What Makes Outbound Telephone Sales Tick? A Dozen Key Variables To Your Outbound Program

Introduction

If you manage an inside sales or telesales team, you realize there are unique challenges to selling and managing customers over the phone. And if your organization is ready to build an inside sales department, the challenges always seem daunting.
The purpose of this paper is to share with you years of experience representing hundreds of telephone sales clients to help your organization overcome barriers and increase call center performance. This paper will identify key performance areas to help you become a high performing Inside Sales organization.

The Basics – Data, Script, Offer & People

Every sale begins with these four basic components, get these right and you’ll have the basic recipe for success. Companies spend months hammering away at inside sales basics, when really these four components define success.
Let’s explore each of these components for the basic requirements and how they contribute to the sales process.

1. Data

If you don’t have the data you can’t have the sales. Seriously, data is the most critical piece of information in your sales environment. Do you know when the last time a customer made a purchase? Do you keep track of customers who fall off the charts? Do you know how often a customer makes a purchase? All of this is critical information. It is essential that you and your team work closely with you IT unit to determine what data you will capture, how it will be stored and how it can easily be retrieved.

2. Script

The all important script, when was the last time you reviewed and updated your script? It’s important that your script not only stay current with your product or service but also with the times. If your using a script from 1990 it is unlikely that it fits with today’s economic or environmental times. Update that script and keep it current!
b. Scripts should flow effortlessly and seem natural for the reader. Using basic language so it is easily understood by your telesales agents. Keys to a successful script are crafting it so it is easily read, seems natural and begins with the end in mind. This means always write the script with the end in mind and pave the way for the sales to occur logically at the end.
c. Every successful script has a call to action, what’s yours? Is it powerful?

3. Offer

The offer must be interesting and compelling. You’ll need to capture the audience’s attention and make the offer current. In tough economic times organizations often use gift cards such as gas, grocery or general merchandise cards to entice customers to make a purchase. The customer gets what they need plus a gift for purchase and the organization wins with the sale.

4. People

It has been said that “people are the heartbeat of an organization”. People are your most important asset and they should be treated as such. It’s not enough to pay a competitive wage you must also have a winning work environment. When employees are asked to name the top 3 reasons they stay with any employer the work environment is more often than not ahead of wages. Create a fun and interesting work environment that is warm and inviting. A good environment will often lead to higher sales numbers.
b. Make sure your people are trained, they want to be successful and it’s your job to ensure they have all the tools, training goes a long way in determining if a telesales agent will be successful.

You’ve got the Basics, What’s Left?

Here are some additional components to help you become a high performance outbound sales environment. These complement the main components, and provide your inside sales group with a well-rounded package.
1. Training – Be sure to have initial, developmental and ongoing training. Training should be a part of daily life for your outbound sales team.
2. Contests – Get them fired up! Make sure you have a daily/monthly contest for your telesales agents. Nothing like a little competition to get them going.
3. Engage your customers – Don’t just communicate with them when you want a sale. Have a weekly trivia game via email which involves your customers, invite feedback and give away prizes for information. Get them involved and connected, this will keep them loyal, builds brand and the relationship.
4. Visual Aides – Is your sales environment boring? Do you have a communications center? Well it’s time to make some changes. Everyone likes to see their name in lights, get their names up on the wall. Who are your star performers, who had the best calls last week? If you know the answer, put their name up on the wall, let them have the well deserved recognition, and give their co-workers something to
reach for. Post your current contests, customer stories, etc on the wall. Make the sales center exciting.
5. Management – Do you have the right leaders? The best sales managers are on the floor working closely with the sales team, providing encouragement, advice and helping to close the sales. It is their job to build excitement and coach the team.
6. Call Monitoring – This can make all the difference in an agents’ success. Whether it’s side by side coaching, or coaching after recorded calls are scored, just be sure it’s part of our plan. Often times when an agent is able to hear themselves on a call they know exactly what requires improvement and will work hard to make it happen. In this case it is not a picture, but a recording which is worth a thousand words.
7. Reporting – A must have in any sales environment. Post your reports, let everyone see what’s happening.

Conclusion

It is with the key elements Data, Script, Offer and People that you begin your journey to success. It is critical you get these four components right. Regular review and editing is necessary to keep things current and relevant. All of the other tips and hints just add to your success and ability to attract quality people and run a successful sales environment.

About PhoneWare

Phone Ware® is a full-service, state-of-the-art, integrated call center. We offer a blended suite of solutions for programs that involve outbound and inbound calling, email, sales and customer care interaction. The Phone Ware® value is delivered through our innovation. Professional call center solutions begin with knowledge, commitment and a relationship bred in trust. Our business expertise ensures we become partners in the success of your business.
For more information, contact Bill Nassir or Bill Kyle at 800-243-8329 or visit www.phonewareinc.com. Or email bKyle@phonewareinc.com.

The post What Makes Outbound Telephone Sales Tick? A Dozen Key Variables To Your Outbound Program appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

Building The Up-Sell And Cross-Sell Into Your Telephone Sales Presentation

The process of selling prepaid products is more challenging now than ever before. There are many competitors lurking. And, customers are becoming more educated. Initial telephone sales training has been well documented throughout the years. But, the training to up-sell and cross-sell prepaid products is still in its infancy. Sure, we all know that up-selling is the process by which a product is sold in multiples. And, cross-selling is the process by which numerous other products are offered to complement an existing product. That is the easy part.

Regardless of the products or services sold, from prepaid debit cards to traditional phone cards, today’s prepaid telephone sales agent must become better versed in the up-sell and cross-sell. First, plan the script to get the customer! Then, do the best to up-sell and cross-sell the customer. Maximize the relationship. Become a one-stop shop. Help the customer learn about new opportunities. As technology abounds, so does both the up-sell and the cross-sell. Is it wireless, long distance, dial tone, VOIP or Internet? The chances to sell may seem endless. The efficiency is critical.

What constitutes successful up-selling and cross-selling? And, what elements go into creating the perfect sales program? By implementing these three simple steps your organization can take a GIANT step to improve their sales program and achieve outstanding results.

1. Understand the prepaid sales process.

Up-selling and cross-selling is based on failure. It is quite a daunting reality. Why then, is there such a focus on the multiple sales process? Because the improvement in even one percentage point can push a sales campaign to the stratosphere of success. The prepaid sales process is very product driven. It starts with understanding offers, grouping packages together, designing valuable features, and explaining to the customers why these features are different from competitors and valuable unto itself. Develop a sales grid in order to begin the up-sell and cross-sell process:

1. How many prepaid products does my organization offer?

2. Rank the best selling to least successful products. Any patterns?

3. Tie the products together in batches–for instance, do the Internet cards go with wireless cards? If so, prepare to offer the two as a family package. Do not sell one without the other.

