What’s the Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Calls?

Not too long ago, we had a conversation with a prospect who was contemplating an outsourced call center because their sales staff was spending too much time on the phone.

We asked, “Are they handling mostly inbound or outbound calls?”

They didn’t know. In fact, they weren’t even clear on the difference!

Many people like you are using telemarketing as a reliable service to introduce their business to prospects or to handle call overflow. In general, inbound calls are about safeguarding the business you already have, while outbound calls are about growing that business.

Before deciding which one is appropriate for your business needs, it’s important to know that there’s more to inbound and outbound calls than the direction of the call.

Inbound Calls: Listening, Helping and Building Trust

When someone calls your business, it’s a commitment of their time. Cleary, they are interested in what you have to offer. A superior inbound call center will use this as an opportunity to listen, help and build trust between the caller and your business.

Some key roles your inbound call center should fulfill:

• Customer service Around 50% of all inbound calls concerns customer service from simple questions to complex troubleshooting. Make sure they get what they need because satisfied customers are your number one source of new leads!
• Direct advertising response When someone responds to your ads, you need well-trained inbound specialists to answer their questions and convert that lead into a sale.
• Professional answering service Routing inbound calls to the correct department will help your operation run smoothly and saves potential customers from the annoyance of being stuck on hold or transferred over and over.
• Lead qualification and up-selling People don’t always know what they want, even if they think they do! Well-trained inbound specialists help convert leads into sales, and sales into bigger sales.

Your inbound call center should help callers feel that their time and concerns matter to your business. Answering their questions, solving their concerns and fulfilling their requests builds that trust.

Outbound Calls: Lead Generation, Sales, and Research

A call from your company may be the first time an outsider ever hears from you. A top outbound call center will make that first contact count by generating leads, converting leads into sales, and gathering the information your business thrives on.

Some key roles your outbound call center fulfills:

• Lead generation A well-trained outbound call campaign is a seamless extension of your sales team, executing up to 100 targeted dials per hour and pitching as many as 15 of them — quadruple what an average person can do. And you should always get full daily and weekly reports with the results.
• Sales Reach out to prospects and customers with custom-scripted outbound calls. Convert leads into sales, upsell, cross-sell and make sure everyone gets the information they request.
• Database maintenance Your lists are only as good as their most current information. Keep your CRM updated with outbound calling and data entry.
• Market research Why rely on the same research everyone else is using? Stay on top of the latest trends affecting your business — and compile your own, proprietary data — with custom outbound surveys.

Knowing the difference between inbound and outbound calls is critical to keeping your customers satisfied and helping your sales team hit their potential. Ask us how call centers help grow your business.