1. Building a Nationwide Business Model Homeowners Dignified Transition Project Opportunities, Challenges and Lessons Learned
AIRS Conference May 22, 2012

2. Presenters Tino Paz Linda Daily UWW UWW Lisa Bullen-Austin
Steve Wertheim
2-1-1 Cleveland
UW_Template_022704

3. UW_Template_022704

4. Workshop Objective
Participants will be provided with information, tools and resources that would prepare a provider to position its center or state system for participation in a nationwide contract.
So this afternoon, with the help of Lisa Bullen-Austin, Tino Paz Steve Wertheim and during Q&A Troy Hammond (Liesl)? (Diane)?
We’d like to share the lessons – during this pilot.
We planned to have at least 15 minutes at the end of the session for your questions – so please jot them down in your notes when you think of them and hold them until that time.
We hope that the lessons learned will help us all to better prepare for the next opportunity,
UW_Template_022704

5. Agenda Bank of America – UWW Partnership Development
Lessons Learned – What does a need to do to participate on similar projects in the future? Things to consider?
Tips from the participating centers
Business Model Construct
Q&A
We’ll briefly describe the partnership which developed
Share lessons and tips from the 211 centers
And finally introduce you to the Business Modeling work we’ve begun with US Steering Committee members.

6. Background
2012
The community services helpline has received over 4170 calls since June 2011
2010
Promotion of how can help respond to the crisis: Locally, State-wide, National Level in partnership with Banking Industry
2013
Other financial institutions look to participate with UWW and in projects similar to the Help Line using the dialing code
2011
Bank of America was the first to capitalize on it and offered opportunity to develop a new business model from a national perspective
2008
2-1-1s received increase calls from struggling and distressed homeowners
2009
2-1-1 centers and UWW initiated a call to action to assist on the mortgage crisis and warned of the impact on a nationwide scale
And now the story: You may recall 2008…
2008 – increase in calls for mortgage assistance Cleveland, Detroit and across
the country –the slippery slope micro trend data was showing as inquirers progressed from utility and mortgage assistance to bankruptcy and foreclosure
2009 – local coalitions “Don’t Borrow Trouble campaigns in Cleveland and state coalitions which began to convene in MI trying to solve the problem relating to the escalating foreclosures.
UWW began conversations with Bank of America and Home Preservation Foundation which answers the Hope-line.
And then in 2010 began serious talks with Bank of America Foundation which led to joint discussions with Mortgage –corporate side. They had a business challenge and the light bulb slowly began to emerge as to how United Way and could help them meet their challenge.
By rnid-Dec. we came up with a strategic partnership to aid B of Am distress homeowner customers transition in a more dignified way.

7. Bank of America Objective The Partners
To provide education and community resource support to enable a “dignified transition” for customers who will leave their home (short sale, deed in lieu, or foreclosure).
Primary
Ease the burden of the transition.
Secondary
Drive customers to engage with Bank of America to prevent foreclosure.
United Way Worldwide has been an invaluable key partner for the development of the Home Transition Guide as well as providing exclusive information and referral telephone services to assist our customers in identifying community services.
In addition, community leaders served as members of an Advisory Group to provide guidance for the program, including development of the Home Transition Guide.
CredAbility
Homefree-USA
National Urban League
NeighborWorks® America
National Council of La Raza
Homeownership Preservation Foundation
National Foundation for Credit Counseling
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
Bank of America’s goal in partnering with UWW was two-fold:
Ease the burden of transition from home ownership
Provide a pathway back to the Bank for customers who understand that options have run out and to prevent foreclosure.
In addition to UWW, B of A turned to their other community partners as well to provide guidance for the project.

