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Telephone Surveys - Follow-Up Customer Satisfaction Surveys

By
Lee Simonson
on May 20, 2013 8:07 AM | | TrackBacks (0)
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In this competitive business environment, it is crucial that you continue to interact with customers post-purchase.  Customer satisfaction surveys fit the bill.  Not only is it another "touch" with the customer, but you can gather valuable information from them that will help you measure and improve your performance for future customers.

Automated phone surveys are a simple and inexpensive way to conduct customer satisfaction surveys.  There is no need to hire personnel or purchase extra equipment to conduct the surveys.  The entire system for sending automated surveys is fully hosted and in-the-cloud.  All you need to do is create a survey script that will help you gather the information that would be most useful to you.  

While surveys should gather useful information, they should also be as brief as possible so that you do not lose your customers' attention.  Most people do not mind answering 2-4 brief questions, but lengthy surveys will discourage people from answering the entire survey.  So plan your script carefully to generate the greatest feedback.

Survey questions are answered by your callees pressing keys on their touch tone phone, so be sure to make the answer choices very clear.  For example, "How would you rate the overall performance of your salesperson, for excellent press 1, for average press 2, for poor press 3."

When sending out your calls, you will, in all likelihood, reach a certain number of answering machines or voicemails.  Obviously machines cannot respond to a survey.  You have two options for dealing with this.  1) You can choose to just have the call disconnected, or 2) You can leave a different message on their voicemail such as "This is ABC company just calling to follow up on your recent purchase. We are sorry that we missed you, but if you have any issues or concerns please feel free to call us as 123-456-7890.  We would like to make sure that you are completely satisfied with your purchase.  Thank you."

For live answers, you may want to give the survey respondent the ability to press a key to speak with a live operator, at the end of the survey, if they have an issue or comment to make.  Once they press the key, the call can be immediately transferred to your customer service department.

Give us a call at 888-387-8636.  Set up is fast and easy and you can start seeing your real-time results online in no time.  Knowing what your customers are thinking is the key to your future success, and phone surveys can provide you an excellent solution when it comes to gathering important data and opinions.

Click on Phone Surveys at the top of this page, or click here:  http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_survey_polling.html

Telephone Polling - Automated Surveys Over the Phone Preferred

By
Lee Simonson
on May 19, 2013 8:05 AM | | TrackBacks (0)
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There are three compelling reasons why businesses, associations, and political organizations, are turning to automated telephone surveys to gather opinions and polling data.  Automated surveys use pre-recorded questions to survey subjects who answer by pressing numbers on their phone keypads.  For example, "Do you like vanilla ice cream?  Press 1 for yes, 2 for no."

(You can get more detailed information by clicking the "Phone Surveys" link at the top of this page.)

1)  The first reason automated phone polling has become so popular is because it becoming more and more difficult to reach people who actually answer the phone.  It is estimated that approximately 70% of American households are vacant during the day and a large portion of the evening -- and that's just the households that still have a landline phone to call.  A growing percentage of households have cut the cord completely and communicate only on cell phones.  In a nutshell, hiring a live agent to make dozens of call to find a person who not only answers the phone, but is interested in cooperating by participating in a poll or survey, is challenging to say the least.  Automated polling is substantially faster and more efficient, not only in terms of phone dialing capacity, but in quickly gathering enough results to have your results statistically valid.  (It should be noted that is against the law to auto-dial cell phones.)

2)  Money is always an issue, and when it comes to getting the most bang-per-buck, you can't beat automating your survey process.  Comparing automated polling with polling with live agents is like comparing apples with oranges.  Retaining the services of a dial-out call center is expensive and your per-person survey cost could be dozens, even hundreds of times, more costly than having your questions broadcast with a online dialer.  

