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May 17, 2010 - TeleServices organization ranks Extend #1 Call Center April 23, 2010 - Extend accepts Technology Award January 6, 2010 - Canadian Call Management Association recognizes Extend Communications with GOLD Site Certification September 28, 2009 - Extend receives Diamond Award of Excellence from Industry Association August 30, 2009 - Extend President Scott Lyons featured in Contact Management Magazine article "Outsourcing Trends in a Down Economy" June 21, 2009 - Association of TeleServices International Awards Extend June 1, 2009 - CCA confirms Extend as Best Call Centre in Toronto area April 6, 2009 - Extend Communications joins Innovators Alliance September 30, 2008 - Extend Receives Awards for Ethics and Quality June 15, 2008 - Extend named Preferred Vendor by services franchisor TheDwyer Group June 2, 2008 - Extend named Best of the Best for Call Centres in Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Area January 22, 2008 - All Call Division Moves to New Location June 23, 2007 - U.S. TeleServices organization ranks Extend 3rd overall November 23, 2006 - Extend takes home 4 awards from Canadian Call Management (CAMX) Conference November 21, 2006 - Cambridge Site Upgrade Completed July 1, 2006 - Redundancy put to the test during fibre cable cut May 1, 2006 - 10-digit local dialing coming to 519 in June April 25, 2006 - System Upgrade completed at All Call Communications division January 26, 2006 - Lyons named one of 3 finalists for Entrepreneur of the Year November 15, 2005 - System Upgrade completed at Brantford Site September 6, 2005 - Extend assists with overloaded phone lines for Hurricane Katrina relief June 27, 2005 - Extend Communications Ranked 2nd in North America for Service Excellence March 27, 2005 - Email Invoicing available October 25, 2004 - Extend recognized by Canadian Call Management Association July 6, 2004 - Extend Communications Inc. acquires All Call Communications June 19, 2004 - Extend receives Award of Distinction from U.S.-based organization September 15, 2003 - Power Failures - How to cope with your telephones. August 19, 2003 - Cambridge Reporter - Power outage fails to stop communications firm. December 31st, 2002 - Cambridge Reporter - Lyons brothers serve Chamber of Commerce in two different cities September 5, 2002 - Wireless access to MLS database introduced to real estate market July 9, 2002 - Kitchener and Cambridge locations merge. May 13, 2002 - Fax-to-Email service launched December 3, 2001 - Extend Receives Award of Distinction. October 22, 2001 - Wireless Email Coverage Expands to include United States. May 14, 2001 - Wireless Email Service Offering Launched May 7, 2001 - Payment Options Enhanced. November 13, 2000 - Extend announces Beta Test of Internet "Call Me" buttons. October 2, 2000 - Extend Receives Award of Distinction from Canadian Association of Message Exchanges. May 15, 2000 - Extend acquires Wings Communications Ltd. March 20, 2000 - Extend offers Internet payment options. February 18, 2000 - Extend completes expansion at Brantford location. May 17, 2010 - TeleServices organization ranks Extend #1 Call Center The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) based in Atkinson, New Hampshire, today announced Extend Communications Inc.'s TOP RANKING of all participating Call Center companies in Canada and the United States, with the Award of Distinction. This recognition follows six months of testing and mystery calling by an independent panel of judges employed by ATSI. The Award was announced at the association's annual conference in San Diego, CA. "Our clients have always rated our service very highly, but to have this confirmed by an independent external panel, and to place #1 against call centers across North America is a fantastic achievement", said Scott Lyons, President of Extend. "It is a testament to the commitment our entire team exhibits towards service excellence, from our front line staff to our quality managers and supervisors. I couldn't be more proud of them." Full ATSI media release available here. Top April 23, 2010 - Extend accepts Technology Award The Chamber of Commerce Brantford-Brant has awarded the 2010 Bell Technology Award to Extend Communications. The Award recognizes a local business that has demonstrated excellence in innovation through technology, and was presented at the Business Excellence Awards Dinner, the premier business event in Brantford. Extend President Scott Lyons accepted the award, recognizing the efforts of Information Technology Manager Mark Frey in driving the company's focus on technology forward. "Our competitors can't touch us in the area of application development and technological advancement", commented Lyons in a video produced by the Chamber for the event. The video also highlighted Extend's major initiative to network its 3 call centres into one large virtual center. This brings to 6, the number of awards bestowed upon Extend by third party organizations in the last 12 months. Top January 6, 2010 - Canadian Call Management Association recognizes Extend Communications with GOLD Site Certification Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X) is pleased to announce that Extend Communications Inc. has qualified for the 24/7 Call Centre GOLD Certification Award. The Certification indicates that Extend Communications Inc. has met or exceeded high standards in the following areas: business practices, life safety, operations, including normal and emergency procedures, personnel hiring, training and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.99% annual