Callbox Sales & Marketing Solutions

Outbound Telemarketing Services

by: Ana Gela

Keeping pre-existing clients updated of the latest products and service offerings as well as expanding the client base through prospect calling is an essential part of the cold-calling campaign which most businesses utilize as an integral part of their marketing efforts.

One of the most effective and cost-efficient marketing techniques is the use of outbound telemarketing services through an outsourced telemarketing call center. Since business telemarketing has been in use for a long period of time, most consumers are bored by the routine practice; hence telemarketers must be trained to be flexible in handling calls with different customers. In situations such as this, outbound call center representatives are best utilized to handle calls as they are trained in techniques in wooing customers in order to convince them to purchase or avail of the product or service a company is offering.

Their efficiency and the success of their telemarketing campaigns are what make Outbound call centers one of the highest ranking and popular industries in the world today. Each and every campaign is customized according to the needs of the client and their target goals for the campaign. Tailored software also reduces the operational and overhead costs of the client’s company and 24/7 call representatives improves the level of customer satisfaction. A large customer base may be achieved by reaching more potential clients in a certain locality or globally, whichever the client demands. Reports are generated regarding the campaign and are sent to the client for their evaluation.

Telemarketing techniques are also professional in approach in such a way that agents do not give false promises to consumers. Most of the times, calls are being recorded to ensure that each call representative is performing according to the set standards.

Telemarketing services may be extremely beneficial to a client’s business. In fact, telemarketing is the most powerful and cost-effective tool available for direct sale campaigns. Outbound telemarketing allows businesses to provide answers to client’s queries at a time most convenient to the caller, and not according to a schedule or the availability of an in house staff. Prompt answer to calls and timely query responses overcomes possible negative comments, first impressions and feedback, which, in the long run, would injure the image of the establishment. Telemarketing services generate endless possibilities for the expansion of companies.

Though most customer sales representatives are trained and highly efficient, the outbound call center must always continuously monitor the agents to ensure the quality of the service they provide. The outbound call center management plans, monitors, and manages quality services for clients and responds quickly to any needed changes. A call center agent must be able to handle each call responsibly as there are varied customer personalities, ranging from the talkative to the irate. They must also always ensure that confidentiality of client records and information. Hence, call centers are encouraged to maintain a paperless workplace environment.

Sales Lead Generation is one of the most important services involved in telemarketing. Others include appointment setting, e-mail support, telesales, and customer service.

Outsourcing Answers Telemarketing Problems

by: Ana Gela

Though the cold calling approach has gained negative publicity over the recent years, that does not discount the fact that outbound telemarketing service is still one of the most successful strategies in generating sales leads. The problem which arose from cold calling, however is simply a warning to companies who outsource that they should be selective about the telemarketing call center which they hire. Once this problem has been avoided, companies will find that outsourcing may be the best marketing move they have done over the years.

The following are the benefits which you may gain from a carefully managed outsourcing campaign:

Quality Service at Less the Cost

One of the main benefits one establishment could get from outsourcing is most probably the low cost it would take them to have their telemarketing needs done when compared to hiring their own staff and setting up their own workstations and developing a technology that works for their campaign. All that, plus the added manpower needed to train their in-house telemarketing staff.

Once the company decides to outsource their telemarketing services, they are simply asked to pay for the services rendered by the outsourced staff in charge of their campaign. The burden of providing the necessary infrastructure for the campaign is the telemarketing call center as well.

However, training concerns may be acted upon through a partnership between the outsource telemarketing provider and the client to make sure that the call representatives are performing at par.

Round the Clock Support Team

Once outsourced, the telemarketing services may be made operational for 24 hours in a day with no regards for holidays, off peak and after office hours, weekends and other days which normally would mean that the service is non-operational. When a sales telemarketing campaign is made available to the public at the times most convenient to the buyers, companies are assured of a bigger market share.

Furthermore, you will be able to reach customers who are not residing within the same time zone as the main office.

