Call centre execution:
7 ways marketers can improve conversions
By Stewart White (Senior Consultant - Call
Centers)
For reprint permission please email
info@genroe.com.au
The hard work is done, the calls are being made and now it’s just a matter of waiting
for the sales to roll in from the call centre, or is it?
Call centre execution of campaigns is crucial to achieving results for the business.
However, ineffective operational structures, inconsistent operational practices,
and conflicting campaign objectives and reporting can often lead to poor results
for good campaigns. Here are 7 areas that can lead to dramatic improvements in campaign
performance.
Is inconsistent messaging hurting my conversion rates?
Variations in script intent from your consultants blur the focus of your offer.
On the other hand, concise scripting with dynamic execution is a key driver of campaign
success.
Reviewing and improving your scripting to make it concise and dynamic can deliver
a 1% increase in conversions, immediately bringing more dollars to the bottom line.
Do I know my best consultants for every campaign type?
It’s a fact that different consultants perform better on different campaign types.
The right reporting and processes allow you to assign the right consultants to the
right campaigns and maximise response rates for all campaigns.
Your quality and assurance (Q&A) processes and reporting should be based on
calibration formats that can be used to increase capabilities, identify strengths
and drive the learning and development needs of your consultants. You can then better
match your consultants to the campaigns for which they have a natural affinity.
A stark example of the improvements that are possible occurred recently at a leading
FMCG company where a review of their business planning and reporting produced a
massive 5% increase in conversions.
Would I still hit my targets if my call centre phone lines were cut for 24 hours?
Would you still be able to service your customer’s needs and action campaigns if
your call centre systems failed or were cut by, say, building works? Disaster recovery
and continuity process are often not documented or tested. When the disaster comes
customers are left hanging and sales slashed for hours, days or even weeks at a
time.
One well known company didn’t plan for such an occurrence and when the unlikely
but inevitable event occurred they lost over $30K per hour in sales. How much would
it cost you?
Am I calling at the best time?
If your operational hours are not aligned with your customer’s needs and lifestyles
you can be calling at the worst time for your customers; reducing conversions and
driving up dissatisfaction.
By changing and testing your call times and operational hours you can actually
reduce your labour costs and increase your sales revenue. Better still you can be
talking to customers when they are more responsive!
I recently recommended to a tier one financial company that they include Saturdays
in their outbound calling program. The result was a 30% increase in contact rates
and a 5% increase in response rates.
Am I missing sales because my call centre can’t react quickly enough?
Strong resource planning is mandatory for a call centre to meet business requirements,
particularly dynamic and immediate requirements. If you can’t react quickly
you are often leaving sales on the table.
One call centre that had traditionally been held back by a sluggish response to
opportunities uncovered a simple internal solution enabling them to become very reactive.
The results were dramatic; just three months later the extra revenue generated pushed
them above their year to date (YTD) targets.
Is the staffing structure limiting my ability to succeed?
Staff structure within a call centre environment is key to the success
of direct marketing campaigns. There need to be clear lines of accountability and
business transparency in order to fine-tune campaign design, execution and reporting
and achieve the best outcomes.
In one recent review for a top 20 financial services company the campaign manager’s
time was split between overseeing the execution of campaigns and organising, legitimate,
social events for the organisation. The company had great social events but their
campaign results were less than desirable.
The introduction of a dedicated campaign manager and a change in reporting structure
now sees the outbound call centre operation realising its full potential with best
to date results being achieved.
Are our consultant skills losing us conversions?
Skills training and staff knowledge are key to campaign success. The more product
knowledge and soft skills competencies a consultant has, the more successful they
will be at executing your campaign. The creation and delivery of the right learning
and development (L&D) pathways within the call centre will always benefit your
campaigns and consultants.
One large financial services company held induction training but did not follow
through on refresher or enforcement training for consultants and they were not meeting
their targets. A review recommended specific L&D initiatives which resulted
in an instant 7% increase in up-sell and cross sell conversions and the conversion
rate is still trending upwards.
The answer is clear, regardless of how good your campaign is, poor call centre execution
can drive down your results. On the other hand small changes in execution can reap
large and immediate gains in conversion. Make sure that you ask the right questions
of you call centre and then ensure that they deliver for you.
|
