BMI announced today that phase one of a broader growth plan to enhance its overall affiliate customer service experience is well underway with the initial launch of its new call center, as well as a new telephony system and a centralized toll-free number (844-BMI-4255) nowin place. BMI’s Erin Crawford, who was recently promoted to AVP, Affiliate Customer Service Experience, is spearheading the new Nashville-based customer service department.
Crawford’s promotion was the first step in BMI’s multi-phased initiative, announced last year, which will modernize and enhance the customer service experience for BMI’s songwriters, composers and publishers. With Crawford at its helm, BMI’s new call center now features a dedicated team of customer service specialists who are committed to delivering the best possible experience for BMI’s affiliates.
As part of the launch, BMI implemented new telephony software and a new centralized toll-free number, 844-BMI-4255, to elevate and streamline the customer experience. Callers can expect quicker response times and call routing, so inquiries go to the appropriate case specialist, and call monitoring to ensure that quality standards are consistently met.
The call center team, expected to be fully staffed by June including bilingual agents, will handle initial affiliate inquiries, while multiple case specialists will also be available to address more detailed royalty administration questions. Current hours are 9am – 6pm CST, with plans in place for operating hours to expand later this year.
“I’m thrilled to be leading BMI’s new customer service initiative to offer our affiliates a best-in-class full-service experience and am proud of the significant progress we have made so far,” said Crawford. “With the new centralized number, contact center software and a team of dedicated agents available to answer questions and direct inquiries to the right place, we are well on our way to making that happen. I’m very excited to continue with the momentum of this important initiative and roll out the next wave of customer service enhancements to assist our incredible roster of music creators.”
Future phases will feature a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform, building an affiliate self-service portal and deploying a Chat function to better handle incoming calls and questions.
Crawford joined BMI in 2020 as Executive Director, Distribution & Administration Services, where she led teams responsible for writer/publisher affiliations, repertoire quality and online services support. Prior to that, Crawford spent 18 years at The Nielsen Company and was most recently the SVP & General Manager of Nielsen Music, where she led commercial client relationships with Billboard and hundreds of major and independent record labels, publishers, business managers, concert promoters, digital service providers, media companies, consumer brands and various agencies. During her tenure at Nielsen, she was honored by Nashville Business Journal’s Women in Music City three years in a row (2016, 2017, 2018) and received Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence honor in 2023.
