We’ve been speaking to some of our agency and branch colleagues that have been particularly successful with outbound calls, to find out what works for them and any tips they can share.

Richard Fry, Retail Area Manager – East Anglia, sets the scene…

“Outbound calls are a really good opportunity to connect with members and usually ones that we don’t get to see face to face. We often find they’re delighted to speak to us and appreciate it when we take time to contact them. It sets us apart from competitors and shows we’ve not forgotten about them.”

This was also echoed by Church Stretton agency

“Most of our customers comment on the personal touch of having someone from their local agency calling them - this does not happen with many companies nowadays. Even customers that have moved a long distance from us, still like us to get in touch. It helps to build and continue that bond. We find loyalty accounts are always well received, and we generally have a good uptake on these.”

What are we trying to achieve with outbound calls?

• Retain business and follow up on marketing communications which could encourage further investment
• An opportunity to impress members, build deeper relationships and get known for great service

Richard’s top tips

1. Commit to the calls – put time aside, it should be seen as part of the business day rather than an add on. Wigan agency have had success doing just that “we prioritise calls every day once we are quiet, or if we have spare staff we take turns doing them.  We all do the calls to keep our skills and knowledge up and use them as an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of being an agency brings, such as longer opening hours including Saturdays.”
2. Preparation - assign the right number of colleagues to make the calls. We’ve got experienced colleagues, so they’re the best people to have these conversations and to have the impact. We might have 30 calls to make but for each customer they get just one call, so it needs to feel special and focused.
3. Invest in quality calls – support colleagues so they are prepared. Look at how to introduce conversations and use the guidance available. It can be useful to practice with the manager or another colleague, it helps get the call right and you in the right mindset. Leicester Gipsy Lane agency added “we’ll look at other accounts the customer has with us and then look at the options available to them before calling the customer if they have opted in to be contacted. It is beneficial for us to remind customers they have a maturity coming up, or if there are newer products that they can apply for too.”

Encouraging customers to opt into marketing communication can really make a difference

Being able to have conversations about other products and services is really beneficial. Something that’s recognised by the Wilmslow agency “In appointments we always encourage contact by e-mail and telephone especially as we explain they’ll appear on the outbound call lists and they’ll get a reminder from us when their maturity comes around. Customers welcome this personal approach and they know its genuine when we ring as they usually recognise our voices.”

Summary - its quality not quantity

• Have the right people and time allocated – make it part of the day not an add on
• Prepare for calls – have some background on the customer and some handy phrases noted to help conversations
• Encourage sign up to marketing communications where possible – it means you can have fuller conversations, which may be able to help the customers financial situation further

Where to find out more

The guidance for agencies on outbound calls is really useful and definitely worth a quick recap:

• Aims and principles of outbound calls
• Types of calls
• General standards – which include when to call and who you can call
• What you must do opening and during a call
• Leaving a voice mail
• Closing a call