run time. Extend is just the 2nd centre in Canada to achieve certification at the GOLD level. "This industry certification clearly demonstrates the commitment our management team makes towards our clients and staff, and reinforces our position as a leader in the call centre industry. The recognition is a fantastic end to a year which also saw us win several other awards including CAM-X Award of Excellence and Call Centre Award of Distinction, ATSI Award of Excellence, the Tom Ryan Award for `Ethics, Integrity and Quality Above All', and the Consumers Choice Award for #1 Call Centre in the Greater Toronto area" said Scott Lyons, Extend Communications Inc. President. As a leading North American Call Centre, Extend Communications Inc., based in Brantford, ON, provides unique and individual solutions for telephone answering, email response, and web interaction. Extend was founded in 1956 by A.F.W. Lyons, and since that time 3 generations of the Lyons family have grown the company into an internationally recognized teleservices supplier. For more information visit www.extendcomm.com. Based in Grimsby, ON, CAM-X is a Canadian based trade association for the Call Management industry which includes: call centres, telephone answering services, voice-mail services, telemarketing services and other communications services. Their goal is to contribute to their members' profitability by fostering a willingness to exchange ideas, experiences and solutions while promoting the general welfare and ethical standards of the industry. www.camx.ca Top September 28, 2009 - Extend receives Diamond Award of Excellence from Industry Association Extend Communications Inc. has been honoured with the Diamond status Award of Excellence for achieving eleven consecutive years of service excellence. The recognition is bestowed by the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X), the industry's Trade Association for providers of call centre services and telephone answering. Extend was presented with the award this week, at the CAM-X national conference held in Kelowna, British Columbia. "The Award of Excellence program offers the industry the kind of quality testing and benchmarking that is essential to help establish the service levels being demanded by our customers." says CAM-X President Mary Anne Straw. "We congratulate Extend Communications, Inc. for their achievement." Independent judges are contracted by CAM-X to evaluate message services throughout Canada over a six-month period. The criteria for scoring include courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients. If the company scores 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted Award of Excellence. For more information, visit www.camx.ca. Top August 30, 2009 - Extend President Scott Lyons featured in Contact Management Magazine article "Outsourcing Trends in a Down Economy" Contact Management Magazine article Top June 21, 2009 - Association of TeleServices International Awards Extend The Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) has awarded Extend Communications Inc its Pearl Award for 6 years of consecutive Service Excellence. Extend has placed in the Top 10 internationally among members of the association for several years, and ranked 4th out of American and Canadian call centres for 2009. This Award follows the ATSI Award of Distinction, also bestowed upon Extend for it's call handling of enhanced applications. These recognitions are a result of six months of intensive testing and "mystery calling" by an independent panel of judges employed by ATSI. All aspects of call handling are graded, including courtesy, response time, accuracy and the overall service experience. Top June 1, 2009 - CCA confirms Extend as Best Call Centre in Toronto area The Business category of the Consumers Choice Awards has re-confirmed Extend as the #1 call centre in the Greater Toronto Area. Leger Marketing, one of the world's largest and most respected research firms, conducted their independent survey of call centre users over the first half of 2009. This is the second consecutive year Extend has been the recipient of this honour. Top April 6, 2009 - Extend Communications joins Innovators Alliance Scott Lyons, President of Extend Communications Inc. has accepted membership into the Innovators Alliance, an Ontario based network of CEOs who foster profitable growth through innovation. Members of Innovators Alliance have achieved significant growth in their business and are looking to unleash potential further with new business practices. Through training in new innovations, introduction of fresh ideas, and peer support for every business challenge, Innovators Alliance fosters this commitment of growth through innovation. For more information on Innovators Alliance, visit www.innovators.org. Top September 30, 2008 - Extend Receives Awards for Ethics and Quality Scott Lyons accepted the prestigious Tom Ryan Award for "Ethics, Integrity and Quality Above All" at the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X) annual conference. The coveted Tom Ryan Award is presented in memory of one of the Contact Management field's most ardent advocates, Tom Ryan - a pioneer of the Telephone Message Industry. This Industry-specific award pays homage to Companies that exhibit quality service while adhering to a mandate based on commitment to ethics and integrity above all else. Also taken into consideration is the company's overall dedication to maintaining a cohesive working environment, practicing ongoing internal and external customer service