RAPID RESPONSES
Jobs for the girls
[Re: Should we be nostalgic for the 1960s workplace?, Wednesday]
In the 1960s I worked in market research on Madison Avenue in one of the top agencies of the day, Benton & Bowles. While most smoked, there was no alcohol around during the daytime. What I find particularly wrong with Mad Men is the overt sexism. It was a serious problem in the workplace generally in the sixties, but advertising and research were in the egalitarian vanguard. I worked in a fairly mixed department and reported to a female, whose boss in turn was a female, whose boss was also female. Possibly the fact that so much advertising and research was directed towards women was something to do with this.
Allan Spink
Self-serving
[Re: Not just pasties: Inflation will remain too high for comfort , yesterday]
Call centres have all been outsourced in the last ten years and the service is now as bad as it is. There is perhaps a lesson in this.
Hugh Cox
In a world of corporate cronyism, with regulatory capture and control fraud, customer service doesn’t matter. With regard to the phone market, Ofcom (very briefly) considered using customer service as a regulatory instrument, but dropped it. Complicated business models separate the flow of money from the flow of satisfactory service. All the other problems you list can be solved if customer service mattered.
Brian Smith-Jones
TOP TWEETS
I’m amazed that @Number10gov has worked in business, if only public relations! Also the UK excels at poor customer service.
@simonhcwilson
PM’s PR credentials come back to haunt him as he “blunders like no tomorrow.”
@FionaBrandhorst
Fuel tanker driver, up and down the M1, £45k a year. Army fuel tanker driver, Helmand, £17k a year. Which is striking over safety again?
@WelshToy
In 2006, £250,000 would get you a peerage. But now it just gets you a meeting with the PM. That’s inflation for you.
@ianvisits