For many business
organizations, B2B lead
generation is an all-important
aspect to keep their businesses
alive and attain growth. It is
the force that drives them to
improve their strategies and
come up with better ideas to
attract new prospects. However,
there are just some firms that
could not properly do lead
generation while actively
focusing on other equally
significant functions such as
product or service development,
client relations, customer
service, etc. Failure in B2B
lead generation can compromise
the entire business operation.
This is one of the many reasons
why more and more companies have
sought help from telemarketing
service providers. Over the
recent years, many firms have
developed the enthusiasm to
outsource their lead generation
services to offshore providers.
They have concluded, after
thorough discussions and
brainstorming, that outsourcing
produces results far better than
what they could have done on
their own.
However, BPOs come in large
population these days, making it
challenging for firms to decide
which outsourcer is best for
them. Some firms claim that they
offer very low rates while
others boast the names of
business giants that they have
served. But, which is which? How
can a business pick the right
one?
In choosing a partner, there is
a need for an in-depth
evaluation. One of the areas
where assessment should be
focused on is the technology
being used by a call center.
This, however, depends on many
factors, like the size and
purpose of the outsourcer, the
location and the supported
channels (emails, fax machines
etc,). For the record, a
plethora of technology,
applications and tools are
needed to operate a call center
effectively.
Enumerated below are some of the
much-needed technologies.
Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) application. This is the
most efficient tool for creating
and maintaining healthy
relationships with sales leads
and clients. It creates a bond
between the telemarketers, the
prospects and the clients. For
the sales leads, CRM is useful
in gathering relevant
information which is used to
address the concerns of the
sales leads. On the other hand,
CRM helps clients to know the
current progress of the program,
hear call recordings made by the
agents, learn updates, track
reports, and communicate with
the people who handle the
program.
Campaign management system. CMS
is a must-have for all outbound
call centers. This is so because
this application lets the
telemarketers know whom to
contact, or to supply with a
list of telephone numbers or
email contacts. An advance CMS
permits callers to record how
each sales prospect has replied
to a given campaign.
Call recording systems. All
contact centers are obligated to
possess call recording systems.
This set of recording devices
captures calls made to sales
prospect which allows clients to
assess agents' performance. A
more sophisticated call
recording system does not only
capture calls but also related
screens utilized to serve the
sales lead. The most advanced
type, on the other hand, records
all types of interactions, aside
from phone calls.
Workforce management system. As
the name suggests, this
application forecasts the volume
of calls and other kinds of
interaction in a given day. This
helps team leaders and
telemarketing firm's managers to
schedule the number of agents to
hire new employees in order to
meet projected output,
considering other factors such
as training classes, agent
breaks, vacations, etc.
Computer-telephony integration.
This is a system that allows
interactions on a computer and
telephone to be integrated. It
has even expanded to the
integration of all channels like
email, fax, web and voice with
computer systems.
Successful telemarketing can
only be achieved when every
element is functioning well.
When companies have made it
clear to outsource their lead
generation services through
telemarketing, it ought to check
carefully the competencies of a
chosen service provider. This,
then, calls for a meticulous yet
fair evaluation of an
outsourcer's acquired
technology.
Source: Maegan
Anderson
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