3 Little-Known Benefits of Outsourcing Your Appointment Setting Services

Is your sales team handling their own appointment setting? You might think this is best. After all, why pay for appointment setting services when it’s a simple task your reps can manage themselves?

There’s a reason (a few, actually!) that high-quality outsourced call centers offer both appointment setting and lead generation. So, what is appointment setting, and how does it differ from lead gen? Let’s compare:

• Appointment generation is the process of gathering and contacting qualified leads to schedule a sales meeting. These prospects are further down the sales pipeline than leads and more likely to turn into customers.
• Lead generation is the start of the sales journey. It involves attracting consumers interested in your products or services through marketing (e.g., social media, SEO, email marketing, referrals, and pay-per-click ads).

Still not sold on the value of appointment setting services? Perhaps you’re thinking:

• “An outsourced call center won’t get me qualified appointments—and even if they do, they’re unlikely to convert.”
• “Scheduling prospect meetings is quick and easy. Our salespeople can handle it.”
• “Sales reps should set their own meetings to provide the best customer experience.”

But consider the valuable time your sales team spends on this process—when they could be focusing on closing deals! 

Unsurprisingly, 40% of appointments are booked after business hours. Plus, clients make 46% of all appointments online, while employees book 54%. Do you have the bandwidth to take calls after hours? To manage the influx of meeting requests from various channels?

Discover how outsourced appointment setting can bring in qualified leads, streamline the process, and give your customers a memorable experience.

QUALITY: Book Qualified Leads Through Outsourced Appointment Setting Services

Let’s start by busting that first misconception that an outsourced call center won’t bring in qualified leads. In fact, it’s the opposite.

While there are similarities between the skills and processes involved in sales and appointment setting, the latter has one goal: to get a meeting on the calendar! That’s why top-notch B2B appointment-setting services excel at getting qualified leads into your pipeline. They close the gap between marketing campaigns and sales teams by:

• Learning your ideal customer’s characteristics and needs and asking the right questions
• Using persuasive language and addressing objections to land sales meetings
• Understanding your company’s sales process and how to nurture leads down-funnel
• Knowing your industry, products, and/or services so they can speak to their benefits and answer questions

An appointment setting company generates better-qualified leads faster and gives your sales representatives valuable insights. At Chameleon, for example, we share common questions, concerns, and feedback with our clients so they can adjust their solutions based on customer needs.

EFFICIENCY: Save Your Sales Team Hours While Increasing Reach

If your internal sales team currently sets their own appointments, they likely engage in a lot of phone tag and email back-and-forth. Is that really how you want your closers to spend their valuable time?

Appointment scheduling services dedicate professionals and resources to:

• Free up your sales team to focus on selling and strengthening existing customer relationships 
• Free up your customer service team to focus on customer queries and satisfaction
• Empower your business to scale faster by generating high-quality leads more efficiently
• Track customer data and make strategic moves accordingly to support your goals

Outsourced call centers are equipped with and trained in the latest technology. They complete appointment-related tasks more quickly than your in-house team, who would have to learn the ins and outs of these tools.

As we mentioned earlier, appointment setting services have:

• Proven systems in place that work like a well-oiled machine
• Scripts and techniques they will customize for your business 
• Experience across many industries
• Prospect list-building methods to reach your target market

However, if you handle this internally, your team must develop, test, and adjust these essential items. And you have to watch as your sales reps’ time flies out the window!

Research shows acquiring a new customer costs 5 to 25 times more than retaining an existing one! Your sales team’s primary responsibility should be existing customer relationship management. You’ll boost their satisfaction and loyalty by consistently checking in with current customers. Plus, you’ll increase sales and each customer’s value by cross-selling and upselling.

BETTER NURTURE: Create an Excellent (Potential) Customer Experience

Of course, your company needs new clients to grow—but your busy salespeople can’t always give qualified leads sufficient attention. One study found that while 80% of sales require an average of five call follow-ups, 44% of sales representatives give up after the first call.

Simply put, a poor prospective customer experience can lead to missed opportunities and damage your brand reputation. Prospects will feel you don’t value them and quickly take their business elsewhere.

With a partner dedicated to booking sales meetings, you can ensure an exceptional experience for every potential customer. They know all appointment setting best practices and make a positive first impression on your prospects by: 

• Guiding and educating them about your solution and business confidently
• Presenting your brand in an appealing, professional light
• Creating a seamless appointment setting process
• Engaging with leads personally to nurture them along the buyer’s journey

Overall, a high-quality appointment setting process sets the tone with prospective customers and builds those relationships. They will feel valued and happy with the attentive and speedy service. This tees them up for your sales team, making it that much easier for them to close the deal!

Final Thoughts on Outsourcing Your Appointment Setting Services

Although your in-house customer service or sales representatives could manage the appointment setting process, it doesn’t mean they should. Consider:

• The current quality of and challenges with your leads—and how dedicated specialists could increase your qualified leads
• How much time scheduling sales meetings takes up—and how an appointment setting service could free up their time for their high-value core responsibilities
• The potential opportunities your business could be missing out on without a solid process—and how the right partner could help you create an excellent customer experience from the first touch

While many outsourced call centers provide these solutions, you must find the best fit for your business. Contemplate the appointment setting services’ cost, quality, and values to confirm they align with your company and goals. 
Learn more about Chameleon’s appointment setting services, or contact us today for a glimpse of what it could do for your team!