4. Create a “needs-based” grid in order to define the customer base. What motivates customers to say “yes”? What are the two or three acceptable end-results? How does the sales offer guide customers to do what they want to do. Are customers typically interested in a certain element of the prepaid program?

2. Design a flexible telephone sales script.

The telephone sales script should be written based on the skills and expertise of the staff. Not every script is the same because not every agent has the same skills. Sure, every telemarketing script needs an introduction and a benefit statement. But, not every agent is trained and skilled to say things the same way. So, build the script around the agents. And, ask the team to help build the perfect script. After all, it is for them.

3. Include key elements to your up-sell and cross-sell sales program.

The perfect up-sell and cross-sell program can start and end by understanding several key elements. Incorporate these right away. If even one is missing, then the whole program should be reworked.

1. Ask questions in order to get the customer to ask questions. Don’t talk about yourself. Ask questions that are programmed to elicit responses. When the customer responds to your questions, then you have won the battle. Ask a question and be quiet. Ask a fascinating, thought-provoking question and let the customer become the expert. Also, ask questions that spark the customer to ask questions of you. Capture their interest. Get them to talk, and get them to question you. By asking questions, you can paint a picture as to why the customer needs more of a certain product, or several other products to complement their existing package. Questions work!
2. Differentiate your call from other calls they receive every day. You may feel unique, but only you feel that way. The sale call is divided into two areas-the initial sales call and the up-sell or cross-sell. The initial sales call is a general call to create a customer. Customers say “no” because they see no difference or value between yourself and other calls. Make your call different. Create this “difference statement” at the very beginning. Once the initial sale is complete, the up-sell and cross-sell is a strategy in expertise. An up-sell and cross-sell usually provides the customer with something they did not think about before. For instance, the customer may have not realized the value of purchasing numerous of the same cards. Or, the customer may have desired a prepaid long distance calling card without realizing he could get a prepaid Internet card as well.
3. Introduce the purpose-process-payoff to the call in the early stages. Every up-sell and cross-sell should have a purpose-process-payoff program attached. “The purpose of more or additional products” clearly states why your sales call is different and why it is beneficial for the customer to listen. “The process is simple” defines what goes into the action sequences of getting more or different products. “The payoff” presents the win-win for the customer.
4. Remember, the customer says “no” when he feels a loss by saying “yes”. Customers say “no” to the up-sell and cross-sell because they don’t feel a victory in wanting more or wanting others. Virtually every offer for more products or other products is either a win or a loss. Your job is to create the win. Look at other sales events in life. Choices are made through the prism of wins or losses.

Conclusion

The up-sell and cross-sell has become a permanent fixture to the prepaid environment. Organizations understand the way to retain customers and increase business is through maximizing the strengths of all their products and services. The customer needs prepaid products and services. He may not know what you have to offer. The up-sell and cross-sell is a presentation well worth giving.

The post Up-Sell And Cross-Sell – Building The Up-Sell And Cross-Sell Into Your Telephone Sales Presentation appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

The outbound telemarketing script is your manuscript for success on the telephone. Regardless of the products or services you sell, the outbound telemarketing script trains the new employee, refreshes the veteran team member, and turns your prospects into customers. Best of all, it defines your offer and your brand better then any mail piece, advertising campaign or direct response program ever will.

What constitutes a successful outbound telemarketing script? And, what elements go into creating the perfect script? Two simple questions lead to very complex answers. However, there are true and tried answers that every telemarketing organization can follow. And, by implementing these four simple steps for creating outbound telemarketing scripts, your organization can improve their outbound telemarketing results exponentially.

1. Understand the limitations of the profession.

Even the best outbound telemarketing script is based on failure. Just like a successful baseball player who hits .300 and fails at the plate seven out of every ten at-bats, the best telemarketing script will only result in “conversion” from between three to fifteen percent of your prospects. Much of the correct number is predicated upon your audience, your product or service, and the training your team provides to your staff. Every product and service is different. So, all the work in the world to create the perfect telemarketing script, and still, as many as ninety-seven percent of your prospects say “no”? It is quite a daunting reality. Why then, if outbound telemarketing is based on failure, is there such a focus on the perfect outbound telemarketing script? Because, the improvement in even one percentage point in outbound telemarketing can easily push a campaign to the stratosphere of success. Outbound telemarketing is predicated on improving just a few percentage points in order to gain success. A powerful script easily can turn a three percent success ratio into a seven percent success ratio. And, the variation, those four percentage points, makes a world of difference. So, know your industry. Be realistic about your expectations. Understand your past results. And create the perfect script, all in order to be great at the imperfect job.

2. Understand the skill sets of your outbound telemarketing professionals.

The outbound telemarketing script should be written based on the skills and expertise of your staff. Not every script is the same because the $100,000 a year outbound telemarketing professional selling hardware components to CEO’s of Fortune 100 organizations has different skill sets than the eight dollar an hour telemarketer who works part time. Sure, every telemarketing script needs an introduction and a benefit statement. But, not every professional is trained and skilled to say things the same way. So, build the script around your staff. Tie your outbound telemarketing script into the hiring program. Ask your team to help build the perfect script. After all, it is for them.

3. Create a grid in order to understand your prospects.

Your outbound telemarketing script is written for your prospects. It is delivered by your team, so clearly they need to embrace and learn the telemarketing script like the back-of-their-hands. But the script is written so one audience “receives”, and that audience is your prospects. They receive and act through what they hear. They hear statements, features, questions and inflection based on the script. So, create a “needs-based” grid in order to define your prospect base. What motivates your prospects to say “yes”? What are the two or three acceptable end-results from a telemarketing call? How does the script guide prospects to do what they want to do. Here is the most important thing to remember: The script starts with the professional who places the telephone call. However, a good script allows the prospect to take control. The script is prospect focused so wherever the prospect goes, the script goes right along with them.

4. Include five key elements to your outbound telemarketing script.

Your outbound telemarketing script should encompass about twenty-five areas. Each one leads to the next. However, the perfect telemarketing script can start, and be complete, by understanding five key elements. Incorporate these elements into the script right away. If even one element is missing, then the whole script should be reworked.

1. Ask questions in order to get the prospect to ask questions.

Outbound telemarketing professionals tend to talk about themselves, their products or services and their features and

benefits. They also ask questions that are programmed to elicit certain responses. This is bad news. Ask a question and be quiet. Ask a fascinating, thought-provoking question and let the prospect become the expert. Ask questions that spark the prospect to ask questions of you. When they ask questions, you have won. Why? First, because you have captured interest and broken a barrier if the prospect is inquisitive. Second, because it provides you with opportunity to answer and provide information in your answer. Get them to talk, and get them to question you.

