Monday, July 30, 2012

Telemarketing: Home-based Vs. Call Center

Telemarketing Services
Companies, especially small businesses, who wish to do a telemarketing lead generation campaign are often stumped by the choice of hiring a telemarketing company or just a home based telemarketing agent. Here are the 5 most important points to consider about outsourcing and how the two (call center and agent) match up to each other.

Portfolio

When you outsource your telemarketing to a call center or a home based agent, the first thing you have to do to ensure that you are dealing with an authentic business is by asking for their portfolio of clients. A good portfolio needs to have a sizeable list of genuine clients to prove that they don’t have any problems generating business sales leads of their own. You should also look for recurring clients, as this indicates that the service provided was satisfactory enough for the client to pay for another campaign.

Obviously, a trustworthy b2b telemarketing company will be able to give you a list of their clients. In fact, this should be readily available in their company website. For a home based agent, on the other hand, you would have to specifically ask for their portfolio because chances are they don’t have any website to put these in.

Work hours

Because b2b telemarketers working in a call center are managed by team leaders and quality analysts, you can be assured that your hired b2b telemarketers are working for you on the specific hours and days stated in your contract. Home based agents are often prone to distractions; even if they have an office in their homes, family demands will always be prioritized (which is why they decided to work at home in the first place). Aside from family distractions, access to the internet and the freedom to control their time can further affect the hours put in by your home based telemarketer.

Accountability

Outsourcing to b2b telemarketing call centers normally require signing a contract which clearly outlines the points of your campaign agreement. A registered cell center lets you easily request for a refund if your campaign does not reach up to your expectations. They would also readily provide a replacement should you telemarketer fail to report for work. On the other hand, when something goes wrong in your home based telemarketing campaign or your agent suddenly stops communicating, you have no one to hold accountable for the damages to your business operations.

Skills

Home based agents usually learn their craft by working in a call center first. Once they decide to go home based, their telemarketing skills are stunted; if you want to expand the skills of your telemarketer, you would have to provide (and sometimes pay for) the training yourself. Professional b2b telemarketers in call centers continually undergo seminars and trainings to further improve their telemarketing skills; whether it’s updating their knowledge of telemarketing best practices, improving their accent, or voice modulation trainings, the call center pays for everything to ensure the effectiveness of your telemarketing campaigns.

Price

While a telemarketing call center indeed costs higher than home based agents, you can be assured that your b2b telemarketing campaigns are done by professionals who are knowledgeable about your industry and your products/services. Your brand is well-represented at all times and the image presented to you business leads is that of a professional and reliable company. Home based telemarketing agents are obviously cheaper compared to a call center, but the quality of service you receive is often proportionate to the amount you pay. Remember: “Cheap pay is cheap work.”

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