Outbound campaigns are often associated with unwanted pushing and selling. Yet, outbound, especially when combined with digital communication, is an excellent medium to connect with former customers, dormant clients, and new customers. When the message is pure and well-crafted, the customer is glad to be awakened. In short: using outbound for customer relationships and service is the start of new commercial opportunities and revenue growth.
Wake up your dormant customers!
An outbound campaign is more than just picking up the phone and making calls. A successful campaign requires a well-thought-out plan and a professional approach. At ContactCare, we have years of experience in customer contact and in setting up and executing warm outbound campaigns. Therefore, in this article, we give you some of our tips and show you our approach.
Preparation
A campaign stands or falls on good preparation. An open door? Perhaps, but it's too important not to mention. What elements are crucial during the preparation?
Set a goal for the campaign: Do you want to make direct sales, update your customer database, or simply make an offer?
Segment and select the group you want to target.
Select the most suitable staff who will approach the customers and prepare them well.
Ensure a consistent approach and make the campaign measurable.
Create templates for follow-ups.
Ensure the right technology and software to organize the campaign as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Schedule multiple evaluation moments involving the project manager, team leader, and call team.
Execution
After careful preparation, it's time to get started with executing the campaign. Pay attention to the following points:
Ensure callers have insight into the customer's history.
Do not immediately take on the salesperson role as a caller, as you're likely to be brushed off. First, ask the customer about their experience with a previous purchase, for example.
Register feedback to improve your products or service, and plan in advance how to resolve potential complaints (discount on a new purchase, a small gift, handwritten note, etc.).
Keep in mind that you're rarely calling at a convenient time. Customers may not immediately make a purchase. Therefore, after your call, send them an email with a discount on a specific product or a discount code for the webshop.
Ensure the customer feels special and receives a unique treatment in their eyes. For example, in the follow-up email, briefly reflect on the conversation:
‘Dear (customer name),
Just now, during our phone conversation, you mentioned that the garden hose you bought from us last year was very satisfying. We love to hear that! As agreed, I'm emailing you a code that gives you a 10 percent discount on a new extension with an ecological spray nozzle with a timer. Of course, you can try this product and return it free of charge if you're not satisfied!’
When the warm outbound campaign is segmented on customers who have previously purchased a certain product, it feels like a very personal email to the customer, while in reality, you have various templates ready.
Continue to improve the process throughout the campaign. Which questions or approaches work well, and which do not? Feedback from callers to management and among staff ensures the campaign is refined and improved during execution. The team leader's role is crucial here, as they manage the call team and ensure quality.
What can ContactCare do for you?
ContactCare is a specialist in customer contact and relationship management and has extensive experience in outbound telemarketing. The goal, result, and manner in which outbound telemarketing is realized will be carried out in close consultation with you as the client. Furthermore, due to its experience in the call center sector, ContactCare can act as a sparring partner and coach and advise the client. Would you like to know more about our services? Please contact us.
