Circulation people best customer service providers
To the Editor,
On Friday, Dec. 2, the Minneapolis
Star and Tribune (my former employer)
had an article about the outsourcing of their circulation department
customer service call center (I was once responsible for the Customer
Service Center, which, in my day, took over a million calls from customers
each year).
The article said that it wasn’t about saving money but about moving
this function to a company whose “core competency” was customer
service.
Oh, please.
The core competency of the Star Tribune Circulation
Customer Service Center is customer service. Does anyone really think
they can improve service by farming that role out to an organization
who does not share your vision, values, and purpose? To an organization
that does not know your company, your market, your staff? I don’t
believe it for a second.
I worked at the Star Tribune for 18 years, my
dad for 42 years before me. I’ve consulted in three markets around the country for the
past dozen years. I’ve never known better providers of customer
service than newspaper circulation people. I’ve never known employees
who worked harder or gone more out of their way to serve the customer.
To take that work away from these people and to say you are giving it
to a company whose “core competency” is customer service,
is an insult to them and to all who came before them.
It is always “about the money.” Let’s
be honest about it.
I operated at the Star Tribune by the maxim: “We will tell you
what we know when we know it. We will never be dishonest or mislead you.” A
current employee told me how her boss lies to her outright
and commented that it is hard to be dedicated when there is no trust.
My sympathy and best wishes to those who lost their jobs. They did get
a two-week notice right before Christmas.
No wonder the newspaper industry is in decline.
Tom Heuerman, former member,
Minnesota Newspaper Guild