Timing is everything

| Mark Del Franco

Scheduling is one of the biggest challenges in managing today’s call centers, says Andrew Wetzler, a Boca Raton, FL-based telemarketing and call center

The third-quarter blues

| Mark Del Franco

Of the 23 consumer catalogers and cataloger/retailers tracked by Catalog Age, 15-or 65%-reported either a drop in third-quarter income or a net loss for

Multiple analytical tools

| Jim Wheaton

Despite a vast selection of analytical tools available today, many catalogers don’t stray from the traditional customer segmentation of recency, frequency,

Carriers, unions duke it out

| Paul Miller

The end of 1998 brought some uncertainty in regard to catalog and parcel carriers’ union relations. The good news: Federal Express pilots are likely to

Cover at deadline

| MCM staff

TEEN APPAREL CATALOG SHUTTERS Just Nikki, a teen apparel catalog launched by retailer Claire’s Stores in February 1998, mailed its last book in mid-November.

See you in court!

| Shannon Oberndorf

Sharper Image Corp. is keeping its corporate counsel busy. In late November, the San Francisco-based high-tech gadgets cataloger/retailer sued several

Inspired By…

| MCM staff

Kimber Bishop-Yankee has found a way to “promote the self-esteem of women”-and get paid for it. In November she launched Inspired By…, a Berkley, MI-based

Bioenergy Nutrients

| MCM staff

Just because you grow up doesn’t mean you like to eat your vegetables. But you can get your neccessary vitamins and minerals from the Web by visiting