2. Differentiate your call from other calls they receive every day.

You may feel unique, but only you feel that way. Your outbound telemarketing call is an expert call defined by nobody but yourself. So, differentiate. Prospects say “no” because they see no difference or value between yourself and others calls. Make your call different. Create this “difference statement” at the very beginning. Acknowledge the fact your call appears to be the same as everybody else’s. And, if it really is, and, your organization has no differentiation, then fall back on the strongest differentiator imaginable. Yourself!

3. Provide the prospect with a reason to act.

The perfect outbound telemarketing script encourages action. You would be surprised to learn that most outbound telemarketing scripts provide little or no reason for the prospect to act. They do not have a call to action in the beginning, middle or end. Indecision should never live with the telemarketing professional. So, blend clear benefit statements with even clearer want statements. These want statements are based on emotions. Paint the picture and the concept. Generate want feelings. Prospects become customers because they “want” to become customers. This want is their reason to act.

4. Introduce the purpose-process-payoff to the call in the early stages.

Every telemarketing script should have a purpose-process-payoff program attached. “The purpose of my call” clearly states why your call is different and why it is beneficial for the prospect to listen. “The process is simple” defines what goes into the action sequences. Must the prospect say “yes”? Must they fill out a form? “The payoff for you” presents the win-win for the prospect. How many prospects become customers without believing in their payoff? The answer is none. They may not believe in the payoff you feel they should believe in, but that is ok. As long as they see a payoff, then you have the perfect telemarketing script.

5. Remember, the prospect says “no” when they feel they will lose by saying “yes”.

Virtually every outbound telemarketing script fails when it does not take into account why the prospect says “no”. Traditionally, the outbound telemarketing professional views the “no” as a straight objection, and then attempts to uncover why the objection occurs. This is a recipe for disaster. The reason the prospect objects is because they feel they are going to lose. Plain and simple. That is your objection every time. So, address that feeling up-front, and build a script that drills deeper from there. When the prospect says “no”, the prospect is saying they have not heard enough to be convinced. A “yes”, to them, would be a tragedy. So, bring that up. Tell the prospect you sympathize, can recognize their fears, even do not blame them. Then, take the telephone call to the next level. Don’t handle the objection. Handle the objection behind their feeling of loss.

The post How to Write the PERFECT Outbound Telemarketing Script appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

For nearly 40 years we have provided telephone sales partnership to clients. We have learned a thing or two of what makes our partner-clients a success, and how they choose Phone Ware to represent their business. Our best clients started with planning the strategy, for key elements. Here are some key elements in planning the right outsource strategy:

1. Examine your current infrastructure a. Will your outsource partner be an extension of a current division or department or will they be a standalone or replacement department vital to your organization’s success?

b. What are your current internal resources? This applies to people and technology. Are you able to hire and keep skilled agents in your area of expertise?

c. Is your technology current and more importantly are you willing to keep up to date on the most recent technology to best serve your customer base?

2. What will you outsource? If you have a variety of call center functions such as sales, customer service, basic order taking, etc, then determine what you want to outsource, any or all?

3. Evaluate your current performance levels. Measurement of current levels is a critical step because it will allow you to determine project management benchmarks with your outsource partner.

4. Identify your particular needs. Specific requirements such as extremely large volume or strong automated response experience automatically narrow the candidate field. Make a list of what your basic “have to have” requirements are in an outsource partner.

You’ve Made the Decision to Outsource, Now What?

Planning is the most essential element to a successful outsource program, yet is the most often overlooked. Your outbound telephone partner will only be as successful as the plan. Here are the basics to creating an outsource plan.

1. Start with a good business model.

Be certain you have a well-defined call center business model with reasonable target metrics. You may need to work with outside talent for this. Be prepared to share this with your outsourcer so that they have an opportunity to help the partnership succeed. A good outsourcing partner will have to understand your core business model in order to fully contribute as a partner.

2. Plan well.

Be sure to have a written plan with specific dates, deliverables and a set of ‘success milestones’ that escalate from modest results to desired results. It will be just as important to you as it will be to the outsourcer to know what is expected and what is to be achieved. A six to twelve week plan laying out accomplishments, spending, and ROI is reasonable. Parties should clearly understand their respective roles and responsibilities within this timeline. There should also be a plan for expansion after the testing/transition phase.

3. Define your commitment to the project in advance.

Don’t lose focus at the first sign of trouble. But don’t get buried in a deep hole either. I suggest that you clearly understand your

limits prior to beginning the project. If you are starting a project for the first time, there will be a learning curve. The goal should be that your outsourcer’s thinking and your thinking are aligned and all parties are prepared to respond quickly and adapt within the boundaries of your plan.

4. Choose well.

Select a partner with experience, integrity, stability. Close proximity should be the tie-breaker if the first three are a match. In addition, be sure both parties agree that the calling application and business model are realistic and achievable.

5. Develop a good compensation model.

I am a big advocate that the best compensation models are in alignment with both client and outsourcer needs. This usually boils down to a modest variable rate and heavy performance-based incentives. Obviously, both parties should understand that the arrangement has to be a win for all… oddly enough, that’s not always the case. See # 4 above.

6. Be there.

Get involved with the program you are outsourcing and be prepared to send and receive information with an open mind. At a minimum, be part of the training, do regular remote monitoring, and insist on call calibration sessions with the outsourcer and their agents. The outsourcer will bring many of the tactical and developmental tools, but you should be prepared to contribute domain knowledge and quality specs.

7. Expect the expected.

If you have a process problem with your project internally, or have had one in the past, you will likely still have that problem when you outsource if nothing else has changed. Don’t expect that outsourcing will eliminate your challenges. Address them head on with the outsourcer. Staffing problems, legal costs, and other overhead burdens should all be addressed upfront. It’s also a good step toward mutual respect and trust required for long-term success.

8. Don’t suffocate the project.

Let the experts handled much of the ‘who’ and ‘how’ while you focus on the ‘when’ and ‘what’. Checkpoint objectives must be achieved, but beyond that, let the Outsourcer do their job.

Conclusion

PLAN, PLAN and PLAN again. Seriously if you’ve learned anything here planning is the key to success. Do your homework up front, determine if and what you’ll outsource and then find a partner who shares your vision and can deliver.

Don’t be afraid to ask your potential partner for referrals before the ink is dry on the contract and do your part, call them. It all circles back to planning, preparing and executing well. If you’re unsure get expert help. There are many call center consulting firms that can help, investing now will save you money and headache later.

About Phone Ware

Phone Ware® is a full-service, state-of-the-art, integrated call center. We offer a blended suite of solutions for programs that involve outbound and inbound calling, email, sales and customer care interaction. The Phone Ware® value is delivered through our innovation. Professional call center solutions begin with knowledge, commitment and a relationship bred in trust. Our business expertise ensures we become partners in the success of your business.

