Call and Contact Centres – how to measure success

As a call centre manager or supervisor, how do you know if you’re having a good day? A range of metrics can be used to measure the activity in a call centre or customer service department but which will work for you? In an article on the Call Centre Management Association website, a survey of contact centre professionals looked at the most popular areas measured and monitored. It found that ‘a growing number are based on quality or outcomes, rather than just on pure efficiency.’ The article lists the top ten metrics mentioned in the survey. Unsurprisingly ‘quality scores’ came out top. How the customer judged their conversation and experience with the call centre contact is seen as vital. Other metrics included first call resolution, average handling time and forecast accuracy – some easier to track than others. For the full list of metrics read the article at http://www.ccma.org.uk/news/call-centre-metrics-article

Finding the brightest sales prospects

How do you identify a good prospect or a successful business? Whether you are a sales manager mapping your area or planning your next career move, it helps to know who is out there and doing well. The Telegraph’s new interactive map offers 1000 names dubbed as ‘Britain's brightest businesses’ which are said to have ‘weathered the economic storm’ and are excellent prospects to grow and generate jobs. But this isn’t just the opinion of the Telegraph. The list was complied from a number of sources including NESTA, the innovation agency and nominations from organisations such as the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chartered Insurance Institute. Nominations from readers were also taken into account. Local companies on the map include Dynmark International (mobile marketing) in Cheltenham and the Severn Glocon group (process valves) in Gloucester. Take a different look at the business profile of your area and see the map at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8757818/Telegraph-1000-Britains-brightest-businesses-mapped.html#dsq-comments

Successful Selling Expo – sign up now for free entry

Successful Selling 2012 takes place on 12^th Oct at the RICOH arena in Coventry this year, but sign up early for free entry to the ‘U.K.’s premier sales exhibition'. The exhibition is produced in partnership with the ISMM’s (Institute of Sales and Marketing Management) conference (tickets sold separately).  Both events are aimed at helping sales departments and account teams develop and succeed. The 650 exhibitors will include companies involved in incentives, lead generation, sales technology, hospitality and sales talent assessment. As well as a chance to network, the exhibition also features seminar sessions including incentive management and sales prospecting software. One seminar session covers ‘Selling Excellence’ with many tips from the sales and training development manager of the major exhibition sponsor, 3M. For more details on how the exhibition could benefit you as a sales account manager visit the website at http://www.sales-expo.co.uk/

Top tips for telesales

A successful telesales campaign needs careful planning to succeed. Whether you are a telesales manager in charge of a large call centre or a smaller sales team trying to make an impact in your sector and generate sales leads, you need to have a strategy. In an article on the The Marketing Group’s website, 42 top tips are offered in planning your next telesales campaign from scriptwriting to setting expectations and goals. The tips also have advice for every step of the call such as ‘have confidence and energy in your voice ‘ and ‘Offer choices. If you offer one option, you leave the customer to choose between "yes" and "no.". This is all useful advice for both operators on the front line at a call-centre as well as those planning goals and measuring results. Before your next telesales campaign or before you make the next sales call, read the full article at http://www.marketinggroup.co.uk/articles/42%20Tips%20for%20a%20More%20Effective%20Powerful%20Telesales%20Campaign.pdf

Gloucestershire’s Top 100

Which are the Gloucestershire companies that are really performing and making a difference to the region’s economy? The list of the Top 100 Businesses, issued recently issued by The Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo, shows the spread of industries and key businesses based in the county. The list is ranked by turnover up to March 31^st and all companies must either have their headquarters in the county or an attributable proportion of turnover linked to the area. Top of the list by a significant margin is the wealth management company, St James’s Place. After that the list shows Gloucestershire’s engineering diversity with Spirax Sarco in second place along with other engineering and manufacturing businesses such as Messier-Bugati-Dowty Ltd (5^th), Renishaw (7^th) and Kohler Mira Ltd (11^th). Other sectors featured include IT, energy supply and construction and unique businesses such as Cheltenham Racecourse. To get the full business picture, read the list at http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/100-businesses-Gloucestershire-list/story-16451272-detail/story.html   

Why existing customers are vital to an account manager

Selling to existing customers is always vital but how do you ensure that the effort from a new sales push is not being wasted? According to research from the AskForensics Knowledgebase, highlighted in an article from the Harvard Business Review, you need to look at four key areas. These are gaps that can develop in the customer relationship that need to be addressed in order to ensure future key account success. ‘Improving training of frontline staff’ is seen as vital. Sales managers need to remember that your customer comes into contact with frontline employees more often than they do with the sales teams. Responding to customers needs timely and with proactive ideas showing that you understand their business is also important. Finally, make sure you understand your customer needs. They can change frequently in a difficult market. For more on the importance of looking after loyal customers see the article at http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/to_sell_more_focus_on_existing.html

Selling around the world – where does your style fit?

Persuader,  dream-maker or networker – how would you characterise yourself in a sales situation? Philip Broughton, writing on the Harvard Business Review blog, argues that no matter how many sales systems or methods are published,  it really comes down to a balance of someone’s personality and the sales role itself. For his latest book, The Art of the Sale’ he has interviewed sales people around the world to see how they approach sales as a profession. Comments included ‘Your authentic self will always, eventually, come out’ and ‘rigid methods taught in most sales courses…are hopeless in the field.’ In India, a key manager at Infosys said that the best salespeople are ‘those people who can make others comfortable, who are articulate, and who are able to deal with the unexpected.’ For more on how different sales personnel see themselves and ‘The Art of the Sale’, read the full article at http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/06/the_most_important_predictor_o.html?awid=8276497249373009626-3271