Inbound & Outbound Sales Outsourcing Trends

Staying up to date with all the latest sales outsourcing trends can be a time-consuming task. In the world of sales outsourcing, there are frequent changes in many areas from sales processes through to technology and infrastructure. As sales are impacted by on-going process improvement and technological innovation, changes can often be rapid and significant. Whether you have an in-house call centre or are working with an outsourced one, staying up to date with trends in what can be a fast moving sales environment has never been more important.

By remaining informed of the latest sales outsourcing trends, your organisation will be best placed to harness them ahead of your competition. Gaining a competitive advantage in crowded sectors can make all the difference between securing valuable sales or losing them to a forward-thinking competitor.

In this article, we explore some of the key sales outsourcing trends that apply to inbound sales and outbound sales. We also outline helpful tips to help you to make the most of these trends so you can get ahead of your competition.

Key Sales Outsourcing Trends

While some aspects of sales outsourcing remain the same, there are always trends emerging that have the potential to transform inbound sales and outbound sales. New technology is often one of the key drivers of change in many industries and sales is no exception. Whether it is new platforms, process enhancements or entirely new ways of working, there are always trends to make the most of.

At Impact Call Centre, we are always looking to raise the bar and drive continuous improvement, so staying up to date with trends is a key part of what we do. Let us guide you through the sales outsourcing trends that are gaining prominence and recommend how you might be able to make the most of them to maximise sales performance in your business.

Switch From Hybrid Sales To Simple Sales And Complex Sales

Where previously a campaign was likely to have a hybrid sales requirement, it is now more common for the requirement to relate to either a simple sale or a complex sale. This applies equally to inbound sales and outbound sales. The more defined split between simple sales and complex sales can help to improve the effectiveness of campaigns. Specific techniques and processes that best suit the type of sale can be employed to deliver the best possible sales results.

In outbound sales, gaining and retaining the interest of prospects continues to be the greatest challenge. However, it is also important to build scope into each interaction for the dialogue to be broadened so that progress can be made towards achieving the call objective. The objectives will vary significantly from campaign to campaign but may include securing a sale, nurturing a relationship with a key decision maker, or making an appointment.

Whereas, in inbound sales, judging the type of customer is key. Some customers will have already decided to place an order and will therefore require a shorter interaction. While others may be seeking advice as to the best products/services to meet their needs or may have questions that need answering before they place an order. By judging the type of customer correctly, the sales interaction can be tailored to meet their needs and secure a great business outcome.

Smaller Service Requirement From Ready To Buy Customers

In many sales interactions, there can be a significant service element. The service element may include answering questions, advising as to the most suitable products/services, or recommending additional products that would be of benefit to a customer. However, there are an increasing number of customers who are ready to buy and therefore have a much smaller service requirement. They are likely to have been influenced by a marketing channel and to have carried out their own research prior to the interaction. This type of customer can be best satisfied by a shorter interaction as they have made the decision to buy and are looking to place their order.

For ready to buy customers, the service requirement may be to assist with taking customer details and payment information. If they are having issues with finding the correct information, it will often be a case of guiding them through the order process step by step. The ready to buy customers tend to be for smaller orders at a lower average order value, although this is not always the case.

Effectively serving a ready to buy customer is about providing an efficient and friendly interaction that is focused on the order process. While this can appear to be quite transactional, it can often be the best way to serve this type of customer. There is a significant opportunity here for sales teams to improve how they identify ready to buy customers and ensure that they deliver an efficient interaction. By correctly identifying and serving ready to buy customers, sales opportunities can be maximised, and call durations can be shortened.

Rise Of The Complex Sale

The complex sale is becoming an ever more popular type of sales for many companies and across a wide range of sectors. This is beneficial not only to businesses as it creates more opportunities for increased average order value, cross-selling and up-selling but also for consumers who secure more value at the point of sale. While complex sales have a greater service requirement and often require longer interactions to secure, the overall value generated is above and beyond that of a simple sale.

For businesses that are looking to increase sales, re-engineering the sales process to accommodate complex sale techniques including cross-selling and up-selling can yield significant results. Some businesses that currently operate based on a simple sale model can benefit significantly from a more proactive and service driven sales approach. There is a particularly strong opportunity for businesses that sell consumables/replenishable products to offer related products/upgrades to consumers and increase their average order value. Similarly, retailers of higher value items such as cars can benefit from upselling vehicle upgrades or maintenance and service plans as part of a complex sale.

Overall, the rise of a complex sale is a great opportunity to increase sales in terms of both value and volume while also best serving consumers. If you are outsourcing sales, it is worth considering whether your current sales outsourcing partner is making the most of the significant opportunities that the complex sale can bring.

