Professional Overview
Ken B. Goldenberg is the Owner and President of Direct Line Tele Response-Answering Services, a company specializing in 24/7 live answering and call center services. He has held this role continuously since September 1979, marking over 46 years of leadership and operational experience within the company. He is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and is the second-generation family owner, having taken over ownership after the retirement of his parents, founders Ruth and Larry Goldenberg, in 2012.
Ken holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from San Diego State University. His educational background supports his extensive experience managing a specialized communications and call center service provider.
Company Profile: Direct Line Tele Response
- Founded: 1979 by Ruth and Larry Goldenberg
- Headquarters: Berkeley, California
- Employees: Approximately 50–99
- Annual Revenue: Estimated between $5 million and $10 million
- Industry: 24-hour live call answering and messaging services industry, serving multiple sectors across North America with specialization in medical, legal, and general business communications.
Leadership and Role
As President and Owner, Ken Goldenberg oversees all executive functions and operational execution within Direct Line Tele Response. Under his stewardship:
- Direct Line has become one of the most recognized and awarded call centers, maintaining exemplary standards in client service and call handling.
- Ken actively contributes thought leadership, authoring professional articles on topics such as call center support for healthcare providers, business continuity planning, and call center trends.
- Direct Line has a dedicated focus on maintaining high-quality standards with customized, HIPAA-compliant answering and messaging services.
Industry Contributions & Thought Leadership
Ken Goldenberg has authored multiple professional articles emphasizing:
- The importance of 24-hour live answering services, especially in healthcare and legal sectors.
- Strategies on business continuity, particularly with respect to utility disruption scenarios like PG&E’s power shutoff programs.
- How bilingual answering services and CRM integration improve client operational efficiency.
- Trends in contact center technologies and compliance tools such as whistleblower hotlines.
Awards and Professional Recognition
Ken Goldenberg and Direct Line Tele Response have consistently earned industry accolades that affirm their excellence in service quality and operational standards:
- ATSI (Association of TeleServices International) Diamond Plus Award of Excellence for 17 consecutive years, recognizing the highest scores in criteria such as ring time, professionalism, grammar, and call control, verified by ongoing unannounced mystery calls.
- CAM-X Diamond Award of Excellence from the Canadian Call Management Association, earned for 23 consecutive years, reflecting flawless agent execution per strict call quality standards.
- ATSI Learning By Association Sharing Award, highlighting contributions in sharing industry insights and best practices.
- The founding co-owner, Larry Goldenberg (Ken’s father), was inducted into the ATSI Hall of Fame in 2013, underscoring a family legacy of pioneering leadership in the call answering service industry.
Company Differentiators and Capabilities
Direct Line Tele Response provides a comprehensive suite of call center and messaging services designed to integrate seamlessly with client operations including:
- 24/7 live answering and messaging services customized to client-specific needs.
- HIPAA-compliant medical answering services supporting healthcare providers.
- Attorney and legal answering services addressing sector-specific requirements.
- CRM integration and custom reporting enhancing client operational insights.
- Employee hotlines, absentee management, urgent dispatch, and alert monitoring, ensuring comprehensive communication solutions.
- Bilingual services in English and Spanish, addressing diverse customer bases.
- The company maintains business continuity infrastructure with UPS/generators and multiple geographic offices (Berkeley, Stockton, and remote agents) to ensure uninterrupted service during emergencies or power outages.
- Pricing plans begin at $115/month, indicating competitive, scalable service offerings.
Company Reputation & Client Focus
- Direct Line Tele Response holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
- The company maintains strong client retention and trust, with a pronounced focus on excellence in call handling.
- The team-based approach promotes a collaborative and positive workplace culture, aimed at encouraging efficiency and outstanding performance.
- Direct Line’s communication model emphasizes that clients interact with live virtual receptionists, not machines, providing a personalized and professional caller experience.
- The company serves a broad client base across all industries in the US and Canada, with historical concentration in medical and healthcare sectors.
Professional Network and Influence
- Ken Goldenberg’s LinkedIn profile shows over 910 followers and more than 500 connections, signifying a strong professional network in the telecommunications and call center sectors.
- He is an active member of industry organizations, including ATSI and CAM-X, maintaining active certification and continuing their stringent call quality standards.
- His presence as an industry expert is reinforced by regular updates, articles, and engagement on relevant operational and technological topics in telecommunication and customer service.
In summary, Ken B. Goldenberg represents a seasoned executive with deep experience in managing a niche, high-quality live answering service company. His leadership at Direct Line Tele Response has maintained the firm’s reputation as an industry leader marked by consistent operational excellence, progressive service offerings, customer-centric policies, and a long-standing record of industry recognition and awards. This positions Direct Line as a reliable, scalable partner in professional messaging and call center services, underpinned by Ken's pragmatic and strategic business administration expertise.
