Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Telemarketing – How To Integrate It When It's Outsourced?


A common misconception about outsourced telemarketing is that it's simply giving the task away without having to hear about it ever again. There is obviously still a need for close cooperation and collaboration between you and your provider.

It becomes even more critical when you need to integrate their tools and services in the larger machine that is your marketing. Today, it would seem that singular forms of marketing aren't even enough anymore, whether it's telemarketing or newer forms like social marketing. In fact, social marketing expert Ric Dragon has been quoted for the following words on Social Media Today:

'Social can be the lighter fluid on the marketing bonfire,' says Dragon, explaining that 'marketers are in the business of creating more value.'

'By integrating traditional marketing tactics with social, more value will be realized from each component of the marketing,' he says.

You need to realize this same value in the process of your outsourced provider. This is what establishes the need to close the gap between your businesses and collaborate more closely:
  • Information sharing: Don't just leave them hanging! Make sure your social media efforts are generating as much information on the market and can help them gain insight as to how to mold their outbound messages. If you're handing out the number of their contact center, they should be well prepared to handle nbound calls and inquiries. 
  • Emphasize on quick learning: Information means nothing if it is not understood properly. This is why you should only select providers who have enough experience to learn about your company as quickly as possible in order to give campaigns a faster start. 
  • Delivers as promised: And of course, no outsourced telemarketing firm should deliver less than what they were paid for. It might be too ideal to ask for more but you're at least still in your right to demand a reasonable return. Don't also forget that you're now also giving information so expect them to only use this information to improve the campaigns and services they run for you. 
Finally, as the word itself implies, integration requires a union. Be it outsourced or not, you can use social media with telemarketing to generate more B2B leads. As a matter of fact, they even have something in common. Just look at this other quote from Dragon:

'Brands that embrace these new approaches to building communities, leading with passion and purpose, and one-to-one conversations are going to assume a leadership role,' he says, and 'will be difficult for competitors to usurp.'

One-to-one conversations? The fact that a traditional form of marketing (telemarketing) has this in common with a new form (social media) only goes to highlight that they operate on the same principles and make integration all the more easy! Just because it's outsourced to an outside party is no excuse from making sure you're both working together. You might even be surprised at how these telemarketers would appreciate the integration because they too have experienced the value that social media can add to their methods.

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