How operators can sell services via a phone base

The first method. Additional sales on the operating base of subscribers

This is the easiest way to increase profits, reduce churn and improve customer loyalty – in case that everything is done right. It is especially useful while selling Internet services to cable operators or for Internet service providers to sell IPTV. It is useful to clarify with subscribers whether there are any complaints or wishes while calling. It is significant for further work in enhancing loyalty or retaining consumers.

Pros:

1. There is always a base of those subscribers who are ready for communication and have a normal / high level of trust. The right script and the appropriate time to call will do the rest.

2. It allows you to magnify loyalty and reduce the churn of subscribers if you know their wishes, hear complaints and have the opportunity to quickly solve everything, but in this case, more trained operators are required.

3. It has low level of negativity and the absence of complicated getting in contact, which allows to use a subscription department / technical support for sales.

The cheapest way to sell services.

Minuses:

1. Incorrect script, time and cycle (not more than 1 time in 2 months) of calling increase the level of subscribers’ negativity.

Average efficiency with the right target audience: 1 sale from 10-15 contacts.

The second method. “Cancellers”

The second most difficult method, both in terms of sales and getting / replenishing the base. The so-called “cancellers” are subscribers who previously used the services, but then cancelled the contract.

Main reasons:

A. Temporary uninteresting subscribers:

1. Moved, there is no technical possibility.

2. Changed for the competitor - the competitor provides more interesting conditions (the price difference exceeds 10%) or services (usually subscriber equipment or additional services / offers); there are obligations to stop using the competitor's services (mandatory term of use, long-term promotions / discounts).

B. Working reasons:

Changed for the competitors – interesting subscribers are those with a transition period of 1 month (better of 3 months): the longer the period of changing an operator, the higher the probability of a return. As a rule, the reasons for the transition are distributed as follows:

1. Quality of services - the actual speed is much less than stated (no matter if there are problems with the network or with subscriber equipment - everything is the same for the client: if it is not fixed, he will change the operator). Furthermore, if the quality of the service is lower than stated - the image crumbles into pixels, the sound disappears and so on.

1.1 Poor service – no answering to the calls of clients, low customer focus, sometimes even rudeness.

2. Price – a special promotion, offer, short-term discount. But before working with this category of subscribers, you need to calculate: do you need “jumpers” - subscribers changing the operator over and over for small or temporary discounts, will they pay off in general? It is recommended to track “recidivists” (more than one transition to a competitor from you on the special offer) and either exclude the possibility of a return on the offer / discount for them (perhaps, make only a paid connection) or even ban them.

3. The presence of additional offers / services. Changed for the competitor, as was convinced that it is more convenient to pay or tat competitor has TV with the ability to record, pause and rewind, etc.

No reason - forgot to find out or the client does not remember / does not want to name the reasons.

Vacation / cottage – while being absent, services are not needed. Often after returning the client does not reconnect the services, as he forgets, sees the accumulated debt or meets a competitive offer.

Pros:

1. There is always a subscriber base and the reason for cancelation / main objection, from which it is worth to start the sale / return of the subscriber. The right script and the appropriate time to call will do the rest.

2. The average level of negativity and absence of difficulty while getting in contact, the sale is less complicated than on a “cold” basis, which allows you to pay less and use less trained personnel.

Minuses:

1. There is a risk of returning disloyal, not paying off subscribers, especially when using promotions / discounts.

Average efficiency: 1 sale from 10-15 contacts.

The third method. New sales on a “cold” base.

The most difficult method to organize. Everything described below is a fantasy, any coincidences are random. The first problem that will be encountered is where to get the base of potential subscribers included in the coverage area of your company?

I want to emphasize that these are rumours. If it is worth of trust is up to you.

1. HOA / Managing company sometimes can share such data.

2. Parse / download the database from social networks through community or group. The quality of a base is often quite poor, but it is almost free.

3. Buy such database over the Internet from those people who sell them (the price is from 20 kopecks to 3 roubles per contact, depends on the quantity and type of the required data; first of all, name, address and mobile phone number are interesting). First, you will be offered a part of the base for the relevance test and reconciliation at the intersection with the existing base (of your subscribers). You can arrange cleaning throughout the database, thus, removing the contacts of your subscribers. If the base is not given for a test, you’ll be deceived.

4. Buy a competitor base. The best option is a base with tariffs to know immediately what and whom to offer.

The second problem will be to find and train personnel with necessary competences, because the base is “cold”. As you need to have a full sell, the subscriber department and, moreover, technical support usually do not agree to do this:

1. Find and train personnel at the rate of 70 contacts per shift in case of a manual mode; and 120 contacts per shift - with auto redial (allows you to recruit disabled people, girls; requires a relatively large base of contacts, preferably with the ability to replenish the base; good efficiency; requires the organization of a working process).

2. Give it to door-to-door managers for lower salary (the highest efficiency; they can get spoiled and stop doing door-to-door / turn into an improvised contact centre; does not require a large base; the organization of the working process is reduced to control).

3. Give to a third-party contact centre (as a rule, efficiency is low; they work with large databases; they do not like to work for the result / payment for connected requests).

4. Do not use human resources for sale, apply mailing in messengers instead, also via SMS, through voice bots with subsequent transfer to a subscriber line (the lowest efficiency; the lowest price; additional burden on the subscriber department; requires special knowledge and skills for the organization).

The third problem may be the complaint that you are calling people without their consent.

You cannot break the law in any case, but you can:

1. Do not call from phones that are registered and listed in the company, but only from cell phones.

2. Use a loyal script that removes the negativity from the call (does not work if the competitor wants / will be able to organize a trial using a recording of the conversation from the phone number listed in the company).

Pros:

1. Works well against a competitor.

2. Good efficiency, second only to apartment bypass.

3. Allows to get subscribers in the territory where other sales channels are prohibited.

4. Allows to carry out sales remotely from anywhere in the world.

Minuses:

1. Reviewed above

Average efficiency: 1 sale from 15-30 contacts.