3)  Automated phone surveys also eliminate possible bias on the part of the your agent.  An agent may be having a bad day for any number of reasons, or may not even like his or her job.  Those subtle, or not-to-subtle, feelings can have an impact on those you are calling.  It happens at times -- your survey participants just don't like the person who is asking the questions.  They might talk too fast, or talk too slow, or might be hard to understand.  Whatever the reason, an automated poll resolves any "human issues" that crop up and your participants can answer the questions at their own pace and level of satisfaction.

Polling your members, constituents, or customers, shouldn't be difficult.  Here at Monarch Broadcast, we have paved the way for you to get your polling and survey results quickly, easily and at a price that fits the most conservative budgets.

Give us a call today at 888-387-8636 and let us show you how you can incorporate the latest polling techniques into your continuing efforts to improve your operations.  You can also get more information at our Phone Survey page by clicking here:  http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_survey_polling.html

Conducting Phone Surveys - Why They Work and How They Can Help

By
Lee Simonson
on May 18, 2013 9:37 AM |
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Surveying opinions has been going on for centuries.  Fortunately, technology has always marched on, and today's surveyors have a tremendous advantage over their colleagues just a few years ago.  Currently, the latest survey technology can be found "in the cloud" and can be easily accessed online.  Better yet, compiling data can be done in the fraction of the time it used to take.  Moreover, the accuracy of your results have improved because of the targeting of survey participants.

You can more detailed project information at our Phone Survey page, by clicking here: http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_survey_polling.html

Meanwhile, here are some of the things you'll need to consider for conducting surveys, particularly automated surveys over the phone.

1)  Live agents vs. pre-recorded surveying:  Yes, live operators have more control over the line of questioning and can adapt the survey "on the fly" getting a personal sense and reaction of the survey subject.  However, live operator surveys cost substantially more to engage in your project.  Chances are, you can obtain the same results for much less using a pre-recorded survey that is self-directed on the part of your target audience.  Our company, Monarch Broadcast Messaging, does offer live agent calling for political polling purposes, but the vast majority of our clients prefer automated phone surveys because they are much faster and less expensive than hiring a staff to do outbound calling.  In a nutshell, you can cover a lot more ground by phone broadcasting a survey to thousands in minutes versus calling and talking to hundreds, or just dozens of people manually with live operators in the same amount of time.

2)  Query branching:  It's amazing what state-of-the-art surveying technology can accomplish these days.  Gathering data can be tricky at times, and the answer to one question can determine what question to ask next.  For example, "Do you like apple pie?"  The answer can be yes or no.  If the answer is no, the next question could be, "Do you like cake?"  However, if the answer is yes, the next question could be, "Do you prefer your apple pie warm or cold?"  That process is called "branching" or "skip logic" and can be easily applied to your survey program.  It "drills down" and gets more detailed information, at a faster pace, than other methods.

3)  Trying to direct people to your webpage to take a survey is an effort in futility.  Don't have people come to you.  It's best if you go to them.  And the best way to reach people personally is by phone -- everyone has one!  However, your phone list is the key to a successful survey project and how you compile your list can spell all the difference in the world.  You also have to remember that you cannot use an automated dialing system to send any kind of message to a cell phone.  (The exception is cell numbers that have opted-in to your list.  If you want to call cell phone numbers in the future, you are well advised to start create a permission based opt-in system that can capture those cell phone numbers for future calls or text messages.)

These are just some of the considerations you will need to take into account when it comes to designing your survey program.  Your best bet is to just give a call at here at Monarch Broadcast at 888-387-8636 and work with you to put together a telephone survey that will provide you the data you need to manage and prepare your organization for the future.

How to Set Up a Telephone Opinion Survey

By
Lee Simonson
on May 17, 2013 12:54 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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The key to any successful enterprise, be it a business, association, or political organization, is to know what your customers, members and constituents are thinking at any given time.  Today's thoughts and opinions are old news by tomorrow, so getting the latest views is critically important to your success.

Setting up a phone survey is relatively easy here at Monarch Broadcast.  In fact, our professionally trained staff does the bulk of the work for you.  However, there are a few pieces of information that we do need from you.  Here are some of the questions we will ask you:

1) Do you have a list of phone numbers that you want to contact?  What kind of format is that list in?

