Telemarketing Software Featured Article

 

By Mandi Nowitz, Web Editor

Many call centers involve a heavy amount of caller resolution and appeasement. But then there are the agents whose sole job is to make sales calls. When call center sales go down, morale and revenue can take a dive. Fortunately, there are some helpful tips that can be implemented to help bolster call center sales.

When interviewing potential agents, the back-and-forth conversation is extremely important. If it is like pulling teeth from beginning to end, this is a red flag, and you’re likely not talking to the best candidate for the position. Introverts tend to be more shy, less willing to initiate conversations and to engage further. Extroverts, on the other hand, make great agents because chatting is second nature, so calling strangers will be extremely easy, as will making sales (hopefully).

Most times, agents sound like they are reading from a script – because they usually are. That is why it makes the most sense to find opening lines that sound natural and work for each agent individually. The opener is key as this will keep the customer engaged. Remain positive, happy, polite, relatable, and conversational. Being genuine can mean opening a call with a proper introduction like: “Hi, this is Mandi from The Company.”

There is so much to learn from one another, so having staff competitions is a great idea. Have each agent share tactics they use successfully to close sales, put them in a hat, and try a new one every few days. Whichever is the most popular according to your agents or based on monthly metrics, can be the winner and the agent who proposed it can get a special bonus. This can range from gift cards to a specialized schedule. Do this on a regular basis so agents will have an arsenal of approaches to pull from while working together and boosting sales.

Call centers can get super busy, so when it comes to downtime, make sure agents are catching up on any calls they were unable to make in the craziness. The more calls made, not only is there a better chance of making sales, but agents can continue to practice their phone skills. Practice makes perfect.

Finally, it is great to get as much information about a product as possible, but what if there are others talking over the sales pitch? It becomes distracting for the customer and, eventually, they lose interest and go elsewhere. This is why it is vital to invest in high-quality noise-cancelling headsets to near erase any noises in the call center that can impede sales calls. As the phrase goes “it takes money to make money.”  

What tactics will you implement in your call center to boost sales?


Edited by Erik Linask