8. Cover Letter & Envelope
Transition Guide
Cover Letter & Envelope
Folder With Pocket
UWW engaged with B of A on two aspects of the project:
1. Development of the Home Transition Guide (on tales?)
2. Implementation of the Community Resources Helpline
3. In addition the Bank included these resources on their website
Section 1 of this guide was designed by Bank of America and provides information about foreclosure alternative options such as a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure. These customers will still need to leave their house, but these programs give them more control over how they leave.
Section 2 contains community resources provided by United Way and other community partners to help your customers navigate the process of transitioning out of their current house, including information, referrals and budget tips.
Guide Placed In Folder

9. Community Resources Helpline Objectives
A trusted advocate and non-profit to help customers through the transition
Single phone number to call
Consistent and established process to obtain referrals that would stand up to media scrutiny
Use an 800 number as the face of without submitting to the media and political scrutiny
Provide Bank of America specialized reporting regarding the unmet needs of their customers in transition
Nationwide focus on customers in need while continuing to build capacity within the network for future nationwide contracts
Discussions to get to the defined “business solution” took seven months.
In regard to the Community Resources Helpline Bank of America wanted:
To partner with a trusted advocate – United Way brand was highly valued and used on promotional material alongside B of A.
One point of contact-management,
Consistency of service delivery across 211s -- KPI
“nation-wide” database –providing local referrals – In the end – was selected since does not have a nationwide database –yet!
Key referral Information provided on the first call
Follow-up
Bullet number 4 was of particular interest – Bank needed to assess risks – UWW needed to assess risks –all were concerned about Brand should the project not succeed.
almost a year of operations, we are happy to report there are a number of success stories
Lisa Bullen-Austin, Director of Calls Center Operations will share a couple success stories and provide more information about the project.

10. Making a difference one referral at a time
Success Stories
Making a difference one referral at a time
An elderly woman who was behind on her mortgage payments contacted the helpline. She was frightened that she was going to lose her home. Her husband had been sick for a while and that was what had caused them to fall behind. They had enough income to maintain their current payments, but did not know how they could managed to catch up on the arrearages. Our agent referred her to several mortgage delinquency and default resolution counseling agencies in her area. Our agent tried repeatedly to follow up with her because he was very concerned about her well being. After a month of attempting to follow up, he finally reached her. She thanked him profusely and told him that she had contacted one of the agencies he had referred her to and thanks to his referral everything had worked out and that she and her husband were going to be able to stay in their home.
A veteran called the helpline and told our agent he was struggling to make his mortgage payments. He had been going without eating and taking his critical medications so that he could try to keep up with his mortgage. He had assumed that he would not be eligible for any kind of help because he did not have any minor children. He cried while speaking to our agent because he was upset and embarrassed that he was struggling so hard financially. He became so distraught he told our agent that he could not continue the call. Our agent reassured the caller that she could locate some local resources that could assist him and asked if it would be okay if she called him back. The caller agreed. When she called him back she provided him with information on soup kitchens, food pantries, medical assistance for veterans and a mortgage delinquency and a local default resolution counseling agency. Our agent followed up with him shortly thereafter and he thanked her. He said that prior to speaking with her he had gone 3 days without eating. Now he had food in the home, access to medical care and had an appointment scheduled with a housing counselor. The caller told our agent that things were turning around in his life thanks to her

11. Homeowners Transition Help Line
United Way Homeowners Transition Help Line provides a neutral environment where customers are given referrals and information that empower them to make better decisions regarding their situation
What do customers want when they call?
Assistance to resolve their home loan issues or stay in home
Better understanding of Short Sale and Deed in Lieu
An advocate and an impartial, empathetic ear
Referrals that can help regain financial stability i.e. Utility Assistance, food, prescription assistance, employment counseling, finalization of mortgage issue
The Bank of America Help Line functioned similar to the hundreds of I&R centers across the country. Providing referrals and information that can empower an individual to make better decisions and provide support/resources to help them manage through difficult times.
Almost all the callers truly wanted to stay in their homes. But for many of the callers their financial stability was so impaired that it was not a realistic option. Many in the I&R field have heard their situation, from losing a job, caring for an elderly family member, to facing a medical crisis.
The transition guides provided information and tools that helped to start or in some cases continue the continue the conversation regarding transitioning out of home ownership. Many callers didn’t know what a short sale was or deed in lieu and the I&R specialists helped to provided definition and clarity.
To date we have answered over 4100 calls, made 3190 outbound follow up calls, and provided over 5800 referrals.

