7 Reasons to Consider Outsourcing Your Telesales and 3 Reasons to avoid it
Outsourcing all or part of your Telephone Sales activities can be a viable alternative to building or expanding an in-house Telesales or Telemarketing team. However, it is not the right alternative for all companies. Companies and the managers who will manage the Telesales Partners should give some thought to the upside and the downside of engaging an Outsourced Telesales Partner.
Here’s what to consider before you start your search.
7 Reasons to consider Outsourcing your Telesales
1) Outsourcing allows you to scale up and to scale back according to the needs of your business
Outsourcing part (or all) of your Telesales allows you to scale according to the needs of your business. If your telemarketing requirements are transactional, you can buy capacity according to the volume you need. Outsourcing allows you to turn the spigot on and off according to the flow of your business, your sales requirements, and your marketing programs.
2) Outsourcing enables you to buy the talent you need for the job at hand
If you need a part time team of senior level talent, you can buy this. If you need a large team of database cleanup talent, you can buy this as well. Partnering allows ‘just-in-time’ hiring and a clean match to the project requirements.
3) An Outsourced Telesales team can be up and running in less than 60 days, sometimes less than 30 days
Your outsourced telesales team will likely be staffed with the excess capacity of a previous telemarketing project. This allows the Telesales Partner to be up and running quickly. And Partners that are not in a position to redeploy current staff are in constant recruit mode so are likely able to staff a Telesales team quickly.
4) Outsourcing your Telesales reduces the time it takes your company to source, hire, and train
The Telesales Partner produces the team for you, reducing the time and effort it takes for your company to source, hire, and train.
5) A Telesales partner can be used to augment your Telesales organization without investing in on-board headcount (and training, and benefits, and…)
You need to invest in training your Telesales Partner on the details of your products and services and your sales methodology and approach. The Partner provides Telephone Skills and Sales Training and is responsible for monitoring the performance of the team it has put in place for your business as well as providing feedback and development.
6) The Telesales Partners come equipped with the infrastructure needed to get the job done
Your company does not have to invest in sales force automation or reporting software. Typically, you select the reports you want from their portfolio with the option to customize them to match your business requirements. And they have in place all of the software, hardware, and tools required to run call campaigns effectively and efficiently.
7) The Telesales Partner manages the day-to-day performance of the function
You pay the Partner to manage the day-to-day performance of the Telesales representatives. This leaves you to focus on reviewing the reports and analyzing the results. Eliminating the work associated with managing the human capital results in less day-to-day stress on your management team.
3 reasons to decide against Outsourcing your Telesales
1) They are not your employees
The telesales reps conducting the calls are not your employees and, as such, cannot be expected to have the same level of product and company knowledge that your most knowledgeable employees have.
2) They do not sit in the cubicles outside your office
For executives who are most comfortable when they can see the work being done and interact often with the people doing the work, outsourcing may not be the solution for you.
3) If your company does not leverage an outsourced model elsewhere, it may be a rocky road
If your company does not outsource other functions and cannot accommodate an outsourced model, it may not be worth being the first to outsource. This model works best when the Telesales Outsourcer is considered an integral business partner.
There are good reasons to hire a Telesales Partner. The right partnership can extend the capacity of your Sales and Marketing teams without increasing stress on your management team. It does take time and effort to identify, enable, and support the Partner that you choose. Take the time to determine if outsourcing is the right model for your company. The most important part of the process is acknowledging that the Telesales Partner is an integral part of your company’s go-to-market strategy and that your choice of partner is an extension of your company and of your Sales and Marketing functions.