How We Evaluate Our CSRs

By now you’ve probably heard quite a bit about the excellent software and technology that makes TeleDirect Call Centers truly special, but the real secret to our success is professional, friendly and efficient service offered by our customer service representatives (CSRs). Our CSRs are thoroughly trained to provide the finest customer care and are evaluated every two weeks so that we know they are doing the finest work possible to help your business and its call center needs.

These bimonthly evaluations, which happen face-to-face between CSRs and team leaders, focus on all metrics of service success. These meetings have a very positive impact on our attrition rate, which currently stands at 12 percent, an outstanding number considering the industry average is 30 percent. Since our employees know how they’re performing in real time, they’re able to quickly remedy any performance problems they might have.

Much of our evaluation process is done on an online dashboard, which provides a forum for training, coaching, feedback, and statistical analysis. Statistics that can be tracked include employee attendance, quality score, personal efficiency, break time, and lead percentage. All of these areas are discussed during the bimonthly evaluation meetings, and any areas that need improvement will become the subject of action plans that the leader and CSR agree on to help accomplish personal goals. 

While most call centers expect supervisors to spend 75 percent of their time on paperwork and 25 percent of their time on coaching, TeleDirect believes those numbers should be reversed. As our administrative tools allow paperwork to be completed quickly, our supervisors are able to spend more time personally instructing our CSRs. 

When the evaluation forms are completed, team leaders are able to use our efficient online dashboard to mark whether the CSR is meeting expectations in each individual area, whether they suggest action plans for improvement and whether the CSR is below, meeting or exceeding overall expectations. Warnings can also be attached to the evaluation form if necessary. 

Once these evaluation forms are completed, the meeting between the team leader and the CSR takes place. The CSR and supervisor then go over the evaluation form and any action plans for improvement. 

This constant coaching method is key to TeleDirect’s success as a call center and is how we are able to offer the highest quality of customer service. When you work with TeleDirect, you can be assured that our CSRs have not only received standard introductory training, but are being coached on a constant basis to maintain a high level of performance.

IPE: On-Demand Project Management

TeleDirect Call Centers has been redefining the way business gets accomplished for years now, using a variety of different tools to do so. One of our most notable software items is Instant Project Expert (IPE), a revolutionary, on-demand project management software. For anyone looking to make his or her business operations more streamlined, IPE is a must-have item. By using it you will be able to manage your internal projects with greater organization and efficiency than ever before!  

Once you begin using IPE in conjunction with your call center, the first step is to load all of your new users by adding each user to IPE and then waiting for them to accept the emailed invitation. Once these invitations are accepted, the new user will create his or her account and see the task(s) that you have assigned for them to complete. 

As time progresses and due dates approach, a built-in reminder system makes sure that the users are reminded to complete these tasks. The reminder system can also be used for meetings, events or any other reminders not attached to a specific task. Email reminders are sent to all participating users on the morning that any reminder or event has been scheduled.

The reminder system isn’t the only advantage that comes with using IPE. The software also contains a grading system that is programmed to keep track of whether or not users are completing their tasks in the allotted time. This system only begins once a user’s work has been published, so it is recommended that all users take advantage of the “brainstorming mode” while working on their projects. This mode allows multiple users to work on a project together before it is turned in. 

Once all users working on the project have given the OK, the project can be published directly from brainstorming mode. Once it is published, however, it can never return to brainstorming mode, so caution should be exercised when deciding whether or not to publish.

IPE can even be used for note taking during meetings. You’ll be able to mark down due dates or set goals quickly and easily, making your meetings more productive. It's a whole new way to work with your call center!

If you’re interested in what else IPE can do for you, TeleDirect Call Centers is ready and more than willing to answer your questions. Contact us today at TeleDirect.com!

