The call center is the voice of your brand, but sales can be sabotaged by negative customer experiences with agents. Fortunately, most issues can be easily avoided with careful planning. Successful telemarketing requires that you recruit, train and equip agents to meet your objective and the specific needs of your target audience.

Use skills-based testing to qualify recruits. It's easier to teach call center 101 than sales techniques. Start with a full understanding of what you need to accomplish before you hire.

Listening is often overlooked, but it's the most important skill in order to understand customer needs. Sometimes agents don't have the training to identify or resolve common issues. Prior to pro­gram launch, incorporate and test script tools including answers to frequently asked questions, rebuttals to sales obsta­cles, product description and detail and current advertising samples.

Scripts with qualifying questions keep dialog structured but conversational, while open-ended questions maximize the opportunity for cross- and up-sell. This is especially effective when agents have hands-on experience with your product and testimonials from users.

Randomly recorded calls — monitored daily — will keep you in touch with customer needs. But how you monitor calls is just as important as how often they are monitored. Clearly outline expectations in advance and agents will better understand their goals. Review incentives to ensure they are consistent and appropriate. For example, don't reward for the highest number of calls completed and then expect a quality, consultative sale.

Agents are more engaged when they understand their role. Tailored training will allow you to educate and assess the group dynamics. Leverage individual strengths and weaknesses for role play to demonstrate potential call scenarios and acceptable responses. Agents with this type of ongoing training typically sound less scripted and make better sales.

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* Source: DM News