Outbound calling is meant to reach regular or potential customers to achieve a particular goal such as scheduling an appointment, taking surveys, ordering a product or service, collecting debt, or simply promoting a brand. The purpose of managing these cold calls via an outgoing calling service is to generate leads.
These cold calls, however, are not a walk in the park because you are connecting with potential customers who don’t know about your services. But cold calls are highly effective for improving brand reputation, customer acquisition, and increasing sales.
Are you in search of improving the outcome of your outgoing campaign and expanding customer reach? Consider these strategies to empower your agents and spark exceptional growth:
1: Define the KPIs for Your Campaign
A laser-focused campaign starts with a laser-focused approach, which means crafting a well-defined sales strategy. These goals could revolve around setting an appointment, selling the product/service, or encouraging the prospect to take an action. Answering these questions will help you establish KPIs and then measure different aspects of the campaign.
Some meaningful KPIs for contact center services include:
Conversion Rate
Conversion refers to the number of sales relative to the total number of outbound calls made. A low conversion rate is a sign you need to improve your telephone answering services strategy.
Average Handle Time
This metric represents the length of calls in relation to the total number of calls. If the average handle time is long, this means the agent’s closing skills need work or they are unclear about the product/service they are trying to sell.
First Call Close
First Call Close refers to the number of closes made on the first call with respect to the total number of calls. A higher rate means the agent is doing a great job selling the product/service.
2: Prepare and Polish an Outgoing Calling Service Script
Scripts help agents interact with prospects positively and engagingly. These scripts don’t have to be rigid. They must provide a general outline to your team on what pain points to address and quick answers to common client questions and concerns.
For instance, the script must include:
- Name of the company/individual being called
- A comprehensive yet concise description of the product/service being sold
- Why do you think you are a good fit?
- Contact information/meeting schedule for continuing the conversation
The opening of the script must be clear and personalized. The caller must greet the prospect by their name, introduce themselves, ask how the prospect is and then start the pitch. These are the basic etiquettes of cold calling that agents offering outbound call center solutions always abide by. In short, for the call to be a success, it’s imperative to equip your agents with a compelling script.
3: Tackle and Eliminate the Silent Calls
Silent calls are always problematic. These are the types of calls that occur when an automatic dialer dials a telephone number automatically and connects the customer to the agent the minute the phone is answered. Problems can arise when the system ends up generating more calls than the staff available at the contact center can handle.
Your goal must be to tackle these calls since a majority of the audience is already biased against cold calls. If the recipient has to wait to connect with an agent they will simply hang up before the agent even gets a chance to speak. To avoid this problem, investing in a smart dialer system can optimize agent productivity, connect with customers quicker, and monitor and track campaigns.
4: Get Past the Gate Keeper
Normally, company receptionists are instructed not to forward sales calls to their bosses. They are instructed to decline to provide the agents with any information over the phone. By being strategic about when and how you place your outgoing call, you may manage these “gatekeepers.”
Try to phone the business 30 minutes before they open for the day or 30 minutes after they close. A majority of receptionists adhere to the set office hours, however, managers and directors frequently come in earlier and stay later.
5: Engage with the Prospect
Once the prospect receives the call, follow this checklist to ensure your sales strategy goes well:
Start With a Hook
Agents only have a small window of opportunity to make a first impression as soon as the prospects pick up the phone. To grab their attention, call them by their name and start an open conversation instead of basing it around the product/service right away. That’s another rule of theirs when it comes to delivering call center services.
Make Them Feel Valued
The prospect must feel that you understand their role, their pain points, and challenges and that you want to know more. Tie up all this to their business and give them an impression that you have done your homework.
Be Precise, Be Quick
Keep in mind that the prospect has other important things to do and you can’t talk to them all day long. Agents at an IT support company know well that customers want quick solutions. They expect the same from a cold call. Therefore, respect their time. Before starting your pitch, ask them how much time they have.
Don’t Overpromise
Sometimes, to push the sale, agents end up making big promises. This can turn out to be a disaster down the road. Before you even start selling, it’s important to establish trust and clarity. This also ensures the prospects stick around and convert into a lead in the future.
Always Follow Up
Follow-ups are an important aspect of outbound call center services. Before the prospect hangs up the call, make sure you book a follow-up call. Remember, sales are a marathon, not a sprint race.
6: Track the Campaigns with Outbound Call Center Software
A call center software is a perfect tool to measure the effectiveness of the campaign by tracking call activities and managing campaigns smartly for successful engagement.
The software also generates reports which can help you find trends with particular agents and campaigns, allowing you to determine why some agents perform better than others and vice versa, as well as why some campaigns are more effective than others.
Team leads can immediately identify good and bad practices, customize agent training, and revise the scripts by having access to call records.
7: Offer Continuous Feedback
Tracking and monitoring campaigns can help gauge the performance of your team. The task at hand is to check how your agents are performing against the KPIs set in the initial stage. These KPIs will tell where your agents are struggling and where they are outperforming. Based on these results, it’s time to apply remedies, coach your agents, and revise your strategy.
8: Outsource Call Center Services
Another way to support your campaign is by Outbound Contact Center services. These outsourcing solutions are a cost-effective way to generate leads, achieve sales goals, and shift the burden away from your in-house staff so that they can focus on other important tasks.?