Delegation of Tasks and Functions

When performing telemarketing services in your home office, your in house staff will not be able to maximize their skills and time. You may have done your marketing campaign successfully on your own the previous years, but it is common knowledge that the first call your staff makes does not end up as a sale. This happens 100% of the time. So, you make several calls before you can strike a deal with a prospect. You may also look into other marketing techniques and strategies like up-selling and cross-selling. A new marketing technique would always mean another training session.

Having an outsourced team of telemarketers allows your own staff to look into more important business functions such as product development and product research. Also, when product trainings are needed, all you need to do is send your outsourced team manager the related information and literature on a certain product and he will be in charge to train your telemarketers.

Call Answering Outsourced

by: Ana Gella

There has always been an ongoing debate among companies once outsourcing a company service is brought up. Questions of its advantages vis-à-vis its disadvantages arise. And more importantly, the long-term effects are being questioned. Though not generally a “new” practice in the sales and marketing world, many still question the process. Outsourcing, when used properly and handled with care, is a fail-proof solution in maintaining a company and good customer relations.

Cost-efficiency has always been the main reason why most companies and business establishments opt to outsource their appointment setting service. You may be involved in a small-scale private practice or is the world’s leading software provider, you will benefit from outsourced appointment setting through a number pf ways.

One, there already is an existing team whose members are trained to professionally interact with your clients over the phone. Staffing and finding the right people to communicate with a company’s prized clients have been two of the major concerns of companies and outsourcing firms offer a fail-proof solution to this. You may want to talk to your service provider’s call representatives first though. This way you’re sure that the service they provide fits your company’s needs.

Another reason why outsourcing appointment setting services is the way to go is that it streamlines your actual workspace and makes your services more efficient. You need not worry about a new phone system being set up to handle large call volumes when you outsource your calls, you are assured that your customers will have lesser on hold time, if ever they will be put on hold, as there are people who will answer your calls on the third ring.

Customers, who are happy with the service you provide after putting the phone down, are guaranteed to continue their transactions with a company. Instead of making your customers wait on-hold for more than 10 minutes to set an appointment, you can use a call answering service to handle all calls the minute they come in. Most outsourcing companies train their call representatives regarding their client’s company and services, which makes each call seem to come directly from inside the company’s home office.

Aside from the monetary benefits which a company may acquire through outsourcing, you will also have non monetary benefits. For example, when call answering service is outsourced to an effective provider, a company is assured never to miss a single call. All customer calls, inquiries, complaints and messages will be taken cared of, even during holidays, off peak hours and after office hours. Being able to maintain this kind of service will boost a company’s reputation and ensure better communications with customers, which will benefit the company in the long run.

In totality, it all boils down to choosing the right outsourced service provider who can guarantee a professional service and that their customer and call representatives are trained to handle all situations in a customized manner which will give off the image that the representatives are in-house and that the calls are being accepted within the company itself.

Appointment Setting for Cleaning Business

by: Vivienne Meir

The cleaning and maintenance market is considered to be one of the fastest growing industries in the world.  As the competition in the market is becoming more intense, service providers can’t afford to miss every opportunity by simply waiting for new cleaning contracts to come. Aside from current customers, it is essential to attract new prospects for a cleaning business to thrive. Thus, the need for sales and marketing activities to gain new customers is necessary no matter how big or small a cleaning company is.

Finding prospective clients is always a challenge for every cleaning business. When looking for prospects, a company should identify its niche market as well as the geographic areas that it’s targeting. One of the best ways to reach decision-makers is cold calling. Cold calling can be an effective tool to contact property owners and facility managers. Most cleaning businesses cold call to build name recognition and set phone or office appointments with the right decision makers. Cold calling is not an easy task and demands a lot of time, energy, and resources on a company’s end.

For a business that has a lot of things on its hands, hiring someone to assist in the cold calling efforts should be considered. Outsourcing to a third party firm that specializes in appointment setting services can be beneficial in backing up prospecting efforts. These firms have an in-house database already in place ranging from residential, industrial, commercial, and other new markets that a cleaning company can tap on. Hiring a professional firm to set appointments for your business is a cost effective approach in generating qualified prospects. By utilizing appointment setting firms, a cleaning business can focus more on closing sales rather than finding new prospects. Promoting your cleaning business and getting ahead of your competitors is valuable in opening doors and acquiring quality janitorial contracts.

