is the GEM Program?
Going the Extra Mile (GEM) program recognizes the exemplary work of your colleagues. It gives YOU the opportunity to recognize and reward them by sharing the story of their creativity, dedication
and willingness to go the extra mile.
How do I nominate someone for the GEM award?
Complete the GEM nomination form. It's easy, and only takes about five minutes
to fill out and submit.
Who can submit nominations for the GEM award?
All Alvaria users are encouraged to submit nominations for an outstanding colleague.
Who is eligible to win the GEM award?
All users of Alvaria solutions are eligible to win. Share with us how your colleague went the extra mile to resolve an issue, innovate a process or help a co-worker while using an
Alvaria solution. This award is open to agents, analysts, support, sales—any member of your organization who has gone the extra mile to achieve something you think deserves recognition. This program is currently open to legal residents
of Australia, Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec), Germany, Mexico, South Africa, United States and United Kingdom.
How frequently will the GEM award recipients be announced?
Nominations may be submitted at any time. Voting to determine winners is conducted on a monthly basis. Winners will be notified and then announced in the Alvaria
newsletter, as well as publicized on social media.
How will the GEM award recipients be recognized and what do they win?
Monthly winners will receive:
- (1) $25 Amazon gift card
- GEM swag
- Publication of their story in the Wall of Fame section
- Highlighted in the Alvaria newsletter
- GEM Certificate
Plus, three monthly GEM winners who receive the most votes by the Alvaria User Group membership will earn the GEM of the Year designation. When the in-person event resumes, GEMs of the Year will be invited to attend the annual Alvaria Customer Experience (ACE) conference where they will be recognized at an awards ceremony and given a seat on our special guest speaker panel. A portion of travel and conference costs are reimbursed in exchange for GEM of the Year participation at ACE.
Wall of Fame
Congratulations to our GEM of the Month Winners!
GEM of the Month winners are eligible to be selected as a GEM of the Year award recipient.
April 2021

Kyleigh Ambriz
The Travelers Indemnity Co
Workforce Analyst
Kyleigh Ambriz
Kye Ambriz is the Queen of Aspect autoruns. When our team found itself overloaded with manual reports, Kye created autoruns for 5 of our department’s key reports, saving the group more than 6 hours
each week in manual processes. She also shared her knowledge by partnering with our commercial team to enhance an existing report, which both reduced the time to complete and improved data reliability. In addition to saving time for the team,
her automations reduce errors and create more consistent reports, regardless of who is tasked with executing the final result. Kye always thinks customer first and Aspect provides the framework she uses to turn “is there a way to…”
into reality.
GEM OF THE YEAR - January 2021

Stephen Love
Comcast
WFM Admin
Stephen Love
Stephen has been instrumental in Comcast's migration from separate divisional platforms to one shared cloud environment. He is always eager to assist the other divisions with their structure and troubleshooting.
Stephen has shown a tremendous dedication to ensuring the platform is optimal to meet the ever changing business needs.
GEM OF THE YEAR - December 2020

Courtney Brazelton
Best Buy
Associate Manager, WFM Forecasting
Courtney Brazelton
Courtney is a veteran forecaster, scheduler, administrator and an expert in the real time (RTA) world. An excellent people leader, Courtney is an asset to the Best Buy team.
November 2020

Dr. Debra Bentson
Kaiser Permanente
Senior Workforce Manager
Dr. Debra Bentson
Dr. Bentson has built and led Workforce Management teams for over 20 years. She has been in her current role for over 3 years. She conceptualized and implemented the shift from manual forecasting to using
Aspect forecasting that led to improved results, reduced errors due to automation, and more time for analysis. Dr. Bentson has crafted development plans for her team that include Aspect training and conference attendance to allow them to better
utilize the system, cross train on job duties, and learn best practices. Dr. Bentson’s results are deserving of being called a GEM.
September 2020

