Telemarketing 101
- 1. 1 | P a g e OUTBOUND Telemarketing 101 Part 1 1. What is Telemarketing 2. Types of telemarketing a. Outbound (definition) b. Inbound (definition) 3. Types of Inbound and Outbound telemarketing campaigns 4. Inbound a. Customer service b. Technical Support 5. Outbound a. Lead Generation / Survey b. Appointment Setting c. Sales 6. Types of Outbound Telemarketing a. B2C b. B2B 7. B2B Basics 8. Eligibility / decision makers 9. Getting Pastthe Gate Keeper - Basic 10. Types of calls a. Warm b. Cold 11. Leads and Files 12. Dialer / Different DialingModes a. Predictive b. Preview c. Power d. Manual 13. Dispositions and Examples commonly used call Dispositions 14. Call Backs a. General Call back b. Specific/Personal Call back 15. Verification 16. Types of scripts a. Verbatim b. Conversational 17. Scamming / Misleading 18. SPH 19. Time zones a. OBT time zone restrictions (B2B and B2C) 20. Monitoringand Coaching 21. ClientSession 22. Seeded Calls
- 2. 2 | P a g e WHATIS TELEMARKETING It isa methodof directmarketinginwhichasalespersonusesthe telephonetosolicitprospective customerstobuy productsor services,eitheroverthe phone orthrougha subsequentface toface or webconferencingappointmentscheduledduringthe call. TYPES OF TELEMARKETING a) Inbound b) Outbound OUTBOUND Whenthe representative calls upcustomers foranofferor service Examples: Selling, Promotionsand Surveys An OUTBOUND call centerjobrequiresworkerstoplace callsusingalistof contactsand a writtensalesscript..Outboundcall centerworkersmaybe doingdirectsalesworksuchas asking for a donationortheymay give the recipients of theircallsinformationandtrytobook appointmentsforoutsidesalesrepresentativestofollow upon.Outboundcall centerworkers may be askedto up-sell,orpromote additionalproductsandservices. INBOUND The representativeisTAKINGIN /ANSWERINGcalls. Examples: CustomerService,Techsupport,DirectoryAssistance, InquiryHandling An INBOUNDCall Centerjobrequiresworkerstoanswerincomingcallsfromcustomers.This workcan be more unpredictable thanoutboundcall centerworkasthe workerdoesnot know whowill be callingwithwhatproblem, request,orinformation.The Inboundcall centerworker musthave a thoroughknowledge of the products,services,andpoliciesof the companyhe or she isrepresenting.Some call centerjobsrequire extensive technical knowledgeof the product or service andtechnical service representativescommunicatewithcustomerstotroubleshoot problemswiththe productorservice.
- 3. 3 | P a g e TYPES OF INBOUND TELEMARKETING CAMPAIGNS a. Customerservice CSR pertainstoagentswho usuallyprovidesupportandassistance tocustomersincorrectuse and optimizingaproduct. b. Technical Support - Technical SupportRepresentatives referstoagentsthatprovidestechnical supporttoproducts or services. - Thisespeciallyappliestotechnology productssuchascellularphones,computers,internet connection(ISP),software productsandotherelectronicormechanical commodities. - Tech supportrepresentativesoftenreceivehighersalariescomparedtocustomerservice representatives.Thisisapparentlybecause of the technical skillsandtechnical trainingthatTSR employeesare requiredtopossesstoeffectivelyprovide the saidtechnical service TYPES OF OUTBOUND TELEMARKETING CAMPAIGNS a. Lead Generation/ Survey A leadis a personwhohas insome way,shape,or formindicatedinterestinyour company'sproductor service. Lead Generationisthe Process of collectingnamesandcontactinformation aboutqualifiedprospects whichwillbe contactedby the salespeople forgeneratingorders. Traditionallyleadgenerationoccurredatplaceslike trade shows –visitorstoa company'sboothwouldfill outacard withtheircontactinformationandturnit into receive acall back fromthat company's salesteam.Since the rise of the Internet,many businessesuse theirwebsitesasa leadgeneration option. Lead generation isacritical part of the salesprocess.It'sthe firststepinthe salescycle, so a shortage of leadswill affectthe entire process. In marketing, leadgeneration isthe generationof consumerinterestorinquiryinto productsor servicesof a business. Leadscanbe createdforpurposessuchas list building,e-newsletterlistacquisitionorforsales leads.