If you would like to know how an appointment setting firm can generate qualified appointments for a cleaning company, visit this link http://www.callboxinc.com/case-studies/callbox_the_perfect_complement_to_commercial_cleaning.html

Telemarketing and Business Growth

by: Vivienne Meir

When it comes to business growth, acquiring new customers is a necessity for any business to business  company. Different sales and marketing techniques are being strategized to identify new prospects and for customer acquisition. In this highly competitive market, sitting back and waiting for customers to show up may limit sales growth of a business. The need to go out and take products and services directly to potential customers is important in keeping up and getting ahead of competitors.

The business growth of a company is dependent on its ability to generate qualified leads. In generating a steady stream of targeted sales leads and to create market opportunities, business-to-business (B2B) telemarketing is utilized. A b2b telemarketing campaign can provide better results and proves to be an effective approach in getting in touch with target prospects. However, establishing and managing an in-house telemarketing team is not an easy task and involves hiring, training and supervising internal personnel which can add up to a company’s overhead costs. Generating telemarketing leads can also be time consuming and outsourcing cold calling campaigns to third party firms has been an option for some companies.

Depending on the specific campaign needs, outsourcing to a business- to- business (B2B) telemarketing firm may provide a cost effective approach for a sales and marketing campaign. These firms can be a valuable extension of a company’s sales staff. Some firms design a customized campaign based on the prospecting needs of a business. It is important that before outsourcing a telemarketing campaign, the firm understands the target market as well as the products and services being offered by a company.

Outsourcing your marketing campaign to an experienced provider can maximize sales productivity and boost sales growth. Look for a firm that specializes in b2b telemarketing and has the expertise and skills to generate interest and pre-qualify leads. If you would like to know how telemarketing can provide qualified b2b sales leads, visit this link: http://www.callboxinc.com/lead-generation-appointment-setting.html

Sales Lead Generation for Technology Companies

by: Vivienne Meir

The range of products being offered by technology companies is very complex that their sales lead generation processes are far different from other industries. Improving business growth has always been a challenge in technology companies and would almost always require designing a more focused marketing strategy that involves a constant evaluation process and finding new target markets.

To create opportunities and generate sales leads for business development in the technology industry, different tactics are being employed by its business development managers. Data research expertise, analysis and an effective communication, determines the success of its lead generation strategy. Although it would be easier to simply generate a high quantity of business leads, generating a good quality of targeted business leads is much more favorable.

The sales cycle in the technology sector is longer and requires a lot of expertise, accuracy, and precision. The lead generation process in technology companies starts with identifying potential customers and then profiling and understanding their business objectives. After performing a series of research and establishing a target market, the next step involves identifying the key contacts of a company. High-ranking decision makers are oftentimes the hardest ones to reach.  Multiple calls are needed in reaching and establishing network with senior decision makers. Salespersons are often tied up with this tedious task reducing productivity and missing out on other business opportunities.

Thus, most companies cannot cover up the whole range of prospecting internally and resorts to outsourcing in order to maximize their sales efforts.

Order-Taking Answering Service

Order-taking is one of the most essential activities in any service-oriented business. More orders taken would result in increased sales and revenue. Missing an order is an opportunity lost. Thus, it is vital that every incoming call from a prospect or client is being answered promptly and that orders are verified a hundred percent all the time.

However, your company may be understaffed and couldn’t handle a sudden spike in volume of incoming calls especially during the busiest times of the day or a particular season. These calls should not be ignored for long. Remember, every call is important. When this happens, an order-taking answering service is an efficient solution that you may consider in managing your fast-growing business. An answering service that includes an order-taking service is a smart solution in leveraging your sales and customer service as well.

Sales and marketing companies that offer inbound solutions like order-taking, order-processing, customer service, complaint handling, and outbound activities like appointment setting and sales and lead generation, have professionally-trained agents that practice the customer-centric approach. You can rely on these professional companies to assist you in providing your clients and customers the best assistance especially in taking their orders. There’s no need to train their agents because they are already highly-trained to handle these types of calls. It is truly cost-efficient.