Betsey Lemes
The Travelers Indemnity Co
Senior Workforce Specialist
Betsey Lemes
Betsey Lemes has grown into a subject matter expert on Aspect solutions. We recently adopted a flexible scheduling strategy. This approach allows representatives the flexibility to adjust their start time on
a daily basis and make up the time on the back end of their schedule. This was received very well with the representatives but did initially require them to submit a request to Workforce Management to get the schedule updated. We asked Betsey
to identify some solutions to reduce the requests processing time.
She creatively solved our challenge through Aspect. A package of segments was her solution, in combination with creating security profiles. The representatives no
longer have to submit the request, they are empowered to complete it. Additionally, workforce management no longer has to process multiple requests per day. In addition, Betsey also constructed presentations and demonstrations used to train
staff. This is a common scenario we have been fortunate enough to experience with Betsey and the approach taken to each challenge.
July 2020

Carl Malisci
Kaiser Permanente
Contact Center Schedule Analyst
Carl Malisci
Carl uses WFO both in scheduling and intra-day support. He partners with the contact center team managers to identify and fortify staffing areas that may have gaps in coverage, schedule activities, and track
absenteeism.
Carl also reviews reporting and real-time monitoring to provide real-time assistance to agents and team managers, identify best practices, and behavioral patterns. Carl’s experience both in workforce management and previously
as a team manager help him bridge, through understanding, how both roles balance and partner together. He is a deserving GEM.
GEM OF THE YEAR - June 2020

John Myers
NewDay Cards
Senior Manager - Operations Planning
John Myers
Since joining NewDay in 2019, John has revolutionized the way we use Aspect as a business. He has led the business through our upgrade from WFM v8.1 to the very latest version of Aspect Via WFM v19 and
was quick to promote and implement the new functionality as well as the under-utilized existing functionality. At such a critical time, John has been more than happy to help all users of Aspect with any troubleshooting issues, training to
new starters and is also the go to person within the business for any technical queries. He certainly has been a tremendous asset to our team.
April 2020

Trang Dang
Kaiser Permanente
Senior Contact Center Scheduling Analyst
Trang Dang
Trang has been a member of the WFM team for 3 years. She brought 10 years of WFM experience with her. Trang uses the WFM system for her job duties and beyond that is an Aspect champion supporting others. Trang
supports the agents and managers by helping them understand how they can leverage the WFM system for their needs. Recently, Trang reviewed the new Aspect learning system, completed classes, and developed a recommended curriculum for her team
mates and other Aspect users at the company. Trang's curiosity and desire for continuous learning about the system is only matched by her efforts to help others learn how to use the system. She is absolutely a GEM and deserving of this award.
March 2020

Louis Cullo
Blue Shield of California
Business Analyst
Louis Cullo
Louis is a tenured expert in using Aspect software for Workforce Management and has been honing his Aspect skills for over a decade. Louis has a tireless curiosity that drives him to continue learning how to leverage
the benefits and Louis is not only knowledgeable as an end user but as an administrator. His skill in using the Aspect product for Workforce Management is only overshadowed by his willingness to share his expertise. Louis is a go-to person
for teammates and others from both other teams and companies. He doesn’t simply provide the answer on how to use Aspect but builds knowledge and skills in others, bench strength for the team, and holds the undisputed role as an Aspect
mentor. Louis is absolutely a GEM.
February 2020

Anthony Avansino
Kaiser Permanente
Forecasting Specialist
Anthony Avansino
Anthony brought a strong forecasting background when he joined the Kaiser Permanente NHRSC Workforce Management team in 2017. The transformation began shortly after he came onboard as Anthony led the effort
to shift the forecast into the Aspect application. Anthony learned more about Aspect by studying closely from Aspect experts who came to our site train the team, taking on-line classes, and studying the system to continue his education. Anthony
successfully migrated the forecasting from spreadsheets to Aspect for both the contact center and the back office functions. His efforts delivered more successful forecast variances, greater confidence from his business partners, and information
that is accessible to the whole workforce team. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits Anthony garnered is the gift of time by moving the processes into the Aspect application - that he can use to devote focus more time on analysis. Anthony’s
work and success makes him a GEM!
January 2020

