Some people who are thinking about starting tele-appointments as part of their business may not know what exactly tele-appointments are. Also, some people may be uncertain about the effects and goals they will achieve by working on teleappointments.
Therefore, in this article, we will explain the overview of tele-appointments, how they differ from call centers, and what to do if you cannot make an appointment. We will also explain how to effectively obtain appointments through tele-appointments, so please use this as a reference.
What is teleapo?
First, let’s take a look at the overview of teleappointment.
A teleappointment, or telephone appointment, is a method of obtaining an appointment with a company or other party with whom you would like to start a transaction or contract, and is a method of approaching customers and prospective customers over the phone.
Appointments obtained through tele-appointments come in a variety of formats, including not only business negotiations but also seminars, demonstrations, and purchasing. Teleappointments allow companies and organizations to develop new customers and deepen relationships with existing customers.
However, teleappointments are not just a matter of making a phone call. Results will vary greatly depending on the talk script, call list content, and many other factors. Therefore, if you are working on tele-appointments in the future, or if you are currently working but are not seeing results, it is important to examine and improve these factors.
Difference between teleappointment and call center
By the way, many people may confuse teleappointments and call centers. Teleappointments and call centers are often seen as the same thing, but there are significant differences between the two.
First of all, tele-appointment refers to making a telephone call for a specific purpose, such as setting an appointment, conducting sales activities, or conducting research. Teleappointments are used to increase sales and acquire new customers, and are rarely used for purposes other than these.
On the other hand, a call center is a customer support facility that is set up to handle a large number of calls from customers. Call centers primarily provide responsive services and are not intended to set up individual appointments with customers.
Also, in the case of tele-appointments, a talk script is often prepared in advance, but the content of the conversation may change depending on the customer’s reaction and what they are looking for. However, in the case of a call center, the main purpose is customer support, so there is basically no way to change the conversation depending on the customer.
It is important to understand that tele-appointments are a way to approach customers, and call centers are used to respond to calls from customers and potential customers.
Reasons why you should do a teleappointment
Teleappointments are a way for many companies to obtain the appointments they need. The specific reasons why companies should conduct teleappointments are as follows.
I will explain each in turn.
Budget may be lower than web advertising
While effective, web advertising and other
marketing
can be expensive. In some cases, the cost per customer acquisition (CPA) exceeds tens of thousands of yen, making it unrealistic for companies with small budgets.
On the other hand, tele-appointments can be done at a relatively low cost, and there is a high possibility of acquiring new customers even with a small budget. It is attractive because it is highly cost-effective because you can approach the target directly as long as you have a call list.
Suitable for acquiring new customers
As mentioned above, tele-appointments are particularly suitable for acquiring new customers. This is because you can proactively approach new potential customers and communicate the value of your products and services.
Additionally, if you are unable to make appointments while continuing to use tele-appointments, you can make improvements as needed by analyzing the cause. Even if you can only get 1 out of 100 appointments in the initial stage, you can gradually increase that number by continuing to make improvements.
Disadvantages of teleappointment
There are reasons why you should do teleappointment and various benefits, but there are also disadvantages. The typical disadvantages of teleapo are as follows.
Let’s look at each in turn.
Personnel in charge may become exhausted
Tele-appointments require communication with customers, which can leave the person in charge exhausted. Additionally, if tele-appointment training is required, some staff may think that they cannot do it at the time of the training. Therefore, it is important for companies to be considerate and attentive to the people in charge of teleappointments.
Difficult to connect directly to the approver
Teleappointment also has the disadvantage that it is difficult to connect with the person making the decision. Since the person in charge of the phone call is often a company representative or receptionist, it is difficult to directly approach the person with decision-making authority.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a sales process where you first get an appointment with a person in charge, and then have them connect you with the person making the decision. Compared to web advertising and other sales methods that allow you to approach the decision-maker directly, many people may feel that the disadvantage is that it takes a long time to reach a contract.
