subject: Automated Telemarketing Calls [print this page] It's true that the call center units need to use technology to be on par with the deadlines that they have to meet. Manual effort can take you only thus far. However, the use of technology for answering service or making telemarketing calls is not a wise idea. Call centers have been banned because of their violations of the telecom laws and for making robotic calls to unsuspecting citizens. The lead generation calls made by the machines are regarded as pesky calls and they don't have a satisfactory return on investment (ROI). But some BPO units continue to flout the rules and defy the trends of using such calls. Here's a guideline for them to find out how these automated calls do more damage than aid to your sales lead generation efforts.
To start with, automated calls are not interactive. Telemarketing is essentially a medium where the agents have to interact with the customers Call center agents have to explain the prospective customers why they should purchase a particular product/service. The good lead generation agent would use persuasive skills to sell something. All these aspects are missing in a robotic call. The essence of outbound call center is just not there. Hardcore marketing and hard selling is the hallmark of this desk. Robotic calls cannot attain that. Customers don't like to hear a recorded voice rattle off offers and plans without waiting or caring for their response or reaction. Generally the calls are so hastily recorded that they don't make sense to the receiver. That is when the person hangs up.
Automated telemarketing calls don't wait for the receivers to respond or react. It cannot change their track and try other alternatives of selling that trained agents of call centers can do. Marketing efforts sometimes hits a blind alley. There are mental blocks on the prospective customers that the call center agent has to overcome. It's not always easy to convince someone to buy something, especially if the person had a bad experience in the past. The good lead generation agent would immediately shift to a different approach and build up their sales pitch on the reactions and responses of the receiver. It's a sort of mind game that the telemarketing services need to indulge in. The end result decided who wins the game. If the sale is made, it's the BPO service agent.
The supporters of automated telemarketing calls may say that the success of the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system proves that customers are ready for automated calls. What they are missing out on this argument is that the IVR works because customers choose this mode of connecting with the inbound call center team. They wish to get things done fast and so opt on clicking for options. On the contrary, automated lead generation calls don't work because customers never asked for such a call! They are irritated by even a voice call from the outbound call center team, let alone a robotic call. The way out for the sales lead generation industry is to follow the tenets of marketing and do away with these robotic calls.