2) What will be the theme of your survey?  How many questions would you like to ask?  The more we know about the information you would like to gather, the better we can advise you.

3) Do you have a written script of your survey and the answer choices?  It is important to map out your script carefully so that you gather the information that is most useful to you.

4) Do you have the ability to send us recorded audio files of your questions?  Or do you want us to use our voice talent to ask the questions?  We can also do the recordings with you over the phone as well.

5) If you reach a voicemail, rather than a live individual, do you want the call to just disconnect or do you want to leave an entirely different message?

6) Do you want to play the questions sequentially, or do you want to have branching?  Branching is the ability to tailor subsequent questions based on previous responses.

7) What date(s) and time frame(s) do you want the calls to be sent, and how many attempts would you like us to make to reach numbers that are not live answers.

Once we have that information, we can set up your survey for you and test it with you to make sure it runs smoothly and gathers the proper information.  Bottom line:  There is no equipment, hardware or software costs involved.  We have everything already set up, and best of all, you only pay for time on our system you use -- no more or less.

So give us a call today at 888-387-8636 and let us show you how you can get the latest "pulse" by compiling real time survey results online with our phone survey service.  You can also get more information by going directly to our Phone Survey page by clicking here: http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_survey_polling.html

Hosting a Town Hall Meeting Over the Phone

By
Lee Simonson
on April 30, 2013 6:27 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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Maybe you've received a call asking you to join a town hall meeting.  The recording invites you to join by staying on the line and in a few seconds you find yourself a participant in a huge virtual meeting with several thousand or more people.  The host introduces him or herself and might even take questions.  The whole thing is a very convenient way to stay in the loop in the comfort of your home or office.

If you are an political office holder or candidate, or a leader of a non-profit organization or association, or the head of a corporation interested in keeping its customers or investors informed, you have probably thought about the idea of hosting a town hall meeting over the phone.

Quite simply, it is the easiest, fastest and least expensive way to get hundreds or thousands of people on the same page.  Think of it as having your own radio show over the telephone.  The town hall teleconference technology can dial hundreds of people every minute resulting in a conference call that can easily host all of your members or constituents.

With online controls, you can do all sorts of things... You can see in real time the number of people who are joining your call (and leaving your call).  You can take instant polls ("If you like Apple pie, press 1.  If you don't, press 2.)  You can even take questions from conference participants.  There is a screening feature that is included so you can keep everyone on track and focused on the topic of your choice without getting side tracked.

Best of all, the cost of hosting a town hall teleconference, also known as Tele Town Hall®, is a fraction of what it would cost to have the same number of people situated in a large conference or convention center.  And that doesn't even count the huge transportation expenses it requires to fly people in from all over the country, or world.

We stand ready to assist you in getting started with this amazing technology.  You can give us a call at 888-387-8636 or click on this Town Hall Teleconference link to go to our product informational page.  This will transform the way you think about communications and will enable you to handle your outreach communications with much more clarity and impact.

Tele-Town Hall ®: 4 Things You Should Know Before Conducting a Virtual Meeting

By
Lee Simonson
on April 18, 2013 12:11 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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Mass communication can take on several forms, but Tele-Town Hall ® technology is unquestionably the most effective way to virtually engage an audience of thousands.  It is, quite literally, a town hall style meeting on a telephone conference call that can accommodate any number of people, from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands.

This technology is being embraced not only for political outreach, but for association and corporate purposes as well.  It is an ideal way for non-profit groups and businesses to provide important updates and to enable stakeholders to engage their leadership and express their thoughts and opinions.

Best of all, your constituents, members, or interested parties, don't have to remember when to dial into the conference.  The system dials-out to them.  Everyone just picks up the phone and is asked if they want to join your call.  If they want to participate, they just need to stay on the line.  They can also simply hang up if they are unable to participate at that time.  (Some clients have found it useful to send a phone message a day beforehand, to let people know a conference is scheduled and to expect to receive an invite.  Many look forward to the call and joining the conference.)

