A classic New Hampshire doll maker has signed with Taction – The Contact Center to expand its service to 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Annalee Dolls Inc. signed with the Waldoboro call center in order to give its loyal customers around-the-clock service, a spokesman said. The doll company is known for its whimsical hand-painted figures, and its belief that, “The Magic is in the Smile.”
The company’s founder was known to say, “It’s the smile. If you smile, someone else has got to smile back.”
In keeping with the “no-two-exactly-alike” look of its dolls, Annalee hosts, “Make Your Own Doll” events, open to the public. The company’s designers help customers design and craft their own personalized Annalee doll.
The company’s founder, Barbara Annalee Davis, was born in Concord, N.H. in 1915. She began her doll making hobby as a teen, and painted the faces of her first dolls to resemble her own cheery expression. Following their marriage in the mid-1950s, Annalee and Charles Thorndike turned her hobby into a business that continues careful growth today by catalog, Internet, and retail sales.
Annalee has seen a steady growth in the direct-to-consumer business over the last three years, according to a spokesman. The increasing volume of consumers placing orders over the phone has dictated the company seek help to handle the load, said Bob Watson, a partner at Annalee.
“After an extensive search, Annalee has decided to align itself with one of the leading boutique call centers serving the consumer industry, Taction – The Contact Center,” said Watson.
“Taction has the best record for quality tele-servicing of any company that we evaluated. They offer the Annalee customer the same quality of service that is provided by our in-house staff. We are looking forward to working with this fine organization.”
Annalee Dolls Inc. is located in Meredith, a town in the center of New Hampshire near Lake Winnipesaukee and is a two-hour drive from Boston and Portland. The Annalee outlet store is in the “Factory in the Woods,” on the property where the company began. It is open to the public seven days a week.
“Annalee Dolls Inc. is classic New England, with a rich tradition in fun, creative, quality doll making,” said Taction’s sales manager, Randy McKee. “Creating this partnership with Annalee is extremely exciting. Taction has strong partnerships with great companies throughout New England, none of which is identical to Annalee, except that for all of our clients, customer care is first priority. That makes Annalee Dolls Inc. a great fit for our engaging and compassionate call center agents, and for Taction – The Call Center as a brand.”
