by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on November 22, 2011
Marketing research is a valuable business tool that can be used to discover emerging trends, assess sales performance, evaluate marketing campaigns, measure customer service and define company goals. When properly analyzed and applied, marketing research will eventually lead to greater sales volume and provide an acceptable return on investment. (See our November 17, 2011 post on outsourcing marketing research to increase ROI.) Marketing research is generally considered to be an investment in future sales with an indirect impact on a company’s bottom line. That attitude has become so entrenched in the business community mindset that the potential to immediately harness marketing research data to directly impact real-time sales is often overlooked.
The goal of marketing research is to collect data for analysis. In a company’s marketing department, it is data analysis rather than the data itself that is considered valuable. However, forward-thinking companies are putting that raw data to immediate use in their sales departments and doubling their marketing research ROI. The key is outsourcing tedious data sifting to a highly-qualified call center
When processed by experienced call center professionals, raw marketing data can generate qualified sales leads, monetize trade show and conference leads, and increase repeat business. An expert call center agent can plow through long lists of potential leads obtained from marketing surveys, internet contacts, trade shows and conferences and cull out those leads with the greatest sales potential, allowing your sales staff to concentrate on closing sales. An expert outsourced call center agent can also be used to contact existing customers, generating direct sales and noting future needs to help your sales force best direct its energies.
The key to success is finding the right outsourced call center partner. Telesales Services is uniquely positioned to match your company’s needs to a call center that has the experience and expertise you need to effectively process raw marketing data and turn it into sales.
by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on November 17, 2011
As 2011 winds down, the pressure is on business owners and corporate executives to evaluate performance, identify new market trends, and allocate 2012 resources to increase profitability. The decisions made as U.S. companies conduct year-end reviews and set performance and financial goals for the coming year will have a critical impact on company profitability and success. Choosing to rely solely on the recommendations of your sales team without conducting effective independent marketing research can lead you down the wrong path, waste time and money, and force your company to play catch-up with your competitors.
Effective business decisions cannot be based on intuition. Even in a climate of increasing sales, there can be problematic gaps between sales and consumer analyses and expectations. Cold, hard facts are needed to measure marketing factors before decisions can be made about new year goals and resource allocation. Outsourcing year-end marketing research to an experienced market research call center can quickly provide the accurate data you need without straining your firm’s personnel or financial resources.
Outsourcing marketing research to a professional outbound call center offers business leaders numerous benefits. Outsourcing marketing research initiatives frees your team to analyze internal data that will be crucial to the year-end decision-making process and allows them to focus their energies on creating crucial year-end reports. Assigning the task of data collection to a professional outbound telephone call center with proven expertise in conducting marketing research campaigns ensures that you will receive clear, accurate data in a timely manner. Outsourcing the mundane, though critical, task of data collection also gives your team the breathing room they need to continue putting maximum effort into closing sales.
When outsourcing marketing research, call center selection will have the greatest impact on the quality of the data you receive. With extensive experience in outbound marketing research, Telesales Services can match your needs to a professional outbound call center with proven expertise in conducting marketing research.
by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on November 15, 2011
If you are in the medical insurance industry, this is crunch time! Open enrollment for Medicare Part D ends on December 7, 2011, barely 3 weeks away. Coinciding with the open enrollment period for many corporate insurance plans, the early Medicare decision deadline puts extraordinary pressure on insurance agents and insurance providers to renew current policy holders and sell their services to new customers.
Nationwide, 27.6 million Part D beneficiaries have more than 1,576 plans to choose from. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, from 41 to 55 plans will be competing for consumer attention regionally. If you sell Part D coverage, you know that two things will most impact your sales figures:
- The number of potential beneficiaries you reach, and
- How quickly you reach them.
The shear volume of phone calls and time required to contact current and prospective clients is a herculean task that can quickly overwhelm your office staff or in-house health care call center. The same is true if you handle the open enrollment process for corporate clients. If, like many insurance agents or providers, you handle both; it’s double the pain.
As the December 7 Medicare Part D open enrollment deadline draws closer, overworked employees and in-house call center staff are going to be feeling the pressure. The resulting stress can lead to increased errors and decreased civility; both business killers. Outsourcing health insurance calls to an expert health care call center can solve your problem, ease the stress on employees and result in higher sales and greater customer satisfaction. It’s a win-win solution for your firm, your employees and your customers.
And it’s not too late to get the help you need to succeed. A highly-regarded health care call center referral service, Telesales Services specializes in matching clients to experienced, high-quality healthcare call centers that are ready to go when you are — even at the eleventh hour!
by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on November 8, 2011
A superior, professionally run inbound call center can be a considerable business asset. A positive call center experience attracts customers, builds brand loyalty, and enhances a company’s bottom line. On the other hand, a poorly-managed call center can be a significant detriment, driving customers away, negatively impacting brand image, and losing sales. A single negative call center experience is all it takes for a loyal customer to abandon your brand. Call center service quality is so important to marketing efforts that the Consumer Experience Report found that a reputations for superior customer service attracted 55% of customers and 85% said they would be willing to pay more for a superior call center experience.
Consumers love the fast, immediate, personal attention they receive from experienced, well-trained call center agents when they place a telephone order or receive a timely resolution that effective inbound call centers are able to provide when problems arise. Unfortunately, too often the consumer experiences tend to be negative not positive. After repeated experiences with poorly managed, poorly staffed call centers, consumers have developed a laundry list of complaints.
While 77% of American consumers prefer speaking to live agents when seeking customer support; according to the RightNow 2010 Customer Experience Report conducted by Harris Interactive, 82% of consumers have taken their business elsewhere after a negative experience with a call center employee. Seventy-three percent fled after being treated rudely, unknowledgeable agent operatives sent 51% packing, and 55% took their business to a competitor when call center personnel were unable to resolve issues in a timely manner. Other consumer complaints include waiting on hold for minutes on end before being connected to a call center agent and language issues that complicate communication with the contact center representative.
Telesales Services specializes in furnishing the high-quality outsourcing solutions that have proven to provide the positive call center experience that attracts and retains customers. Contact us today to see how we can help you to find the “right” match for your inbound call center needs.
by Call Center Outsourcing Expert on October 26, 2011
Call center productivity and profitability hinge on three things:
- Response time. Customer satisfaction is affected by how quickly the call center staff is available to respond to the caller. The shorter a customer’s wait time when he or she contacts a call center, the higher their level of satisfaction with their call center experience.
- Workload. Call center productivity is directly impacted by workload efficiency which is a result of matching the workload requirements with the staff. A highly motivated call center staff with proper training will process a greater number of calls in a shorter period of time. When agent productivity is maximized, staffing levels can be decreased, minimizing staffing costs and maximizing profit.
- Scheduling. Call center productivity and profitability hinge on the staff’s ability to handle each call efficiently and effectively by matching proper staffing levels to the call volume. Also keeping first call resolution in mind. When agents fail to complete calls in the scheduled number of minutes (called out of adherence), due to training, utilizing obsolete technology or skill gaps, then staffing levels must be increased. Any increase in staffing levels incurs additional costs not just for staff compensation, but also for staff recruitment, training and retention.
Call center scheduling problems present the greatest challenge to businesses that are attempting to manage their own call center programs. Using an outsourced call center can prevent headaches and be more cost-effective than trying to provide call center services in-house. Out-of-adherence problems can destroy the productivity and profitability of call center operations. Telesales Services specializes in call center outsourcing. We have a proven track record of successfully matching businesses with effective call centers that know how to minimize cost by maximizing scheduling adherence and call center productivity.
