Everyone knows what's going on right now. Nobody is sure when it's going to end, and how. The best you can do is adapt and learn.
Issue №1:
Now there are no meetings, conferences, or exhibits. How to network and meet new prospects? Should you just hand over the reins to your digital marketing team?
Answer: Digital Marketing is a key component of business growth and development but it is not, nor it should be, the only one you rely on.
Your using algorithms, post content, email chains, social media, and it's all well and good but it won't replace the actual conversation with your client.
You can't talk to them in person? Pick up a phone and call them.
Yeah, that's right, you heard me. Phone calls got a bad rep over the course of the late XX century because of the "Sell by any means possible" mindset cultivated by "wolves of Wall Street". Technical progress, including cheaper and more reliable VoIP calls, and robocalling, did not help.
But it's not actually any different than talking to the client one-on-one. You wouldn't grab a random person on the streets to pitch your product, would you? You have a reason for contacting them. You have some pre-established relationships. That's what you need to capitalize on.
Solution: a virtual phone number, preferably from the same country/city your customer base is, and outgoing minutes package to cut down on costs.
More about virtual phone numbers
Issue №2:
Your team never worked remotely before. Whether it's because of your corporate culture or issues of security, now you have no other choice and no experience with actually managing a remote team. How to make sure the efficiency won't drop?
Answer: There a lot of great instruments to track productivity but in regards to VoIP, that's what can give you an edge:
1) Call Statistics
Check how do you and your team adapt to new circumstances with your Call Statistics. You can check overall results or filter by an agent, sort the data for your convenience and
2) Call Recording
Quality of service is always important, especially when times are tough. The tool that will help you to keep your standards up and, in fact, improve it is call recording.
Pro-tip: use the Call Statistics tool to check the calls that are much longer or shorter than average. It's usually a sign that the agent talking to a client is struggling to be concise or fails to spark interest in your product or service.
3) Conference Calls
You need to be sure everyone is still on the same page. Sure, you can use Zoom for conferences, or Viber/Telegram/Whatsapp for one-on-one communique, yet you won't be able to keep the recording of those conversations. Don't rely on memory, keep everything that was said by using conference calls + call recording.
4) IVR menu and/or call routing
Rout the calls to your team by setting up a smart IVR menu and/or automatic call distribution. Make sure the calls go where they need to and the workload is evenly distributed for the maximum efficiency.
Solution: IP PBX to get those services for free for the first month, and in a cost-efficient package for the rest.
Issue №3:
The global economy is on the verge of crisis. People are spending less, profits are dropping. Not everyone will get through it, that much is obvious. What should you do to ensure you will get through to the other side no worse, and, in fact, better than you were?
Answer: It may seem counter-intuitive, but that's the time for smart growth. Your competition is closing down? That's a share of a market that is yours for the taking. Think about how you can manage that. What part of your product or services is going to be essential for your customers? Focus on that. Yes, even if you are selling something silly like balloons for parties. People still need joy in their lives, perhaps, now more than ever. You can literally deliver it to them, with the emphasis on delivery.
But what about the costs?
VoIP is already the cheapest way to communicate with your customers by phone, especially with your International client base. Also, Freezvon offers packages for outgoing calls that will allow you to use lower outgoing call rates. We also have discount programs and provide IP PBX for any remote-working company for free for the first month to help you adjust.