For more information, contact Bill Nassir or Nick Nassir at 800-243-8329 or visit www.phonewareinc.com. Or email njnassir@phonewareinc.com.

The post Interested in Outsourcing to a Third Party – Here’s What to Look for and What to Do appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

Today’s business is stressed out.

Economic realities have created yet another new business model. It’s more necessary than ever to devise ways to stretch fewer resources into higher profits. Today’s mantra: “Do more with less.” And while balancing these opposing forces, customers, the engine driving profits, expect more for less. In exchange for their continuing business, they want the best product and service at the least cost. They want it fast, and they want to feel valued.

Where does a company find harmony?

The call center is a solution more and more organizations are implementing to drive the full customer experience. The call center allows organizations to become intimate with customers. It creates a bond deft at surviving blips on the radar screen, and connections that fuse relationships into cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. The call center is the central hub, a communications channel that links customer and organization together. Fortifying customer relationships and generating new business is a key practice to maximize market share and control brand integrity. Such partnerships are cultivated and reinforced by enhancing buyer interface, preserving benchmarked levels of service and cultivating shorter sales cycles. Yet, many business infrastructures are already at their limit in simply maintaining product and performance cycles.

Call centers are the proven tool in preserving, even growing sales, as well as gleaning an essential pipeline of market intelligence. So let’s say you’re already on board with the value of a call center for your company. What next? How can you hire a call center tomorrow? Where to begin? These five steps are central to taking a leap and adding a call center for your organization:

1. Step back and identify what the call center can do.

Think big picture. Shifting trends make it increasingly difficult for companies to maintain and evolve their corporate infrastructures. Internal resources are diverted to extinguish the flames of crises rather than proactively growing business. Accountability, speed and reliability are pressed to the side in keeping up with the daily demands of business.

The call center is a proactive instrument. It frees internal resources to concentrate on core competencies. From new sales to customer care to cancel and save programs, the call center has the flexibility to serve your organization 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via the telephone and the Internet. It’s the difference between stellar performance and merely surviving.

Consider the fit and function of a call center in relation to the company’s marketing and sales on all platforms. Not only will this solidify a direction, but also open additional opportunities for a complete customer experience.

2. Crystallize your objectives.

Know, with clarity, what you want to accomplish with your call center. Identify performance metrics and benchmark goals. Let’s assume the essential qualities: Seamless interaction between call center staff and customers. A call center team that is both efficient and professional. A team that delivers an ultimate customer experience through proven processes. The ability to win new customers and keep the current crop.

Now, what are your core objectives to differentiate yourself from the competition? It may be an incremental increase in sales or market share. You may run a direct marketing campaign and need full-time support. Maybe it’s maximizing sales through cross-selling or up-selling. Call centers can also increase efficiency and accuracy, provide real time account management and marketing data, and implement consistent policies and procedures.

Begin with clearly defined objectives and build your call center with the intent of fulfilling those goals. Once objectives are defined, match goals to event driven timelines. Build in adequate ramp up time to implement the mechanics and delivery and hold to the objectives.

3. Out source or build an in house call center?

Think commitment. Does a long-term obligation make sense for your type of business? Consider whether the need is consistent enough to warrant the fixed cost of staff, equipment and training. Build in adequate time and budget for training, hiring and set-up, and remember that a good call center is far from turn key. In order not to add pain to the customer experience, a call center must stay up and running, consistently. Out sourced call centers easily accommodate seasonal demand by leveraging scalable operations while eliminating fixed costs that could adversely impact company profitability. Selecting the right service provider is critical. Look for proven technology, as well as capacity and reach that will accommodate business growth and take your organization to the next level. Outsource advantages include reduction of capital costs, acceleration of time to market and added capacity while leveraging costs. It’s a more flexible approach to implementing a call center and, certainly, an easy way to test market the validity of such an entity for your business. An outsourced agency may be good at one competency, such as outbound sales, or many, such as a blended mix of outbound, inbound, email and instant messaging.

Should you find yourself ready to contact an outside call center, the next step is devising a request for proposal (RFP). A strong RFP will outline your objectives, deliverables and time frames for accomplishment. By focusing on objectives, aspiring companies are able to apply their knowledge and expertise to devising solutions as to how to best accomplish the stated goals.

Research on the front end will smooth the process on the back end. Visit call center trade shows and conferences prior to making a final decision. There are also a number of industry trade magazines providing tips on the latest technology and standards.

4. Manage the process.

Once a call center has been selected, their success is still determined by how well they are integrated with your company. To be most successful, it’s critical to understand that the call center still must be managed in order to facilitate smooth integration between your company and theirs. The better the management, the better the supplying company will reflect your company in their service. And, whereas the center will be dealing with your customers, internalizing your corporate vision is mandatory, but not necessarily a natural extension of their offering.

In order to facilitate the most painless and quickest time to market, designate someone in your organization to orchestrate the selection and integration of the call center. If no one is available, or no one with experience in call centers, hire a consultant to spearhead the process. The time saved in using his/her knowledge and expertise will be well worth the investment in ramp up and reduce learning curve. Do not make the mistake of hiring or starting a call center and “letting it go”. Be on top of their performance, from script development to weekly monitoring.

5. Don’t forget the T word.

Technology will drive your call center environment. Twenty years ago, it was the people. Now, it is the people blended with the best usage of technology. All call centers should have a minimum standard. Inbound centers employ IVR (Integrated Voice Response) and ACD (Automatic Call Distribution) packages, and outbound centers drive calls with predictive dialer systems. But how the organization utilizes the complete CRM program makes the difference.

Consider tech solutions based on track record and proven performance. When making a decision on the technical component of a call center, consider worse case scenarios. Run these scenarios and devise action plans that address problems before they occur.

A good call center will have the technology and people to put your company ahead of the game, not behind where you started. Doing the groundwork ahead of time will ensure a smooth transition and integration.

Conclusion.

Many organizations have discovered their best bet to providing their customers with a full “customer experience” is through the usage of a best practices, state of the art call center. Leading edge companies thrive on providing the channel of communication that makes business easy for customers. The call center is one solid first step in the right direction.

The post I Need To Get A Call Center Tomorrow. What Do I Do? appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

If you believe call centers are statistics driven, then you are right on the money. Today’s fantastic CRM (Customer Relationship Management) packages allow management to enjoy a complete grasp on performance in the call center. In turn, these platforms benchmark past, present and future opportunities. Minimum requirement standards become established, and ongoing analysis conducted. It is no longer a case of wondering how divisions and people are performing. Today’s stats, blended with people, can form a winning combination in the call center.

