New York Rules Out-of-State Web Merchants Must Collect State Taxes
New York Gov. David Paterson signed into law on April 15 a provision that will require out-of-state online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes....
More Layoffs on the Horizon for Direct Marketers
Continued layoffs and more hiring freezes appear to be on the horizon for direct marketers this spring, according to the latest Bernhart Associates Executive Search employment survey....
Getting DC Size Right
No multichannel marketer wants to be stuck with a distribution center that’s too small Excess capacity in a facility that’s too big is just as much of a problem. Just ask Lillian Vernon....
The Power of One in Call Center Staffing
Whether manually created or developed through workforce management systems, once you have carefully devised a set of workforce schedules, it’s critical that your staff sticks to the plan. But one of the hardest things to manage in many call centers is getting agents to adhere to their daily work schedules. ...
Have HEART, Operations Execs
During his session “Are We Ever Going To Get It Right,” at NCOF in Orlando, FL, last week, Hill educated attendees about the aspects of HEART, which stands for humanistic, ethical, agile/acquisitive, responsive/resilient, and targeted. These basic fundamentals, he said, can improve your company’s performance and spark fulfillment and delivery excellence. ...
Live From NCOF: Postal Reform Makes USPS A Parcel Delivery Contender
Orlando, FL – In the packaging business, the U.S. Postal Service has lagged behind competitors such as United Parcel Service, Federal Express, and DHL due to pricing constraints....
Live from NCOF: Lehman’s Culture: People Who Need People
Operations and fulfillment is all about people,according to Bruce Breckbill, vice president of direct sales for hardware, home goods, and gifts cataloger Lehman’s. What does this former middle school teacher/coach know about managing operations workers?...
Live from NCOF: Contact Center Daily Double – Quality and Balance
Every merchant wants their contact center to be better than average. So how do you get yours to break away from the middle of the pack? Focus on quality and balance, says Jay Minucci, vice president of consulting services for International Customer Management Institute....
Live from NCOF: In the Midnight Hour, What Would P.T. Barnum Do?
What do P.T. Barnum, Billy Idol, and catalog operations have in common? The answer was in magician/illusionist Jim McCafferty's keynote yesterday at the NCOF show in Orlando, FL....
Lillian Vernon’s Operations Center to Remain Open
Current USA said its deal to buy troubled gifts merchant Lillian Vernon will close Thursday, and that it will keep the Virginia Beach, VA-based company's operations center open....
Lillian Vernon Staff to Learn Fate Monday
Now that Current USA has agreed to buy troubled gifts cataloger Lillian Vernon Corp., what does that mean for Lillian’s 80 employees?...
Solidus Shuts Down Pay By Touch Service
Solidus Networks, which recently filed for bankruptcy late last year, has shut down its Pay By Touch biometric payment service. ...
Put People First in Voice Deployment
If you’re thinking about implementing voice-directed work, you have to address the human factor by involving front-line and union management up front. You also have to give supervisors the necessary background and training so that they can teach employees the new skills. They actively elicit and consider employee feedback early on, recognizing that front-line workers are closest to the work....
American Eagle Outfitters on Cutting Labor Expenses
American Eagle Outfitters operates several distribution centers in North America, including a facility in Warrendale, PA, and a DC in Mississauga, Ontario, to service its Canadian stores. But the multichannel apparel merchant is most excited about its newest DC in Ottawa, KS, which is helping it reduce labor costs....
Training Phone Reps to Upsell
Many call center reps see themselves as order-takers or processors or helpers, not as salespeople, and they can be fearful--and in some cases, downright negative--about selling. So the approach of teaching reps to “make the ask,” as fundraisers call it, instead of asking them to “sell,” often creates less resistance....
Bill would let merchants negotiate credit card fees
Catalogers have long wanted relief from the fees charged by credit card issuers. But a bill introduced in Congress in March may not be the best way to...
Keeping DC costs at bay
Need to cut costs? Who doesn't these days. While there's not much you can do about postage or paper prices, your DC is a prime area for reducing costs....
Best bets for site tests
Nearly every Website team tracks site conversion. But few really do anything about it. That is, few use scientific testing to discover real improvements....
THE BOX STEP
Have you mastered the box step? Not the pattern dancers practice when learning to waltz, the catalog box dance. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the box dance is what your customers do — or at least, what you hope they do — every time your package arrives at their doorstep and they are getting ready to open the box....
Is SaaS for you?
“Software on demand.” “Software as a service.” “Hosted solutions.” They're all different names for the same thing — using business applications that are maintained off-site, either by the software vendor or at a secure third-party location, and using the system on some type of pay-as-you-go basis....
Increasing AOV on the phone
What's the AOV this week? How's the AOV trending? When marketers start talking about average order value, I can't help thinking of Garrison Keillor's...
Sourcing from China: You get what you pay for
The steady stream of product recalls from manufacturers in China late last year caused panic at many U.S. companies. Quality and sourcing managers, along...
Fulfillment Workers Sue BlueSky Brands
Nearly two weeks since BlueSky Brands closed its doors, the catalog holding company has yet to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection—or respond to any media requests....
Helping Phone Reps Increase AOV
You can do a few things to increase your average order value. But you’ll have to work for it. Most customers calling to order have chosen their merchandise before they dial; some have even calculated their order total. So triggering the impulsive act of adding on to an order will take a little bit of advance planning....
How to Shop for a System
If you’re on the hunt for a new system, you know the process and the choices can be daunting. You have to remember that the vendors' job is to sell; yours is to match up your application requirements with the best application strategic approach. The following five factors will help you do this. ...
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