The moment you mention outbound calls,it’s easy for readers to misconstrue that as telesales. You know, the kind that always rings when you’re sitting at the dinner table. The way we’re going to talk about Automated Outbound Calls in this post relates to those that contact centers make when a trigger initiates them.
Unlike telesales calls, automated outbound calls are not a fluke. They always call the number intended, knowing exactly who they want to call.
With that cleared up, let’s discover how automated outbound calls improve a company’s sales.
1. Automated Outbound Calls close more customers
Right off the bat, making outbound calls to fresh leads increases your chances of landing that contract. Such a call would be triggered the instant a new phone number (with a product tagged to it along with information about the customer) is added to a leads collection system. This could be a CRM.
The quick efficiency displayed by such calls is responsible for high conversion rates. This is most visible when a company starts using automated outbound calls. Compared to an entirely inbound contact center, one that also initiates calls makes for a better business case.
2. Shorter wait times with virtual queues
One of the most annoying things about strictly inbound call centers is the long waiting queues during peak hours. Callers can end up just giving up on the wait altogether. This counts as a loss in revenues as they eventually opt for your competitor’s products in the long run.
Automated outbound calls make it so that they don't have to wait in irritating call center queues for long. Once their position in the queue has been set, they can as well hang up and carry on with their day as they wait for your system to call back when they’re in front.
3. Reduce abandoned calls
Even with no queue to wait, some callers will end their call before an agent answers. That, and those that hang up when they hear a different voice than they anticipated. Both call instances fall into the dropped calls category.
When this happens, especially when there was no agent available to take a call, an automated outbound call should be scheduled. As soon as an agent is available, following up on these calls makes sure you’re not losing sales unnecessarily.
This would happen better with a conversational IVR to gather why the caller was trying to reach your agents. This way, when the automated call is made, the best agent to resolve that caller’s issues is ready and waiting to serve. Outbound call automation is just one way to bring an end to abandoned calls.
4. Increase customer lifetime value
Some customers fade into the background after buying your product. They don't call in, and when they no longer need your product, they can simply move on. The ideal situation is for them to renew their subscription. You can only make sure of this by scheduling calls at random intervals to stay in touch with your idle customers.
Such a call can confirm that your customers are getting the most from your products. Customer service of this type also helps with reducing the number of customers that need to call you for help. In effect you will have attained customer retention automation.
So while they’re staying on your paying customers list, they won't add to the queue and commotion consistent with inbound-only contact centers.
5. Increase customer satisfaction
All the above ways of using outbound calls culminate in increased customer satisfaction. Near-perfect customer service with the inclusion of automated outbound calls increases your net promoter score. This trickles down to more sales with your current customers spreading good word about your company.
Getting started with Automated Outbound Calls
The most practical way of getting outbound calls out and their benefits coming your way is to create a blended call center. This happens when the same agents handling inbound calls are stepping up to outbound calls when your automated system initiates them.
You save a lot of money since the same equipment will be used for either call direction. You don't have to hire new agents, instead you train the same crew to perform just as well with outbound calls. Metrics that improve with little training include average handling time. The shorter your outbound calls, the more cost effective your contact center is.
To finish the implementation, you’ll have to add conversational IVR into your call toolset. This way, the automated outbound calls have more context to help agents resolve issues quickly. All in all, your entire contact center should be automated, not just the CRM-dialler pair. This makes for better returns on the investment you make on creating an outbound call center on top of an inbound set up.
About babelforce
babelforce is a global cloud communications platform focused on No-Code integration and automation. It allows non-technical people to build even the most complex integrated processes for customer-facing teams, particularly in the call center.