initiatives and continuous involvement in industry and community programs. In addition to the Tom Ryan Award, Extend received another 4 service related awards from CAM-X, including the Diamond Award of Excellence, and the Award of Distinction. These awards represent multiple years of recognition for high service levels as monitored and measured independently by the CAMX Association. Top June 15, 2008 - Extend named Preferred Vendor by services franchisor The Dwyer Group WACO, TX - Extend Communications Inc. has been named as the Preferred Vendor of telephone answering and emergency dispatch services to The Dwyer Group's over 900 franchises in the United States and Canada. The Dwyer Group provides a diverse array of specialty services through its service-based franchise businesses. These businesses provide high-quality residential and light commercial services through six brands in North America - Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor in the UK), Aire Serv Heating and Air Conditioning®, Glass Doctor® and Rainbow International Carpet Dyeing and Cleaning. Managed through The Dwyer Group's supplier partner ProTradeNet, further information is available via email at protradenet AT extendcomm.com Top June 2, 2008 - Extend named Best of the Best for Call Centres in Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Area The CONSUMER'S CHOICE AWARD (CCA) in association with Leger Marketing has announced Extend Communications Inc. as the recipient of the 2008 Consumer's Choice Award for Call Centre Services in the City of Toronto and the entire Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Winners were chosen by business consumers of call centre services through an independent and objective survey conducted by Leger, one of the world's largest and most respected research firms. The Honorable Monique Smith, Minister of Revenue for the Government of Ontario, presented the Award to Extend during a Gala event at Stage West Toronto June 2nd. The program was taped by Global Television for broadcast as a one hour special later this year. "We are extremely proud to have been named as the best of the best by those whose opinion matters most, namely the business clients of call centres in the GTA", said Extend president Scott Lyons.
Top January 22, 2008 - All Call Division Moves to New Location Today Extend's All Call Communications Division, which primarily serves the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) in Ontario, moved into a newly designed and renovated site. Still located in Georgetown, Ontario, the move to 318 Guelph St (Highway #7) offers increased exposure, and a brand new workspace for our staff in that centre. "We completely gutted a unit that was once part of a retail mall", said Manager Todd Lyons. "It is a more upscale location, and offers easy access to our clients and staff alike." Click here for directions, and complete mailing address information. Top June 23, 2007 - U.S. TeleServices organization ranks Extend 3rd overall The U.S based Association of TeleServices International (ATSI) today recognized Extend Communications Inc with several industry awards at a special presentation in Colorado Springs, CO. Extend president Scott Lyons was on hand to receive 3 Awards for Service Excellence, as well as an Award of Distinction. The awards are presented to call centres in North America who exceed expectations for courtesy, response time, accuracy, and overall service as judged by independent mystery callers contracted by ATSI. Extend's Cambridge Ontario call center achieved the 3rd highest ranking against centers from across North America. For more information visit www.atsi.org. Top November 23, 2006 - Extend takes home 4 awards from Canadian Call Management (CAMX) Conference Each of Extends 3 call centres was recognized with the prestigious CAMX Award of Excellence at the association's annual conference this week. In addition, the Brantford location also received an Award of Distinction. Independent judges contracted by CAM-X evaluate message services and call centres throughout Canada and the U.S. over a six-month period. The criteria for scoring include courtesy, response time, accuracy, and overall service to their clients. "In this industry, we measure customer service with the caller's experience as paramount to the overall success of the call." Says CAM-X President Pat Vos. "The Award of Excellence provides a best practice standard and we congratulate the staff of Extend Communications for their achievements." Now an eight-time winner, Extend Communications Inc. earned the Ruby Award for eight consecutive years. CAM-X extends its congratulations to the staff of Extend on their proven quality service to their customers. The Call Centre Award of Distinction was created in response to overwhelming requests by Call Centres across Canada for a tool which could be used to measure the skills of their professional Call Centre Agents. An independent panel of judges scored call-handling skills for "enhanced service" applications, focusing attention on customer relationship management (CRM), courtesy, etiquette, and the use of proper call techniques, as well as response time and accuracy; the cornerstones of the Call Management Industry. Scott Lyons accepts 4 Awards from CAMX President Pat Vos Top November 21, 2006 - Cambridge Site Upgrade Completed The upgrade today of Extend's facility in Cambridge Ontario completes a 2-year company wide expansion project. The result is a state-of-the-art new call handling platform offering a significant list of new service features, more efficient call processing during peak times, and considerable automation of previously manual tasks. "Not only does our new system feature many new services our clients have been asking for", said Cambridge Manager and company Vice President Todd Lyons, "it also networks us into our other 2 company owned locations for real-time disaster relief, and call handling efficiency." Several new services are now available from the Cambridge site, including:
