Madison, Wis. (November 24, 2009) -- Important Changes to Wisconsin Department of Tourism Call Center and Publication Distribution Operations
Call Center
As you may well know, our new business model shifts more resources and responsibilities towards our consumer website, TravelWisconsin.com, as travelers increasingly choose to use the Internet as their primary resource for information. However, there are times when customers want to speak with a live person knowledgeable about Wisconsin’s travel opportunities. We expect to answer approximately 25,000 of these telephone calls in the next year.
As call volume has steadily decreased, we’ve reached a critical point where the Department of Tourism like all other state agencies, is required to provide these services in-house rather than contracting them out. Beginning December 1, all customer inquiries through our toll-free number 1-800-432-TRIP that have been previously handled by an outside vendor will now be managed by the Department’s Customer Service Center in Madison. After studying call patterns, we have set call center hours of operation for 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, similar to Minnesota and Michigan. Led by tourism veteran Joellyn Merz, our seasoned Travel Information Assistants are excited to take on this new challenge.
Besides being more cost effective, bringing the call center in-house allows us to be in control of our message, ensure the quality of its delivery and to take advantage of call center software that provides key tracking information.
If you are calling the Department of Tourism here are some important things to know. Callers to the Department’s general office number will hear a recording with a directory of key staff names and instructions to press a number to be connected directly to that individual. If you are calling the Secretary’s office or a specific Tourism staff person, we encourage you to use their direct phone numbers to keep the phone lines open for travelers. Contact information for the entire staff is listed on the About Us section of this website, created especially for you, our industry partners.
Publications Distribution
Another change based on our new business model has been the shift away from operating and staffing the Wisconsin Welcome Centers that distributed brochures and other printed materials. This includes reducing the number of publications available in the Madison Customer Service Center. Fewer people are using the Madison office as a point to pick up travel publications and literature. With this reduced traffic, brochures are not always getting into the hands of people who need them. We know that brochures are expensive for you to print, and need to be distributed where the travelers are.
Going forward, the Madison office will distribute only Department of Tourism publications and literature produced by our statewide tourism associations. These are the same publications currently offered on TravelWisconsin.com. Of course, all of Wisconsin’s travel opportunities – 15,000 travel items and events – are available to consumers on TravelWisconsin.com. Information about how to use and benefit from our Tourism Database is available on our industry website here.
Madison Customer Service Center staff will order a small quantity of publications from key destinations, attractions and events to use for in-house reference and training. As is always the case, please wait to hear from us before sending any materials.
Know that long-term planning for wider publication distribution through the Department’s Travel Information Center Privatization Partners who are located in markets previously served by Wisconsin Welcome Centers is now underway. Once a plan is fully developed, we will share this with you so that you can tailor your own literature distribution plan to ensure that your publications get into the hands of the traveling public.
We thank you for your continued support and patience as we work hard to ensure that Wisconsin’s travelers continue to receive the same great customer care and hospitality that we’ve always been known for. Please do not hesitate to contact Freya Reeves or Joellyn Merz with any questions regarding either call center operations or publication distribution. It’s our pleasure to continue assisting our tourism partners to inspire travelers to love the Wisconsin experience.