- 4. 4 | P a g e b. AppointmentSetting AppointmentSetting isclassifiedasaform of Telemarketing conductedtogenerate and arrange qualifiedsalesmeetings. The main purpose of appointmentsettingistocall potential customers, qualifyand engage theminconversation,provide information andcreate interestregardingour productor service, andsetupmeetingswithamemberof the salesforce of the companythat theyare representing. c. Outbound TelemarketingSales Outbound telemarketingisaproactive formof marketingorpromotinga business, productor service.Thistype of telemarketingisassociatedwithoutboundsalescalls whena businessistryingtosell acustomertheirparticularproduct. Thisprocessusually involvesprocessingof paymentsonline oroverthe phone. TYPES OF OUTBOUND TELEMARKETING a) B2C Business-to-consumer The exchange of services,informationand/orproductsfroma businessto a consumer b) B2B Businessto Business The exchange of products,services,orinformation betweenbusinesses DIFFERENCEBETWEEN B2B AND B2C B2B dealsprimarilywithotherbusinesses,notthe general public B2C providesproductsandservicesdirectlytothe enduser. B2C – Businessesthat Sell to Consumers Productdriven Brand identitycreatedthroughrepetitionandimagery B2C companiesemploydifferent marketingcampaignsforpublicizingtheir goodsand services.Thiswouldinclude coupons,vouchers,emailblasts,banner ads,limitededition offersandthe likestoentice theirtargetmarkettobuy
- 5. 5 | P a g e Maximize the value of the transaction Single stepbuyingprocess,shortersalescycle These campaignsare much shorterindurationthusthe urgentneedto secure the customer’sinterestveryquickly.The pathtopurchase mustbe short and simple –justa few clicksfromemail receipttoorderconfirmation.Anymore than a couple of clicksand the customerislikelytoabandonthe shoppingcart. The call to actionmustbe obviousandthe offerenticing. Large targetmarket Merchandisingandpointof purchase activities Emotional buyingdecisionbasedonstatus,desire,orprice Loyaltyisan importantaspectinB2C marketing.Thisprovedverytrue for companieslike Amazon,BestBuy,andStaples.They combine goodcustomer service andeducationontheirproductandservicesthustheircustomerskeep comingback. B2B – Businessesthat Sell to Businesses Relationshipdriven Maximize the value of the relationship The salescycle inthe B2B worldis oftenmuchlongerandmore complex.It mainlymaximizesonthe value of relationships.A B2Bcompanyneedstofocus on maintainingcommunicationandbuildingrelationships. Small,focusedtargetmarket Multi-stepbuyingprocess,longersalescycle Marketingactivitiesinvolvingleadgenerationthatcanbe nurturedduringthe salescycle can be usedto attainthisgoal. B2B featuresamulti-stepbuyingprocessthatneedsmore thanone personto decide onthe purchase thus B2B companiesemploymarketingtoeducate its target audience Brand identitycreatedonpersonal relationship Educational andawarenessbuildingactivities In B2B, “contentisking” formarketingparaphernalia The contentmust be straightto the point,shouldhave contactinformationfor offline communicationsandthe landingpagesare easytonavigate andutilize.It mustcontaininformationonfeatures,benefits,andpossiblypricing. Rational buyingdecisionbasedonbusinessvalue
- 6. 6 | P a g e B2B BASICS Understandthe bottom line of everybusiness: Everybusinesswantstomake as muchmoneyas possible,usingasfew resources,time and effortaspossible. It won’tmatterif you are the biggest,best,orbrightest.Businessesonlywanttoknowif your service orproductwill helpsave ormake money,save time,orboostproductivity. UnderstandYOUR bottom-line rule: Your objective istospeakwithsomeone inapositionof authority.Itdoesn’tmatter whenithappens,aslongas it does. B2B accountsrequiresthatyouspeakonlywiththe qualifiedDecisionMaker(DM) Contact yourprospectsearly!That'sthe besttime toreach the decisionmakerdirectly, and formost people,it'sthe time thatthey're mostopentodiscussnew ideas. In mostB2B telemarketingcall centers85% of the day’stotal appointmentsare set before noon. Gate Keepers In B2B telemarketing,youwilldeal withaGate Keeperinalmosteverycall TheyDo NOT make buyingdecisions Theirmainjobis to screenthe callsthat come in and eliminate unimportant interruptionsinthe decision-maker’sday,whilemakingsure thatthose whoshouldbe put throughare B2B Scripts We reallyneverknowwhatthe prospectwillsay,soB2B scriptsand responsesare meantto be flexible.. The secretwithscriptsis notto read itword forword butto have enoughinformationinit to give yourself confidence whenyou’re engagedinconversation.The pointistouse the scriptas a tool for guideddiscussion. B2B: KISS Me Use the KISSprinciple.KISSis originallyanacronymfor "KeepitShortand Simple". KISSstatesthat simplicityof the callflow andyourlinesshouldbe akeygoal and that unnecessarycomplexityshouldbe avoided. Simple wordsare the bestwords. B2B: Quick and Easy You’re much more likelytosucceedinyourgoal if the prospectfullyunderstandswhatyouare offeringorrequire.Consequently,keepyourreasonforcallingclearandmake sure that youcan getyour pointoutquicklyandeffectively.
