Managers Share Secrets of Success

Ellie Perry, sales and service team leader
Fairytale Brownies, Chandler, Ariz.
Merchandise: gourmet baked goods
Contact center employees: five to 24

Catalog Success: What are your top challenges, and how do you overcome them?
Perry: The biggest challenge for any call center manager is to whom you report: marketing or operations. Even if it’s one or the other, you still have to communicate effectively with the other department. As a manager you have to be an advocate for your call center. If something is wrong, we’re the first ones to hear about it from customers. It’s not always recognized that call centers are profit centers in a catalog company.