Today, we live in a world of varying communication platforms – from Facebook to Twitter to video to Web chat – and that’s just a sampling. Although the multi-channel contact center is heavily driving the way customers choose to stay social, companies must still continue to invest in the good old telephone. Actually, for many customers, it’s their preferred choice. In fact, a 2012 Forrester survey shows that 79 percent of consumers prefer a phone conversation when compared to other forms of customer service interaction.
When it comes to telemarketing, the phone conversation is critical. For those looking to ramp up their telemarketing campaign – because let’s face it, it can be a challenge – there are plenty of considerations that go hand in hand with implementing powerful telemarketing software. Here are six things you need to stop doing to get operations going and profits flowing in.
The entire point of investing in telemarketing services is to connect with customers who appropriately fit your target audience and/or demographic. Otherwise, you’ll be reaching out to customers who are unlikely to spend, and this is a huge waste of time, effort and money. Segmenting your customers means higher predictability, and thus, higher profits. Did you know that almost 60 percent of all people targeted by telemarketers are 50 or older? Rethink your strategies according to who you’re calling, not just what you’re selling.
Not every call goes as planned. This is an inevitable fact in the telemarketing industry, but just because a call may end up unsuccessful doesn’t mean the data collected throughout can’t be put to good use. In fact, it never should be. Reign in that valuable data and leverage it to better understand the market, your customers, and how to ultimately build an unbeatable business strategy.
Telemarketing is like trying a new dish – throwing a bit of spice on a plateful of otherwise plain food is usually welcomed. Give your customers’ metaphorical taste buds a kick by getting creative with your telemarketing strategy. Today, telemarketing software can be coupled with more innovative approaches to boost customer satisfaction and sales. For starters, toss your call center scripts in the trash and don’t look back.
You wouldn’t spend the night in a hotel if you knew the cleaning crew was lazy. You wouldn’t eat at a restaurant if you discovered that there was a health code violation – even if it was your favorite. Similarly, you wouldn’t stay on the line for the entirety of a call that is not a great representation of the company. Your customers are looking to be engaged, but to get them there, you have to first ensure that those behind the phones are capable, competent, willing and genuinely caring. This may mean implementing exciting employee approaches and incentives to help keep the positive momentum going.
A large part of your telemarketing campaign’s overall success is based on when and who you’re actually calling. Effective marketing translates to effectively reaching out to your audience. In addition to the demographic of your callers (something we previously touched upon) consider the timing of your call. It’s not about how many calls you’re completing, but how those calls are being received. The last thing anybody wants is a call right before they begin dinner or as soon as they hop in the car to drive to work.
Are your telemarketing initiatives driven by sales rather than meeting customer service standards or delivering on customer expectations? If so, this should be a big wake up call for you. While getting leads from calls is a great business objective, it should not be the top priority when it comes to one’s telemarketing strategy. A few solid customer relationships born from positive customer experiences will prove far more valuable than a few extra calls being completed by the end of the day. This is why setting goals that are too high or unrealistic risk positioning your team for struggle or failure.
As you can see, in addition to implementing powerful telemarketing software, there are many things you can do to further your telemarketing campaign. Now get to it!
