| BPO is an extension of the direct marketing | | | | information down an unwilling throat. These sales |
| chapter. Telemarketing agents who make calls to | | | | pitches are effective as well. The icing on the |
| sell products/services basically follow the rules and | | | | cake is that the agent gets an opportunity to |
| processes of direct marketing. The approach, the | | | | cross sell and up-sell. There can never be a dearth |
| proper way to convince customers to believe in | | | | of opportunities if you have the right plan in place. |
| the product and other means are all in sync with | | | | Research and interpreting data has its advantages |
| what we traditionally know as direct marketing. In | | | | as well. |
| the same vein, there are some emerging trends | | | | When the call center agent knows the statistical |
| among call center agents when it comes to selling | | | | details about the target caller, the approach can |
| their wares. These are inspired by the need of | | | | be streamlined. In fact, if you properly study the |
| the hour, but more so by the customer's buying | | | | data available with insight, the BPO agent may |
| patterns. | | | | also know when not to call the person! Bailey |
| Have you wondered how customers these days | | | | says, "If you see that a person is already |
| don't really know their minds? BPO planners are | | | | battered with loan defaults, you certainly don't call |
| heavily banking on this advantage. They are | | | | the person to offer another loan!" When you |
| asking call center agents to be more direct in their | | | | draw such conclusions from the data at your |
| approach. Jonathan Bailey, an outbound call center | | | | finger-tips you know you are taking the right way. |
| employee, says, "We are now moving in for the | | | | Risks can be taken in direct marketing even with |
| kill without much delay. Customers seem a little | | | | call center services, but that has to be calculated. |
| unsure if they want something or not. That is | | | | Resources are limited and expensive. Sometimes |
| something that works in our favor." As a matter | | | | the outbound call center team wastes too much |
| of fact, the agent need not only explain the | | | | of them on making calls to customers who are |
| customer why and how the product/service is | | | | not going to buy the product/service by a long |
| better. There are times when the customers | | | | shot. A careful exploration of the data and |
| don't even know that they need the particular | | | | demographic numbers will make it clear about |
| product/service. | | | | whom to call and whom not to. |
| These are opportunities when the BPO agent can | | | | Another way to do it is to tap the |
| pitch their products with ease. Once the customer | | | | ‘influencers'. These people have influence over |
| is interested, it becomes easy to convince. | | | | others. The call center agent can get a lot of |
| Moreover, once the call center agent has the | | | | qualified leads if you can get into the comfort |
| attention of the potential customer, the agent can | | | | zone of an influencer. Recommendations always |
| be sure of having the customer listen to the sales | | | | work in direct marketing, even in the BPO field. |
| pitch. In these cases, the agent is not pushing | | | | |