Top July 1, 2006 - Redundancy put to the test during fibre cable cut A huge fibre-optic cable cut in Brampton on the Friday before the summer's busiest long weekend put Extend's backup plans to the test earlier this week. For over 29 hours June 30-July 1, calls normally handled by Extend's Georgetown Ontario call centre were re-routed to its Brantford location using VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). The redundancy platform uses leading edge Asterisk technology, and was developed by Extend's Information Technology (I.T.) Manager Mark Frey for just such an occasion. While the system was tested internally several times, this week marked the first time it was used in an emergency situation. "We would have been down for the entire 29 hours had it not been for our redundancy planning", said company president Scott Lyons, of the system upgraded just 3 months earlier. "This real-life trial has given us ideas for further enhancements to the ultimate advantage of our client base." Top May 1, 2006 - 10-digit local dialing coming to 519 in June On June 17, 2006 local calls within 519 will require 10 digit dialing. If you dial only 7 digits, you will hear a recorded message reminding you to dial all 10 digits, before your call is connected. This message may disrupt data transmission in certain cases (Internet, paging, fax machines, etc.). As of October 14, 2006 - 10-digit local dialing is mandatory. The new 226 area code will be gradually introduced once all numbers in 519 have been completely exhausted. Reprogram your functions and equipment starting now. Add the area code to all your numbers:
All adjustments should be made before the recorded announcement is introduced, i.e. before June 17, 2006, since the announcement may disrupt data transmissions. Contact us for more information, or visit - http://www.dial10.ca Top April 25, 2006 - System Upgrade completed at All Call Communications division The successful cutover of Extend's 2nd location was completed on schedule today, again without any downtime. "This major initiative to upgrade equipment and network our 3 locations together, will allow us to provide an even better level of service to our clients, and to bring new services to market more quickly.", announced Extend President Scott Lyons. This 2-year project is scheduled for completion in fall 2006 when the Cambridge Ontario location comes on-line. Several new services are now available to GTA clients, including:
For more information email info@etendcomm.com Top January 26, 2006 - Lyons named as one of 3 finalists for Entrepreneur of the Year Scott Lyons, President of Extend Communications Inc. headquartered in Brantford has been named one of 3 finalists in the Brantford/Brant Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards. The award recognizes entrepreneurs leading organizations exhibiting exceptional achievement in several categories from business growth and sustained success, to innovation and technology, to community involvement. "I am especially proud to have been nominated by our bank, TD Canada Trust", mentioned Lyons. "We have a fantastic relationship with our bankers, and they continue to play a key role in our success." The final winner of the Award will be named at the annual Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards Dinner in April. Top November 15, 2005 - System Upgrade completed at Brantford Site Several months of planning, due diligence, training, data entry, and more training came together today, as accounts were cutover to operate on an entirely new call-handling platform. Despite the huge technical challenges associated with an upgrade of this magnitude, it was completed with ZERO downtime, and no major service issues. Congratulations to The Olde School Restaurant of Brantford, for winning our "First Call Lottery", as the first call on our new system was the booking of a dinner reservation on their account at 10:12am. Olde School owner Gus Iliopoulos' indicated the Brantford General Hospital Foundation as his charity of choice, and Extend made a $500.00 donation to the BGH as a result of the win. A sampling of the new services and features coming this winter:
For more information, email info@extendcomm.com
September 6, 2005 - Extend assists with overloaded phone lines for Hurricane Katrina relief
With the devastating destruction of Hurricane Katrina, relief organizations across the United States are having difficulty keeping up with the overwhelming support from the public. On September 1st, Extend Communications was asked to provide overflow support to call centers handling donation calls for the Salvation Army. In less than 24hrs, phone lines staffed around the clock were in operation at Extend's Head Office in Brantford, Ontario. Extend staff had answered calls totaling donations of over $1,000,000 within the first 4 days alone, and the efforts continue. For more information about how you can support the US Salvation Army Relief Efforts visit www.salvationarmyusa.org. To donate, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or mail your donation to US Salvation Army Disaster Relief, PO BOX 4857, JACKSON, MS, 39296-4857.