Collin Ziemer
Kaiser Permanente
Sr. HR Analyst
Collin Ziemer
Collin is an Aspect champion. He has used and administered the system for over 10 years. Collin's boundless curiosity has afforded him tremendous expertise. His willingness to share has made him a valuable resource for his team to assist in their development. Collin also developed and delivered training to share the functionality of Aspect with KP contact center team managers to help them support their frontline analysts. Collin delivers excellence by fully using WFO to help meet service levels, predict how much time off can be approved, schedule resources to meet the business needs, and respond quickly to requests from others.
GEM OF THE YEAR - December 2019

William Harz
Best Buy
System Administrator
William Harz
Bill Harz is the Aspect Administrator at Best Buy. He is a wealth of information and enthusiasm. If Bill doesn't know how to do something in Aspect, he figures it out. He is the king of using all the resources
available to him. Bill is the lynch pin that holds our WFM Team together.
October 2019

Zachary Haddenham
eBay
WFO Adminstrator
Zachary Haddenham
Zach exemplifies the spirit of this award. He is a person that has devoted his life to the Workforce Management profession. Zach shares his enthusiasm for contact center management and workforce management by regularly providing advice to others in the industry and tirelessly encouraging networking and knowledge sharing. Zach continues to stay abreast of the Aspect system, industry trends and challenges. Many within and beyond the Workforce teams Zach works closely with have benefited from his advice and direction.
GEM OF THE YEAR - September 2019

Cynthia Danford
Assurant
WFM Supervisor
Cynthia Danford
Cynthia is a WFM Supervisor who co-leads a team of 11 analysts for Assurant. She sets a great example by using her expert knowledge of Aspect WFM and RTA to streamline processes and solve pain points for our internal customers. For example, Cynthia recently implemented automated shift bidding through WFO, saving time and simplifying the process for everyone involved. Our agents are especially pleased because this gives them more visibility into the schedules and allows them more time to make their selections. Cynthia also recently used her expertise to simplify our attendance coding process and greatly reduce the number of segments we use (from 13 to 3!). Even better, this new process will save each of our contact center supervisors up to 4 hours per week! Cynthia is truly a GEM; she's an innovator and an asset to our team.
July 2019

Warren Kinsey
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
Workforce Technology Analyst
Warren Kinsey
Warren has been with ICBC in Workforce Services for 14 years - continually bringing the whole team forward in their utilization of Aspect. His in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Aspect Workforce Management
software continually enables us to get the most out of the software. Some of his recent work was to utilize the functions of WFO Request Bid manager to automate our processes, letting the software do the heavy lifting! Many of his ideas and
projects have led to higher accuracy (no more human errors) and huge time savings! He's an out-of-the-box thinker and continually surprises us with his innovative ideas and solutions!
GEM OF THE YEAR - June 2019

Ric Wilson
Ninzi Connect
WFO Product Manager
Ric Wilson
Ric understands the value of customer retention and what it takes to deliver business value and therefore constantly goes the extra mile when he is assisting customers. Using customer data, Ric has worked closely
with their operations team to identify areas of improvement and development. He was able to guide the business to put corrective measures in place to resolves legacy issues. With targeted training, they are now effectively utilizing Aspect’s
WFM solutions and achieving higher service levels. With another major customer from the insurance industry, he has just completed a WFM upgrade from 8.2 to 18.2. With Ric’s guidance the upgrade went smoothly and the customer is now utilizing
the new features to manage their business effectively. Currently, Ric is working closely with a major customer to upgrade and convert their WFM system from 30 to 15 minute intervals and set up their system from scratch. Customers frequently
ask Ric for his assistance and guidance in applying WFM system methodologies to manage their business processes and workforce since he is always willing to share his experiences with them to help them improve their operations.
March 2019

