Welcome to the latest post in our Beyond Answer Rates series. Last time we talked about the metrics that are impacted every time an outbound call is made related to scheduling, delivery notifications, and following up on customer inquiries. This week, we explore how outbound sales contact center leaders use multiple call center metrics to understand how the number of calls made to reach a customer is impacting their business.
Customers have nothing but choices when it comes to how they interact with a brand. Whether they are online or in-person, they want their needs met quickly, and conveniently; They need the brand to meet them where they are in their journey. For smaller transactions such as buying a pair of shoes or groceries online to pick up in-store, digital interactions remain supreme but for large, complex transactions, voice is the preferred method of communication for buyers and sellers.
Outbound sales calls are primarily made for two reasons:
Even though the reason for the call may be different, call center leaders agree: the quicker you can connect with your customers, the faster you can begin to understand them and start to build a foundation of trust and eventually, brand loyalty.
Why is it so hard to connect with potential customers then? Because spam and fraud calls are growing and have eroded customer trust in the phone call. With mobile subscribers now receiving an average of 14 unwanted calls monthly, consumers are less and less likely to answer an unidentified number or worse: a call labeled as spam, even if it’s coming from a legitimate business.
While you may be happy with your answer rate, it’s imperative to look into KPIs that are affected by having to make multiple attempts before they pick up to truly understand your operational efficiency. Depending on why your contact center is making outbound sales calls, this can include:
What can my data tell me?
Once you know which metrics matter to your organization, analyze and identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement for your outbound call operations by asking questions about your data, including:
For cold calls:
For calls that have been requested:
The takeaway: If outbound calls are part of your sales strategy, reaching and converting more leads while lowering customer acquisition costs starts with a clean call reputation.
Start getting to your leads faster today. Here’s how:
For companies that make more than 20,000 outbound calls a month, see what your customers see when you call with a complimentary call reputation assessment.