27 Apr
In the business of telemarketing, you will encounter numerous companies and software that claim they have the best solution for your telemarketing campaign. Likely one or two of those companies/software is a good fit for your company. To help you narrow down your search we compiled the best outbound telemarketing software, so you can easily determine the best one for your needs.
Top 3 Telemarketing Essentials for Your Business
#1 Sales Automation Software
A robust set of sales automation tools is the basic requirement to execute a successful telemarketing campaign. If the team has a solid foundation in the five key areas – campaign management, pipeline management, lead routing, agent management, and forecasting – automation tools set the right ground for further planning and implementation. There are also some sales automation tools that allow an enterprise to analyze the entire sales cycle and plan their telemarketing campaigns accordingly.
#2 Agent Desktop Software
Every second that a telemarketer spends on the phone is valuable. Enterprises, therefore, need to ensure that the agents have all the tools that can make their work easier so that they have more time to focus on convincing prospects. An agent desktop software solution fits well into the requirement. It acts as a platform to integrate data from multiple apps on one screen, which reduces handling time and helps streamline. A desktop software reduces the time an agent loses while switching between different applications.
#3 Multi-Channel Communication
Customer acquisition and retention are two of the main focus areas of all enterprises. The journey of a customer with an enterprise might start with the telemarketing agent, but it doesn’t end with sales closure. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that you are able to connect with the customers through the channels they prefer, which could be an email, SMS, or phone. There is software available to do the job, and all that an enterprise needs to do is search for the right tool that meets the requirements.
Why Use Outbound Telemarketing Software?
The real question is why not use outbound telemarketing software?
There are too many upsides to telemarketing software for you to not be using it. Some of the features that will make your job much easier include:
- Power Dialing (cutting out manual dialing)
- Voicemail Drops (no more saying the same thing over and over when leaving voicemails)
- Managing Leads/Phone Lists
- Creating Campaigns
- Having data reports to better improve from
- Managing a sales team remotely
Not only can you find software to make your call center run more effectively, but you will also be saving loads of time! If for no other reason at all, saving time should be enough reason to motivate you to get the right software for your team.
7 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Telemarketing Software
Whether your business focuses on digital or traditional marketing or a combination of both, you need more than well-trained marketing executives and persuasive scripts to generate conversions.
In addition to these two prerequisites, a feature-rich telemarketing software solution is also essential for marketers to rise above the noise. To help ensure you make the right pick, consider these key factors when selecting a telemarketing software.
1. Calling Limitations
Choose a dialing software that has an unlimited calling feature, especially if your telemarketing agents need to call prospects more than once. The software should allow your executives to call quickly and easily from the list of prospects, without making you worry about the money-meter. You can easily find dialers today that have the feature of making truly unlimited outbound and inbound calls to the USA and Canada. In the case of this telemarketing software solution, there are no charges by the minute with no “extra” usage charges. Additionally, you may have access to a local or toll-free inbound SoftPhone line at no extra cost.
2. Ease of Use
Convenience is another crucial feature to look for in a telemarketing solution. You don’t want your telecalling executives to waste their time and energy by looking back and forth at phone numbers while calling the prospects. A power dialer can help them highlight and click on the phone numbers they wish to dial. The click-to-call feature in dialing software immediately dials the next number, and a keypad pops up. This allows you to record a call, read scripts or play pre-recorded messages, and view/edit your address book. By installing a power dialer, businesses can increase their appointments by 150 percent.
3. Call Drops and Delays
The ultimate objective of a telemarketing campaign is to generate maximum leads that are easily converted into sales. Dropped calls or “telemarketer delay”, however, act as an obstacle to achieving this end objective. High-quality dialing software eliminates this delay by routing calls to the available calling agents. Your customers don’t become defensive to your sales call, as there is the elimination of the “telemarketer delay”. Moreover, a power dialer enables you to see notes on the caller before you begin speaking to them, which, in turn, avoids delays; preparing you well in advance.
4. Compatibility with CRM
Look for a dialer software that comes with a built-in CRM feature, through which you can easily keep track of customer contacts, call lists, and campaigns. Telecalling agents can view the detailed information about each contact such as their prior interactions with your company, call recordings/logs, voicemails, purchases, and support requests. Integrate the dialer software with your CRM and witness an increase in lead generation.
5. Reporting
Buy a dialing software that has real-time and historical reporting capabilities. This feature helps to track the progress of your telemarketing campaigns. A power dialer allows you to look separately at inbound and outbound metrics, review call logs, the number of voicemails and missed calls received. You can, therefore, measure real results and make data-driven decisions.
