Intercon Messaging Says Goodbye 2022
As the end of 2022 draws near, my team and I want to connect, thanking all of you for another amazing year of loyalty, trust and kindness.
The Heart of Our Business
The success of Intercon Messaging is based on the relationships our team has built with our clients and vendors, and we really wouldn't be where we are without you.
Each day we have the privilege to serve and connect with you and your callers, and we are grateful for our mutually beneficial relationship. Our passion for helping our customers remains strong, and all of us extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.
Returning to Normal
Every year is different, but with global turmoil continuing to affect us all in various ways, 2022 has been filled with a few challenges and notable victories.
Intercon Messaging is considered an essential service offering a range of emergency response, answering service and asset monitoring solutions for businesses across Canada. Our business was fortunate to play a critical role for many of our clients throughout the pandemic and continue to support them through this period of returning to normal and staffing shortages.
During this time, we have kept all our people meaningfully employed, and to you, I am most grateful for that. Enthusiasm and anticipation are building, and I assure you that normalcy was critical to increasing our level of health, both mentally, emotionally and physically.
Leadership and Mental Health
The year 2022 was full of leadership opportunities. No matter the economic or social climate, my staff persevered as a team and became stronger. Seeing how we have all risen to the challenges while continuously looking out for our clients has been a rewarding experience.
February this year, I spent time learning and practicing Cy Wakeman's leadership concepts. If you have yet to read Life's Messy Live Happy by Cy Wakeman, I highly recommend it. She shares a process that helps us to examine the "what's not working" part of a negative or challenging experience. Her lessons teach us resiliency and how to live in the mess of life with contentment and to question our negative thoughts.
Earlier in January, we participated in a mental health webinar and learned that mental health costs Canadians 51 billion annually. My grandmother was a pioneer doctor. When I was 14, she recognized my signs of depression and insisted that I get lots of fresh air, exercise and eat healthily. Many times I have gone for a long walk and, upon completion, realized that grandma, who held degrees in surgery and medicine from the University of Birmingham, was right. Fresh air and exercise are vital in maintaining excellent mental health.
Looking to The Future
This year alone, my team has accomplished so much and set the course for development and expansion.
May 19, 2022, marked 24 years since we cutover to a digital call management system in 1998. And we haven't stopped with the upgrades. Currently, we are working on migrating our operations to the latest cloud-based call management system for 2023. This means even more industry-leading support for our current and prospective clients.
In June, someone suggested I read the book CEO Excellence by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra. While reading this, I happened upon the term Interpersonal Sophistication. I literally thought… "what the hell does that look like?" Well, folks, it's a leadership game-changer. If you want to learn more, I found this document, originally intended for the healthcare industry. I repurposed it for use in our office.
November delivered an opportunity, and we made a move to purchase another answering service in the heartland of Alberta. The team has been busy learning about our new clients, cutting over their services, hiring new staff and ramping up our features to support them.
It's an exciting time for Intercon Messaging.
A Year In Review
I've got to tell you that the rest of the year passed in a blur. Everyone maximized their summer to the fullest with vacations, gatherings and time off. I spent some time travelling and with my mom, who is 91. She lives on the farm still, in the house built in 1960, and spends most of her summers digging, watering and harvesting in her huge garden.
Working together this past year has been a pleasure, and we are proud to have you all with us. Again, myself and the rest of the team are most grateful to you, our clients, and your callers. Thank you!
Pat and The Intercon Team