Tele-Town Hall ® is one of the many services we offer here at Monarch Broadcast and here is a quick review on how it all works:

1)  There is no equipment or software to purchase.  The service can be accessed online so you only need a regular phone and an Internet connection.  We can set up your account within a couple of minutes and there are no start-up costs, and we also schedule your event on the date and time that you want.

2)  Once you have your account, we give you one-on-one training so you know exactly what to do when your Tele-Town Hall ® starts.

3)  Next, prepare your phone list in a regular spreadsheet.  Many additional fields can also be accommodated such as name, address, city, zip, state, company etc.  Phone numbers, including area code, should be in one column.  If you are wanting to reach a specific demographic, you can target your list to reach that group. Your list can then be emailed to us, to upload into your account.

4) Finally, your prompts need to be recorded.  Your prompts are the messages that we will deliver to live answers and answering machines when we dial out to your list to invite them to participate.  The live answers will be invited to join the conference.  Answering machine answers will receive a message that essentially says "sorry we missed you" and identifies who was calling and the purpose of the call.  Either way, your audience will know that you reached out to engage them.

There are a number of advantages this amazing technology offers.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

The system can dial hundreds of phone numbers simultaneously, so when you start your conference you can expect to see a large number of people joining very quickly.  The system gives you real-time statistics so that you can see how many people are on your call at any time.  Please remember that people will be joining, and leaving, your call at all times.

One of the strongest benefits of this technology is that it's interactive!  Yes, you can open your conference up and allow participants to ask questions and share thoughts one at a time.  You have complete control of the muting and unmuting of each individual.  In addition, there is a "screening" feature that will enable you screen each person who wants to ask a question, if you choose, which enables you to verify their name as well as identifying the topic they want to address. Then, those callers are put into a queue and you can choose whom you are interested in speaking to in front of your audience.  There is even a live survey/polling feature that can provide you instant results, as your audience "votes" by pressing numbers of their keypad.  For example, "Do you like to have ice cream with your apple pie?  If yes, press #1.  If no, press #2."  You can report the results in a few seconds to your entire conference.  The survey feature can provide valuable data about your audiences' mindset.

Here at Monarch, our clients have the benefit of personal hands-on customer support including full training.  We look forward to serving you and promise that you'll have the benefit of the most robust technology, combined with superior customer service.

Give us a call at 888-387-8636 and let us help you expand your outreach and improve your communications program.  You can get more information here:  http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/town_hall_teleconference.htmlhttp://www.monarchbroadcast.com/town_hall_teleconference.html

Robocalls For Political Campaigns, Candidates and Races

By
Lee Simonson
on March 13, 2013 1:43 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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While most campaign spending is on mass media like television and radio, those advertisements are mostly wasted since the majority of people who watch television and radio don't vote.

Robocalls for political campaigns are an effective way for candidates to reach targeted constituencies. In fact, it is probably the least expensive way to get a message out to prime voters -- voters who are known to make it to the polls to cast their ballot. Robocalling is also called phone broadcasting or call blasting. We here at Monarch Broadcast Messaging specialize in political robo call services.

However, phone lists can be isolated to identify registered voters, likely voters, party affiliation and even demographic information like age and neighborhood.
Very simply, with robocalling, candidates are enabled to send different targeted messages to different groups of people -- aimed specifically at issues that need to be addressed to each group.

And unlike working with printed materials or mailings which take several weeks lead time, you can produce a robocall campaign in a fraction of the time.

If you are a candidate, or work for one, here are a few tips to keep in mind to optimize the success of your campaign:

Robcalls are very good for two specific objectives. First, for personally thanking voters for their support and to remind them to get out and vote. And second, to respond to last minute attacks by your opponent.

