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ORDER PROCESSING, BILLING, SHIPPING, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE continued . . .
Customer service representatives with online computer support are available to take orders, answer questions, and solve logistical problems. Every call to IPG is answered by a polite and knowledgeable person (not a recorded message offering a tedious list of options). Most questions and problems are resolved in a matter of moments without having to put a customer on hold or calling back at a later time. IPG's aim is not to equal the level of service that is typical of the publishing industry, which is poor and a constant source of irritation to book customers, but instead to make customer service a positive reason for dealing with IPG. |
Information Technology IPG operates a highly evolved computer network. IPG's many databases are interlinked so that information can pass easily throughout the company and can be accessed quickly by all staff members. IPG uses Cat's Pajamas software to handle the basic inventory, billing, and shipping functions, but this software has been extensively customized to IPG's particular needs. IPG enjoys a particularly closeworking relationship with Cat's Pajamas because it is one of that company's largest clients and is the source of many innovative ideas. Almost all repetitive processes have been automated. For instance, publisher payment statements are generated by information that passes electronically each month from the Cat's Pajamas database to the publisher payment database, which eliminates accounting errors. Likewise, every data field in the Cat's Pajamas database can be exported to the title management database, which insures that title information is consistent. |
David Gebhart Customer Service Manager David came to IPG in 1999 following an eight-year career with Borders, first in Ann Arbor at the old store on State Street, and then more recently at the flagship store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. There he developed the special services department, which integrated the formerly separate corporate sales and special orders departments. This improved efficiency and level of service in both areas. "The voice people hear every time they call IPG belongs to someone in our Customer Service Department. It has long been a point of pride here to make sure that there's a human being on the line rather than a robot, and that the person who takes the call will be able to handle a wide variety of situations rather than merely pass a caller on." Dominic Moore Chief Information Officer Dominic has been with IPG since 1996. Prior to joining IPG, he worked as an engineer for the BBC in London. Dominic is in charge of the overall health of IPG's IT system, which now amounts to six servers, numerous databases, 80 workstations, two local area networks, and hundreds of proprietary and non-proprietary software programs.
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