Inbound Quote

Before searching out a customized, turnkey inbound call operation you must have some idea of the scope of the project at hand before a call center can give you an inbound quote for telemarketing services.

Here are ten (10) questions you should have answers to before you begin your search for an inbound quote.

1. Of the total marketing budget, how much can be dedicated to servicing inbound phone calls?

   CallCenter101 advice is no more than 15%.

2. Do you have a preference* on where your calls are answered?

   CallCenter101 offers the following options:
   On-shore (U.S. Call Center)
   Near-shore (either Canada, Mexico or U.S. Islands)
   Off-shore (examples are India, Philippines, Ukraine)
   At home agents (individuals who take calls routed to their homes)

3. What type of service do you need performed when a candidate calls the inbound call center?

   CallCenter101 recommends choosing from the following:
   Order taking
   Order fulfillment
   Appointment setting
   Closing sales
   Customer service
   Answering service
   Taking a survey
   Answering inbound calls
   Qualifying inbound calls
   Recording data/customer profile
   Other_________

4. What types of media or combination of media will be used to generate the inbound phone call?

   CallCenter101 suggested list of media types:
   Radio
   Direct Mail
   Local Newspaper
   National Newspaper
   Local Cable TV
   National Network TV
   Infomercial
   Webfomercial
   Magazine
   Catalog

5. How many inbound calls do you expect this campaign to generate?

   CallCenter101 suggests increments of 1,000 in calls per month

6. How long, on average, will each call last?

   CallCenter101 suggests answering this question in seconds (i.e. 45 seconds, 240 seconds, etc.)

7. How much coverage do you need?

   CallCenter101 offers the following ideas:
   24 hours per day, 7 days a week
   8:00 to 5:00 local time, 5 days a week
   Weekends only
   Weekdays and Saturdays

8. How will you record the data to be captured by the inbound call center agent?

   CallCenter101 offers the following ideas:
   Use spreadsheets that are uploaded to client at end of shift
   Use real-time software that uploads to client at end of call
   Use software supplied by the client
   Use software supplied by the call center
   Use a web-enabled application

9. Who will provide the initial training, who will provide on-going training?

   CallCenter101 recommends that the client participate in product knowledge training during the initial training period.  Then, as needed, follow-up training during the learning curve phase of the inbound call center process.  Allow the call center to train the agents on sharpening their phone etiquette and salesmanship skills.