Why Telemarketing Companies Need a CRM

Discover the technology you need to complement your telemarketing efforts and set your business on the right track.

Telemarketing companies are at a crossroads. On the one hand, they are always on the frontline dealing with important customer demands that need their full attention. On the other hand, there are emerging technological opportunities that could streamline their operations and improve the customer experience. If only they had the time and resources to look into that without taking a toll on the operational side. 

A robust customer relationship management (CRM) tool could be the best way forward for telemarketing companies. It helps them improve their operational side while also taking the customer experience to the next level. Read on to uncover the benefits of CRM for telemarketing companies and why should they invest in one moving forward.

Gearing Up for the Contact Center of the Future

Is telemarketing still relevant nowadays? Of course it is. Admittedly, it has come a long way from the annoying “robo-callers” that used to play the same message again and again. In fact, it has become a multifaceted connection point, bridging the gap between brands and customers and thus banking on the human touch to enhance the customer experience.

And as the customer experience takes center stage for telemarketing companies, the contact center is essential to creating brand awareness and driving customer loyalty. This is particularly important as customers are not relying on the telephone alone to communicate and are exploring other channels in order to connect with brands.

But how can telemarketing companies reap the benefits warranted by the contact center of the future? They need intelligent technologies in order to unlock these benefits and respond to ever-growing customer needs. In fact, evidence shows that future customer interactions will rely on AI by 95%, which includes live telephone calls and online conversations. Soon enough, customers will be incapable to ‘spot the bot’ in their customer support interactions.

Considering these predictions, one might wonder where does the human touch come into play? Technology is great to improve operations and take the customer experience to the next level, but customers also want to feel heard and foster a human connection to a brand. As a result, 74% of consumers stated that they are more loyal to a brand if they can talk to a customer representative instead of a machine.

The current state of the market forces telemarketing companies to perform a balancing act: focus on operational quality while also driving business growth through customer loyalty. As a result, they should reap the benefits of emerging technologies while also including personalization in their telemarketing efforts. 

Image credit: Unsplash.

CRM for Telemarketing — the What, the Why, and the How

A robust CRM system could be the best way to complement operations for telemarketing companies and set them on the path to growth. Read on to find out why.

What Is a CRM System for Call Centers?

A call center CRM system is the tool telemarketing companies can use to improve their customer service. It connects all customer service representatives to a unified platform and provides instant access to contact information and call history. As a result, representatives can provide support in real time and unlock additional value to the customers. Moreover, having access to up-to-date information is set to give customers a personalized and positive experience.

Why Telemarketing Companies Need a CRM?

1. Easy access to centralized customer information

Using a CRM system, telemarketing agents can access essential information before engaging with customers over a phone call. As a result, they can make assumptions and prepare themselves for a potential problem based on previous call history. As a result, they will be able to solve more customers problems in a shorter amount of time. The end result is more productive agents and happier customers.

2. Better planning based on accurate data

Call centers collect mountains of data. With a smart CRM, they can turn that data into insights and use it to inform decisions in the future. Most CRMs are equipped with real-time data management software that can monitor data sets in relation to call volume, percent of sales and call revenue, and so on. In turn, managers can plan better and develop strategies that will retain clients and drive business growth. 

3. Assign customer cases according to priority

Telemarketing companies provide various services and serve multiple needs and industries. When each customer case is different, you need smart tools to escalate high-priority issues and put them on the fastest route to resolution. A CRM can automatically direct a customer to an appropriate customer representative or operator in order to solve issues faster and with no headaches.

Image credit: Pexels.

4. Assess and provide timely feedback to call agents

The call agents are the backbone of any telemarketing company. As a result, you need to be able to evaluate the agents’ performance in order to identify areas of improvement and communicate them accordingly. With a CRM, you can spot top performing agents and those who need additional training sessions. By leveling up the gap between call agents, you can make sure that each team member is responding to client needs in the best way possible.

5. Collaborate and share information more effectively

The data that resides in your call center department could come in handy for your sales and marketing teams as well. If you store that data in a CRM, you make it easily accessible to others that could get in touch with customers and improve a certain product offering. And in addition to contact information, CRMs can also store customer opinions and comments. Using those, your teams can understand their needs better and respond in a personalized and engaging way.

How Is a CRM System Different from Contact Center Software?

Most telemarketing companies already have a contact center software in place. How is it different from a CRM tool? Let’s find out.

A Contact Center Software allows agents to connect with customers and manages the flow of incoming calls, messages, emails, and social media channels. It can also be used to conduct automated dials, streamline communication, and manage different live chats with the customers.

A CRM tool can be used to streamline customer interactions by aggregating customer data into a database and providing a comprehensive view into customer data in order to improve the experience and boost sales. CRMs can also have call center management features that improve sales management and open up new revenue streams through marketing automation.

Image credit: Pexels. 

Ready to Take Your Telemarketing Campaigns to the Next Level?

Once you have all the data and tools available in one interface, there is little you cannot do with your CRM to improve your telemarketing campaign and engage better with your prospects. 

Unless you want a 20% lead conversion rate at all times. In that case, you leave your outbound telemarketing in our hands. You will get:

• More business opportunities
• More qualified prospects 
• More precise profiling according to your target audience

By leveraging an experienced team of telemarketing and sales people and relying on the power of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, our telemarketing services are set to provide you with the results you need. Contact us today and let us help your business grow.