Penguin Random House Announces Credit, Customer Service Integration

Penguin Random House U.S. has announced plans to unify its Credit and Customer Service functions, with new, integrated systems projected to go live in early 2015.

“All of us at Penguin Random House are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support and cooperation from the indie community as we begin our first steps forward as a new combined company,” said Stuart Applebaum, spokesman for Penguin Random House. “Until early 2015, our respective Penguin and Random House credit and customer service groups separately continue conducting business as usual, while we undertake a long-term smooth transition to unified systems, which will help [booksellers] spend less time in the back office and more out front with customers.”

Penguin’s credit function, currently handled by Pearson with support from IBM in India, will be brought fully into the U.S. in the first quarter of 2014. The system will remain separate from Random House’s for the time being, but will be operated by a team in the Random House operations center in Westminster, Maryland.

Bill Sinnott, senior vice president of credit, payroll, and disbursements, will oversee credit operations in Westminster, as the team works to integrate Penguin and Random House’s credit systems during 2014.

Random House and Penguin Customer Service teams will operate at their current locations and with current staff until early 2015. Penguin’s customer service, currently handled by IBM in India and by Penguin employees in Old Tappan, New Jersey, will migrate fully to the U.S., operating out of Westminster.

The Old Tappan group will be discontinued as the groups merge, with PRH looking to transition as many employees as possible to Westminster.

The unified Penguin Random House customer service system in Westminster will begin operations between February and April 2015.