Colleagues:
Last month, I communicated with you about West Group's response to customer
issues, including the establishment of a Task Force on Back Order Issues and
a number of other actions being taken to address your concerns. I appreciate
the positive feedback I have received since that message, especially about
the change in our labels. As promised, I would like to take this opportunity
to update you on the progress West Group has made in resolving these issues.
Back Orders
The Task Force on Back Order Issues has worked diligently through these
issues from a manufacturing and a service perspective and continues to make
great progress. I am pleased to inform you that West Group expects to return
to normal deliveries by the end of April.
Payment Reminders
While we are working through our back order inventory issues, West Group has
temporarily stopped mailing Payment Reminders to customers. However, if you
need a billing document that displays unpaid charges and open credits to
assist you in reconciling your account, you can call Customer Service at
1-800-328-4880 and request an Open Item List, which will be faxed or mailed
to you.
New Sales Invoices
As a reminder to you, customers who have purchased new products but have not
received full shipment are not expected to pay for an incomplete delivery -
even though the invoice follows your order outlining the product charges. A
message has been added to the New Sales invoice through the end of April as
a reminder of our policy.
Customer Service Road Shows
To help us serve you better, I am "hitting the road" with the Customer
Service Road Show. The purpose of the road shows are to visit with as many
librarians as possible and to let you know the progress West Group has made
with back orders. We also are bringing you a workshop designed to educate
you about our new billing processes, and hope to receive your feedback on
Customer Service and quality issues. Representatives from Librarian
Relations, Customer Service, and Product and Pricing Services traveled to
Washington D.C., New York and Boston in March. We will travel to Texas and
California in April, and other parts of the country later in the year. The
road shows have been a tremendous opportunity to meet with many of you. I
look forward to visiting with more of you in the future.
We will continue to do everything we can to resolve these issues quickly and
effectively. Please call West Group Customer Service at 1-800-328-4880 for
assistance from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Central time), Monday through Friday.
Best regards,
Anne Ellis
Senior Director, Customer Programs
West Group
Anne V. Ellis
Senior Director, Customer Programs
West Group
610 Opperman Drive
D5B-N209
Eagan, MN 55123
651-687-5019
anne.ellis@westgroup.com
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