June 27, 2005 - Extend Communications Ranked 2nd in North America for Service Excellence Extend Communications Inc., of Brantford, ON has been honoured with the exclusive Award of Excellence by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI), the industry's trade association for providers of telecommunications and call centre services including telephone answering and message delivery. Extend Communications Inc. was presented with the award at ATSI's 2005 Annual Convention held in St. Louis, MO, and ranked 2nd out of almost 100 participating call centers across Canada and the United States. After six months of intensive testing, an independent panel of judges scored call-handling skills such as courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients, the cornerstones of the call management industry. If a company scored 80% or better in ALL categories, they are presented with the coveted Award of Excellence "The Award of Excellence program is without a doubt one of the most cost effective, revenue producing, and morale building ways available to our industry to gain an overall positive improvement for your business." Says ATSI President Gary Tedrick. Now a two-time winner, ATSI extends its congratulations to the staff of Extend Communications Inc. on their proven quality service to their customers.
March 27, 2005 - Email Invoicing available
Effective immediately, all client invoices are available as Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) files at no additional charge. For more information contact billing AT extendcomm.com
October 25, 2004 - Extend recognized by Canadian Call Management Association Extend Communications Inc., of Brantford, ON has been honoured with both the prestigious Call Centre Award of Distinction, as well the exclusive 2004 Award of Excellence for the sixth consecutive year, by the Canadian Call Management Association (CAM-X). The Industry's Trade Association for providers of Call Centre Services including Inbound Order Desk/Help Desk and Web Enabled customer assistance recognized Extend Communications Inc. for their outstanding achievement at their 40th Annual Convention, held recently in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Call Centre Award of Distinction was created in response to overwhelming requests by Call Centres across Canada for a tool which could be used to measure the skills of their professional Call Centre Agents. After six months of testing, an independent panel of judges scored call-handling skills for "enhanced service" applications, focusing attention on customer relationship management (CRM), courtesy, etiquette, and the use of proper call techniques, as well as response time and accuracy, the cornerstones of the Call Management Industry. "Extend Communications Inc.'s showcase of top-notch customer service serves as a benchmark for all message service companies." Says CAM-X President Lillian Lyle. "In an industry that relies on person-to-person communications, the value of efficient, accurate service cannot be underestimated. The Award of Excellence serves as a testament to their training methods and we congratulate their employees for their achievements. The Canadian Call Management Association congratulates the employees of Extend Communications Inc. for their attention to detail, their dedication, and their overall commitment to providing their clients with top-notch service."
Founded in 1964, CAM-X began as a national trade Association representing live answering services. The Canadian Call Management Association now encompasses companies across Canada offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centres, contact centres, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and internet services among others.
July 6, 2004 - Extend Communications Inc. acquires All Call Communications Extend Communications Inc., a telephone call centre and wireless messaging company headquartered in Brantford, announced today its expansion into the Greater Toronto Area with the purchase of 100% of the shares of All Call Communications, based in Georgetown.
"The All Call operation was a perfect fit within our ongoing expansion plans", said Scott Lyons, President of Extend. "This acquisition gives us a solid client base in the GTA, and will open up further opportunities for our company in that market", he added. All Call is a multiple winner of the Canadian Call Management Association's Award of Excellence, and has been providing superior service for more than 20 years.
