An Interview with Peter DeHaan, our Editor-in-Chief – Part 2
By Genevieve Carrenard
Connections Magazine is entering its fourth decade! In our last issue, we asked Peter DeHaan, our editor-in-chief, to take us back to the early days of his career in the call center industry, and his involvement with the magazine.
Picking up where we left off, I asked Peter to tell us more about his experience as the editor-in -chief of the publication and his perspective on the future of the call center industry at large.
Genevieve Carrenard: You bought Connections in the fall of 2001, when our country was going through an extremely challenging season. What were some of your thoughts as you were starting this new venture?
Peter DeHaan: I bought Connections Magazine in 2001 from Steve and Christine Michaels. We concluded the deal in early September. On September 10, the physical assets arrived. The next day, as I excitedly went through the materials, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred.
I feared an uncertain future. This was the worst time to take on debt and buy a business. “What have I gotten myself into?”, I wondered.
Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. We hit the ground running and were financially successful from the very first issue. That doesn’t mean I didn’t make some mistakes along the way, for I certainly did. But it’s been a fun, rewarding, and enjoyable journey.
GC: Did you have any publishing experience when you started?
PDH: Aside from spending one year overseeing an association magazine, I had no publishing experience when I bought Connections Magazine. Also, I’m a self-taught writer, having only taken the one required freshman writing class. I’ve learned along the way. Mostly I’ve learned by doing.
GC: Tell me about your first year as the editor of Connections Magazine. What was it like?
PDH: (Peter laughs.) That was a long time ago! I do remember that I had much to learn, but the sellers did a great job of getting me up to speed.
I also had the foresight to hire a magazine publishing consultant. He had thirty years of industry experience. In a few short hours—which was all I could afford—he told me what to do to run a professional and profitable magazine. All I had to do was put his advice into practice.
GC: Who is the magazine’s main target audience?
PDH: The readers of Connections Magazine are those in the call center industry, both in-house operations and outsourcing call centers. Readers are primarily decision-makers and decision influencers. However, some are at management and supervisory levels. A few others are exploring the industry as an investment or a vocational pursuit.
GC: What topics do you typically cover in the magazine?
PDH: I strive to stay abreast of industry developments, covering the topics that interest our readers. We cover technology and operations a lot. And though I prefer practical issues, I’m also open to doing futuristic or theoretical content.
GC: Talk about Connections’ sponsorship program. How did you come up with it?
PDH:The sponsorship program was a way to provide more value to our key advertisers. It was my way of showing them how much I appreciated their ongoing support. I wanted to reward them for their loyalty.
As I recall, an advertiser who paid for a display ad in every issue could move into one of our sponsorship packages at about the same commitment level. However, they would receive much more in the form of promotional opportunities.
A side benefit of having annual sponsorships was providing a consistent revenue stream for the magazine. As an advertiser-supported publication, our advertisers make it possible. To the point, no advertising means no product.
The Move to Digital
GC: When did the decision to go to a digital format occur? What triggered the move?
PDH: When I bought Connections Magazine, the industry had several print magazines. One by one they either ceased publication or went completely online. Connections Magazine was the last industry publication to print and mail a full-color magazine to subscribers. Knowing that digital formats were the future, I began offering email subscriptions to our online content, in addition to printed subscriptions for the mailed magazine. I wanted to be ready when the time came to go all digital. But that time came sooner than I expected.
Then COVID hit. Our sponsors remained, loyal and committed, albeit a bit concerned. In the end, there wasn’t quite enough revenue to print and mail the publication. So, in 2020, Connections Magazine became 100 percent online and completely digital.
I revamped the sponsorship packages to reflect these new dynamics, and our sponsors transitioned to them. If ever you get an opportunity to talk with one of our longtime sponsors, please thank them for their years of support to Connections Magazine.
GC: Is there an achievement you are particularly proud of?
PDH: In the early days, Connections Magazine was printed on newspaper stock with spot color, that is, it was mostly black ink on white paper. Readers would often call it a rag. Though it hurt to hear, I understood where they were coming from.
I soon switched to magazine stock. A few years later I added full color, on all pages.
Early on, I hired a professional editor to copy-edit our content. We also upgraded our website to make it more usable and to add content. Readers would often thank me for the quality improvements.
The Future
GC: With all the discussion around AI transforming industries, how can the call center industry prepare for the future?
PDH: The key is not to fear AI. Learn what it can do, not only for your call center but also for other areas of your life. Play with it. Test it. Dream and dream big. Talk with industry vendors to learn what they’re doing and explore how that can positively impact what you’re doing.
As you do, filter out the hype and hysteria from what is reasonable and real.
GC: Where are the areas of opportunity for growth in the industry?
PDH: In the past, we moved from thinking about calls to embracing the idea of contacts. The next opportunity is to broaden the scope even more. It’s about sharing information and enhancing how we can help people.
I don’t have specifics. (If I did, I’d write a book about it.) But use this concept of sharing information and helping others to inspire your thinking and embrace future opportunities.
GC: How can Connections Magazine remain relevant to its subscribers?
PDH: This idea of sharing Information has always been the backbone of all we do. But we can do more. And as we do, we’ll continue to remain relevant to our subscribers, both present, as well as future ones. By seeking ways to more fully embrace the idea of helping them, we’ll empower readers to do their job better and enjoy their career more.
GC: What would you like to see happen with Connections Magazine in the future?
PDH: I envision Connections Magazine continuing to evolve and to meet changing market conditions, vendor requests, and reader expectations. I don’t know the specifics, but it sure will be fun figuring it out!