There is a challenge, however. So often, call center agents, who represent that critical link between organization and customer, believe they are being measured by statistics. They worry constantly if management is going to tap them on the shoulder and discuss call length or after-call time. They feel the job is purely a statistical win and loss. Yet, equally often, they don’t know which categories, exactly, are being measured. And, they can’t recall, exactly, the last time they were presented with their statistics. And, they can’t tell, exactly, with any confidence, what their statistical objectives are.

If this sounds familiar, clearly, your organization is not alone. In fact, across the board, call center management realizes that statistics and measurements will demonstrate clear patterns of who is doing well and what is and is not working in the call center. Yet, there are so many statistics, so many numbers, that agents simply are confused. And management does a poor job to help agents find common ground.

So, what is the solution? What numbers are the right numbers to monitor for your situation? How can statistics become a necessary positive, not a necessary evil, for call center agents? And, how can management deliver benchmarking to agents in a simple and concise platform? Here are some tips:

1. Make your agents aware of their numbers and the division goals.

No kidding, I would venture to say more than 50% of agents in any organization could not tell you their statistical goals. Nor do they regularly see their numbers. From day one and new hire training, it is critical that management share with agents every possible statistical objective available for interpretation, and, the top goals that call center management requires. I know, I know. You probably did this in new hire training. So, do it again. And, every quarter, make sure it is done. Agents will only remember what is reinforced. Most of the time, agents have no idea of what is required. Repetition works.

2. Present statistics and results to agents all of the time.

Statistics mean very little unless they are utilized to drive renewed performance in the call center. Unlike other departments in a company, which may not require hands on assessments every week or month, call center agents will get better at producing results if they are coached throughout the process. Therefore, it is incumbent upon call center supervisors to present statistics to agents every week or month and benchmark agent results against their peers and past history.

The key is in displaying the statistics. Through one-on-one meetings at the beginning of each month or follow-up assessments at the mid-point, agents can visually understand their results in order to be accountable for their performance. That means supervisors should post statistics on a board at the midpoint of the call center or email statistics via a spreadsheet to agents on a regular basis. Place agent statistics on their chair every morning! It does not matter how supervisors convey statistics. The info just needs to be presented.

3. Focus on two key objectives for inbound divisions.

The inbound call center can rely on dozens of pure statistical measurements in order to create call center performance. Depending on what types of calls are being received, such as sales or customer care, measurements will differ. With that said, two key objectives are universal across all inbound divisions.

Number of calls answered

The primary goal for departments and agents are to answer calls. This, however, should be balanced with burning through calls and handling them poorly simply in order to answer more calls. So, management must benchmark expectations. If the “calls answered” number should be eight an hour, than agents with four or fourteen answered in the hour need ongoing coaching. By identifying the “calls answered” objective, the entire division can also begin doing a better job staffing and planning for future events.

After-call wrap-up time

This category slips past some call center management. It is one of those few numbers that can directly be related to high abandoned rate, long wait times, and low numbers of calls answered. The time after a call is completed but before the agent becomes available to take another call is critical. If an agent is not trained properly, and if they are slow in the order-entry side, this time goes up. If agents are proficient with the job and recognize what their goals are, this key measurement goes down. And, if agents are taking long break periods or talking with friends, then certainly, this number will be high. After-call wrap-up time is one statistic where human behavior plays a large role. This statistic can be measured and managed to improve the performance of the entire organization.

4. Focus on two key objectives for outbound divisions.

The outbound division is an entirely different breed than inbound. Very few statistical measurements blend between both, although after-call wrap-up time is one that does swing between inbound and outbound. Measurements for outbound divisions matter by project, i.e. a sales or survey program versus a follow-up call program. It also matters whether technology is being utilized, such as a predictive dialer, and whether the outbound campaign is Business to Consumer or Business to Business. Business to Consumer calls involve less talk time and more dials per hour than Business to Business calls. With that said, management should consider these two key objectives because they are universal across all outbound divisions.

Number of dials

Outbound is very simple to measure. If call center agents stay on the telephone and dial, they will meet their goals and become successful. Literally, that is the secret ingredient to outbound performance. Stay on the telephone and dial. Because it is the overriding factor in execution, the number of dials per agent and as a division tends to be the number one statistic to measure. All of the time, I am asked “How does outbound telemarketing work well for companies?” The answer is simple: Dial the telephone enough times per hour and the science dictates that success will follow.

Talk time

Call Center agents who know when to talk and when to move forward to the next call will become very successful. Unlike inbound calls, where the caller is leading the way by initiating the conversation with the organization, outbound calling is initiated by the organization and therefore is led by the organization. Sensing when to ask questions, when to hang up the telephone and when to call back at a better hour is critical to outbound dialing. Therefore, talk time is critical. Once call center management benchmarks an acceptable goal, and presents that goal to call center agents regularly, then the agents will become capable of doing a better job managing their own talk time.

Conclusion

Statistics and measurements are critical because they help the call center management team coach agents to become better at their jobs. In turn, they shed light on which minimum requirements need to be met in order to hit objectives. When agents know their numbers, understand their goals and realize what is expected of them, short and long term objectives become easy to manage and measure. Results improve. Culture improves. Training becomes successful.

Management must constantly evaluate their statistics and measurements. They should explain these goals to agents. They should display results via one-on-one and group settings. It’s the only way statistics and measurements will drive call center performance.

The post How to use Measurements and Statistics to Create a Winning Call Center Operation appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

Your telephone sales and customer care departments are more then just standalone elements to your organization. They are integrated units that can work together to build your sales successes. Together, your team can sell more products and services and utilize your database for even more wins than you have today. Simply put, marketing and sales executives have begun to understand that the opportunity to grow business over the telephone begins with a strategic commitment to cross-sell, up-sell and bundle existing products and services. Sell more on each call. Use the marketing dollars you have already spent to maximum advantage. Promote better to customers. What’s the trick? The way executives are positioning their organizations to cross-sell, up-sell and bundle is through the utilization of their telephone sales and customer care centers.

Would you be surprised to learn that customers want more from your company then merely the product or service they initially purchased? Sure, they may buy item number one. But, if offered, they would purchase items two, three and four. The issue is recall. They do not know that your company offers items two, three and four. The organizations business strategy has not taken the proactive stance to offer items two, three and four in a consistent manner. The offer hasn’t been made. And customers will not take the initiative to ask.