As a 24-hour inbound call centre, Extend answers over 2 million telephone calls per year on behalf of over 750 clients. Calls vary from selling mail order products and lottery tickets, to dispatching a variety of service, medical, and emergency personnel.
June 19, 2004 - Extend receives Award of Distinction from U.S.-based organization Extend Communications Inc., of Brantford ON has been honored with the prestigious Call Center Award of Distinction by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI). The industry's Trade Association for providers of Call Center services including Inbound Order Desk/Help Desk and Web Enabled customer assistance recognized Extend Communications for their outstanding achievement at their 60th Annual Convention, held recently in Vancouver, BC. The Call Center Award of Distinction was created in response to overwhelming requests by Call Centers across the United States for a tool which could be used to measure the skills of their professional Call Center Agents. After six months of testing, an independent panel of judges scored call-handling skills for "enhanced service" applications, focusing attention on customer relationship management (CRM), courtesy, etiquette, and the use of proper call techniques, as well as response time and accuracy, the cornerstones of the Call Management Industry. "The Award of Distinction is an impartial third party performance measure. Winning it indicates attention to detail, dedication, and commitment to customer service. The Award of Distinction was conceived to celebrate excellence in customer service for those Call Centers responding to the more complex requirements of e-commerce and consumer response." Says ATSI President Steven Diels. "ATSI congratulates Extend Communications Inc." Now Call Centers across the United States have the opportunity to test the proficiency of their agents in true Call Center applications that did not fit into the original Award of Excellence profile offered by ATSI since 1996. The two programs will be run annually, giving both types of Call Management Centers an opportunity to `measure their skills' against very demanding criteria.
September 15, 2003 - Power failures - How to cope with your telephones It's been just over a month since 50 million people had to go without power for several hours and even days in parts of Canada and the United States. At Extend, years of experience, training, planning, and a fantastic effort by staff paid off. Our emergency generators kicked in automatically and ran throughout the crisis. Many staff members showed up for work when they weren't even scheduled to be there. It was hot, and call volumes were double and triple the usual amounts. Callers were patient if they experienced a few extra rings on the line - and we didn't miss a single phone call. HOW DO I CALL FORWARD MY PHONE WHEN I DON'T HAVE HYDRO? As you may know, a "regular" residential style telephone does not require electricity to operate. Business telephone systems are plugged into hydro, and unless you make plans ahead of time, you will have no phone service during a power outage. This also means that you cannot forward your phone to us if the power is off!! WHAT TO DO:
- Keep a regular telephone on hand around your office. This must be one that doesn't require electricity (ie. Not cordless, etc). - Find your telephone system in your basement or equipment room, and look for the phone jack that it is plugged into. You can unplug the phone system and plug the regular phone into this jack. Call forward using *72 like usual. You can also talk to your telephone supplier about a "power fail" set. This type of set can be installed in your office for use during power failures. Please don't hesitate to call us if you have any other concerns about what procedures should be in place on your account to deal with hydro outages. With a little bit of advance planning, our staff can help you minimize the effects of this kind of crisis.
August 19, 2003 - Power outage fails to stop Cambridge communications firm
Tuesday August 19, 2003 One business extended itself through the dark hours of the night as Cambridge, Ontario and most of the eastern United States were plunged into darkness during the massive power outage Thursday. Extend Communications on Water Street operates 24 hours a day and they did not stop during the blackout. The communications company which provides essential services to many companies throughout the area was prepared for the power loss. Extend answered calls for medical and oxygen supply, propane and ice supply companies and electrical and mechanical companies for repair and service for generators during the emergency. It also answered calls for obstetricians, midwives and veterinarians whose work goes on despite a blackout. The company also received a lot of calls for elevator companies as people found themselves stuck in one. "A lot of companies rely on us to take their calls. A lot of companies, as soon as it happened, were calling us to say 'are my calls coming through, will they be answered?" said Todd Lyons, vice-president of Extend. "We're always going to do our best to make sure we're here and open." The call volume was very high during the hours of the blackout. Calls increased more than 50 per cent from 4 p.m. Thursday to midnight Friday. Lyons brought in more staff to deal with the barrage. Call centre staff had to deal with a wide range of emergency calls. There were calls from nursing homes wanting propane delivery from their fuel companies and a Toronto communications company needing a generator. He complimented his entire staff for the long hours they put in and their calm in dealing with hundreds of stressed customers. "We're used to some fairly urgent calls so for our business it was more than usual but not mind-boggling to us because we've always been a part of dispatching emergency calls," said Lyons. The generator powers some lighting in the building and the computers run on battery backup power. Extend ran for 23 hours on emergency backup power. "Anyone who provides a service like that should be ready for eventualities like that," said Lyons. "We helped out companies in other cities where their services weren't as prepared as we were." Emergency situations like this one can test a company's employees.