Sales Closing Tips from TeleDirect

 

Imagine you’re on a sales call and things seem to be going well, when suddenly the time comes to close the deal. Don’t panic! While closing a sale may at times be the most difficult portion of a call and may create a fair amount of unease for the caller, there are several tips you can keep in mind to help you successfully close your sale. Here are some key pointers to fall back on the next time you encounter a sale-closing situation:

• Pay attention to the other person’s emotions. If their words indicate negative feelings, now is not the time to close. If you do, you run the risk of annoying or even angering them. This could cause you to lose their business in the future.
• Silence can be golden. In the right situations, keeping quiet will help you close a sale. It’s always important to listen to what your potential customer has to say. If you keep talking, you may be shutting out their opportunity to say “yes.” Ask your questions and then stay quiet; silence will encourage them to respond.
• Don’t over-close. Some callers occasionally get a bit too eager after they have actually closed a sale and will keep talking until their customer backs out of the deal. Once they have said “yes,” you no longer have to sell them on your service. Thank them politely and wrap up the call, because you now have their business.
• Don’t fear rejection. You will hear the word “no” a lot; it’s just in the nature of sales calls. Don’t be afraid of rejection, or take it personally. It’s simply a reflection of that customer’s needs and certainly not a comment about you as a person. Sometimes your product or service just isn’t the right fit for the potential customer you’re calling.
• “No” doesn’t mean “never.” Just because there’s no sale today doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be one in the future. If a potential customer expresses interest but is not quite ready to make a commitment, that’s fine. You can continue to nurture the relationship with future calls and ease them into feeling comfortable enough to make a deal later on.
• Remember the “ABC” rule. ABC in this case stands for “Always Be Closing.” You are always working for a close. This doesn’t mean you should bombard your potential customer, but simply that you should always keep your end goal in mind.

Sales calls are not always easy or pleasant, but by keeping these tips in mind you will certainly make them less of a burden on yourself. Remember these pointers for your next call, and good luck! For more great sales tips or for information on call center services, contact TeleDirect today.

Top-Notch Project Management Services from TeleDirect

At TeleDirect Call Centers, we consider your business success our business success. With our top of the line on-demand project management software, we are able to efficiently manage projects with our clients and help them to manage their own internal projects. This service is a must-have if you’re looking to streamline your business.

Instant Project Expert (IPE) is a tool designed for our clients to quickly complete projects while still being able to hold everyone accountable, while keeping expectations at a reasonable level. The first step is to add all of your new users, which is quite simple. Simply add the user and wait for them to receive their invitation email. Once the invitation is accepted and the user creates his or her account, they will see the task that you have assigned for them to complete. 

IPE also has reminder systems built in to ensure that users are reminded of the tasks that they’re assigned. The system will remind users of specific tasks or milestones and also has an event creator for meetings and reminders that are not attached to any specific task or milestone. Email reminders are sent to all participating users on the morning that any reminder or event has been scheduled. 

Along with the reminder system, IPE contains a grading system that keeps track of who has been getting their tasks done on time or not. This system only begins once a user’s project has been published. However, users working on a project can store it in “brainstorm mode” to continue to get feedback from anyone else involved in the project before it is published. 

When all users feel that the project is ready to advance from brainstorming mode, they can sign off on it to say that it can be published. Once the project is published it cannot go back to brainstorming mode, so make sure to use that feature wisely to assure it is actually complete before sending it in!

Finally, IPE can be used for note taking during meetings to mark down tasks that need to get done and to set due dates. This will make your meetings much more productive and allow you to use IPE for both short-term and long-term business strategies.

TeleDirect wants your business to succeed, and Instant Project Expert will help you do just that. Get IPE today and watch your business’ efficiency levels skyrocket!

Why are the People at TeleDirect so Skilled? It’s in Our History!

At TeleDirect, we receive compliments all the time about the professionalism of our employees and services. What many people might not realize is that we have a long and great history of outstanding business, dating back several decades. 

Headquartered in Sacramento, California, TeleDirect Call Centers has been providing business owners with its inbound customer service representatives since our founding in 1961. What originally started as a small answering service has grown into what you see now: a full-service, on-demand call center that has received recognition numerous times for the outstanding experience we provide to our customers.

The real reason TeleDirect operates so well is that we hire the most professional and courteous customer service representatives we can find, and have done so for years. With the friendly and helpful nature of these representatives, your company will always give off great first impressions. And since the nature of business has turned to a very on-demand format, you can be sure that TeleDirect provides the people, technology and hardware you need to take every call you receive, no matter how large the demand.

We have also stayed consistent with how we train our new customer service representatives over the decades. Each CSR is trained to perfect the “Moment of Truth,” those pivotal first moments on a call that set the tone for the entire conversation. Our employees are also well aware of the importance of developing and maintaining leads for your company. Because of this, you can trust that we will immediately get all leads we capture to you, and then remarket them.