- 7. 7 | P a g e B2B: Tell Me What and Tell Me More You’ll have maybe 20 secondsto make a credible pitch.Anylongerandyourlinesorcallflow mustbe adjusted. If the prospectsays“tell me more,”you’ll needtobe readytoprovide detailsyourself,orbe readyto create an opportunityforthe prospectto obtainsuchdetails. Dealingwith Direct Questions Many questionsduringabusinesscall environmentare intellectualandare almostalways tiedinto the Bottom Line. You needtoanswerquestionslikethesewithoutbeingevasive.A directresponse which approachesfromtwoor more anglesisbest Q: How muchis yourservice? Bad Answer:Itdependsonwhatyouneed. Good Answer:Mostof our clientsrequestabout$10,000 worthof work fora full featuredwebsite;however,dependingonwhatyouneed, itcouldvaryby a few thousandeachway. B2B: Provide Value Have somethingof value tosayon everytelemarketingcall. Be sure they're able tosay theyare betteroff afteryour call than theywere before it,even if theydon't make a purchase or set an appointment. It can be helpfultocall withideasyou've heardfromothercustomersthatmightbe useful to them. EligibilityandDecisionMakers Referstothe personor personswhocan actually ACCEPT a productor service we are selling Lead-OnlyPrograms: can onlysell tothe leadname EligibilityPrograms:(campaignspecific) • SPOUSE can be eligible foranoffer. • ANYONEinthe home whois OVERTHE AGE OF 18 and is AUTHORIZEDto make a decision
- 8. 8 | P a g e OUTBOUND TELEMARKETING BASICS TYPES OF CALLS a) Cold Callingaprospect(whomaynot know the caller) withoutaprior contact/ appointment. b) Warm callingcustomerswhoinitiallymade contactwithus(online survey,email)tofollowup on the product/servicesthatwe offer callingthe existingcustomersof ourclientstooffernew productsandservices TYPES OF SCRIPTS a) VERBATIM - to read the scriptword forword b) CONVERSATIONAL- can add some words,or explainthe presentationintheirownwords(the contextof the script shouldnotbe changed to the extentthatitbecomesmisleading) LEADS termusedto describe the PHONENUMBERS that are dialedtocall potential customers Alsoknownas prospective customers FILES DATA BASE of PHONE NUMBERS. Phone numbersof PEOPLE thata clientwantsusto call. The I.T. departmentreceivesthe filefromaclientandthendownloadsthe phone numbersinto the DIALER. DIALER and DIALER MODES DIALER isan electronicdevice thatisconnectedtoa telephone line tomonitorthe dialednumbersand alterthemto seamlesslyprovideservicesthatotherwise require lengthyNationalor International accesscodestobe dialed
- 9. 9 | P a g e DIALER MODES 1. Predictive 2. Preview 3. Power 4. Manual 1. Predictive Predictive dialingisastate-of-the-artpacingmode usedtocall a large numberof customers withinashort periodof time. Screens outno-answers,busysignals,answering machines,and disconnected numbers,and delivers the call to the next available agent Predictive dialingoptimizesthe time of agentsbyreducing the idle timesbetweenconnectedcallsandfreeingagentsfromdialingcalls.Predictive dialinggathersstatisticsconcerningthe durationof calls,how long ittakesforcallsto be answered,andhowoftenare