6. Reminders
Call Back Reminder is one of the major features of the dialing software. It makes you capable to set a Callback Reminder with its built-in PC-based reminder calendar. You may also use this feature of the dialer with your web-based Google or Microsoft’s Outlook Calendar.
7. Email Automation
A high-end telemarketing software solution gives you the option of email marketing. While being on the phone, you can simply choose and click to send six different pre-typed emails to your customers and prospects. Email Automation, therefore, comes in handy with dialer software.
Top Features of Outbound Telemarketing Software
We have made it into a new era of telemarketing and things have changed drastically including our way of selling. The features that used to be desirable in outbound telemarketing programs are now things of the past. As technology continues to change, new regulations along with the rise of mobile phones need to be considered when deciding the best outbound call center software. That software will include features like:
Power Dialer vs Predictive Dialer
- Power Dialer – Dials rapidly one number after another. The dialer instantly moves on when a call is completed or it determines no one answered. Prospects will not know they’ve been called using a dialer because there are no delays or dropped calls using this method. Great for calling warm leads, businesses, and general cold calling.
- Predictive Dialer – Calls multiple contacts at the same time. Agents’ airtime will only be used when this is a live connection. This will allow you to make more calls faster, but sacrifices quality and prospects often will know they’ve been auto-dialed due to a small delay. This may be more effective when calling large amounts of very cold numbers and you expect a lot of bad numbers.
Voicemail Drop Automation (pre-recorded voicemails)
- This technology allows you to pre-record voicemails that you can drop with a click on a prospect’s answering machine. For example, once you hear the “beep” you can personalize the call by saying the person’s name: “Hi James..” then click to drop the voicemail and instantly move on to the next call.
Warm Transfers
- A warm transfer allows an agent to speak to a third party to introduce the caller before transferring the call.
Reporting and Team Management
- Generating reports and analytics based on numerous things like the number of calls per hour, the number of appointments set, etc.
- Call Monitoring/Call Coaching allows managers to listen in on agents or even barge-in to join the call.
Cloud-Based Software
- Allows users to access software applications from any location with a computer, a headset, and an internet connection.
Lead Management, Work Flows, & Integrations
- Built-in CRM features help sales teams and telemarketers stay organized.
- Powerful workflows and integrations can automate processes such as sending emails at the appropriate times or pushing data from one system to another.
Omni-Channel Options (voice / text / email)
- The ability to communicate with prospects in multiple ways such as voice, email, and SMS all through one platform
Knowing what features to look for in outbound software is important but what’s equally as important as the factors that contribute to the overall performance of the software.
Integration With Your Telemarketing CRM
CRM integration involves your customer relationship management tool/software blending with other third-party applications to work cohesively. The most beneficial use of CRM integration is data management. By integrating marketing tools, analytics tools, etc, your team will be able to manage the data better as well as improve other aspects of retaining/nurturing leads.
Outbound Telemarketing Dialer
Dialer software increases the efficiency of the team by automatically dialing the list of numbers and passing live calls to the agent. By discarding all unanswered, disconnected, busy, and unavailable calls the agents save loads of time. Another time-saving aspect of automated dialer software is the lead management application that helps filter out unqualified leads and DNC numbers.
VoIP CRMs for Telemarketing
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows businesses to function as a call center, featuring tools that enable telemarketers to handle outbound and inbound calls directly from their CRM platform. Telemarketing software with VoIP CRMs integrated into the product makes for a better overall experience for the agent and the customer.
Pre-Recorded Voicemails
The agent will create pre-recorded voicemails for a few different circumstances/campaigns like a 1st-time call, follow-up call, or response to an inquiry. When the agents reach an answering machine they can say “Hello [person’s name]” then choose the appropriate pre-recorded voicemail.
Call Recording
Call recording is beneficial for many reasons. For the manager, it can be used as a teaching tool or a reference to help the agent understand the next steps for that lead. For the agent, it helps save time. Agents often try to write everything down as the person is speaking but with call recording they can record the call and refer back to it later when sending a follow-up email/call.
Comparison of Outbound Telemarketing Software
With the important features in mind, consider what features you consider most important to your business as you select a suitable outbound call center software for your team.
