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So what exactly has Classical Music Homepage re-invented?

Dear Colleague musicians and fixers,

It's always been our belief that service is provided by people, expert administrators such as fixers and members of our Teleteam, supported by technology - It's not the technology that provides the service. That's why so much emphasis is placed on developing our Teleteam services.

It takes 3 months to fully train a member of our Teleteam - and it's not because we are inefficient. It's because it takes time for members of our Teleteam to become expert at using our systems, and it takes time for them learn about the individual requirements and priorities of over 500 musicians and 200 orchestral managers.

So what exactly has Classical Music Homepage re-invented? Because in our opinion there's a lot of copying but not much invention going on.

Have they re-invented putting clients in control of their work? No, because at Morgensterns it's always been our mission to put clients in control of the decision to accept or decline work.

Have they re-invented the instant delivery of messages? No, because instant proactive communication has always been at the heart of our business. And, in addition to texting and emailing messages, our Teleteam deliver messages to clients by telephone, mobile and fax.

Have they re-invented a delight in new technology? No, because at Morgensterns we've always been keen to embrace new technology. We were fully computerised in 1990, introduced our web site in 1995 and we have been texting and emailing all of our client messages for many years now.

And they've certainly not re-invented after-message care! Because they don't offer any! Busy musicians know that it's not just the instant delivery of messages that's important - It's the after-message support that's essential too.

Keeping fixers and clients updated on the progress of bookings is a vital aspect of our Teleteam's daily activities - just visit our client and fixer logon pages for a reminder of how involved the diary side of the business can be.

So what exactly has Classical Music Homepage re-invented?
Oh yes, they've removed the Teleteam, the expert heart of the business, and they've made communications a lot more complex! With Morgensterns you just need to pick up the telephone...

Working for Morgensterns is a great way for talented young administrators to launch their careers in orchestral management, because of the skills they acquire working here. It's skills such as the ability to deal with emergencies, complex bookings and our database services that are so valued in the music business.

And these skills bring valuable Networking benefits for clients of Morgensterns. Because past members of our Teleteam have moved on to jobs with organisations such as the Age of Enlightenment, Askonas Holt, BBC SO, BBC CO, BBC Philharmonic, CLS, ECO, EMI, OUP, RLPO, Opera North, Harrison/Parrott, Intermusica and at Trinity College of Music.

As for our fees, we believe they are neither excessive, nor unnecessary. We have to charge more than an exclusively web based service needs to, because we employ an expert Teleteam who are required to be on call, 7 days a week from 8am to midnight each day, to service the demands of busy fixers and clients.

I've drawn up the following 7 points, to highlight the principal drawbacks we see in any exclusively web based diary service

  Mansel Bebb   ...would not hesitate to recommend...   read more  

1. Musicians aren't widgets, they are individuals with different characters, playing styles and work priorities. You can't order '4 trombones & 5 violins' in the same way you can order '10 bolts and a packet of screws'.

Fortunately there remain interactions that are still performed better by people than by computers - and musicians diary management is one of those activities.

  Stephen Carpenter   ...a stunning computerised diary package...   read more  

2. Even simple bookings can become very complex, i.e. the booking is 10am - 5pm and 7.30pm but for the woodwind the rehearsal starts at 10.30am.

And block bookings, such as opera and ballet tours, and in particular emergency bookings, can be even more complex. I need an oboe to cover dates 1,2,3,4,5, but if player_x can do 1,4,5 I'd be happy because player_y can cover 2,3. Otherwise I need a player who can do all of the dates.

It's a lot easier explaining requirements such as these, to a member of our Teleteam, than devoting precious time to formulating a statement of requirements that can be transmitted safely and clearly by sms or email.

  Christian Rutherford   ...you can't automate ambiguity....   read more  

3. Imagine trying to automate complex requirements such as the fixing order of different principal players? i.e. leader_x will ask me to book different players for her/his section than leader_y, and so I have to maintain different player lists - and I can't book my section until I know who is booked as leader.

Fixers and diary services are experts at managing issues such as these, and they are dealt with far more quickly and efficiently over the telephone.

  Charlotte Templeman   ...personal contact...   read more  

4. And then there's after-message support because delivering bookings is just the tip of the iceberg. Most of our time is spent in sorting out client queries and special requirements. How, for example, does an exclusively web based system help fixers deal with ambiguous answers from musicians, such as, 'I may be able to do the date, but I'm waiting to find out if some other work is confirmed'.

Our Teleteam deal with issues like these every day, but without their support, fixers and musicians are going to have to chase each other to seek clarification.

And when was the last time that you picked up the phone and reached the person you wanted to speak to immediately. Repeatedly chasing musicians and fixers with messages and replies is an important part of our Teleteam's job.

Far from simplifying a fixers work, I believe that an exclusively web based system is going to make it more complicated, expensive and it's going to increase the number of calls fixers and musicians have to make.

  Edward Vanderspar   ...I trust them 100%...   read more  

5. Fixers are never going to be able to rely on a musicians' on-line diary, because it's more than likely that the bookings they do put into their diaries are going to be entered as referable, to ensure that they don't miss out on work opportunities.

At Morgensterns we put a lot of effort into making sure our client diaries are as up-to-date as is possible. Clients trust us with this information, because they know that we do not divulge diary details, and that we understand our client's preferences and know when to refer clashing work to them.

  David Wilson   ...dealt with immediately...   read more  

6. An exclusively web based service relies on fixers and musicians always having convenient access to the internet. If you are on the road, or at a venue with no internet connection - still a possibility - what do you do if there's an emergency? If there's no longer a diary to call, you'll have to make the calls yourself.

And when was the last time that you picked up the phone and reached the person you wanted to speak to immediately. Repeatedly chasing musicians and fixers with messages and replies is an important part of our Teleteam's job.

   Client and Fixer endorsements

7. Who takes legal and administrative responsibility for the inevitable mistake, i.e. too many players appearing; or a player's missing; or a violinist appears instead of the brass player you thought you'd booked, etc...

Morgensterns admin has been designed to help you with problems such as these. Our expert Teleteam; our on-line availability-list and our client and fixer logon services; and the optimization of our computer system to deliver instant information, all provide clients and fixers with a comprehensive suite of booking and troubleshooting services.

And we not only pass on bookings instantly, we also keep fixers up-dated on the progress of their inquiries. But if we're not there, musicians and fixers are going to have to make the calls themselves.

And when was the last time that you picked up the phone and reached the person you wanted to speak to immediately. Repeatedly chasing musicians and fixers with messages and replies is an vital part of our Teleteam's job.

At Morgensterns we've always worked in partnership with orchestral managers, responding to their requirements and developing new services, such as our on-line availability lists, in answer to their needs - and, as always, we remain keen to respond to any service enhancements you might like to suggest to us.

We look forward to your continued support, and to a productive partnership with you in future years.

Julian Morgenstern

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