Jarret DeBorde
Mercedes-Benz Financial Services
Sr. Support Engineer
Jarret DeBorde
Jarret is internal support for Aspect products at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services and, as part of his role, advises on outsourced partner's technical support teams. Recently, a change was made in one of our
environments causing agents to not be able to log into our UIP system. Jarret collaborated with the technical staff from the vendor and helped resolve the issue. This particular issue is just one of many that Jarret has helped us resolve during
his tenure here. He is always creative and able to provide solutions to our problems as well as answers to our questions. Jarret is an asset to our team and we are proud to nominate him as a GEM!
GEM OF THE YEAR - January 2019

Robert Ritter
Comcast
Divisional Telecom Engineer
Robert Ritter
Rob continues to help drive key backend development opportunities and enhancements to all Aspect products. While Rob has knowledge ranging from employees to WFM management, his expertise in the Aspect Suite
continues to provide excellent results.
December 2018

Amy Hall
Blue Shield of California
WFM Specialist
Amy Hall
Amy has worked very closely with each of the lines of business she supports to deliver the best possible preference-based schedules possible to the customer service representatives she supports. This close collaboration
with the supervisors and CSRs, along with her effective use of preference-based scheduling within the Aspect WFM system, has resulted in a high-level of satisfaction with schedules not previously experienced at Blue Shield of California. Amy's
dedication to providing efficient and mutually beneficial schedules is very much appreciated within the company.
GEM OF THE YEAR - October 2018

Brian Azuogu
Christus Health, TLRA
System Administrator
Brian Azuogu
Brian has been very instrumental leading operations with our interface of our existing Aspect solution and our new Aspect Quality Management integration. He has made significant strides to make certain that the platforms work efficiently together.
We interfaced our Aspect dialer voice with Aspect Quality Management to electronically evaluate calls and to be able to see the various screen shots of the multiple applications the associates access to satisfy the call.
August 2018

Paula Diedrich
Alta Resources
Workforce Management Analyst
Paula Diedrich
Paula is Alta Resources’ “go-to” person for all things Aspect. Not only does she have an incredible amount of knowledge and understanding regarding Aspect solutions, but she is always eager and willing to share that knowledge. She utilizes this knowledge to demonstrate Alta’s Guiding Principles of Results & Communication.
Paula recently took the lead in bringing a new client team up to speed on how Aspect products work. Recognizing there was an information gap, Paula provided a walk-through of how the business is run from a WFM perspective, clearly describing how each of the Aspect tools we utilize provides valuable insights and helps ensure efficient call center operations. Her proactive efforts put the client at ease, and they now have a comprehensive understanding of how Aspect tools can be utilized to forecast, schedule and track operations. Paula’s Aspect expertise and abilities as an instructor helped us establish an even stronger partnership with a new and important client… proving she is truly a GEM of an Aspect liaison.
July 2018

Meredith Erickson
Valley Medical
Technical Product Trainer Developer II
Meredith Erickson
Meredith is the Aspect trainer at Valley Medical Center. She is responsible for creating and delivering training material to all of our new and current Aspect users at the hospital. Meredith is a great advocate for our staff and our patients when we are working on new build or deploying changes. She is always willing to put time aside to meet with our users to help them learn something new or work on things they may be struggling with. Meredith is a vital member of our Aspect team and we would not be successful without her. Meredith is responsible for training agents and supervisors on UIP, UAD, AQM, RTR, and Patient Connect. All of these products are vital pieces of the puzzle to create the best experience possible for our patients.
Meredith's humor and bubbly personality make coming into work not as bad as it could be. I am so grateful that she is a member of my team and that I get to work with her on the Aspect program. She absolutely deserves recognition for all of her hard work.
June 2018

