Suggestions to Boost Your Outbound Calling Strategy

Posted by Janvi Anand

What is the definition of an outbound call?

Outbound calls, in the most basic sense, are those made by your representatives to your consumers. These calls are necessary for a variety of reasons, including sales and outreach activities, as well as phoning back consumers who requested information that your agent didn't have on hand during the original call.

To stay ahead of the game, you'll need to develop a solid outbound call centre plan that incorporates all of the available tools. We'll go through a few strategies to improve your outbound call strategy in the sections below.

Create a clear outbound call plan.

You'll need a strategy before your call is answered. This isn't about committing to a specific path (learning as you go is essential), but rather about being as prepared as possible. Here's where to begin.

1. Define your objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Rate of conversion

For a particular period, divide the total number of calls made by the number of successfully converted leads. This is your conversion rate. It's a basic statistic, but it offers you a decent idea of how well your outbound calling strategy is doing in terms of ROI.

Handling time on average

Average handling time is a basic KPI that measures how much time your agents spend on the phone with prospects. As a general guideline, you should keep this measure at a minimum.

After all, the shorter the average handle time, the more calls your agents can make in a single shift. Simply said, more calls mean more turned leads, which equals more profit for your organization.

Percentage of correct answers

This metric, also called hit rate, counts the proportion of phone numbers that result in a successful connection between agents and prospects. When establishing your outbound calling strategy, it's very crucial to measure this KPI since it will help desk outsourcing you decide which sort of automatic dialer to utilize if you decide to use one.

Close the first call

A high percentage of first call closures (the number of closes on the first call divided by the total number of calls) indicates that your agents are selling effectively and efficiently, maximizing their and your clients' time.

Rate of occupancy

The occupancy rate determines how much time your agents spend on calls vs how much time they are unavailable. A low occupancy rate indicates that an agent may struggle to complete their after-call task.

2. Incentives and training are provided.

With the number of individuals changing employment at an all-time high, you need to make sure you're establishing an engaged workforce that attracts exceptional salespeople. While employing employees with the necessary talents is important, you must also develop talent.

Regular training is essential for agents to improve their abilities. Rather than depending on rehearsals, use live coaching technologies to put that instruction into real-world circumstances. These solutions can enable team leaders to listen in, and "whisper" features allow coaches to give real-time help without alerting the consumer.

Feed the fire after a team has reached peak performance. Make a big deal about your victories. Prizes, healthy competition, and commissions may all be used to encourage exceptional work. The objective is to foster a healthy culture that encourages and promotes personal development (and makes it fun).

3. Involve the potential customer.

Customers Support like unscripted calls because they feel more natural and respected as individuals rather than just sales leads. This is the most important component of a successful outbound call: it engages the prospect and captures their attention right away.

Starting with a neutral but uplifting topic is a wonderful place to start. If at all feasible, customize your script to the prospect's specific interests and history to avoid seeming generic. Although this is fundamentally cold calling, it does not have to be chilly in the traditional sense. You may learn a lot about your prospect before you even make the first outbound contact, thanks to business intelligence software, social media, and a plethora of digital sites.

Before calling your prospects, plan and prepare - use social media to find out what piques their interest and what their pain points are, and customize your outbound call to them.

However, don't try to act as if you know all there is to know about your prospects — the key to being a successful close is to be real and sincere. As a result, the content should be a crucial component of your sales cadence.

Leave the bluffing out of the dialogue if you want to win your prospect's confidence.

This ties into the second guideline, which is to make your consumers feel appreciated. Make it clear to the prospect that your outbound call centre services is for a specific reason - mention your company or the product/service you're offering, but relate it to their problems.

But be careful not to overdo it. Under-promising and over-delivering are the keys to making a successful call. To pique the prospect's interest, don't oversell your product's qualities only to complete the deal.

4. Work on your scripts as a group.

Scripts and sales have a complicated relationship. While they improve uniformity between conversations, they also run the risk of sales being lost due to clunky or prepared presentations. So, what's the best way to thread the needle? It's all about assisting agents without tying them down. When they're having trouble, they may rely on a decent script as a guide. A superb script allows for genuine relationships to be made.

It's important to remember that producing a successful script isn't a one-person job (even Shakespeare had his collaborators). Make contact with your agents and allow them to express their thoughts and concerns. Test your documents and make any necessary changes. The stronger a script is, the more agents and customers have contributed to it.

5. During the conversation, stay engaged with the prospect.

Even with the finest planning, everything is up for grabs as a consumer picks up. Here's a brief checklist to make sure your outbound call strategy is successful:

1. Draw the customer's attention to your product or service.

You only have seven seconds to create a first impression, so use them wisely. Always address the consumer by their first and last names. Make room for an open discussion rather than focusing it on yourself or your product right once.

2. Emphasize their worth.

Demonstrate an interest in learning more about their work, difficulties, and context. Connect this to specifics about their company so they know you've done your study and aren't approaching them anywhere.

3. Be courteous to them.

Keep in mind that your target is employed throughout the day. Before you dive into a brief pitch, avoid meandering and ask them how much time they have.

4. Don't make any promises that you won't be able to keep.

It's tempting to promise the world to quickly close a transaction, but this is a surefire way to fail. Before you begin selling, you must have complete confidence in the circumstance.

5. Arrange for a follow-up meeting.

Five follow-up calls are required for 80% of sales. Before hanging up, strike while the iron is hot and schedule your follow-up. The majority of sales are marathons, not sprints.

6. Get over the stumbling block that is the gatekeeper.

Do you get shot down as soon as you cross the finish line?

Receptionists are trained to not forward marketing calls to their supervisors and to decline to provide you with any information over the phone. Take care of the 'gatekeeper' by being strategic about when and how you call.

Call half an hour before the firm opens for the day or before they close for the day. Managers and directors are frequently at the workplace sooner and later than receptionists.

7. Don't make a fool of yourself by trashing your rivals.

We don't think we need to say it, but throughout the outgoing call, avoid disparaging your competitors. This is not only unprofessional, but it also undermines the prospect's confidence in your brand. This is due to a psychological phenomenon known as spontaneous attribute transference, in which your audience instinctively perceives the same qualities in you whenever you say anything negative about someone else.

Rather than concentrating on why your competitor's product is inferior to yours, discuss what makes yours superior. Even if the prospect brings up your competitors, stay nice and cordial and respond with a "no remark."

8. Less is more in this case.

Simplifying choices is another great way to optimize your outbound calls. When faced with several possibilities, most individuals find it difficult to make a decision. Simplify the process and make it easy for your prospects to rationalize, pick, and confirm their decision by simply providing them with the information they need.

Focus on a few key benefits rather than outlining all of them - the latter would likely overwhelm your prospect and cause them to abandon you before you've even finished.

9. Encourage, engage, and entice.

Last but not least, empowering your consumers is the simplest approach to increasing the productivity of your outbound calling plan. Nobody likes being persuaded or duped into doing anything, but people enjoy finding things that make them happy or solutions that directly solve their concerns. As more businesses move to a subscription-based model, it's more important than ever to cultivate long-term connections with your customers.

Forcing or wrestling a prospect into a sale will not only cost you the sale, but it will also encourage the consumer to never do business with you again. Allow your prospects the freedom to make their own decisions whenever and however they want.

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