subject: Gain Competitive Advantage By Outsourcing Inbound Call Center [print this page] Outbound telemarketing has proved its worth and success in lead generation. With the telephone as the major instrument, firms have been able to bring their products and services closer, more convenient and more customer-oriented than before. It has been serving as an essential tool in learning the current flow of market trends and demands. On the other hand, its sister marketing campaign, inbound telemarketing, has also been on center stage since then. With the services inbound call center has in store, business organizations can gain competitive advantage over its rivals.
Inbound call centers aid businesses to answer calls from prospects and customers. Be it an order, an inquiry, an update, or a reservation, not a single call can escape to a telemarketer's answering services, 24/7 365 days or more annually. The fact that the customers initiate a call means that they show regard with a product/s and/or service/s. This horde of calls, which are mostly sales-ready, must not slip away from a firm's sales and marketing people.
From its inception until now, inbound telemarketing has grown as a primary direct marketing tool and as equally important as outbound telemarketing. Its services have converted business industry's vapid strategies into competitive upper hands. Customer retention increased in the same manner that new customers constantly flow in sales pipeline.
Among the many services inbound contact centers showcase, the following are the most common in practice:
Answering Services- through effective handling, calls are entertained promptly and professionally.
Live Answering Service- this is a type of answering service which is neither using automation nor voicemail box. The caller will be able to converse with a live person directly on the next line and not a mere recording.
Live Chat- with the online industry in a rapid pace, some prospects might be wondering over the Internet. Through a live chat, customers can engage to online chat with telemarketers.
Order Taking when making orders, many customers rely heavily to the phone because it is easier, faster and more convenient both for the prospects and the firm.
Overflow Call Management- during business hours, phone calls traffic is not always absolutely handled by a company. Calls that overflow can not get through the company's phones. This circumstance will spark lack of interest for the customers. In order for this to avoid, hiring a call center is downright the most practical and strategic choice.
24/7 Customer Service Support- with business industries breaking national barriers, foreign prospects form a material part in a company's growth. On the contrary, within the country prospects sometimes call beyond business hours. Calls from these people should be answered round-the-clock. With inbound contact centers, customer service is a 24/7 job. Time, which has been one of the antagonists in business, has changed to become an advantage.
Reservations and Bookings- reserving plane and ship tickets, hotel accommodations and others can now be accessed in one phone call. No more worries for customers who despise long lines and waiting sessions.
Outsourcing inbound telemarketing is another great option. The reasons are quite similar with those of outsourcing outbound telemarketing. Generating an in-house contact center means investing capital to infrastructures, hiring, and training of new employees, installing technical support, paying monthly overhead costs and time. To contrast, all of these are not to be incurred if a company opts to outsource. The only expense is the periodical payment for the services of the telemarketing service provider. Every company is not only assured to realize low costs but it will also avail itself of the high-standard quality services.
