Call center customer service and outbound call centers were the topics of conversation in a recent interview with our Vice President of Sales / Southeast Region, Jeff Velodota, on the “Georgia Works” radio show from Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Call center outsourcing services jobs were the initial focus of the conversation. GPB was interested in speaking with Jeff because OnBrand24 recently opened a second call center facility in Savannah.
In lead generation circles these days we see discussions of the alleged obsolescence of the cold call. Here’s how the argument goes: web sites – specifically, visitors to web sites – are the primary means of identifying qualified leads. Wait for the visitors to show up and then call them, and don’t waste your time on people who haven’t shown interest in you.
Sure, outbound call centers looking for prospective buyers should reach out to web site visitors. We have several clients who have hired us for that role as an outsourced lead generation call center. We call web site visitors and then give the client’s inside sales team prospects who are interested in receiving more product information, in scheduling a sales appointment or in making a purchase.
But what about prospective buyers who don’t know about a company’s web site, or visit competitors’ web sites, or don’t know that a company’s products and services exist? These are people for whom the completely cold call can also be a great lead generation tool.
Sure, digital lead generation is highly effective and cost efficient. But relying solely on the web can be limiting. For example, small and mid-sized companies that do not have a strong keyword position may not show up on page 1 of Google when prospective customers search the web. And if you’re not on page 1 you’re nowhere.
And even for companies on page 1 of Google, relying completely on web site visitors can be misguided. What if the snippets of content that show up in a Google organic search don’t attract much attention? There may be plenty of potential customers who never bothered to click on a given web site.
For these scenarios and a myriad of others, the cold call remains an essential business development strategy requiring great cold calling talent within the call center, a solid understanding of the correct targets to go after and quality lists of potential customers.
Done right, the cold call works very well, it pays major dividends – and it should not be ignored.
Mark Fichera, CEO
OnBrand24
Beverly, Massachusetts
OnBrand24, provider of outsourced domestic call center services headquartered in Massachusetts, is opening a new contact center facility in Savannah and has begun hiring representatives and administrators.
OnBrand24, a domestic call center services provider, and Connect First, a provider of cloud routing solutions for the direct response industry, have announced a partnership. Connect First’s Cloud Routing is a hosted solution that allows intelligent load balancing of inbound calls to multiple contact centers.
OnBrand24 call center services, as a Certified Cloud Routing Destination for Connect First, will have a distinct advantage over contact centers that are not certified destinations. Connect First’s ACD enables its cloud routing customers to better manage multiple call centers, along with a lower cost to route calls, more intelligent call routing, better answer rates and more comprehensive reporting and monitoring. Connect First provides its customers a “window” into the productivity and resource availability of multiple call centers, and enables real-time monitoring and adjustment of call routing. It’s an ideal solution for companies that use multiple internal or external call centers.
A premier domestic call center services provider since 1981, OnBrand24 offers comprehensiveinbound and outbound call center services across B2B and B2C markets. The company specializes in customer service, order processing and help desk for the ecommerce, retail, healthcare, technology, business services and manufacturing industries.
OnBrand24 is a growing, 175-seat company with facilities in Beverly, Mass. and a new call center in Savannah, Ga. All OnBrand24 agents work on-site, which promotes enhanced quality assurance, knowledge sharing, work performance monitoring and client brand reinforcement. All agents have been trained under the Sandler sales method, instilling advanced customer service, upselling and cross-selling techniques.“We are thrilled to be partnered with OnBrand24,” said Darren Prine, Connect First VP of Sales. “OnBrand24 is a true leader within their industry, and we believe they will provide tremendous value to our cloud routing clientele.”
About Connect First: Connect First is an award-winning SaaS telecommunications and cloud contact center software provider that focuses on customer satisfaction and elegant hosted solutions. Connect First offers a robust platform, designed and supported by a team of highly experienced engineers, designers and business analysts, and backed with personalized in-house customer care. Solutions include Cloud Routing, Inbound ACD, Outbound Dialing, Call Tracking, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Voice Broadcast, Disaster Recovery, Predictive Dialer, Real-Time Telemetry, CDR Reporting, Live Agent Chat and more. Through a consultative approach with each customer interaction, Connect First builds customized solutions to meet the needs of a discerning customer base. Visit http://www.connectfirst.com for more information or a free consultation with a contact center solutions expert.
OnBrand24, a leading provider of outsourced domestic call center services, has been recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of America's top 5,000 fastest growing private companies with a rank of 325 in the “Business Products & Services” category. There are more than 6 million companies in America, placing OnBrand24 among less than .001 percent of U.S. companies recognized by Inc. Magazine.
A domestic call center since 1981, OnBrand24 has been a leading call center outsourcing service with clients across the United States, New England and the Boston, MA, area. OnBrand24 delivers exceptional domestic 24/7 services.
Customer service call center and lead generation call center services from OnBrand24 are currently utilized by more than 100 companies in ecommerce, retail, food & beverage, technology, healthcare, business services (membership, merchant loyalty and continuity), insurance and manufacturing. The company emphasizes development of customized call center programs that include the personalized attention of OnBrand24 senior management.
“We are honored to be recognized by Inc. Magazine,” said OnBrand24 CEO Mark Fichera, who purchased the company, then known as Pike Communication, in 2005. “Our growth is based on several factors: delivering excellent call center outsourcing service customized to the unique needs of our clients; our ‘advanced agent model,’ which means we hire experienced and educated representatives; and our premise-based staffing model, in which all of our employees work on-site for better quality assurance, work performance monitoring, teamwork and knowledge sharing.”
The company offers Inbound services on both a shared customer service call center and dedicated team basis, including order processing and order taking, telemarketing, inside sales and Tier 1 help desk.
Lead generation call center services include B2B lead generation, appointment setting, customer win-back, customer and market surveys, database hygiene, list scrubbing and telesales.
Along with its Beverly, MA, call center, OnBrand24 will soon open a second facility in Savannah, GA.
Fichera noted that OnBrand24’s growth stems in part from the company’s emphasis on accountability and transparency. All calls are recorded, providing clients with open access to agent conversations with customers. OnBrand24 also provides detailed reports that tabulate all calls, emails and chat interactions.
ABOUT INC. Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com .
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For more information about OnBrand24 contact:
Doug Black
Director of Marketing
OnBrand24
dblack@onbrand24.com
978-279-9477
www.OnBrand24.com
