Telemarketing today

The evolution of telemarketing has been dramatic in recent years. The business does not only become activities that traditionally has focused – telecommunications, banking, insurance…-, but also has been incorporated into new fronts: service companies, automotive… Thus, the telemarketing has become an outsourcing service that provides ever more added values. Maybe that is the reason why has become so popular in recent years!

 According to Laurent Etcheverry, director general of IFAES, organizer of the Salon of the Call Center (www.ifaes. com), “the sector experienced a very strong growth until 2000, stagnated in 2001. Today continues to grow, although at one slower pace than before”. María de el Pino, Director of unison (www. unisono.es), adds that “is a sector which, in some ways, is alien to the cycles of the economy: grows both in good times and during the crisis”.

OPPORTUNITIES

One of the opportunities that emphasizes Etcheverry in the telemarketing business is “the incorporation of the SMEs. This may be a niche market for small platforms that focus your business into these companies”.

THREATS

But as it grows and evolves the sector, so do the threats that surround it. Among them, the relocation by cheap labor in other countries (up to 30%). However, the socio-cultural characteristics influence customers when choosing your telemarketing company and it is, in part, that may slow the flight of businesses to other countries. Another threat to the sector is the price war, which resulted in decrease

the profitability of the companies. “It can be harmful to the market in the medium term,” said Etcheverry. And María de el Pino says that “profitability has fallen from 5% to 1.8%, approximately, by the increase of salaries – around 35% – as a result of the regulation of the labour agreement. To be so abrupt increase not is has been able to move all rise customers”. On the other hand, we must not forget the automation process of the voice that the sector is suffering. Systems that replace labour and deal directly with the customer.

TECHNOLOGY

You have to know to take advantage of the technological resources to improve productivity and quality of the service provided. Luis Bayo, deputy general director of Infinity, details the basic elements:

A private telephone exchange, which computes the phone calls.

A CTI server, giving the orders for the sending of information to different positions of the agents.

An ACD module, which distributes the telephone traffic, email, fax, chats between the different agents and shared browsing sessions.

An interactive system response of voice (IVR), for calls that do not require the presence of an agent, and a CRM application that integrates the telephone information such as CTI, as well as other communication channels that have been emerging.