Most order-taking answering service companies offer call coverage on either a full-time or overflow basis, and can provide coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and all holidays. Order-taking answering service companies typically possess a high level of technology that is readily available for the operators to use in answering calls and accurately taking orders for your business. This translates to operators quickly relaying orders to you. Promptness or speed is a good measure of success in your business.

In sum, an order-taking answering service can benefit your business in more ways than one:

First, it can provide the necessary order-taking staff with back-up call center support available whenever you need it. Most order-taking answering services staff their call centers round-the-clock and your business can take advantage of their 24-hour schedule. You can also opt to use these services on a part-time or full-time basis. A 24-hour call center schedule means that you can expand your own business hours by making productive and profitable use of your order-taking answering service. Your answering service can be taking orders while you and your small staff are asleep. In a global economy, using a 24-hour order-taking service makes sense. Your order-taking answering service will provide you with professional order-takers who have excellent customer service skills, who are great communicators representing your products and services, and who are good listeners – ensuring that your orders are taken accurately.

Second, the order-taking answering service won’t take up any additional space in your already crowded facilities. Office real estate can be very expensive and adding or expanding a call center facility on-site isn’t always a feasible idea. When order-taking is your business’ priority, it pays to consider outsourcing to a professional order-taking answering service company.

Lastly, your business will greatly benefit by being able to answer more calls, take more orders, process more orders accurately and answer your customer’s questions. More calls, more orders, more sales.

Sales Prospecting Using Outbound Telemarketing

by: Vivienne Meir

In this highly competitive business world, most companies are challenged in coming up with ways to expand their client base. Sales and marketing professionals  invest in various prospecting and marketing strategies to generate qualified leads and get ahead of their competitors. According to Direct Marketing Association (DMA), outbound telemarketing has the highest average response rates in comparison to other direct marketing media such as direct mail and email marketing.  When outbound telemarketing strategies are handled properly, new market opportunities are tapped thereby increasing a company’s client base.

Outbound telephone prospecting is an effective way to boost prospecting efforts whether it’s a small business with limited resources or a large scale organization. This method is one of the fastest ways in reaching and directly interacting with senior decision makers. Direct contact with prospects allows a sales person to probe, assess and understand the business needs of an organization. Telephone prospecting can also help in effectively presenting a product or services to ensure that a company’s message is communicated well.

Thorough research and a highly targeted database are important for prospecting campaigns to be successful. For a more practical approach, some companies prefer to outsource their sales prospecting process to a professional telemarketing company. Most of these firms have their own database that has already met rigorous standards of research and analysis. Telemarketing firms also have highly trained representatives assigned to call on a client’s behalf. They pre-qualify prospects based on the specifications provided by their client.

Outsourcing to prospecting firms is a cost-effective approach in cutting down overhead expenses. By utilizing a telemarketing company, a company’s client base is increased as well as the productivity of their sales team. Business representatives can focus on presenting the value-proposition of an organization which in return will maximize sales production.

Finding new prospects is essential for business growth. It is important that proper prospecting should be done to capture new markets, build your business, and increase sales production. If you would like to know how an outbound telemarketing company can help your business find new market opportunities, check our brochures www.callboxinc.com/pdfbrochures/ for more information.

Outsourcing After-Hour Calls

by: Ana Gella

Companies and business establishments who conduct business mainly via the telephone will have most likely faced the drawback of having sales calls coming in after regular business hours. Solutions will always lean towards hiring receptionists to man the desks after office hours, during the weekends, and on holidays. However, the question of practicability will always arise. Can the company afford to hire extra manpower? Can this strategic move improve company sales?

Let’s consider the case of a small courier service provider, who does not offer business after regular working hours. They may provide service comparable to those of bigger companies, but since it is difficult for customers to reach them, they are consistently losing business and new customers.

