By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD
As we start a new year at Connections Magazine, I have a favor to ask you. I don’t do this lightly, and it is important. If you enjoy reading Connections, I know you’ll do whatever you can.
Here’s the background: Connections is an advertiser-supported magazine. That means the revenue from ads cover the costs to edit, layout, design, print, and mail the magazine. No advertiser support means no magazine. In the past ten years, a number of call center magazines have ceased publication, moved online, or morphed their content into a different area. This leaves Connections Magazine as the only remaining print magazine focused solely on the call center industry.
We have survived because of loyal advertisers, passionate readers, a dedicated team, low overhead, and streamlined procedures that few can match. We pledge to do whatever we can to continue to publish and print Connections, but we can’t do it alone.
Readers: If your call center vendors advertise in Connections Magazine (see the list on page 27), please email them, call them, or even jot them a quick note to say “thank you.” Let them know you really appreciate what they do to support us so we can support the industry. This may not seem like much, but I want to affirm them and let them feel the love.
If your call center vendors don’t advertise in Connections Magazine, please encourage them to do so. Be nice about it, but ask them to support Connections for you, for the industry, and ultimately for themselves, so that more people can learn about their products and services. As you contact them, realize that all vendors have limited funds, and some are small companies. But whatever they can afford to do will help. In addition to display ads, they can consider a Professional Directory listing (page 3), a Vendor Directory listing (page 28), or a Marketplace ad (page 29).
Outsource Call Centers: If you are an outsource call center, contact center, teleservice agency, or answering service, there is another way you can help. In most issues of Connections Magazine, we print a directory of outsource call centers (this issue covers text chat service providers).
We’d like to include your call center in our next listing. Check out findacallcenter.com. Then click on “submit your listing.” We’ll add your call center to our online directories and then include you in future printed directories, as appropriate. Of course, there’s a small fee for this, but one sale will easily cover the cost.
Vendors: If you provide products, software, or services to the call center industry and don’t see your company advertised on these pages, you know what you need to do. Contact Valerie (see page 7 for her contact info) to do your part. Enough said.
Advertisers: I’m extremely grateful for you: “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You make this magazine possible. Everyone who advertises here is part of the solution: our sponsors, display advertisers, and those listed in the Professional Directory, Vendor Directory, and Marketplace. Again, I say a heartfelt “thank you”!
Our Role: We’re doing our part, too. We continue to keep production costs low and are always looking for more effective ways to publish Connections Magazine. Starting this year, we have right-sized our number of issues back to six. This allows us to provide regular industry communication while not asking as much from our regular advertisers, some who have advertised every issue for the past twelve years (which is as far back as my records go).
We are poised to move forward in 2014. For the first time, all of our sponsorship spots are filled, and key advertisers have committed their support for the entire year. With your help we can move forward boldly and with confidence, both this year and beyond.
Thank you for your time to read this, and thank you for doing your part to support Connections Magazine.
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.