De Wuan Roberson
Banner Health
Resource Optimization Center | Consumer Experience Center
De Wuan Roberson
De Wuan is always the first person to volunteer to take on any projects that involve the Aspect products. He creates an easy to follow process and procedures for the team to utilize. As our go-to person, with bounds of information on the Aspect WFM, whenever anyone needs help setting up, configuring or modifying anything within our WFM system it’s De Wuan! De Wuan should be a recognized as an Aspect GEM, for how well he represents the Aspect name & products! You couldn't get a better Ambassador for delivering and spreading the word of how well the Aspect products work and what a huge impact it has on a company’s call center. De Wuan is also a vital member of the configuration of the WFM Tool for our department; one of the most useful examples is how he sets up our Group Allowance piece within WFM. Setting this up combined with deploying the WFO program to our enterprise has been a way for our agents to plan their vacation time for the whole year! It’s made such a significant impact within our organization! I can apparently go on about what an outstanding job De Wuan does for us with everything Aspect!
GEM OF THE YEAR - May 2018

Richard Sandoval
City of Mesa - Information Technology Department
Senior UC Engineer
Richard Sandoval
Richard is always thinking outside the box. He is outstanding at finding solutions for us when we need something new or modified. He is always willing to discuss options and provide solutions when we need them. He is always willing to assist my staff when something goes awry. When he comes across something that he believes will help us out or provide better customer service, he brings it to our attention. Richard contributes to the success of his organization by constantly searching for and identifying a different way of doing things. Just because something isn’t broken doesn’t mean it can’t be improved!
March 2018

Jim Wilson
Best Buy
Planner Sr, ECC Forecaster
Jim Wilson
Jim has been paramount in spreading his knowledge of everything Aspect. When he's not busy spreading his wealth of experience, he's continuously helping his peers true-up their forecasting. I wouldn't be the man and or forecaster that I am now, without the guidance from Jim. Jim identified a specific process that was a “time suck” and proactively provided a way to improve efficiency with automated reporting, allowing WFM users to utilize their time more effectively.
Jim commented that the best part of his role besides all the great people that he gets to work with at Best Buy is the chance to learn and teach something new every day. He defines excellent customer service is all about understanding where the other person is coming from. Whenever I offer a solution, I always remind myself “that the other party may not have the same level of experience or understanding when it comes to the contact center management space as you do. Make sure you present solutions in a way that is relevant to them and that is straight forward and easy to understand.” My Dad always told me anyone can do the bare minimum, surprise your customer by giving them more than he or she asks from you.”
GEM OF THE YEAR - February 2018

Ross Cloud
Southwest Airlines
Systems Development Analyst
Ross Cloud
Ross is knowledgeable about all Aspect products and puts all his effort into finding the root cause of Southwest Airlines' Aspect-related issues. He has spent countless hours researching and learning how the
products work at a “behind the scenes” level, learning the database structures, and the front-end uses for each product. Through our upgrade from 7.5 to 8.2 this month, Ross was able to closely work with the Aspect team to
isolate and quickly troubleshoot problems during the cut over. He saved the teams countless hours of frustration and effort with his knowledge and expertise.
Ross primarily works with WFM, APM, AQM, RTA, and Empower. Because of his knowledge and skills, we have been able to get more valuable information out of our Aspect products and know that those numbers are accurate. We have also been able to quickly resolve issues that our team leaders or agents are having with the products. He is always prepared and willing to assist coworkers and leadership with their Aspect-related questions and able to help them get a firmer grasp on the products and their “inner-workings”.
GEM OF THE YEAR - January 2018

Andy Johnston
Arvest Bank
Contact Systems Support Analyst
Andy Johnston
Andy is Arvest's main programmer to design the front end of contract centers. There was initially no front end, so routing calls to agents wasn’t there. We are now able to allow screen pops and agents see information about the customer, so can help the customer better. Andy helped to reduce the volume to the end user.