callsanswered.Whenan agentisaboutto become idle,the systemplacesseveral calls. Predictive dialingcampaignscanachieve agentproductivityof 50 minutesperhourand nuisance ratiosof 3% or less.The systemiscontinuallyupdatingpredictive dialing probabilitiesandmonitoringnuisance ratiosforperformance andcompliance with legislation.Forexample,predictivedialingisusefulinsalescampaignstocall alarge number of contactsand maximizingthe workingtime of agents. The performance of predictive dialingtakesintoconsiderationthe accuracyof the contact listsandthe policiesonnuisance calls.If the contactlistispoor,the performance of the predictive dialingcampaignisatrisk as agentsare not connectedtolive contactsand are not able todo business. 2. Preview Previewdialingenablesagentstofirstview the available informationaboutthe customer and decide whentoplace the call.Inadditiontothe informationaboutthe customer,agents may alsoviewall the historyof the customerwiththe contactcenter.Afterviewingthe informationaboutthe customer,the agentrequeststhe systemtomake the call. For example,previewdialingisuseful indebtcollectioncampaignsto allow agentstoview informationaboutthe customeranddefine astrategybefore startingtotalktothe customer.The systemdeliverspreviewcallstoagentsautomatically,takingintoaccountthe priorityof the call and the skillsof the agentto handle the call.Previewdialingkeepsagents fromdialingcallsmanually. 3. Power An automated dialer shows the accountinformation and phone number on the screen after the number is dialed,but is not predictive.
- 10. 10 | P a g e AlsocalledProgressive dialing,Powerdialing placescallsonlywhenanagentisavailableto handle the call.Automateddialersconsiderthe priorityandthe skillsof the agentto automaticallyplace acall to the agent.In powerdialing,anagentisalwaysavailabletotalk to the customer. Powerdialingissuitableforall campaigns,fromcustomercare follow-upcallsto telemarketing.Forexample,powerdialingisuseful tocall predictive dialingcontactsthat resultedinnuisance toensure thatanagentis available totalktothe customer.A 2012 researchstudyconductedbyThe Bridge Group,Inc.discoveredthatwhile insidesales jobs and careerdemandisup 54 percent,mostsalesleveragecomeswithpowerdialersoftware. 4. Manual Manual Dialing'referstocallsthatare placedmanuallybyanagent. Usuallydone whenacustomerprovidesanalternate contactnumberthat’snotin our Filesor providesreferrals SPH SalesPerHour,and is one of the performance goals setbyclientsinordertocontinue doing businesswiththem. Calculatedbydividingthe total numberof SALESbythe total numberof HOURS WORKED. For example,if arepresentative made 8saleswhile working7hours,thentheirSPHwouldbe: 1.14 salesperhour (8/7) OUTBOUND TELEMARKTING CALLING RESTRICTIONS Under the TelephoneConsumerProtectionActof 1991, telemarketingfirmswere restrictedto makingsalescallsonlyduringthe hoursof 8 a.m.and 9 p.m.inthe calledtime zone.(B2C) 9am-5pm inthe calledtime zone (B2B) The law doesallowsome exceptions.A customerwhoexpresslyaskstobe contactedat a specifictime,forexample,maybe calledoutside the legal window.