Outsource telephone answering service may be the perfect answer in handling after hour calls. Business Process Outsourcing- BPO companies provide their clients with a professional team of representatives to answer each and every call placed for the business establishment at any time of the day, for 365 days in a year. Whether the company may need help with its order taking, appointment setting, order processing, complaint handling, reservations, or simply handling calls and taking down messages, an outsourced telephone answering service is the key.

So how does one choose an answering service provider? Considering that large companies train their staff in proper telephone etiquette, look for a BPO firm whose representatives handle each call professionally and who deals with each client the way you expect your own staff to interact with them. You may also want to provide your own script with which the representatives are asked to answer each call on your behalf. There are some BPO firms who may be able to come up with an effective script for you and your company. This personal approach to call answering service portrays the image that you have your own staff answering your calls and increases the customer’s perception of your company thus boosting their confidence and increase your company profits.

Outsourcing your call answering service does not only apply to order taking. In fact, there are companies who hire members of their team according to the needs of their clients. For example, if a client is a part of the medical industry, firms may hire nurses or graduates of paramedical courses to offer reliable and credible answers to questions that come in, in the absence of physicians and other medical professionals.

Choosing to outsource your after hour business calls is an effective way to improve your company’s image and performance, and to increase customer satisfaction and confidence. Economically, hiring a Business Process Outsourcing- BPO firm to handle your calls is a lot cheaper than hiring and training a group of people and paying them to man the phones at your office at all times, providing them with the latest hardware and software programs, and placing them in their own offices. Hiring a BPO firm to handle your phone answering needs is easy to arrange as they already have the technology they need as well the workspace. A credible and prompt answering service has always been an indispensable resource of a business process. Outsourcing has now given business establishments a chance to maximize their sales potential at a minimum price.

How Promotional Products Generate More Sales Leads for Your Business

By Kishor Nayak

What message do you want your business to send your customers? How can you find new people to get them interested in your company and what it offers? Your marketing team is dedicated to finding new customers for your business and getting them excited about what it has to offer. However, finding new customers in your target market can be a challenge and traditional advertising can be too expensive for some companies. Smart marketers have turned to promotional marketing efforts for their business. This way, a business can learn how to gain new clients with promotional merchandise for long-term success.

Promotional items are always a welcome gift to customers, other businesses and employees. By giving someone in your company’s target market something new for free, your business will immediate generate more attention. You can use these promotional pieces to talk about what the business offers, new products, available services, increase brand recognition and much more. In addition, the promotional merchandise will help to increase the level of trust that your customers have with your business. After all, if you are so confident in your business and its products and services that you are giving away things for free, why wouldn’t a future customer trust your company?

One of the top ways to promote your business is through the use of promotional items. Whether you are a new company looking to expand your brand recognition or an established business with a new product or service, marketing with promotional items is a cost-effective way to get your message out that can have a long-term return on investment (ROI) for your business.

There are two main focus points for every business’s sales – customer attraction and customer retention. With promotional advertising, you can learn how to generate more sales leads with promotional products in a way that makes sense to your business. For the customers that you already have, you can find promotional items that will keep them around for long-term success.

What is your motivation for launching promotional merchandise? It can be an easy as wanting to generate new sales leads, but if you have been in the marketplace for a number of years, who are you targeting? Look for ways to generate more sales leads with promotional products. Remind your past customers and clients about your company to lead them to purchase new products and services. By putting your company name in their face over and over again, you can let them know that they still need your business!

What about members of your target market who have never heard your business name and message before? Promotional products are a great way to generate buzz about your business. Give your products away to potential customers and watch the interest in your company grow exponentially. Once you choose the promotional product that is right for your business, you can enjoy the longevity associated with this marketing programme and take steps to push your company to the next level of success.

A good ways to generate more sales leads with promotional products is to put your contact information boldly on the product. Don’t let your customers think for themselves. Make it clear and make it easy. Put your website on the product or to better track the leads from your promotional merchandise, set up a separate phone line strictly for the promotional products. That way, when you see interest on that line, you will be able to tie it directly to your promotional pieces.

Invest in promotional items for your business marketing today. You can soon see how to generate more sales leads through promotional products for your business success.