Local company offering service on an international scale

An international company with roots in Sussex County is making leaps and bounds in customer care and work-from-home opportunities. All-American (AA) Teleservices LLC is a national provider of enhanced telephone support services, geared toward government agencies, the Fortune 1,000 community, and the medical and emergency services industries. And based locally in Dagsboro, George Meringolo is helping it thrive on both a national and local scale.

Coastal Point • Ryan Saxton
George Meringolo sits at his office in his Ocean View home. He helps find contractors to assist with customer service through AA Teleservices.

“We do a lot of work for many companies that ship products you see on television,” he explained. “We make sure client gets their products out, and we handle questions about billing and returns. AA Teleservices does a lot of the back-office work once an order is taken.”

Nearly 100 people are currently employed through AA Teleservices and, as Meringolo noted, they assume the role as “independent contractors.”

“We refer to those who work for us as ‘contractors,’” he emphasized. “There are ups and downs in our scheduling, and you can pretty much pick the time you wish to work. There are no lay-offs, and you can decide to work as business fluctuates. In that sense, they are contractors, not just employees.”

With the exception of a few surveys the company has performed pertaining to recent consumer purchases or issues in society, such as health care reform, the contractors primarily handle in-bound calls.

“One thing I want to make clear,” said Meringolo, “is that we are not a telemarketing company. We do not initiate these calls to drive people crazy. Most of our business is in-bound calls. We advertise ourselves as a ‘boutique call center.’ People call one of our clients that we are contracted with, like Body by Jake, and it is redirected to us. We represent the client and answer the phone as if we were in their office.”

AA Teleservices has picked up work for a number of clients, recently adding utility companies across the country and handling their calls concerning the new “smart grid” system backed by President Barack Obama.

“We will now handle customer service calls from about 40 percent of the utility companies in the country, pertaining to the smart grid,” Meringolo noted. Delmarva Power, Washington Power and Conectiv are among their clients.

Employment with AA Teleservices separates it from other customer service call opportunities.

“There are basically three requirements,” Merigolo said. “You need a good, pleasant speaking voice, high-speed Internet and a computer. When you join our company, you download software that locks you into the system. It can track when you have the time to clock in and, once you do, you start getting paid. Calls will then be directed to you, and you can answer them right at your computer at home.”

The convenience of the company’s work environment has helped turn it into a green business, seemingly by accident.

“It wasn’t originally the main focus,” Meringolo added, “but it just seemed to happen. No one has to drive to work, so you’re not leaving a carbon footprint. There are no lunch expenses, and you don’t need to go out and purchase fancy business attire. Basically, you make your own schedule, and all the money you’re making goes to your family.”

The starting wage at AA Teleservices is even higher than the starting pay at most call-center companies, he noted.

“Most of them will start you around $8,” he said. “We start you between $10 and $12, depending on the person’s experience and education.

“We create customized programs for people,” he continued. “If there’s a phone and a computer involved, we can do it. It’s as if we were sitting in their offices, handling calls for them. AA Teleservices is built on the fabric of the Internet.”

Customers making the calls experience an average wait time of less than 20 seconds.

“We pride ourselves with that,” said Meringolo, “and the number of abandoned calls – those are calls where people hang up for whatever reason, even if it’s just the wrong number – we have a 99.2 percent service turnover, meaning almost all of the calls are thoroughly handled. Utility companies, like the ones we’re working with for the smart grid, typically say that they’re happy with anything over 82 percent, and anything less that a minute, as far as wait time, and we’re well within both.”

“We’ve created the ultimate home-based business,” he added, “and even after we lost some clients with the downturn of the economy, we’re expanding our company. We’re not just talking the talk, we’re walking the walk, and we’ve been doing it for nearly six years, now.”

Many of those who work with AA Teleservices are young, educated people looking to supplement their family’s annual income. Young mothers are among the most common hires, as the flexibility of the schedule and the ability to work from home is something Meringolo said they find appealing. The work is also suitable for those with mobility problems that limit their ability to leave home.

“Our business has come around through word-of-mouth,” Meringolo said. “Customers are happy with us and how we treat them, and they refer us to others. I stress, again, we’re not an answering service. People are coming to us. We’re not trying to sell anything or ask for your money.”

For more information about AA Teleservices, LLC, visit www.allamericanteleservices.com or contact George Meringolo at (302) 541-4599.