Today’s call center is the one channel that can provide organizations, and customers, with a full service experience. It is no longer enough for your company to offer merely one magazine to a customer. Organizations must also offer, while the customer is ready and attentive, other magazines, books and videotapes. Today, companies fail when they own thousands of leads in their fully active database, and, do nothing with them. Organizations must blend E-mail, direct mail, outbound telemarketing and customer care into a complete package that promotes a positive customer strategy, and, customer experience. Call Centers can help do this. They do this by collecting the information that leads to better marketing. And, they do this by serving as the direct channel for the customer. With the right strategy, your company can make the offer. And, your customers can be motivated to ask for the offer.

So, you have the concept. Now, how do you begin a new, strategic commitment which promotes cross-selling, up-selling and bundling?

1. Understand the terminology.

The first cross-sell occurred when a company developed more than one product or service. The caveman must have realized that buying rocks weren’t enough. He needed wood, too. The call center is the ideal communications channel to cross-sell your products and services. When a customer purchases three books for his children, it is the call center that can offer an additional three audio books for a fraction of the cost. When a customer walks away with a new organizer for the new year, it is the blend of direct mail and outbound telemarketing that offer an enhanced package of covers, papers and pens that add to that organizer.

The up-sell is a more modern opportunity for organizations. Once a better product or service was developed, it occurred to call center executives that they needed to accentuate that offer to customers who don’t realize another offer exits. So, when a customer calls to purchase a new refrigerator, it only makes sense to offer an extended warranty and a microwave to complement the refrigerator. Customers do not know everything about your company. They don’t need to know everything. They just need to know what you want them to know.

Bundling is the process of tying products and services that work together and packaging them in a way the customer understands. If the customer wants cable television, call center’s bundle several pay channels with a complimentary television and a warranty program. Don’t forget the speakers! Customers get a discount for purchasing more then one product at the same time, and they come away with more value then they expected from their initial call.

2. Understand your customers and your script.

There are two definitive keys to building a successful cross-sell, up-sell and bundling program. First, understand your customers. What made them purchase a particular product or service in the first place? Who are they and why were they comfortable with the sales process? Why would their initial purchase indicate a propensity to purchase something else? Where are they located? Are there any trends amongst what your customers buy and what products or services you sell? Your customers have a wealth of terrific information that you may not be capturing. More importantly, you may be capturing it and still not using it. This leads to the second key: Script your agents to be subjective and insightful. Great cross-selling, up-selling and bundling occurs when your agents have been trained to ask the right questions, and, move to the right direction. Oftentimes, agents instinctively offer the easy solution for themselves, instead of the easy solution for the customer. The agent may believe his favorite magazine is the best sales product available, when in reality the customers’ buying propensity has indicated clearly that the agent’s favorite magazine is the least likely choice of the customer.

The script is KING! Collect data that will add value, immediately, to your cross-sell, up-sell and bundling strategy. Find information that will integrate the entire marketing program. Direct mail works best if the offer catches the readers’ eye. Use the data collected in your call center to develop a direct mail piece that is both impactful and meaningful. For instance, E-marketing can only work if your organization collects an email address and then utilizes the address over-and-over again. Again, an insightful message in your email campaign drives customer acceptance. What does this all mean? Your call centers script, initially designed to make a first “sale”, can become a much more dynamic tool for your business, going forward. By creating a cross-sell, up-sell and bundling strategy, your script becomes re-designed for tomorrow’s strategy and the next day.

The post How to Sell Integrated Products over the Telephone appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

If your telephone agents are the glue that drives performance in the call center, how did they become that way? Sure, natural talent is always a factor. As is terrific candidate recruiting and excellent hiring. But, more than likely, the performance of your call center agents hinges on the training department. From new hire training, when agents first learn about your products and services, to ongoing training, where skills can become refined and accentuated. It is your training department, its staff, and your best practice systems that will keep your telephone performance thirty or forty percent above minimum goals.

The training process is the beginning of a relationship between management and its agents. Management must understand the power of quality training. New agents base their first impressions of their jobs, and decide whether they can succeed, on the basis of expectations set within new hire training. Long-Term agents predicate their continued success and future prospects primarily on the ongoing training provided. Training is the foundation for call center excellence.

Yet, typically in call centers, a pattern emerges. First, new agents get smothered with supervisor attention over their first five or 10 working days. Then, they often have the misfortune of becoming all but forgotten. One can call this the “build them up and ship them out” mentality of managing. Supervisors provide the training, show the agent the ropes, and say “Good luck, let me know if you need anything.”

How can call centers stay away from the training trap? How can they blend initial new hire training with ongoing training to support performance? Let’s look at three reasons why supervisors fail to provide continuous training for new agents, and then three ways your call center can do a better job in training both new agents and veteran agents who are in need of ongoing support.

Why supervisors fail to provide continuous training for new agents:

1) Training Touches Every Area But Not The Core Areas

Although the intention is to train in-depth the new hires and the veterans, neither receives the support needed. Although the intention is to teach in all area’s of training, the core area’s are forgotten. So, new agents get a taste, but not the whole picture. In the call center, the core areas are very simple. Telephone communications (such as customer care or sales training), product training, competitor training, computer training and organizational training.

2) New Agents Disappear

New agents are sensitive to “getting along” with their supervisors. Therefore, when they have issues and concerns, they will either keep it to themselves or find a peer to assist them. The supervisor is generally the last person a new agent will contact with any questions they might have. Therefore, new agents don’t get critical ongoing training.

3) New Agents Do Not Know Where To Ask For Help

Since new agents don’t know the ins-and-outs of the company, they are more likely to suffer with a problem than to ask for assistance. This means the communication systems are not in place to help agents grow. There must be platforms where agents can ask questions and gain knowledge away from the day-to-day activities.

How your call center can do a better job training:

1) Teach Agents The Four Key Principles To The Call Center

Don’t assume your agents understand the relationship between telephone, product, customer and company. These four segments bring success or failure to organizations. The telephone is a channel of communication between the company and the caller. The product is the area around which telephone conversation revolves. The customer is the

central point- –customers initiate calls and require assistance. The company is the backbone that provides the agents with credibility. You know this. Your agents may or may not know this. Explain it to them.

2) Ensure That Ongoing Training Is Implemented

A common perception is that training begins and ends once the new hire training period is completed. This is where management loses their agents. By not receiving consistent and detailed residual training sessions, agents gain neither the skill sets nor the confidence to improve at any level other than the practical day-to-day work level. Management should institute classroom training followed by on-the-floor training, followed by residual classroom and residual on-the-floor training, for an endless period of time for each employee regardless of experience. It is important to recognize that training does not stop after the new hire leaves the classroom. That is when training begins.

