Call Center Services Provider
It has been said – and rightly so – that you don’t need a brewery to drink a beer. The same is true for selling. You do not need your own call center to run an efficient telemarketing campaign. All you need is a product or service and a good partner who will sell the product for us. But just as we can choose among various beer producers, flavors or methods of brewing it, we can – well! even we should – carefully choose both the provider and the range of call center services. All this so that we get exactly what we really need.
Exactly – the basis of our success, also in the field of cooperation with a subcontractor – is the precise definition of needs. This applies to virtually every area of life and business, but in our case it is particularly important, because precisely defined expectations will be included in the future contract with an external call center.
Therefore, the first point in the search for the right call center provider is to think over and write down what an external entity is to help us with. What are our requirements, what do we bring to the cooperation ourselves, how do we want to check the effectiveness of our activities, etc. Provided with a set of expectations, we can go on a search for a company that will be able to meet them at a satisfactory level for us.
Wanted, Wanted
The choice of a call center company cannot be accidental. Our success depends to a large extent on a good partner. But what should you pay attention to when browsing the offers of teleshopping companies? First of all, for technological facilities, i.e. equipment and systems supporting the work of call center consultants.
The standard is, of course, VoIP technology (a technique that enables the transmission of speech sounds via Internet connections), as well as modern teleinformation systems ensuring, for example, recording and analysis of conversations, generating reports, creating a history of contacts with the client, access to call scripts or many channels of contact with the client – telephone, video call, SMS, text chat, etc. It is also good to check how flexible the systems of the selected call center are and whether they can, for example, be configured with our systems.
Flexibility guarantees that the call center service provider will be able to adapt marketing campaigns to our needs. All this so that the customer to whom we want to sell our product feels special – incl. thanks to the fact that he will be recognized by the consultant, he will not have to repeat the same thing many times, his wishes will be saved in the system and taken into account in contacts with him.
A good system serves not only the client, but also the consultant, who is more effective with the support of appropriate technology, which gives him the comfort of work. Telesales efficiency is also increased by training and incentive systems, so it is worth checking whether the call center we are interested in offers such facilities to its employees.
Contract Secrets
Conditions and possibilities are one thing, while their implementation in line with our expectations is another. Therefore – in order to ensure an appropriate level of service – all our arrangements and needs should be included in the contract signed with an external call center. One of the basic elements of the outsourcing agreement in the case of outbound campaigns (i.e. sales campaigns) is to define the expected response level, i.e. the level of sales to the recipient base of our campaign as a percentage.
Therefore, in the contract, we specify what level of sales is satisfactory for us. Additionally, the contract also specifies how the remuneration for the call center will depend on meeting our response expectations. Thanks to such arrangements, we are immediately clear about the expectations of both parties to the contract, and we also know how we will check whether our partner is fulfilling its obligations.
In the case of incoming campaigns, i.e. those in which a call center consultant receives calls from customers (e.g. helplines), we also define the so-called SLA (Service Level Agreement), which describe the scope of obligations of the ordering party and the service provider. Each type of contract also requires a provision regarding possible changes to the contract, as well as ways of terminating the cooperation. Such elements will guarantee us the efficient and effective implementation of the contract with the outsourcer.
Thanks to such arrangements, we are immediately clear about the expectations of both parties to the contract, and we also know how we will check whether our partner is fulfilling its obligations. In the case of incoming campaigns, i.e. those in which a call center consultant receives calls from customers (e.g. helplines), we also define the so-called SLA (Service Level Agreement), which describe the scope of obligations of the ordering party and the service provider.
Each type of contract also requires a provision regarding possible changes to the contract, as well as ways of terminating the cooperation. Such elements will guarantee us the efficient and effective implementation of the contract with the outsourcer. Thanks to such arrangements, we are immediately clear about the expectations of both parties to the contract, and we also know how we will check whether our partner is fulfilling its obligations.
In the case of incoming campaigns, i.e. those in which a call center consultant receives calls from customers (e.g. helplines), we also define the so-called SLA (Service Level Agreement), which describe the scope of obligations of the ordering party and the service provider. Each type of contract also requires a provision regarding possible changes to the contract, as well as ways of terminating the cooperation.
Such elements will guarantee us the efficient and effective implementation of the contract with the outsourcer. In the case of incoming campaigns, i.e. those in which a call center consultant receives calls from customers (e.g. helplines), we also define the so-called SLA (Service Level Agreement), which describe the scope of obligations of the ordering party and the service provider. Each type of contract also requires a provision regarding possible changes to the contract, as well as ways of terminating the cooperation. Such elements will guarantee us the efficient and effective implementation of the contract with the outsourcer.
Let’s Talk
Cooperation is not only about signed papers. If it seems to us that we can take care of other matters after parceling the documents while waiting for sales results, we are wrong. The basis of any cooperation is two-way, fluent communication. A relationship with an outsourcer requires full partnership, trust and constant information exchange.
What counts is a joint analysis of the situation and deliberate taking of new actions or changing the existing ones. Therefore, we should remember about regular meetings, discussions, analysis of results, and product training. Thanks to them, our cooperation will be effective and the sale of our products under constant control.
When running a small production or service company, we do not have to develop unprofitable departments, on the contrary – some operations – such as sales – can be successfully handed over to another company. A properly selected and technologically equipped call center, a properly constructed contract and a good relationship based on mutual trust will ensure our sales success at the expected and controlled level. What more could you want?