The Continuation Of Mail Order

While the internet has to some extent impacted the volume of the mail order channel, it remains popular for some demographic groups. These groups may be seeking further advice as to whether a product is actually suitable for their needs. They want to be supported through the buying process and to either have their initial product preference confirmed or to be guided towards a more suitable product. An effective sales advisor should be able to help this type of customer to find the best possible product/s and also recommend any additional products that they may benefit from. This is where mail order can be a more effective sales channel than the internet alone, as customers are able to access expert support to guide them.

Although the internet has taken a proportion of mail order sales, there are still a significant number of customers that are not best served by websites/the internet on its own. Many companies can reach customers more effectively in these demographic groups or broaden their customer base into these groups with mail order. The key opportunity in mail order interactions is to cement the buying decision and guide customers to purchase the correct products for their specific need.

Use Of A Consultative Sales Approach

The consultative sales approach is gaining popularity across sectors as many customers are far more receptive to needs-based interactions as opposed to the hard sell approach. By likening serving a customer over the phone to serving a customer in a shop/store there is scope to significantly improve the sales experience with a consultative sales approach at the heart of each interaction. It is critical to remember, however, that customers are not able to see all the additional products that are available. The role of a sales specialist in this situation is to create the same opportunity of choice for a customer as they would experience when walking around a shop/store.

Following a consultative sales approach is all about helping customers to make the most of their sales interaction. Making them aware of the available offers, complimentary products and even alternative products that may better suit their needs is critical to providing a great service. It is surprisingly common for businesses to follow a transactional approach where a consultative one would be far more suitable and lead to higher customer satisfaction and improved sales results.

Implementing a consultative sales approach can take time and requires careful planning. However, the positive impact that it can have on all the key sales metrics including average order value, sales volume, and customer satisfaction more than justify its adoption. Sales agents can help to put the approach into practice by visualising a shop and all the products and offers available during a customer interaction. This helps to inform the structure and content of a call, which ensures that the customer gains the most from a sales call.

Growth Of Webchat As A Sales Channel

Webchat is continuing to grow as a sales channel and compliments the more traditional channels such as phone calls. It still involves a similar level of customer interaction to other channels. However, it requires a different approach as text-based communication replaces voice communication. This can take some of the personality and flexibility out of a sales interaction, which makes building rapport and a relationship that bit more challenging. Despite this, its use is certainly set to grow further, especially with the rising prominence of artificial intelligence and its popularity among the younger demographic.

In order to make the most of webchat as a sales channel, sales specialists need to try to emulate the personal feel of a phone call and build a relationship with the customer during the chat. Taking the time to understand the requirements of each customer in a friendly way can make all the difference. At the end of a successful webchat, the customer should feel like they have received a service of the same quality as they would through the phone. Combining webchat with a consultative sales approach is a particularly powerful way to serve customers effectively while maximising sales opportunities.

Consumers Who Are Not Interested In Technology

Despite the widespread adoption of technology across different demographics, there is still a significant group of consumers who are not interested in technology. In some cases, they will actively seek to avoid it as they see it as a scary space with risks and dangers. The growth of technology and future technological innovations are not something that they would welcome as they find it challenging to access and frustrating to use.

Consumers within this group look to buy from and use companies that offer reduced technology options including phone calls. They like to be able to have a conversation and be assured that there is someone at the end of the phone who can help them. Certain sectors will have a greater requirement to serve consumers in a less technologically advanced way. However, there is a worthy sales opportunity for most businesses to investigate here. Providing options for customers to purchase from your business using a less technology dependant channel – over the phone through an outsourced call centre, for example – can significantly broaden your target market.

Appealing to the group of consumers who are not interested in technology is a great way to increase your sales volume. This very same group of consumers are often also a relatively affluent demographic with the buying power and disposable income to purchase products/services, even those at higher price points.

Technology To Aid Data Collection and Inform Campaign Insights

Technology advancement within the call centre environment is endless and presents a series of opportunities to drive improvements in all areas of the sales process. Tools and applications that aid the data collection process and can following expert analysis, inform campaign insights are particularly important. Sales specialists working within an internal call centre, or a sales outsourcing provider can access a wealth of helpful data on their individual performance but also that of the wider organisation. This data when utilised correctly can drive continuous improvements and enhance sales results.

The availability of new tools and applications alongside the advancement of existing platforms is set to continue and play an ever-greater role in the sales process. If your business can make the most of these technological advancements, it will be best placed to overtake its competitors, provide a great sales experience, and outperform even ambitious sales targets.