Possible reasons if you cannot get an appointment via tele-appointment
Even if you start tele-appointments, you may find it difficult to get an appointment. There can be various reasons for this, but the most common ones are as follows.
Let’s look at each in turn.
Not building good communication
In order to conduct teleappointments effectively, good communication with the person being called is essential. If there is no proper dialogue between the operator (the person making the call) and the prospect, it will be difficult to secure an appointment.
This is because if communication during the phone call is not smooth, it will be difficult to gain trust in the actual service or company.
Communication problems during teleappointments often occur when there is a lack of understanding of the other person’s
needs
and interests, or when the operator does not ask the right questions. To avoid this situation, be sure to research the destination you will call in advance and create a talk script.
Insufficient talk script
A well-thought-out talk script is essential for a teleappointment to be successful. Talk scripts are guidelines that allow operators to accurately convey information and respond to questions and objections from the other party. If your appointment acquisition rate or response rate is poor, review your talk script.
not doing the numbers
The success of teleappointments also largely depends on the number of calls made. While it’s not a good idea to call blindly, it’s true that the more calls you make, the more likely you are to get an appointment. Additionally, the more calls you make, the more data you accumulate, making it easier to make improvements. It is important to think about times when it is easy to get through by phone, and to approach as many people as possible while being conscious of efficiency.
Tips for effectively obtaining appointments through teleappointments
In order to get appointments effectively, keep the following tips in mind.
I will explain each in turn.
Periodic review of call list
The success of a teleappointment is often highly dependent on the quality of the call list. It is of course important to create a good prospect list in the beginning, but it is also important to refresh it regularly. There are two main things to do when reviewing your list.
The first step is to check how many potential customers for your product are included in the list and scrutinize the content. It is difficult to judge the likelihood of this in the early stages, but as you continue to make calls, you will gradually find out who your customers are who are looking for your products. When reviewing your list, it is important to scrutinize the list to ensure that it is targeted to those who are likely to have demand for your products.
The second step is to extract targets who were not able to get an appointment in the past, but might be able to get one depending on the situation. In this case, it is possible that you were unable to get an appointment due to factors such as the time of year or the other person’s resources, so if you reapproach the timing, you may be able to get an appointment.
Appropriate review of talk scripts
Talk scripts are essential for the success of teleappointments. It is important to improve your scripts and customize them appropriately. There are two main points to consider when improving talk scripts.
The first is to give your talk script a clear purpose. Obtaining an appointment is a major premise, but you should also clarify the type of appointment (guidance to information sessions, business negotiations, participation in exhibitions, etc.) so that you can guide customers smoothly.
The second is to encourage questions and dialogue. In tele-appointments, it is easier to get an appointment if you have two-way communication with the person you are calling, rather than having the operator unilaterally communicate your requirements. It is important to encourage the other person to ask questions and prepare answers to questions in advance.
Continuing operator education
Continuous training for operators is also important in order to effectively implement teleappointments. First of all, make sure that the operator has a thorough knowledge of your company’s products and services so that he or she can answer all of the questions from the other party.
Next, it is also important to hone the communication skills of operators. If you can learn techniques for smoothly communicating with customers, you will have a better chance of setting up an appointment smoothly.
Finally, set aside time for real-time feedback. By creating standards for evaluating operator performance and analyzing how operators perform against those standards, it becomes easier to make rapid improvements.
Summary: Lead your business to success with teleappointments
In this article, we have explained how to make your teleappointment a success.
The reason why companies should conduct teleappointments is that the budget may be lower than that of web advertising, and it is also suitable for acquiring new customers. Therefore, even for companies with limited budgets, teleappointments can be said to be a sales method that can easily produce results.
If teleappointments are not producing results, review the call list and talk scripts, provide training to operators from time to time, and provide opportunities for feedback.
Why not use this article as a reference to prepare for your teleappointment?