Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

When's The Best Time To Call Your Customers?

Do you call your customers? Do you wonder if you're allowed to call your customers? If you're not sure, it's hardly surprising. Rules governing who you can call and who you can't are a veritable patchwork of state and federal standards you must follow, in addition to any internal rules your company may have.

So – once and for all – you can call your customers, even if they are on the federal “do not call” list, if you have an existing business relationship with them, which means you must have done business with that customer some time in the previous 18 months. Provided that customer hasn't requested that you not call them.

The bigger question is...should you call your customers? Yes, says new research, but only if what you have to tell them is relevant to them.

New research from outsourcing giant Convergys finds that customers actually welcome proactive outreach from companies with which they have done business, but only when those companies make the interaction relevant by first understanding the consumer’s individual needs and interests.

So how do you make sure what you have to say is relevant to your customers? Analytics, of course.

Convergys “2011 U.S. Customer Scorecard Research” provides an in-depth view of contact preferences – by topic and channel – and explains the importance of analytics tools that help you understand your customers and determine when the best time to market to them is, and with what information. The report found that customers are happiest to hear from you at the following times:

• 60 percent of consumers want to be informed of excessive or unusual usage or fraud, and about special offers and discounts;
• 51 percent want to learn about product/service upgrades;
• 43 percent say it’s “okay” to contact them for feedback on the quality of service; and
• 41 percent approve of a reminder about a payment or deadline renewal.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.

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Tracey Schelmetic is a contributing editor for ContactCenterSolutions. To read more of Tracey's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Jennifer Russell