"It's the staff," said Lyons. "I can buy a generator but it's having a dedicated team to work the equipment."
December 31, 2002 - Two Lyons follow similar paths in different cities
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 A typical day in the life of Scott Lyons, the president of the Brantford Chamber of Commerce and president of Extend Communications in Brantford, might be like this: Scott arrives at his Charlotte Street office at 8 a.m., settles in and calls over to the chamber office to confirm his meeting at 10 a.m. At 10 a.m. Scott arrives at the Brantford chamber office for a meeting with Finance Minister John Manley to discuss business issues related to the federal budget, and puts forward chamber members' concerns for the upcoming year. After his hour-long meeting with the minister, Scott heads back to his office to tend to some daily work in the world of operating an "in-bound" call centre, and communications service provider. At 1:30 p.m., Scott heads out of his office again, and makes his way to City Hall, and a meeting with senior city management, and Mayor Chris Friel. Scott makes his way home to his wife and two kids at 6 p.m. after tending to the family business and community business in his role as Brantford chamber president. Thirty-five kilometres north of Brantford, in his Water Street office is Todd Lyons, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce president and vice-president of Extend Communications in Cambridge. He arrives at work between 8 a.m. and 8:15, pulls off his e-mail messages, and phone messages and responds to those who would be available at that time. Then he calls the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, to confirm his meeting at 11 a.m. with Mayor Doug Craig and CAO Don Smith. Just before he leaves the office he gets a call from the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce general manager (yours truly) who also suggests he remain at the Gateway after the meeting with the mayor, to meet and speak with Jane Stewart, the minister of human resources development Canada, and funny enough member of Parliament for Brantford. Todd arrives at the Gateway (Cambridge Chamber of Commerce new building at Highway 401 and Hespeler Road) just before 11 a.m. The meeting covers such items as tourism operations, and taxation issues. Later Minister Stewart addresses issues around Human Resources funding programs. After heading back to his Water Street office, Todd makes his way home to wife Darlene at around 6 p.m., after tending to the family business and community business in his role as Cambridge chamber president. Two very similar stories, two very committed and similar individuals. Maybe that is because they are also brothers. Scott and Todd Lyons own and operate, in partnership, Extend Communications with offices in both Cambridge and Brantford. Both in their mid-30s, Scott with a young family, and Todd, a soon to be first-time father. And the most amazing part about this, is that they are both presidents of different chambers of commerce at the exact same time. An anomaly of sorts. In fact my investigations have found no other situation of this nature to ever happen in Canadian chamber history. Scott is just finishing his term as chamber president in Brantford, next month, and his brother Todd is on a two-year term cycle that will have him lead the Cambridge chamber until June 2004. In a conversation I had recently with Scott, he feels very good about his work over the past year with the Brantford chamber, and he made it a point to develop good working relationships with all levels of government, but admittedly works harder on the relationships with the municipal level. The Brantford chamber struck some serious success in lobbying the city to do needs and service audits for all city departments. The chamber finally convinced them to tackle one department this past year, and much to the politicians' and administration's surprise it was a real benefit. He also led the chamber in the fight to get the Brantford airport reinstated as well, which is a real feather in the cap of the chamber. However, Scott notes, that the effort to bringing to life the new image and brand for the Brantford chamber was a slower process. "If there was anything that I wish I had seen the end of in my term, is the new image and new logo for the Brantford chamber completed," Scott said. Scott is proud of his brother Todd in Cambridge. Todd is diligent in his commitment to the business community as well, and has his sights set on making a difference. Other than everything else I've talked about in this column, that has been similar, both Scott and Todd have the exact same focus on their volunteer roles in the chamber of commerce, and that is a sincere and deep belief that through business, by helping to maintain and create prosperity in our communities, we will provide a better community to raise our families in. Along with their commitments to family, these two brothers have made it a priority to give back to their communities, and both of them do in so many ways. They are both leaders, and both committed to quality of life issues. I take my hat off to Mr. and Mrs. Lyons, without you two we wouldn't have such great leaders,and committed community members as your sons Scott and Todd. On behalf of the members of the Brantford and Cambridge chambers of commerce, thank you Scott and Todd for your leadership and commitment.