3) Dedicate One Training Person to Lead The Process

Would you be stunned to learn that many call center departments don’t have one dedicated trainer that conducts or oversees training? Instead, they delegate training to a supervisor who has other duties, a manager who may not be prepared to conduct training and therefore delivers a poor class, or a part-time trainer who also serves as a representative or team- lead. An organization that takes pride in its call center must ensure they have the budget for a training organization. The key mistake many organizations make is treating training as the low-rung and least important part of the organization. This is because management doesn’t see immediate revenue payoff from the training department. The irony is that training is predominately responsible for facilitating the success of agents. How agents view their company, their brand, their corporate goals and the value they place in their customers defines the success and failure of a company. Training must be a key priority for the company to achieve success in the long run.

If your call center puts a premium on training then you are in great shape. If your training department recognizes the blend between new agents and veterans who require ongoing support, then it is very likely you have thought out and implemented a well established training program. However, if your minimum goals are not being met, and you are frustrated by the lack of initiative from your training, management and agents, take a glance first at the training programs your team has in place. It may provide the answers you are looking for.

The post Best Practices Training – How It Can Make the Difference in Call Center Performance appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

Use The Call Center to Advance your Performance, Sales and Revenue

Today’s call center is more than an extension of your organization. It is your channel of communication that strings customer and business together. Through an improved understanding of ways to optimize loyal customers and new clients, companies are taking existing service levels and proactively increasing sales and revenue. The call center is showing them the way.

Streamlined organizations understand how important each and every direct customer touch is to their success now and in the future. An optimized company would understand that it is far more costly to unmake a disgruntled customer than it is to develop a new one. An optimized company would have systems in place to know what’s happening with customer and prospect alike, and place the same level of focus to shoring up this virtual hub of business. The call center is more than a simple telephone. It is an interactive marketing machine that consists of outbound telemarketing, inbound sales and customer care, and email and web based interactions. The goal is simple: drive a winning customer experience. Not just once. Not just twice. Not only for tomorrow. But ongoing and consistently.

So, what are the steps to optimizing your business, increasing sales and performance, and ensuring your loyal customer base turns into even more loyal business opportunities?

1. Think like your customer.

There are a number of best practices that create intimacy with customers: direct mail, e-mail, print media, collateral, telephone and trade shows are among the many solutions. The most direct line of fire, the hub of any marketing effort, incorporates these marketing efforts with the call center. The call center brings all forms of intimacy directly to the customer. So, direct mail campaigns have a giant percentage leap in success when combined with outbound telemarketing calls. E-mail marketing demonstrates clear superiority when the recipient can respond by either inviting a telephone call for more information, or through dialing a telephone number to speak with a live customer care representative. Including an “act-now” offer, such as a free book or white paper, in a direct mail or email campaign followed by either a proactive outbound telephone call or an enticement for the prospect to call, improves hit rates as well. Direct mail and email is just one piece to the puzzle-the call center completes the cycle and provides the audience with more opportunities to speak to your organization. A call center would clear obstruction and create a fluid channel of communications and thus sales. A call center would instantly provide:

1. Better filtering and customer analysis. Once the customer accepts an outbound telemarketing call, or proactively initiatives a telephone call to your center, data can be collected. First, how did the customer learn about your offer? When did the customer and company make contact? What did the customer desire? What demographics can be compared for future marketing opportunities?

2. Add peak and off hour contacts. Expecting everyone to work on your time zone is unreasonable and places the focus of service in the wrong direction. Remember, it’s all about the customer. And clearly, they want to speak with your organization only on their time. The call center can provide complete 24/7/365 solutions.

3. Call centers offer solutions that drive the sale, cross sell, up sell, bundle product, save a sale and a wealth of other sales opportunities. With proper scripting, call centers unblock obstructions to the sale.

4. Online sales cost less than telephone sales. A significant portion of a “call center” can also allow for e-mail “calls,” instant messaging or other forms of instant communications.

Your particular customer thinks a certain way. They want a certain touch. They want to hear certain messages in order to act. They want to be reached. Your job is to combine all the resources available to you and find which resources work with which customers. Think like them. Figure their actions. Create a marketing program around those traits.

2. Create programs to win old customers back.

We know that the memory of a poor experience remains with a customer long after the event itself. We also know that disgruntled customers are most likely to share their pain, and spread word of their poor experience. Call centers are a great resolution to winning back the unhappy consumer. In our previous scenarios, the blend of direct mail, e-mail and the call center forms a friendly customer experience. What many organizations do not do today is proactively use their customer database to improve revenue. For instance, a past customer at one time chose your company-and today there are a myriad of reasons why they are no longer a customer. Find out why! Package a reason for them to act. Show them that your opportunity, considered a win by them when they acted the first time, is still a win for them today. Many companies have databases of tens of thousands of past customers, melting away untouched, as if yesterday’s customer is today’s bad apple. That simply is not the case. Combine direct marketing efforts with web-based and telephone communications and attack your goldmine of an audience: your customer base.

3. Turn warm leads to sizzling sales.

Today’s economic climate compels business to: “Do more with less.” So when warm leads go cold, a company has squandered a valuable resource at an exponential cost. Warm leads don’t just appear. They are the result of a concerted investment in time and money. Those 300,000 prospects in your data base who have either inquired about your services or have been ranked as a “propensity to say yes” do have a shelf life. Prospects that were gathered through last quarter’s advertising campaign will not remain qualified forever. Your business can leverage scalable operations while eliminating fixed costs. The optimized firm would know that following up on leads is a win-win situation. They win by making the sale, but they also win by demonstrating the quality customer service which is the bedrock of customer satisfaction and loyalty. The follow-up of warm leads, if nothing else, demonstrates interest for tomorrows need. How many customers complain that today’s organization show no “interest” in them? Never forget that customer service IS sales and sales IS customer service. A touch today means results tomorrow.

Organized, coordinated multi-channel contact with warm leads also provides feedback to generate new campaigns. It allows a business to address concerns before customers vote with their dollars. For instance, a business may contact 100,000 warm leads and convert fifteen percent. But, through data collection, this business may learn that 40% would have said “yes” to the offer if the price break were just a few dollars less. All of a sudden, performance, revenue and sales will increase soon enough because your organization now has the knowledge to better package future offerings.

Conclusion:

Seamless interaction between a call center team and customers provide an opportunity to: 1. Think and act like your customer 2. Win back lost customers 3. Find revenue and data through existing prospects 4. Cross sell other goods and services. 5. Upsell 6. Bundle 7. Gather demographic information 8. Demonstrate superior customer care 9. Brand your organization as a proactive company that has an interest in existing customers and new clients.

A profitable, successful firm, no doubt, must use their entire marketing efforts to collect data and touch customers. The optimized firm creatively seeks ways to apply this data to direct contact with customers and prospects. An optimized, successful firm, with a “customer experience” in mind, cross-references, scripts and measures, thereby leaving no opportunity or marketing effort incomplete. Upgrade your business. Move to the next level. Don’t do more with less: do more with what you have. Use the outbound, inbound, e-mail and web based solutions that a call center delivers to provide the ultimate customer experience. Improve your existing marketing efforts and let your existing marketing efforts drive superior results.

