ALW Sources has been changing the customer service space around the Washington D.C. area for the past several years — since 2006 to be exact. The progressive customer service company’s core business centers on customer contact from the front end to the back, meaning everything from account servicing to account collection. Naturally consumers tend to lean in the direction of thinking this is a nasty job, but somebody’s got to do it, right? To the contrary, Bill Allen, ALW’s founder and CEO has established a reputation for understanding the sometimes delicate nature of the business. That awareness of the issues has landed Allen and ALW several heavy weight accounts including Bank of America, CitiBank, Discover Card, utility company accounts and disconnects, and student loan collections for private and public universities. Allen’s skillful navigation of those financial waters coupled with his innate sensitivity to the needs of a diverse customer base earned him and ALW high marks as well as a DiversityBusiness.com award at the conference in Washington, D.C. recently. -roz edward
How does an African American entrepreneur break into the customer service industry?
For me it was more of a personal initiative. After working for a large conglomerate for many years, I had the opportunity to travel the world and see a ton of opportunities. But, when I go to these centers I see the majority of the core workers are people of color. However, I had a difficult time finding the same folk at the leadership level. So I always felt that I had an edge, and knew that if I ever had the chance to do it myself, I would, because I had a connection to a culture that was missing.
How do you communicate that responsiveness and social responsibility to your employees?
Every associate that works for ALW has to have a charity of choice. It is one of our requirements on the application. It started as part of my personal mission, but it ended up being a great retention tool. I found that when you take a personal interest in an associate, they stay with you.
What are your philanthropic involvements?
My wife and I just published a book entitled It Flows Through Us. And in it are 36 philanthropic organizations that myself, ALW, or the ALW family is involved in. We have a foundation endowment that we established some years ago. So, by having a company I can expand [my philosophy] to a lot more people. It is probably a selfish move, but I get a lot more out of it than anybody. … This is something I always wanted to do.
