Telemarketing Equipment Basics
September 28, 2011
In call centres, there are some pieces of equipment that are going to be essential for you to have. These items are going to help improve the productivity levels you have and will help to make the business to business telemarketing process go a little easier. There are now even specialist companies that deal exclusively in headsets such as HeadsetCo.
One of those items is the headset. When you have this attached to your head, you are going to find that you are able to refrain from straining to hold the headset in your hands and that will allow you to comfortable switch between screens on your software and help you close deals faster.
Software is important to this process as well. Telemarketing software can really help to finalise purchases or log appointments, or provide you with customer information so that you can work on the sale, without having too much difficulty in the process.
Just as with any business, another item that you might consider will be an interactive voice response system. This will allow customers to call back 24 7 and be transferred to the right telemarketer. This will let people also contact you while you are on the phone and it will give you the chance to be more successful and to improve the overall sales your company has with this useful telemarketing tool.
Electronic Disruptions Can Harm Staff Productivity
July 18, 2011
When it comes to telemarketing productivity, recent studies have shown that electronic distractions are now one of the biggest problems that the industry faces. The recent study shows that 43% of all reported interruptions that occur at work are linked to electronic items.
While in the past, personal phone calls and co-workers used to make a majority of these statistics it appears that the digital age has finally gained control of the telemarketing realm as well. To help reduce these distractions, the concerned company might consider blocking certain elements.
The main disrupters are:
- Social networking websites
- Personal email
- Instant messaging
- Text messaging
Outside of personal items, we also find that there are some aspects that come into play that are beyond the control of the employer. The requirement to switch between monitors and systems also hold an impact on the level of productivity that is experienced as well.
It is with all this in mind, that to improve the results of your telemarketing department you might consider adjusting the accessibility of electronic items. This can be as straightforward as company policy restrictions going into place, or simply to increase the monitoring of such items in your company.
Preparing for a Telemarketing Call
June 10, 2011
In telemarketing, you need to ensure that you are ready and prepared at all times. Simply dialling phone numbers and trying to sell a product, service or plan to another business is by its nature a difficult to do.
Because of this, you need to keep some key ideas and answers in mind when you are getting ready to make the call. Begin this process by having some questions and responses setup to the normal elements that come up. These will be things like, “Why would I consider your service?” or “We already use another company for this.” If you don’t have a solid persuasive response planned, you will have a harder time making the sale.
Along with this, you will want to have a solid knowledge of the product or services you are trying to promote. If you have to look for answers on basic questions, this will raise a red flag for the company you are trying to sell your product to. In some cases, you might find that a future conversation with this decision-maker will be difficult. Remember, thorough product knowledge is the building block for good telemarketing calls that you make, and when you have the confidence of knowledge, you will see an increase in the successful calls that you make.
Developing Telemarketing Skills
April 25, 2011
Many businesses have a difficult time developing their telemarketing staff because they choose people that are not cut out for the business. No one would argue that not everyone can become a doctor or a scientist, but for some reason business often thing that they can hire telemarketers, give them a script and a headset and they will be successful. Telesales is a profession and (just like a surgeon is skilled with his or her hands) a telemarketer is skilled with their words and has to possess a personality that is conducive with the profession. If closing a sale or appointment does not excite a telemarketer, they are probably in the wrong profession. However, those that do have raw talent can be developed into productive and successful telemarketers. Therefore, the telesales professional needs skills that actually help to grow the company. For instance, a sales professional should know how to handle resistance and conflict and they should know how to relay excitement to the company in which they are speaking. Moreover, telemarketing professionals need to learn cultural sensitivities, which is crucial when you are on the phone and cannot see the person. Finally, the last skill a good telemarketer needs to possess is strong closing skills, because if you tell a client about a product and they are interested, if there are no closing skills, the sale or appointment can be lost.
Does The Quality of Call Centre Equipment Matter?
March 15, 2011
Your telemarketing sales teams are professionals and as such the need to have the correct equipment in the call centre is critical to their success and subsequentally your organisation’s success. There is certain equipment that every call centre must have in order to run smoothly and effectively. For instance, you sale staff must have an adequate and good quality headset, telephone handsets, batteries, ear cushions, as the minimum essentials to make your staff confident and successful. Why is this? Well imagine being a telemarketer and having to use a headset that had static or slight feedback – the customers cannot hear them properly, or they cannot quite hear the customer – at the end of a longer period such as a month – what would this do to your overall sales prospects?
Of course, any call centre also needs to have the proper hardware, software, and telephone systems that are functional and reliable, so that you do not have dropped calls. Providing your telemarketing staff with the right equipment boosts their confidence because they know they can depend on the equipment not to fail during a sales call. If your sales staff are worried about the equipment failing they cannot concentrate on their sales ability to bring in the clients, which of course hurts the entire business. Therefore, the equipment you supply your call centre will either enhance your sales or hinder them – make sure you use equipment that helps.