We Celebrate the Many Companies and People Who Make Connections Magazine Possible
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
With this issue of Connections Magazine, we start our twenty-seventh year of continuous publication. It started in July 1993 when Steve and Chris Michaels founded the magazine. I took over in September 2001, just a few days before an inauspicious event in US history.
At that moment, I wondered if anyone would care about a magazine. I wondered if our priorities would suddenly change. But things soon returned to normal, as normal as they could ever be after the events of September 11, 2001.
Connections Magazine started with spot color and was printed on newsprint. Over the years, we’ve worked to improve it and make it more valuable to our readers and the advertisers who make this magazine possible with their advertising dollars. We moved to full color and then to glossy stock.
Buyers Guide
One of many additions to the magazine was the introduction of the 2003 Buyers Guide in the December 2002 issue. This turned out to be a popular feature. We repeated the Buyers Guide the next year and never look back, though we do tweak the format to keep it relevant and useful.
Our much-anticipated Annual Buyers Guide is now in its seventeenth edition. For each one of those Buyers Guides, Valerie Port worked to gather the information of the companies listed, and David Margolis handled the layout.
And they worked on every single issue in between. Rounding out our team is Claudia Volkman. She’s edited every issue since the October 2006 issue. We have a great, longstanding team.
Looking back at the 2003 Buyers Guide brings back a lot of memories. Many of those companies listed then are still in business now. Although some have closed, left the industry, or merged with other vendors, most are still around.
In scanning that list in the first Buyers Guide, I see Amtelco, Startel, Szeto Technologies, and TAS Marketing. They have been in every Buyers Guide and have run display ads in nearly every issue, perhaps all them.
In addition, Telescan, now a division of Amtelco, was in that issue. That first Buyers Guide also included Alston Tascom and Professional Teledata, now part of Startel.
Of course, many other companies in the first Buyers Guide have also supported Connections Magazine over the years with strategically placed display advertising and listings in our Professional Directory, Vendor Directory, and Marketplace sections. I’d like to list those companies too, but I know any attempt to do so would be incomplete—and take up more room than we have available.
I’m also happy to report that most of the industry associations listed in that first Buyers Guide are still around today.
Sponsors
In 2013 we added another feature to the magazine: sponsorship opportunities. Our sponsors are our cornerstone advertisers and provide most of the revenue we need to produce Connections Magazine. Several sponsors have sponsored every issue since 2013.
Our current sponsors are MAP Communications, Amtelco, OnviSource, Startel, and Szeto Technologies. Our newest sponsor, nSolve, joins this star-studded list. We salute all current and past sponsors for taking the lead to make Connections Magazine possible.
Contributors
Industry insiders write the content for Connections Magazine. They give their time to share their wisdom and insights with the rest of the industry. They give unselfishly, and often their only reward is knowing that they helped make the call center industry better. Without them, I would have to write every article, and no one wants that.
Readers
You, our loyal readers, are why we do all this. Without you, there would be no reason to produce Connections Magazine. You read, you encourage, and you do your part to advance the call center industry.
As we dive into our twenty-seventh year, we look forward to the future as we celebrate the past. Thank you to everyone for helping make Connections Magazine what it is today.
Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.
