Monday, September 20, 2010

Effectively Running Your Business with Telemarketing and Answering Service

No matter how technologically advanced our generation has become, the way we conduct business remains fundamentally the same – regardless of products or services, businesses are still dependent on customers. By embracing these technologies and incorporating those in the way businesses are run, companies can now offer different ways of connecting with their present and prospective customers.

Of all the technologies available nowadays, the telephone still remains the weapon-of-choice for a lot of businesses as far as sales, marketing and answering services goes. Yes, face-to-face meetings still works but to maximize the number of potential customers, the telephone is still your best bet.

Whether it's answering services, order-taking or telemarketing, it seems obvious why majority of companies switch over their sales and marketing to telemarketing along with their businesses answering service. Choosing outsourcing as the most practical and cost-effective solution to increasing your profit. Management can focus better on resolving core issues without distractions because your outsourced services are being taken care of by a professional telemarketing and answering service call center.

It's important to know and understand that telemarketing is not the be-all end-all of sales strategies. Instead, it's just one method of performing the sales process. Just like other tried and tested sales method, success in closing a sale over the phone is dependent on finding qualified prospects to call.
But let's be realistic, not all telemarketing programs will be successful. Some will inevitably fail due to improper handling and execution, unrealistic goals on a short time frame, oversimplifying important concerns, and lack of top management support. These reasons just to name a few will cause good telemarketing campaigns to fail just like that. Let's not forget that in any marketing strategy, choosing a good partner for your telemarketing and answering service takes careful, well thought planning and development. It also needs nurturing and will eventually be the reason for your company's success or downfall.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Answering Service: What is it?

More often than not, when you hear the word 'answering service,' a vision of a neat and tidy doctors' office comes to mind. Actually, answering service call centers provide a whole lot more than just answering phones and appointment setting for clinics, doctors and hospitals – they also generate results for a lot of types of businesses. Your question now is 'I'm not a doctor, I don't run a clinic but I do have a business... What can this answering service do for my business?' Results from obtaining the services of an answering service call center vary from client to client, but in general, they can provide:

A Professional Reputation. Having your own toll-free number is no small feat and is not easily overlooked. You may be a local company but your presence will be felt on a national level. Callers never know that they're really speaking with an answering service operator, because of the manner and the efficiency. They can even do everything that their daytime counterparts do, from taking orders or providing caller support, to taking messages.

Affordability and Cost-efficiency. A full-time answering service eliminates costs associated with providing a physical workplace for the agents, the technology needed to maintain an answering service, hiring and maintaining additional employees including vacation planning, hiring and training, benefits spending, and paid overtime.

Value Plus. Answering services do a great deal more than just answer phones and take messages. They offer clients order taking, mail receiving and forwarding, faxing, voice mail and others that deliver support and a competitive advantage for smaller offices.

Round the Clock Support. If traditional 9 to 5 companies can earn from their sales and services given their limited work hours, imagine what a company with 24 / 7 services including customer help desk can achieve. It's true, not every company needs a 24 hour service, but any company who takes advantage of a full-time answering service will see and feel the increase in their profits thru their products and services. Order-taking is valuable to any 24 hour service; customers can safely purchase goods and avail of services at any time as the answering service securely transfers payment information for processing to the client.

Answering services supports a wide range of businesses. Relying on an answering service call center can provide support with customers regarding their inquiries and concerns, often save more time, money and yet, be able to monitor the increase in their profits.