Selecting a B2B telemarketing partner
Neville Doughty, Partnership Director, Contact Centre Panel
Recent years have been turbulent. Several “black swan events” arrived en-masse and continue to impact lives and businesses. Yet the fundamental requirements to deliver growth, manage retention or increase revenue per customer remain.
Starting 2023 without the spectre of pandemic lockdowns, but instead with the uncertainties related to Brexit, the recession, industrial action and increasing energy prices, means maintaining a team of people with the capability to deliver against your business objectives is critical. This may be the number one challenge, along with managing increasing business costs.
It is tough out there across many sectors. This makes re-evaluating growth plans key and the potential use of a telemarketing partner a consideration that carries more significance than in past years. The selection of the right partner could be the catalyst if you had the time to find the right one who will work flexibly to support your requirements.
Mitigating risk
We all understand what risk is, but how do we manage risk on a day-to-day basis? The key when selecting the right people to work with is to ensure we understand their capabilities. The trouble is, 4% of the UK population work in either a contact centre or at home on the kitchen table on behalf of a contact centre.
So how do you find the right partner when there is such a wide choice, offering a variety of services?
Outbound calling at their core
Contact centres are in the DNA of their senior teams and they surround themselves with like-minded people. Many are even owner managed. However, strong outbound, telemarketing DNA differs slightly. It is a different discipline like the difference between Mo Farah and Usain Bolt, both are fantastic athletes, but they have their areas of expertise in the same way your businesses do. (Why the reference to gold medalists? Well, telemarketers in this space have to be winners too).
Access to the right data
You may have a file of existing records that you need support in dialling. A partner can do this for you, providing detail and appointments in a flexible range of formats. But if new data is needed, they can also support in obtaining the right lists for your needs. Working with their existing tried and tested data providers, means they are better placed to commit to the success of that data.
Proven staff
Established telemarketing providers know the right kind of people to deliver your campaign and can clearly articulate this. They understand the strengths of their teams and will know, from experience, which individuals will be best placed to deliver success for your business.
Sector experience
You can use partners who have specific sector experience, taking advantage of their understanding and insights of the industry (including tested data and specific experience) to increase your probability of success.
Operating with transparency
A good partner will be able to readily provide you with performance reporting, share call recordings and suggestions for how to develop or rest a campaign. They will work to and thrive on having clear KPIs. They will be focused on the outcome and can talk with passion about their results.
Offering you a secure environment
Telemarketing companies have to be compliant to remain in business, whether it be data handling or managing calling in line with regulations. They have to be efficient and invest in the right contact technology to enable them to deliver services for multiple clients. With many contact centre technologies available, it is important to know that they have selected the right platforms to deliver what you need.
