Bart Miller '93

Providing clients with personal interactions can go a long way in an increasingly impersonal, digital world. Bart Miller '93 uses his call center to go beyond the online format by establishing direct contact in a timely manner in order to provide a quality customer experience.

Miller's company, Centrinex, has become an industry leader in providing call center services, primarily for financial institutions. Within five seconds of a customer applying online for a loan, Miller's people are on the phone to verify information. He uses new technology to document the productivity of his employees and flag calls that need assistance. Speech analysis software monitors voices for tone and vocabulary that signal possible problems and sifts through millions of calls to pull those that need review to improve service.

"We want to make quick changes on the fly and make the customer experience as good as possible," he says.

Miller, who holds a BS in accounting from the School of Business, also recognizes the need to create a quality employee experience - no easy task. In 2008, he knew the name of each of his 200 employees at Centrinex, which he began three years earlier with just seven employees. And he wanted them to know him. He'd give out gift cards to people who remembered facts about him, such as the name of Miller's dog, Pepper, who occasionally accompanied him to work.

Today, it's more challenging to know each of the 500 employees who work at his 47,000-square-foot calling center in Overland Park, Kan., as well as in centers in Costa Rica and Panama. Most of his original team members are still with him and have advanced as the company has grown.

"I try to teach people to take as many chances as possible and make a ton of mistakes - and then learn from them." With a hint of pride, Miller adds, "The first employee I ever hired at the call center is the brand manager for our largest client."

In addition to his dedication to his employees and clients, he supports several nonprofit groups and chaired a committee that helped raise $1 million in two years for Community LINC, which offers transitional housing for people who have lost their jobs and/or their homes.