subject: The Right Telemarketing Mix [print this page] Hitting the high notes in telemarketing can only be achieved with the right ingredients. The telemarketing company can try out various mixes before pinning down one that serves their purpose. The method of approaching telemarketing services varies with the projects that are on the plate. For example, if the call center is doing a project with a B2B firm, the approach with be totally different from that of a B2C firm. These determining factors have a lot to do with the final shape of the project. A BPO firm that wants to do well with the resources that they have on hand needs to plan out the methods that they are going to adopt. Here are a few reasons why the right mix is of great importance:
1. Resources: Planning for a telemarketing campaign saves resources. Clients have a lot of confidence in the call center that takes care of their resources and optimizes them. When you pitch in for telemarketing services projects, if you have a list explaining how you are going to use the resources, it makes a lot of sense to the clients. It adds an extra bit to the pitch that you make. Any BPO service firm that wants to bag such projects has to plan out their approach well in advance. That way, there is no need of additional resources in the middle of the project. Clients don't like demands for additional resources cropping up when things are already rolling.
2. Costs: Costs are a huge factor for any telemarketing project. In a competitive market, call centers are vying with each other for grabbing projects. So you cannot really quote an exorbitant price for telemarketing services! At the same time, if you go too low-key in this age of inflated prices, you may not be able to pull the project out with profits. The call center needs to make a cost-expenditure ledger and chalk things out. Better keep things flexible and tailor-make the price tags according to the projects. BPO managers have to ensure that the prices are competitive and yet, reasonable.
3. Manpower: Having the right number of telemarketing agents on the inbound call center desk is important. If there are too many on the team, many of them will be sitting around with little telemarketing calls to attend. Similarly, with too few call center agents, the hold time for the callers will soar up, leading to much frustration for the customer care department. Again, planning is the key. The BPO service managers have to chalk out how many calls they are expecting on a daily basis. An honest appraisal here would save them a lot of efforts and delays later on.
A call center firm that is new to the business would have to be extra-careful about this telemarketing mix. Striking a balance would be crucial for the call centers to minimize the losses. A good way to do that is to spend more time in planning before the telemarketing services hit the floors. Planning time saves trouble and unforeseen circumstances at the execution level.
