In the 1990s, telemarketing for new business was popular. But, the Do Not Call rules significantly affected the telemarketing industry.

A majority of the telemarketing services for this industry were based on cold calls.  With the increase of names on the Do Not Call list, most of the telemarketing activities had to be changed over to telemarketing services that are based on existing business relationships.

This meant that in order to make a telemarketing call, the telemarketing services provider had to be able to prove the customer has purchased a product from the telemarketing client in the past 18 months.

Outsourced telemarketing services had to comply or be subject to punishment for violations.

Posted: May 16th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Sales, Telemarketing Services.
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If you thought telemarketing would be put out of business because of the DO NOT CALL list, think again!  Look at this latest report: 

A recent DMA  (Direct Marketing Association) study showed that insurance telemarketing has reached nearly $80 billion in revenue during 2006. This ever growing revenue means that telemarketing, and insurance telemarketing specifically, can still be very successful tools.

With the advent of the do not call list, it seemed that  insurance telemarketing might no longer be profitable. However, with smart marketing, insurance telemarketing has become more focused on a consolidated effort resulting in maintaining high profits with continued successful telemarketing.

By carefully adhereing to the rules of the DO NOT CALL list, prospects can still be telemarketed if they have had any kind of business relationship with the company in the last 18 months.  Also, anyone who has placed a call to the company for information in the past 90 days may also be called.

Posted: May 14th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Sales, Telemarketing Services.
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Vonexus announced that it now offers an IP PBX that is pre-integrated for Microsoft applications, telemarketing services can receive the following advantages:

• Telemarketing businesses can save between 30 and 40 percent on their telephony bills through broadband connectivity versus a traditional PSTN service.

• Simplified management and administration because VoIP is software based and easier to deploy and integrate new services.

•Voice and data networks are converged onto a single IP network, which significantly reduces infrastructure costs that are associated with a traditional PBX-based network.

•VoIP can improve a business’ communications by providing flexibility and preventing proprietary lock-ins by deploying voice as a desktop application.

•Improved employee production: A company can offers several applications that improve the efficiency of employees (including drag and drop conferencing and on-demand recording).

•IP telephony enables remote employees to connect with the company’s phone system from anywhere, and makes them available for calls as if they are in the office.

An outsourced telemarketing service has to be updated constantly with the new technology in order to provide the best service and compete nationally and internationally.

Posted: May 9th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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When a telemarketer makes a sale to a new prospect, it shows that telemarketing works.  And the nice thing about it is that it keeps on working!

Using it properly is the key.  Each new sale creates a new customer.  And that new customer is the source for many more sales.  And telemarketing can help make it so.

Sure, we are talking about repeat business.  But there is even more than that to help you get more sales.  Such as:

• Referrals - entice your customer with a bonus to give you names of friends and neighbors who also may need your service.
• Cross selling - your customer may need other products you also have
• Upselling - your customer may decide to make a larger purchase if you just present ALL you can do for them

Your existing and new customer list is worth a fortune to your business.  They already know you.  And you can call them without being restricted by the NO CALL LIST, because you are already doing business with them.

Don’t overlook using telemarketing to continue to increase your sales.

Posted: May 6th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Sales, Telemarketing Services.
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What offshore IT support is available to the consumer?  

Here are the information technologies that are available:

• Transaction Processing 
• Accounting Services 
• Call Centers
• Remote Network
• Management Service Bureau
• Entrepreneur Systems
• End-to-end Processing Services with linkage to the parent company

Offshore telemarketing Information Technology has come a long way.  I think it makes Offshore Telemarkeing highly competitive and up-to-date.  

That’s why offshore competition continues to thrive, and grow… 

Posted: May 3rd, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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It’s worth reminding you if you haven’t seen the recent data about telemarketing and call centers.  This information also applies to offshore call centers and telemarketing. 

According to the DMA Response survey, telemarketing still ranks highest with a 5.78% response rate.  Trailing behind are:

• dimensional mail (2.3%)

• catalogs (2.18%). 

• Direct Mail lags even further back (1.88%) 

• coupons (1.12%) are tied with e-mail. 

So, the percentages are still with telemarketing as an excellent marketing tool for your business. 

I think that’s because it is still the only media that allows immediate interactive communication between the seller and the buyer.  Being able to talk person-to-person still gets the best results.

Posted: May 1st, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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As I’ve mentioned before on this blogsite, the cosmetic company, Avon Corporation, has begun using off-shore in-bound call centers to serve it thousands of sales representatives. 

Recently Avon Corporation signed a big contract with an offshore call center to take over Avon’s big customer service centers.  Thousands of call per day are now streaming offshore from Avon representatives and customers.

Avon hopes to lower its expenses since much of its business is conducted over the phone to its customer service departments.  Manpower has been a huge expense for them.

With a 50% to 75% lower cost for telemarketing and call center services, what was already a popular and growing industry is now booming. 

As US companies need to reign in expenses to balance the downtrend in the financial market, lowering costs is part of the equation.

Avon plans to continue this program and save significantly.

Posted: April 29th, 2008 under Call Centers, Off-shore Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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The latest indicators are showing that businesses will have to tighten up financially to stay afloat.  

One area reaping the benefits is the offshore call center industry. Recently,  Avon Corporation signed a big contract with an offshore call center to take over Avon’s big customer service centers.  Thousands of call per day are now streaming offshore from Avon representatives and customers.

Avon hopes to lower its expenses since much of its business is conducted over the phone to its customer service departments.  Manpower has been a huge expense for them.

With a 50% to 75% lower cost for telemarketing and call center services, what was already a popular and growing industry is now booming. 

As US companies need to reign in expenses to balance the downtrend in the financial market, lowering expenses is part of the equation.

Posted: April 28th, 2008 under Call Centers, Off-shore Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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Sales still come from leads, and leads come from…yes…telemarketing, as the most preferred method by businesses.

I wonder if Alexander Graham Bell knew what he’d started with his “little” invention, the telephone?

Carol Krol’s recent article in BtoB Magazine, “Copy this:  Telemarketing Big with Xerox”, summarizes the importance of telemarketing as the most versatile lead generation tool for Xerox Corporation.  It’s used for:

• prospecting,
• qualifying,
• reconnecting,
• following-up,
• validating,
• building relationships,
• and scheduling. 

Although telemarketing can’t do the whole job, its position in growing and maintaining businesses is evidence that it’s here to stay. 

Telemarketing is now a recognized “staple” for doing business at Xerox, other businesses, and anywhere in the world. 

Posted: April 25th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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Outbound telemarketing as an industry is always looking for better ways to reach customers.  And broadband is part of that new technology.  The Wall Street Journal reported recently: 

“The fate of a valuable block of airwaves that went unsold in the government’s recent $19.6 billion auction became murkier Tuesday, when lawmakers questioned Federal Communications Commission and public-safety officials about what could have made such coveted spectrum so unattractive to bidders.

Options for reauctioning the swath are being debated, although no consensus has emerged at the FCC or in Congress about what to do.”

“The block would have given the winner a nationwide broadband license, but the company would have had to share its network with first responders.”

Telemarketing continues to grow as an industry, and in the broadband arena specifically.  Using newer telephony is where the industry is headed.  Better and better communication offers better telemarketing as well.

Posted: April 24th, 2008 under Call Centers, Telemarketing Services.
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