For the purposes of thanking voters, be sure to keep your message short and repeat your name twice. For example, "Hi, I'm glad I was able to reach you. This is Tom Smith, and I wanted to personally thank you for the tremendous support you've given me during the campaign. I hope I can count on your continued support at the polls on Tuesday. Again, this is Tom Smith, and I look forward to working with you as your next legislator. Thank you."

For the purposes of responding to last minute attacks, you can say something like this: "Hi, I'm glad I was able to reach you. This is Tom Smith and I just saw that commercial my opponent is using against me. I just wanted to personally tell you am I appalled at this type of campaigning, not only because people are tired of it, but more importantly because it's not true. I refuse to get in the gutter and say the same types of things against my opponent. We need a higher level of civility and discourse during campaigns. Again, this is Tom Smith, thanking you for your support and reminding you to be sure to vote on Tuesday. I look forward to working with you as your next legislator."

Also, it is very important that you leave as many messages on answering machines as you can, so as to not interrupt the personal time of the voters. That means you should place your calls during the day, when about 70% of the homes are vacant. Voters can listen to your message later at their convenience.

Overall, robocalls for political campaigns are an extremely powerful tool and have to be used properly to engender support. (If not used properly, the use of the technology can actually backfire.) So, start planning your robocall campaign early and design a program that will maximize your message, target the right groups, and get out the vote.

Click here to get more details on how we can help you with your political robo calls:

Broadcast Voicemail - Blasting Prerecorded Messages: Monarch Broadcast

By
Lee Simonson
on March 13, 2013 1:34 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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Broadcast voicemail services are an ideal way to blast messages to reach hundreds, even thousands, of people simultaneously with important notifications, alerts, reminders and offers.

While email is less expensive, broadcast voicemail has several advantages including reaching your contacts faster, conveying a high sense of importance and urgency, and having a higher deliverability rate than email.

There are many applications where broadcast voicemail works very well, particularly in the non-profit, education, emergency, and business fields. For example, you can record your message over the phone, upload your phone list online (Excel spreadsheets work well) and instantly alert thousands about schedule changes, college or school closings, bulletins, emergency notices.

Your voicemail blast can also be used to remind students about application and payment deadlines, or even alumni events and fundraisers. And since everyone has a phone these days, you have a higher "penetration" rate in getting through to people, versus email which is only checked sporadically and may get caught in spam filters.

Broadcast voicemail can be sent to both people who answer the phone directly, or left on their voicemail answering machines or services. Either way, your message is assured of quickly being delivered to your intended recipient.

There is no need to go to the expense of buying expensive broadcast voicemail hardware and software, or even to maintain a number of separate phone lines. Today, services are available that enable you to tap into massive systems that have already been built and are ready to use on a moment's notice. Think "time share" and for a relatively inexpensive rate, you can share large systems with other users doing the same thing. In effect, you can accomplish the thing at the fraction of the cost of developing, maintaining and using your own inhouse system. Outsourcing can be done a virutal basis and everything you need to get done can be done on the phone and online.

Colleges and universities use broadcast voicemail for such things as recruiting, student follow ups, reminders and promotions. High school and central school districts use it for school cancellation notices, meeting announcements and to update staff. You can store any number of targeted lists in your account and use them at anytime. You can upload new lists at any time and change your pre-recorded messages any time you want. Calls can be broadcasted immediately or at specific times in the future.

Overall, using broadcast voicemail to deliver prerecorded messages can be a very effective way to communicate with large audiences. Not only is it inexpensive compared to such methods as direct mail, but it much faster and carries more of an impact than other medium.

You can get more valuable information about how we can help you with your next broadcast voicemail project here:  http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_broadcasting.html

Call Blasting Phone Messages For Fast Delivery - Monarch Broadcast

By
Lee Simonson
on March 13, 2013 1:29 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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Whether you need to blast out emergency alerts, school closings, airline schedules changes, product recall notices, or service confirmations, our online services are easy to use, either on a do-it-yourself basis or with professional assistance.

