Today’s technology and software enable businesses to provide their personnel with fully automated, state-of-the-art equipment. This equipment can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars (allowing people to work from home) all the way up to several million dollars for larger telemarketing centers. Both the larger call centers and individuals that work from home are able to support customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if you so desire.
Selecting the right software can lead to higher performance from call center agents, deliver detailed reports providing businesses with comprehensive data on customers and agents alike, and ultimately lead to increased sales.
Call Center Kit offers these suggestions when choosing telemarketing software:
If you feel you, or your business, is not qualified to make such an important decision (and a costly one), then hire a telemarketing firm or a consultant to walk you through the process. We recommend you hire a consultant to lead the project. Consultants are experts in the field and are familiar with the latest telemarketing software, and they’ll be able to provide valuable real life scenarios that can save you time and money
Clearly identify business objectives.
Match business objectives with telemarketing software most likely to meet these objectives
RFPs (request for proposals) to several providers will allow you to compare different benefits and features of each vendor
Ensure the proper business units and internal champions are part of the process, and have clearly bought in to the project
Contact like-businesses to get their input and recommendations
An implementation plan with dates and a clear schedule are necessary to ensure you are on track with the project. Consultants will do this for you, if you choose to hire a telemarketing firm for the project.
When selecting a consultant, here are a few questions you can ask:
What experience do you have in implementing a telemarketing call center?
What do they know about telephony, call center software, and technology?
What experience do they have with computer-telephony integration?
Do they have relationships with long-distance providers?
What type of call center scripting have they done – with what industries?
Are there professionals within the firm, specializing in:
Marketing strategies
Projections and forecasting
System integrations
CRM software
Do they perform training – and are they available once the project is done for further consultation and coaching?
Outsourcing
Is outsourcing a better, and easier, solution rather than building your own telemarketing call center?
Here are some advantages of outsourcing:
A telemarketing company will have proven infrastructure, technology and software in place, lowering the start-up costs and increasing your chances of success, especially if you are not going to hire a consultant to help you through the decision proces
You will inherit an experienced staff who can get started quickly, help you avoid critical errors and save you money on training and hiring a staff
You’ll be able to learn from other company’s mistakes by tapping the resources and professionals available to you
If your business grows quickly, an outsourced solution will most likely be able to scale
Some disadvantages of outsourcing:
You are putting your business’s future in someone else’s hands. You’ll need to make sure you choose a quality firm, get references, and be able to operate knowing you’ll never be in total control
You’ll need to spend time and resources getting the telemarketing company to speed on your services or products
The telemarketing staff will not work for you, and may not have your company’s best interests in mind, as well as your company’s culture and values
If outsourcing is the answer, the next decision you’ll need to make is where to find a telemarketing company – do you partner with an offshore provider or use a company whose call centers are local? “Off-shoring" is a popular decision for many large and small organizations today. Foreign companies and workers offer great savings, but may lead to a consumer backlash as this topic has become a very political issue for many people – especially those consumers who view 'off-shoring’ as sending local jobs overseas. Finally, if the dialect of the host company is hard for your consumers to understand or communicate with, it can result in more harm to your business than good.