EVS7
Features: EVS7 offers fully cloud-based power dialer software with a CRM that is perfect for businesses who need to scale up or scale down
Limitations: Call recording is $5 extra
Pricing: Flat fee of $89.00/per user
Suitable for: Single users as well as small and large sales teams
AirCall
Features: AirCall offers Click-to-Dial software with CRM and API integration in three different packages varying in prices and features
Limitations: To get the better features you have to up your plan
Pricing: The Essential Plan is $30.00/per user, the Professional Plan is $50.00/per user, and the Custom Plan requires that you call for pricing
Suitable for: Customer-centric teams
Bitrix24
Features: This software utilizes communication projects, chats, and video calls to give the users a more interactive experience
Limitations: Only allowed a certain amount of GBs, each plan has a limitation on the number of users
Pricing: The Start+ Plan is $24.00 for up to 2 users, the CRM+ Plan is $69.00 for up to 6 users, the Project+ Plan is $69.00 for up to 24 users, the Standard Plan is $99.00 for up to 50 users, the Professional Plan is $199.00 for unlimited users
Suitable for: Businesses that work remotely or that don’t scale up or down often
PhoneBurner
Features: PhoneBurner offers features like single line power dialing, voicemail drop, analytics, call recording, and click-to-call
Limitations: Requires a separate phone line, which makes call transfers difficult and is quite expensive
Pricing: The pricing is different for each plan. The Standard Plan is $149.00, the Profession Plan is $179.00, and the Premium Plan is $199.00
Suitable for: Sales teams making outbound calls
CallPro
Features: CallPro includes features like analytics reporting, nationwide calling, lounge systems, broadcasting, etc.
Limitations: Not allowed/legal for telemarketing to customers
Pricing: Pricing varies and is available for monthly recurrence and one-time payment for a package of numbers
Suitable for: Businesses like nonprofits, political groups, schools, churches, and business-to-business selling
CloudTalk
Features: CloudTalk offers features like click-to-call, unlimited calls, mobile app, and automated call distribution
Limitations: Geared towards Europe. Per-minute rates on outbound calls
Pricing: The pricing is different for each plan. The Starter Plan is $20.00/mo per user, the Essential Plan is $25.00/mo per user, the Custom Plan you have to call for pricing. In addition, you have to pay per minute for outbound calls
Suitable for: Contact centers doing support or telemarketing in Europe
Five9
Features: Five9 has a suite of cloud contact center products that include inbound focused as well as outbound automated dialing
Limitations: They are pricey and have minimum user requirements, so they aren’t designed for the small guy
Pricing: Pricing ranges from $179+ per agent with calling included
Suitable for: They are best suitable for large & enterprise call centers
MojoSells
Features: Single and triple line power dialer geared towards the real estate industry
Limitations: Focused mostly on one specific industry
Pricing:$99-$149 depending on your plan
Suitable for: Real estate agents looking to cold call
VanillaSoft
Features: VanillaSoft offers features like lead management, lead routing, logical branch scripting, and a real-time activity dashboard
Limitations: There are many features you have to pay extra to have, like the software ($30/mo per user), recording ($30/mo per user), VoIP ($33/mo per user), and smart caller ID ($2/mo per user)
Pricing: There is a flat fee of $80.00/mo per user and then you add on features from there
Suitable for: Inside sales teams wanting more advanced lead management
Close.io
Features: Close.io offers features like custom fields, email templates, 1 phone number per user, pipeline view, and more
Limitations: Each plan has limits to the number of users
Pricing: The pricing is different for each plan. The Starter Plan is $25.00/mo per user, the Basic Plan is $65/mo per user, the Professional Plan is $95/mo per user, and the Business Plan is $145/mo per user
Suitable for: Inside sales teams wanting a CRM first with built-in calling
If you think these tools are simply not enough for your processes, make sure to have a look at these must-have sales prospecting tools, too.
Add the Right Telemarketing Lists to the Mix
Having the best telemarketing software is only half of the equation. Don’t miss out on the full-stack telemarketing toolbox you need to reach your business goals! A good part of that toolbox are telemarketing lists, too! See a free list sample of lists from Telephonelists.biz to be fully prepared for your next campaign.
Works Cited
McGovern, M., 2021. 43 hard cold calling statistics that will rock your sales world. [online] ResourcefulSelling. Available at: <https://www.resourcefulselling.com/cold-calling-statistics/> [Accessed 5 April 2021].
Alfred, L., 2021. 15 Key Integrations Between CRM & Your Other Business Processes. [online] Blog.hubspot.com. Available at: <https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/crm-integration#:~:text=What%20is%20a%20CRM%20integration,back%20and%20forth%20between%20systems.> [Accessed 7 April 2021].
Repin, A., 2021. Telemarketing Software: Features, Strengths, Limitations. [online] Scnsoft.com. Available at: <https://www.scnsoft.com/blog/telemarketing-software> [Accessed 7 April 2021].
Brandon, L., 2021. Automated Dialer Telemarketing Software | Telephonelists.Biz. [online] Telephonelists.biz. Available at: <https://www.telephonelists.biz/blog/automated-dialer-software-thenow-of-telesales-for-business-leads/> [Accessed 9 April 2021].