The post Got Customers? Got Profits? Using The Call Center to Advance your Performance, Sales and Revenue appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.

Yesterday’s telemarketing campaigns have collided with today’s new regulations. From in-house organizations to national outbound service agencies, senior management is restructuring its game plan to meet FTC guidelines. The new “Do Not Call” registry has changed the landscape of telemarketing. The challenges are daunting. Consumers that place their names on the registry are off limits. And, those that have yet to do so are not automatic customers. Yet, business is business, so organizations still need to make a profit on their telemarketing campaigns. And, since, federal law is federal law, rules must be adhered to strictly. Management must find a way to position their business for success. They need to hire better, train better, and stay on top of the rules like never before. Can it be done? Can organizations that rely on telemarketing play within the rules and achieve success? How?

1. Have a game plan.

Telemarketing has, since its inception, been an industry of strategy and training. Strategy dictates how a company proactively markets via the telephone. Training dictates how well the people implement the strategy. Under the new regulations, consumers can take themselves off your phone list. Literally, thousands of quality prospects will disappear from your target audience. So, your people need to get better at what they do. If, in the past, your people converted 11% of their telemarketing calls, today, they may need to convert 22%. If, in the past, your strategy involved “power dialing”, that must change. Today, more than ever before, your strategy must rely on direct mail, E-marketing, print advertising, and other means of direct contact in order to improve the likelihood of success on the telephone. The elements that go into a telemarketing campaign must go into a more fully developed strategic marketing program. There is no rule against direct mail. And, studies have shown that “warming” the telephone call with direct mail and E-marketing, or other “hot” touches, improves conversion percentages. The money spent on more outbound telemarketing representatives can now be streamlined into money spent on alternative advertising programs.

Your telemarketing organization, more than ever before, must become part of the entire corporate organization. It must tie marketing, public relations, sales and customer service into a full “consumer centric” model. No longer can telemarketing organizations be in-and-of itself a unique model for business. By virtue of the new “Do Not Call” Registry, consumers have become sharper, more discriminating, and clever.

2. Hire and script better.

Once your team has embraced a new strategy predicated on a full spectrum approach to marketing and telemarketing, you must do a phenomenal job hiring and training. Your people will make the difference. Your telemarketing representatives must be vetted properly during the interview process. In the old days, sales and perseverance were critical. If an applicant could sell and dial, hire them! Today, sales and perseverance are joined with sensitivity. Your telemarketing call must become more of a “touch” than a “push”. Finesse will impress your audience. No reason to slam the door and get a sale today. That will only result in a cancelled order and another name on the “Do Not Call” registry, tomorrow. Instead, build a foundation of trust. Ask questions that involve your audience. Understand their thoughts when it comes to receiving telemarketing calls. Those names not on the “Do Not Call” registry have yet to do so because they are not motivated to do so. They do not have a reason. Do not give them that reason.

The hiring program you initiate incorporates two factors. First, you are probably going to hire less people. If you have thousands of fewer names to call, you need less people to make those calls. Second, you need to do it right the first time. Hiring is expensive. Training is more expensive. Training the right candidate to execute the right way takes time and energy and money on so many critical levels. From the representative to the first-line trainer to the telemarketing manager, time and money is invested on your hires. The script, a staple in telemarketing circles, now needs to be revised. Less one-liners and feature and benefit statements. More needs-based analysis. Less trying to sell your offer, but asking better probing questions. More about proving to the prospect that their decision will not be a loss for

them. The millions of consumers that have signed up for the “Do Not Call” registry have done so because telemarketing has become a “loss factor” in the mind of some consumers. So, the script must become more versatile. Those fewer prospects remaining need to feel that you, and your telemarketing representatives, get it. Good selling is asking questions and being sensitive to the prospect as you direct the prospect towards an affirmative decision.

3. Follow the rules.

Although intimidating at first, the national “Do Not Call” registry and its rules are actually quite concise. The key is following them the right way. First, your organization must have an employee dedicated to the “Do Not Call” registry. Every telemarketing service agency should have a senior employee who has attended seminars, registered at proper web sites, and is considered the expert within the organization. In-house departments should immediately find a similar employee to meet these functions. The employee in charge of the “Do Not Call” registry must register your company at https://telemarketing.donotcall.gov. They must update your telephone prospect list at least once every three months. They must search for and drop from the telemarketing lists the phone numbers of consumers who have registered. Remember, the “Do Not Call” registry does not apply to political organizations, charities or telephone surveyors. Also, your organization may call a consumer with whom you have an established business relationship for up to 18 months after the last contact, such as a payment, delivery or purchase. If a consumer provides written permission, your organization may call. And, if a consumer makes an inquiry or submits an application to your organization, you may call for up to three months. The most important rule to follow is the rule of consistency. Your organization must have an in-house policies and procedures guideline. You must follow it to a tee. Document any complaints from customers and bring it to the attention of your key employee responsible for managing the “Do Not Call” registry. Prepare a customer resolution policy. This will show your customer, the employees of your organization, and the FTC your proactive willingness to abide by the “Do Not Call” registry. Prepare an internal “Do Not Call” registry, separate from the list you maintain from the national “Do Not Call” registry. Remember, state and local laws still apply. So does good business. Your organization must oblige customers that ask you to take their names off your database. Even if the customer does not register with the national “Do Not Call” registry.

Telemarketing is going through more changes today then ever before. That is because organizations have abused their privilege, and consumers have won their battle to stop telemarketing calls if they choose. But, telemarketing is today, and will be tomorrow, a noble effort when done well. There are plenty of consumers who purchase products and services over the telephone. There are several quality organizations that offer terrific products and services. Taking the time to build a strategic program to bring buyer and seller together is critical. When implemented effectively, it is a win-win for everybody.

SUMMARY

1) Organizations can succeed in telemarketing if they hire better, train better and follow the rules as established by the national “Do Not Call” registry.

2) Develop a game plan that relies on a renewed marketing strategy and better hiring, training and scripting.

3) Your marketing program must rely less on “power dialing” and more on a blend of direct mail, E-marketing, print advertisements and telemarketing.

4) Hire better. Today, an applicant must have sales, perseverance and sensitivity skills.

5) Implement better sales training. Finesse, not feature and benefit statements, will impress your audience. Build a foundation of trust.

6) The national “Do Not Call” registry and its rules are concise. Follow the program carefully and be consistent in its implementation.

The post How to be Successful in the NEW Do Not Call Environment appeared first on Phone Ware, Inc. Call Centers of San Diego, CA.