Reviewing some delivery statistics with our production manager I was reminded that when the goal is to reach a business prospect, it really pays (in terms of the ultimate campaign results) to use every possible means available to deliver that goal.
For Vondara’s full suite of Rapid Outbound Phone services, that usually starts with a guided voicemail from Boxpilot delivered during business hours, but it should never stop there. Messages are also delivered very effectively (and sometimes more easily) both before and after regular business hours. Off hours delivery doesn’t mean that messages are dropped at 2:00am – but from 6-9 pm or 7-8:30 am local time.
Email follow ups to delivered messages offer an opportunity to reinforce the persuasiveness of the verbal message with the in-depth provision of detailed written follow up and a simple “Reply” option that offers one of the fastest and easiest response mechanisms available.
But voicemail is just one option. Some organizations – for a variety of reasons do not choose to accept voicemail messaging during business hours and instead, messages are recorded manually by receptionists and personal assistants during the day. It’s not unusual for organizations who operate in this way to not have individual voicemails available in the evening, either – just company or department mail boxes. I’ve seen this frequently in professional services (doctors, dentists, etc.) and in retail, the construction industry and among smaller accounting and legal practices.
As a business with a mandate to make contact on behalf of our clients, we offer expanded delivery options to include the communication of a Live Message to receptionists and PA’s. Some clients resist the idea , feeling that this affects their absolute control of the message content. Personally, I disagree since our client’s sign off on the exact scripting. The best messages of this sort are those which are reduced to the key information that will be recorded on the message pad. Now that’s absolute control.
The irony of any resistance to a Live Message delivery made to receptionists and PA’s is that the response rate for this type of delivery is at least 3 times higher than a voicemail response. Why? We don’t know for certain, but logically, it’s a reflection of the nature of the businesses that don’t use voicemail and the people working there (they tend to be a little more “old school”) and perhaps our clients also benefit from the necessary brevity of messages that need to be hand written.
Yet another option which has offered some clients an excellent response rate is the delivery of a Live Message, directly to their target contacts. Again, 100% scripting control is available, but this service also allows for a short, controlled and highly desirable dialogue. For example, on campaigns supporting sales initiatives, from cold calls to agreement renewals or customer revitalization campaigns, the call center agent can offer a live follow up option from the sales representative on whose behalf they are delivering the message. Just think of it as opportunistic appointment setting. Event and other invitation and reminder calls can secure either a registration or RSVP.
Consider that in campaigns that include Live Message and Live Message to Target, outcomes like elevated response rates, booked appointments and event registrations – all of which are incredibly desirable outcomes- are the alternatives to a non-delivery.
With list and database degradation caused by takeovers, closures and layoffs, making every possible delivery has a real impact on the ROI of each campaign. Even if all delivery types were created equal (which they are not) the extra 10-15% of contacts that are made are well worth the investment. And given that the alternative delivery methods often pull higher response rates and higher value responses , their impact on the overall campaign results can be significant.