Call blasting phone messages, which does not require any investment in equipment or special software, really requires only two things -- a list of phone numbers you want to reach, and a message that you want to record. With those two things in hand, you've completed most of the work involved.

Your list of phone numbers for a call blast should be in a simple Excel file. Be sure you have a current list of phone numbers and look at your list to make sure that you have a 10 digit number, including area code, for each contact.

The message you want to send is the most important part of your preparation, and probably the area where most people fail to get the most out of their call blast. Draft a message and read through it so that you are comfortable with it, prior to recording. Your message should be simple and to the point, and be sure to identify yourself and what you are calling about, so that you can capture your recipients' attention. For most purposes, keep your message length between 30-60 seconds so that your recipients don't become frustrated with too much information.

When you are satisfied with your message, it's time to record. How the recording is managed is highly dependent upon your service provider and the type of service they provide -- self service or full service. Some service providers ask you to call into a toll free number and follow the prompts, while others will actually call you to do the recording and walk you through the entire process. When you are doing the recording, speak clearly and distinctly, and don't rush your message.

Once your list and recording are in hand, you are ready to send your call blast. The process for that is highly variable. Some providers have an online portal for you to login to and launch the call blast yourself, while others will launch it for you on the date and time you designate. Whatever your preferences are, call blasting phone messages can be designed to suit your purpose and provide you with a convenient and cost effective to reach out to thousands of contacts at once.

You can get more valuable information about how we can help you with your next call blasting project here:   http://www.monarchbroadcast.com/phone_broadcasting.html

Phone Blast Delivers Messages Instantly - Monarch Broadcast

By
Lee Simonson
on March 13, 2013 1:20 PM | | TrackBacks (0)
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If you are looking for the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to deliver pre-recorded messages, welcome to Monarch Broadcast Messaging.

When you outsource your project to us, you won't need any equipment, hardware or software. You can reach thousands of contacts in minutes and delivery notifications, reminders, emergency announcements, cancellations, schedule changes, or anything else you want.

Phone blast technology exists that can deliver your messages instantly.  You can proceed on a pay-as-you-go basis, so the only really need two things -- first, a script of your message that you can record over the phone, and second, a list of phone numbers of your contacts you can upload online. Then, decide when you want to send your message and that's it.

Under the new laws regulating the field, it is legal to send "informational" messages. However, if you are selling goods or services, you now need written consent from those you are calling. The old Do Not Call List is still active, however it has been made obsolete by the new laws which are much more restrictive. Even if a person's number is not on the Do Not Call list, you still need written permission to send a blast voicemail. So now is the time to begin collecting phone numbers of prospects and customers along with a consent from them to enable you to call them in the future.

On the other hand, blast voicemail is seeing a dramatic increase in usage among non-profit institutions like schools, colleges and universities that use it to get announcements out about such things as recruitment reminders, admission and payment deadlines, alumni events and emergencies. While many schools use email and texts to send messages, not everyone checks their email all the time, and a good deal of text messages are never delivered because they are lost or delayed in cyberspace. On the other hand, blast voicemail can be delivered to thousands of people within minutes and played to them if answered by a live person, or can be left on voicemail for later retrieval. A big advantage: Everyone is within arm's length of a phone these days.

You can also program your blast voicemail to include your number in the Caller ID, so your contacts will know you are calling, increasing your chances of getting your message heard.
Better yet, there is little or no ramp up time. Unlike printed materials that can take weeks to prepare and mail, broadcasting voicemail can be launched in minutes, ideal for last minute announcements that need to get out fast.

Overall, blast voicemail services can help you send critical communications quickly to your contacts for a fraction of the cost of sending direct mail. For just pennies per contact, you can reach thousands of people in minutes with your message. Getting started is surprisingly easy and a blast voicemail service bureau can help you get up and running in no time.

You can get more valuable information about how we can help you with your next phone blast project, click here:

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