A few months ago, in my post “The Work of Publishing Periodicals” I explained why I hadn’t blogged for awhile — for 21 days to be exact. (Prior to that, the dubious record was 14 days — see “The AWOL Blogger is Back .”) In my entry, I blamed my absence from the blogosphere on […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As our economy—both in the US and globally—begins to slowly emerge from recession, now is the ideal time to revisit your marketing strategies. For companies that scaled back their advertising expenditures during the downturn, it is advisable to ramp up marketing efforts as buyers ready themselves to make those purchases that […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD ContactBabel recently released the third edition of its The US Contact Center Operational Review. Last year, in the March 2009 issue of Connections Magazine, I highlighted some data from the “outsourcing” section of their second edition. This time I want to report on some of the broader findings. Of course, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It seems that every other week there is a study extolling the virtues and desirability of digital publications. They make such claims as: While I don’t dispute findings such as these, their survey base can render any conclusions as errant. The problem is that surveys about digital publications involve talking […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As if marketers don’t have enough to worry about, the FTC is reportedly considering a “Do-Not-Track” registry. This would allow consumers to sign up to have their Web browsing activity hidden from advertisers. (This effort comes after the consumer favorite “Do-Not-Call” bill, which decimated the telemarketing industry and reportedly cost millions […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I got up early this morning and, in the predawn, began pulling in cool 60-degree air into our warm home. In short order the temperature dropped seven degrees to an agreeable 70, where it stayed most of the morning. Wearing only t-shirt and shorts, I was quite comfortable. What perplexes […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I once received a 17-page booklet from my credit card provider covering their revised “customer agreement.” They mailed it under the guise of good customer service, but I’m sure that buried somewhere inside is a policy change that will effect me. However, I don’t have the time or interest to […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. The Ford Model T was available in only one color. Henry Ford reportedly quipped, “You can have any color, as long as it’s black.” His assembly-line production method changed the way cars were made and introduced a predicable consistency, standardizing the manufacturing process. It was a trait that was highly […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As I’ve read the responses (more correctly, the “outrage”) from the direct mail industry to the proposed USPS postage rate increase, I try to put myself in their situation. I would be frustrated too. Like them, I would cut back on mailings, like them I would think about putting more effort […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Even the simplest of transactions often intersect with the call center. My family’s recent switch of television content providers presented five such interactions – with varying results. The Prequel: This saga began over three years ago. (See my article, “Anything for a Sale.”) To recap, my wife and I decided […]