- 11. 11 | P a g e DISPOSITION a) Somethingthatisdone at the endof EVERY call b) Processof lettingthe computerknow WHATHAPPENEDon a particularcall Examplescommonlyusedcall Dispositions Sale NotInterested Callback AnsweringMachine No Answer Language barrier Wrong Number DNC/DoNot Call CALL BACKS A CALL BACK occurs whenthe persona REPRESENTATIVE iscallingis UNAVAILABLE REPRESENTATIVES can simplysetanothertime inwhichtocallbackthe customer GENERAL CALLBACK – no specifictime anddate given (noappointmentwasset) You were able tospeakwithsomeone whoisnotthe decisionmakerandasksyouto call back You were able tospeakwiththe decisionmakerbuthasno time tospeakoverthe phone and asksyou to call back at anothertime SPECIFICCALLBACK / PERSONAL Callbacks – there isa specifictime anddate given A Personal Callbackisdefinedasone where youhave made apresentationtoadecision-maker,but are notable to close the sale forone of the followingreasons: The Buyer mustconsultwitha partneror spouse The Buyer hasrequestedliterature throughe-mail orwantstodo his/herownresearchto knowmore about the product You will have alreadyattemptedtoclose the sale,butthe Buyerinsiststhatyoucall back fora decision. Inthiscase,youwill alwaysdothe following: Be sure that theyBuyerhasno questionsremainingthatyouhave notanswered Seta specificdayandtime forthe callback—anappointment Let the Buyerknowthat he/she willneedtosetaside time toplace the order Do not allowtoomuch time to elapse betweenthe initial call andthe callback
- 12. 12 | P a g e Whenyoucall back,alwaysmentionthatinyour introduction: “This is Susan Brown calling for(company name). John Smith asked meto call today atthis time. Is he availableright now?” Assume the sale: “Mr.Smith,this is Susan calling again for(company name). Can Igo ahead now and processyourpurchaseforyou today?” VERIFICATION processof verifyingthe name,address,anddetailsof anofferwhile being RECORDED Confirmingwhatthe clientisagreeingto Confirmingall the informationthatyouhave gatheredtoavoidclerical mistakes Servesasa verbal contractbetweenthe customerandthe clientwe represent Termsand ConditionsisalsoknownasDisclosure Thisis to ensure thatwe have the CORRECT informationaswell aslettingthe customerknow EXACTLY whattheyare agreeingto. Done incase the customerclaimsthat they NEVERAGREED to the termsandconditionsof an offer. If everthere isa dispute,acompanycan simplypull the recordingforPROOF. A sale can eitherbe HELD or CANCELLED after beingverifiedbythe QA department HELD Term usedtodescribe asale that is beingputonhold afterbeingverifiedbythe QA Department Heldreasonsdifferpercampaign CANCELLED Term usedtodescribe asale that is LOST afterbeingverifiedbythe QA Department
- 13. 13 | P a g e EXAMPLES OF HELD/CANCELLED REASONS Significantwordsorphrasesnotmentionedclearly. Example:rates,fees,charges Failure toverifyinformationaccurately Example:address,date of birth,creditcardinformation Fast Pacing(inaudible) Example:disclosure NotVerbatim Example:omittingimportantinformation duringverification Failure togathera clearresponse fromCM Incorrecttaggingof information Example:enrollingCMtoa differentpackage Misrepresentation /Scamming Example:changingrates,misleadinginformation SCAMMING/MISLEADING Term usedtodescribe representatives whoachieve salesby LYINGOR MISLEADING their customers. Representatives wholie ormisleadcustomerswill be TERMINATEDIMMEDIATELY!
- 14. 14 | P a g e Example of misleading: (Script) “Andwhat’sevenbetteristhatthe ComcastHigh-speedInternetservice isnow offered at a lowcostof only$22.95 permonth forthe first three (3) months,andthat alreadyincludes the $3.00 monthlymodemfee rental!That’sasavingsof $23.00 off the normal monthlyrate for the nextthree (3) months!Isn’tthat great?!” (You) “Andwhat’sevenbetteristhatthe Comcast High-speedInternetservice isnow offeredat a lowcost of only$22.95, and that alreadyincludesthe $3.00 modemfee rental!That’sa savingsoff the normal rate!Isn’tthat great?!” MONITORING AND COACHING Listening to agents’ telephone calls to assess the qualitywith which the call is handled. Monitoring can be silent, announced,side-by-side,or recorded for later review. QA’sand Supervisorsmonitorcalls everyday. All of the live monitoringthattheywill be conductingare ‘BLIND’. Constructive feedbackonmonitoredcallsare givento the representatives toMOTIVATE& IMPROVEPERFORMANCE Passingmarkfor monitoredcallsis90% COMMISSIONS are alsobasedonmonitoringscores. CALIBRATION / CLIENTSESSION Clientsalsomonitorcallsfromthe USto ensure the contact center’sadherence tothe policies and qualityguidelines TheyRANDOMLY choose representatives andlistenintheircalls Client, Managers,teamleads,andQAs evaluate and discussthe callsandprovide feedbackand coachingto the representativewhosecall wasmonitored
- 15. 15 | P a g e SEEDED CALLS In the Filesthatthe Clientsprovide,there will be one leadname thatis‘planted’. That plantedleadname isactuallyone of the client’srepresentativesandwill pretendtobe a customer. Thisis one wayfor themto gauge if the TSRs are reallyfollowingtheirpolicies