12. What 2-1-1 centers need to do to participate in the future?
Do you have……
Basic call center equipment and technology
I&R software – cloud based
Demonstrated quality metrics
Ability to identify and integrate new resources into a common database
Business Continuity Plan
Dedicated Quality Assurance FTE
IT capacity and back up/redundancy in place (Wi-Fi, routers)
Available office space for dedicated FTE or room for expansion
Risk assessment and impact on your organization
Internal cash flow system
Can do attitude/flexibility
Here is a short list of things I&R organizations should keep in mind, if they are considering participating in future nationwide opportunities:
A sample of the KPI(Key Performance Indicators) for the project were:
Abandon Rate <3%
Answer Rate >97%
S/L or Hit Rate >75%
AHT < 540 seconds – we coached Bank of America in understanding how I&R calls were different from commercial/corporate call centers where the shorted the AHT was not a benefit to the customer.
ASA <60 seconds

13. Quality Assurance Measuring our success in meeting the customers needs
Program Management
Quality Assurance Manager job description
Calibration and mission alignment
Evaluation criteria
Metrics/Reporting – similar/consistent with other contracts
2-1-1 Site Management
As Linda mentioned earlier, initially Bank of America was risk adverse and did not want to go with more than one I&R center. Once we were able to convince them of the benefits of 2 centers, consistent quality become a main focus for the project.
Using Cleveland’ call quality score sheet as basis, we created a Bank of America call quality score sheet that met the expectations and standards of the bank while keeping true to the unique call requirements of I&R calls. We used a Y/N criteria to reinforce accuracy and consistency across the 2 sites. A 90% score in CLE would be a 90% call in PDX.
In addition, we held daily calibration sessions with Cleveland and Portland, where we would all listen to a call together and score it. The scores had to be within 4% of each other for us to consider ourselves calibrated. Bank of America also conducted bi-weekly calibration calls with us using the same form to measure quality.
A direct result of the focus on quality metrics and consistency, Cleveland took the initiative to develop a Quality Assurance Manager position in their organization incorporating some the promising practices used on this project. This was a shared resource for the project and the overall center.

14. Technology
Telephony
Database
Dynamic & Real-time Reporting

15. Tips and Lessons Learned From Cleveland and Portland 2-1-1 centers

16. Tips and Lessons Learned Cleveland’s Decision to bid……
Pros
Cons
Diversification of Funding
Use of new technology
Work with United Way Worldwide
Collaborate with another
2-1-1 center
Cross-train staff
Private Sector Contract
Blueprint for future of 2-1-1
Respond to a National Need
Aligning with a Bank
Funder may not like your ideas
Rapid Start-Up
Project did not serve a universal public
Razor thin overhead
Multiple phone and database systems
Vendor versus collaborative relationship

17. Implementation Challenges and Concerns
Tight budget - What happens if health care costs increase?
Rapid-Start Up - Needed all departments to work together quickly
Physical space required expansion
Re-Assignment and addition of management staff
How to best deliver the service? What database? Protocols?
Metrics/Quality focus for a call center is different from a standard
Getting the Contractor to listen to ideas and expertise.
UW_Template_022704

18. Project Benefits (Upfront and On-going)
Money for physical expansion of center
Cross-training staff on 2-1-1
Created a “farm team” for staff when project ends
Utilized/Tested In-Contact, cloud-based contact center
Provided reason and funding to re-structure contact center management staff (e.g., new Quality Assurance, Training and Recruitment position)
Able to learn from United Way Worldwide’s Project Management Staff with technology and/or contact center industry experience (e.g. reporting assistance, calibration calls)
Able to work with/learn from another 2-1-1

19. Tips and Lesson’s Learned (Advice to other 2-1-1 centers)
Budget carefully – have a little bit of cushion, but don’t expect to turn a large “profit.” Remain competitive.
Strategically spend the dollars (infrastructure improvement, lasting items).
Have a precise recruitment process, be critical of hires and be prepared to remove people from the project.
Have quick access to specialists (Information Technology, HR, Building Management).
Understand the mission of the project may differ from the mission of
Be flexible – the project could require you to “learn new moves”
Don’t expect to fix everything or align the project to your expectation – the funder has their own agenda.
Be Careful of Mission Creep!

20. Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder &Yves Piguneur
A Business Model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers and captures value.
Co-created by 470 business practitioners from 45 countries
Provides a framework for re- examining current business models and developing new models
Defines concepts to aid in developing common vision, models and implementation strategies
We hope the lessons and challenges shared so far help to paint a picture of the work ahead of us as a 211 US network or system
2-1-1 US and UWW are working to develop business models for national contracts –such as Bank of America as a way to continue to build capacity and infrastructure for
Business Model generation is a rally digestable book – filled with visual imagery – outlining a process which can work in any type of business.
(See handouts)
DDMS ---CDC Nurse Triage Other financial institutions, AARP
UW_Template_022704

21. Business Model Canvas Nine Elements
A Business Model is how a business creates, delivers and captures value
Customer Segment CS
Value Proposition VP
Customer Relationship CR
Channels CH
Revenue Streams R$
Key Partnerships KP
Key Resources KR
Key Activities KA
Cost Structure C$
The key concept involves the development of a Business Model Canvas which aims to really think through all the key elements of developing the plan and resources to deliver work. Make sure everyone is on the same CANVAS or page . (REFER TO HANDOUT)
The Business model canvas taking into account these 9 core elements --

22. Business Model Canvas KP KA VP CR CS KR CH C$ R$ 9 Core ElementsKA VP CR CS KR CH C$ R$
Legend
KP - Key Partnerships
KA - Key Activities
KR - Key Resources
VP - Value Proposition
CR - Customer Relations
CS - Customer Segment
CH - Channels
C$ - Cost Structure
R$ - Revenue Stream
9 Core Elements
VP Customized referrals, dedicated personal assistance, accessibility, convenience brand/ status --through discussions VP emerged – aligning bank, UWW (financial stability) and mission
CS BAC distressed homeowners – need to enter foreclosure or short sale or deed in lieu
CR – based on personal I&R
CH – inbound phone – outbound follow-up; print Transition Guide, BAC referrals, web information, of referrals provided
Telephone survey offered to callers.
R$ - vendor relationship with corporate side of bank – not a grant - fixed costs for management/ variable for telecommunications / FTE capacity
KP Strategic Partnership – UWW forged key KP with Bank and through an RFP selected centers to provide I&R services. BMG calls this “coopetition” type of partnership
KA – I&R, Reporting
KR – Human, Intellectual, technology
C$ -- Cost structure developed to cover costs and meet these objectives/ principles.
UW_Template_022704

23. Cost Structure Guiding Principles
Provide 2-1-1s with necessary operating capital to build infrastructure, capacity and deliver quality service
Provide $$$ for US network infrastructure development
Telecommunications platform and linkage
Database usage fee –seed money for Disaster Data Management System development
national staffing capacity
Ensure call to inquirer is free
Highlight each principle
What are you aiming to do? Will the revenue stream(s) support it?
Key question – if services are “free” to inquirers and online seekers, who pays for the service to be free? Who will pay for to be free tomorrow?
The Bank of America project offered us an opportunity to execute a national contract and how to meet a customers’ needs in a corporate environment.
If we are to capitalize on potential nation-wide contracts I believe we will need to diligently work toward these outcomes:
Consistency of customer experience and ability to meet standardized metrics appropriate for I&R service delivery across centers
Unified nation-wide database for inquiry as well as reporting purposes
Unified telecommunications structure and distributed call answering to meet call volume projections
Centralized management of contracts / functions as a single point of contact for the paying customer which could be for-profit, gov or np.
We’ve learned a lot from the Distressed Homeowner project – grateful for opportunity – and hope to develop more based on business model considerations.
Questions?
UW_Template_022704

24. Questions?
QUESTIONS

25. Contact Sheet
Linda Daily – United Way Worldwide: Tino Paz – United Way Worldwide: Lisa Austin – United Way Worldwide: Stephen Wertheim – Cleveland: Diane Gatto – Cleveland: Liesl Wendt – Info Portland: Troy Hammond – Info Portland:

26. Thank you