You both have made a difference.
September 5, 2002 - Wireless access to MLS database introduced to real estate market An agreement between Extend Communications Inc. and the Brantford Regional Real Estate Association has given local real estate agents a hot new tool to assist them in selling homes. Agents of the local Board now have wireless access to Brantford and Brant County MLS listings through a two-way pager that allows access to listing information in the database. All new listings are also broadcast to the devices each day. "I'm always on the go, and being able to lookup listings on the run is a huge advantage for me", said Todd Stones, an agent with Avery Real Estate and one of the first to adopt the new technology. "We are one of the first to implement this service for our members", said BRREA President Kathy Smith. "There are only a handful of Boards across Canada who are as advanced as we are here in Brantford.", Smith added. Users of the system can key in the address or MLS number of any residential MLS listing in Brant/Brantford to access information on price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, listing agent, etc. from anywhere in the coverage area. In addition, users can opt to have all new listings and price information sent to the pager on a daily basis. Coverage can be programmed as national or even international for those agents who need access to information from out of province or even out of country. In addition to being able to receive listing updates, the new pagers also function as an email device, and a regular pager.
Unlike larger Boards who made significant capital investments to implement a wireless solution, BRREA convinced Extend to develop a system in-house and to provide it to local agents for free. "We are very excited to have been able to develop this system for members of the local real estate association. It was a natural fit for us, and it's a great service enhancement for local agents dealing with the strong housing market here in Brantford", said Extend President Scott Lyons.
July 9, 2002 - Kitchener and Cambridge locations merge.
New services now available to all accounts include:
"We were pleased to be able to make several improvements to our client services as a direct result of this merger.", said Todd Lyons, Vice President, and Manager of the Cambridge Operations Centre. "This allows us to provide additional services, and to stay competitive with the latest in technology."
May 13, 2002 - Fax-to-Email service launched
December 3, 2001 - Extend Receives Award of Distinction.
After four months of testing, an independent panel of judges scored call-handling skills for enhanced service applications, focussing attention on customer relationship management (CRM), courtesy, etiquette, and the use of proper cal techniques, as well as response time and accuracy, the cornerstones of the Call Management industry.
October 22, 2001 - Wireless Email Coverage Expands to include United States May 14, 2001 - Wireless Email Service Offering Launched May 7, 2001 - Payment Options Enhanced. November 13, 2000 - Extend launches Internet "Call Me" in Beta Test. October 2, 2000 - Extend Receives Award of Excellence from Canadian Association of Message Exchanges. The award follows more than six months of testing by a team of independent, specialized judges contracted by CAM-X to evaluate message services across the country. Companies were judged on their courtesy, response time, accuracy and overall service to their clients; the four cornerstones paramount to success in the Teleservices Industry. "Extend's record of topnotch customer service serves as a benchmark for all message service bureaus", said CAM-X President Glenn Ruecker. "In an industry that relies on person-to-person communications, the value of efficient, accurate service cannot be underestimated. This award proves Extend's ability to deliver where it counts, in providing the services that matter most."
Extend has earned the BRONZE Award for TWO consecutive years of excellent service. CAM-X extends it's congratulations to the staff of Extend Communications on their proven quality service to their customers.
May 15, 2000 - Extend acquires Wings Communications Ltd.
Established by Franklin Lyons in 1956, Extend Communications is one of Canada's oldest teleservices companies, serving small entrepreneurs and large national corporations from 4 offices in southwestern Ontario. Extend also operates a wireless messaging division.
March 20, 2000 - Extend offers Internet payment options. February 18, 2000 - Extend completes expansion at Brantford location.
Extend Communications is a call centre service bureau currently handling over 70,000 telephone calls per month from the Brantford location. Calls vary from selling mail order products and lottery tickets by phone to dispatching a variety of service, repair, and medical personnel.
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