Telemarketing Companies, Call Center Companies & Quotes

Telemarketing companies can perform various tasks such as appointment setting, lead generation, market research and telesales. Finding the most qualified telemarketing company to meet your business needs can be a daunting task. Get the process started by filling out the quick form here in order to receive up to 5 free quotes within minutes!

According to the government of the United States of America, telemarketing companies are businesses that initiate one or more calls to consumers or businesses in order to generate enthusiasm for the product or service they offer. These calls can vary in purpose, covering objectives like new market exploration, setting appointments for future meetings and sales presentations, up-selling, cross-selling and re-activating former customers. Stating the purpose of the call must be done within the first minute, not only because telemarketers have just a moment to capture someone's interest and attention, but also because they must ensure call compliance. Telemarketing agents must state very quickly and clearly why they are calling in order to avoid costly fines and legal fees. Disguising a sales call as something else is not only unethical, it is illegal. Furthermore, telemarketing companies must have a Do Not Call policy that is strictly enforced and continually updated. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can charge fines of up to $11,000 per violation, so businesses would be wise to regularly scrub their call lists or use an external list company or list cleansing software in order to remain compliant.

A firm Do Not Contact policy is one criteria you should look for when selecting the best telemarketing companies to work with, and quality is surely another one. These days, each call that is made can be recorded, which is extremely useful not only to protect against fraud but also to continuously regulate quality control. If you are not pleased with the way a telemarketer is performing, having live call samples can be essential to explain which changes are necessary to a person's pitch, tone of voice, etc. Telemarketing companies can also use recordings to train new staff.

When outsourcing, be sure to ask what the ratio of team leaders is to staff. You should find an average of 1 team leader for every 7-10 sales representatives. This ensures that staff is closely monitored and coached in order to obtain maximum results. Another factor you could consider when selecting the right telemarketing company is the certifications and associations of that contact centre. The Customer Operations Performance Center (COPC) in America is one of the few organizations that offers call center Six Sigma training and certification. It stands by proven methods like DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). If your partner in telemarketing can boast of a Six Sigma certification, then you can be sure they are following winning strategies and best practices.

Membership in the European Confederation of Contact Centre Organisations (ECCCO) or the non-profit Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA) can also grant you peace of mind that the telemarketing company you're working with stays on top of industry news, trends, regulations and laws. These organizations also help telemarketing companies by providing training seminars, workshops, educational courses and networking opportunities for contact centre managers, call center team leaders, telesales experts, customer service department heads, etc.