Of course, you can also rely on our long-standing tradition of efficient service. Our CRM tool maintains call control, streamlines call flow and provides reporting requirements at a real-time speed. We know that you don’t have the time to wait for 800 numbers, hire and train the CSRs, and answer every call that comes through, so we immediately activate your account and allow our professional CSRs to start taking your calls the moment you finish signing up. 

With 50 years of experience under our belts, we’re happy to build on our tradition of excellence by offering outstanding service to each and every one of our clients. 

www.TeleDirect.com

What is an Instant Sales Expert?

 At TeleDirect Call Centers, we strive to see our clients grow in business. However, naturally, with growth comes a wide variety of new challenges. Missed sales, overdue tasks, poor follow-up and other missed opportunities are among the many challenges that can plague companies unprepared to handle a sudden growth in business. 
 
To address this issue, we have created the Instant Sales Expert, or ISE, a top-of-the-line online customer relations management tool. With ISE, all of these growing pain-related challenges will be history! The tool integrates with our 24/7/365 call center to allow for more convenient lead follow-ups, customer surveys and lead qualification. It also allows you to keep your most valuable sales people focused on high-quality calls and appointments. Best of all, ISE is free to all clients of TeleDirect Call Centers.
 
One major advantage of ISE is that it makes logging existing tasks and scheduling new tasks faster than ever. This will increase the time your staff can spend actually making calls and sending emails, rather than filling out forms. 
 
Different tabs in ISE also allow you to be more organized and efficient in your business.  There is a “To-Do” tab for quickly viewing daily tasks, a “Leads” tab for working on your leads, a “Clients” tab for your customer service team, a “Reports” tab that includes pre-built reports that make your tracking easier and a “Setup” tab that allows you to customize ISE to fit your needs. 
 
ISE also allows you to keep better track of your business trends over time. When you convert a lead into a client through ISE, you are prompted to provide important information that over time will show some important business trends specific to your company.
 
If you are worried about setting up ISE yourself, you can contact our business consultants who will help you to set up your ISE organization for immediate use. After all, we are just as invested in your success as you are!
 
If you are interested in using the fastest and easiest sales automation tool available on the market, contact us today about Instant Sales Expert. With its ease and efficiency, your company will soon be growing and thriving more than it ever has before.

Never Miss an Opportunity with Seminar Edge!

 Are you looking to conduct a seminar, but the logistics are creating somewhat of a nightmare? If so, we would like to introduce you to Seminar Edge from TeleDirect Call Centers.

With Seminar Edge, you’ll get the highest-quality and most user-friendly reservation online answering services available, at very reasonable rates. Isn’t it time you found a new solution for organizing your seminars?

Our 800 answering service can be accessed online to manage people attending your events, providing attendees with detailed driving directions. This service is completely free to the attendees and is available at all times. 

With Seminar Edge, you have complete control over the customization of the services to make them as personal as you wish. Live custom scripting allows you to connect positively with your attendees and gives your company its own unique identity with little effort. A wide variety of meals are offered to fit every attendee’s tastes, along with printable tablets and letters that add an extra personal touch as you reach out to your current and prospective clients.

There’s also a free message center with professional operators who are trained to answer questions with pinpointed accuracy and care to every caller. Between this and all of our other great services, you get the most comprehensive, price-worthy and flexible online seminar reservation system around!

Finally, we pride ourselves on the convenience of our services. We offer state-of-the-art confirmation call programs integrated in the system, which performs checks to assure that all booked attendees plan on coming. No longer will you have to deal with the inconvenience of unfulfilled bookings. 

You’ll also have answering service access online to your attendance lists, toll-free numbers and seminars. If meeting details change, you can quickly make adjustments to scripts and attendance capacities. All changes are immediately noted in our system so that our operators are always giving up-to-date information.

In choosing Seminar Edge, you can significantly increase the attendance at your seminars and other events. The professionalism of our 24/7 live 800 answering services will dazzle your attendees and provide them with a superior seminar experience. People will leave with a positive experience that they will fondly remember for a long time to come.

To learn more about Seminar Edge, visit www.teledirect.com/seminaredge/ today!