March 2009 Archives

Computer phone dialer technology is keeping businesses ahead of the curve when it comes to staying compliant with the law.  New FTC laws are being implemented that will make it more and more difficult to send pre-recorded phone messages and use predictive dialing equipment for telemarketing campaigns.  This is over and above restrictions to the Do Not Call list.  One excellent alternative that is being used involves computer phone dialers that can enable a live outboard caller to increase productivity substantially by talking to live pick ups or leaving a personalized message.  The personalized message may say "Hi Joe, this is Larry from Acme Widgets.  Just wanted to let you know..."  And then the caller clicks a button on the computer and a recorded message seamlessly continue to talk in the callers voice.  Meanwhile, the caller is already on to the next call while the computer continues to leave the recorded message.  Computer phone dialing will grow in use and popularity for two reasons -- it's convenient and it saves a ton of money since no hardware or software needs to be purchased.  Interested?  Click on Online Phone Dialer above and get a free demo of this amazing technology.

When the real estate market tanked, being a mortgage broker was like trying to sell ice to Eskimos.  But things are turning around and the latest 30 year mortgage rates are reported to be around 4.75% -- an incredibly low interest rate that will have consumers back looking for bargains in the real estate market.  Low interest rates and low housing prices mean the mortgage brokers will be back in business big time.

Many large mortgage brokers have an extensive investment in phone hardware and predictive dialing equipment.  You'll see that changing for two reasons.  First, the law is cracking down on the "dead air" and "call abandonment" issues inherent with predictive dialing.  And second, the whole idea of call center hardware is being replaced by virtual online phone dialing -- where no hardware or software is needed.  Not only is everything being done online, but call productivity is increasing dramatically.  Using an online phone dialer is revolutionizing how mortgage brokers are conducting their campaigns, both from a legal point of view and what is in the best interest of the consumer.   Want more information?  Just click on the Online Phone Dialer link above and call for a free demo.

Telecommuting is becoming more and more popular as individuals and companies look for ways to reduce overhead costs.  If you are embarking on a more home based career, there are three tools you need to be effective.  The first of these is fax capability, because faxing still provides the hard copy that is needed for some business processes. To avoid purchasing a fax machine, supplies and the extra telephone line, our Fax2Mail solution gives you all the power of faxing in conjunction with your email address.  A fax number is linked to your email address and anytime someone faxes you, it will appear as a PDF attachment to a notification email.  Conversely, you can fax documents from your computer to other people's fax machines.  There are even options to sign documents with an electronic signature, which means no need to print and sign.  Fax2Mail is a tremendous time saving and organizational tool and allows you to keep all your documents in electronic format and in one place.  Give us call today and find out more about Fax2Mail and how it can help streamline your operations.

If you're making a large number of outbound calls, for sales, collections or for informational or reminder purposes, there is one business tool you need in your arsenal.  It's called Instant Daytime Dialer (IDD), and it's a virtual web based phone dialing service.  It's essentially an auto-dialer, but does not require your investment in hardware of software.  You only need a phone line and an Internet connection to tap into this powerful system.  Anyone that needs to make a large number of calls knows how often you reach voicemail rather than a live person.  And IDD helps you sort and deliver messages, or speak to a live person, at a much faster rate than a regular autodialer -- and far more economically!  For companies that have CRM programs already in place, IDD can be configured to work with almost any CRM program.  Give us a call today and we'll show you how it works.  Amazing!

Can you imagine setting up a call center or collection agency without paying a penny in long distance?  The latest technology allows you to do just that.

Moreover, your employees don't have to be in one physical location.  They can be spread out all over the place, including their own homes, as you monitor their activities and productivity.

As you know, the traditional business model for collection agencies and call centers called for a central locations because of the use of predictive dialers for outbound calls.  With the use of virtual web-based dialers, however, the power of auto phone dialers can now be harnessed by remote employees.  This allows collection agencies and call centers to bring on more employees in response to an increase in business, without having to worry about space limitations or dialing capacity.

You see how virtual web-based dialers work right here:

http://www.orangepoint.net/online_phone_dialer.html

Let's face it, voicemail is the bane of the live outbound call center industry.  They say over 70% of America's phones answer with a recorded greeting during the day.  So, you know right off the bat that you won't be able to speak to a live person with the vast majority of calls you place.  What if someone invented a way to enable a live outbound caller to leave a pre-recorded message on an answering machine while at the very same time, have the ability to talk to the next contact?  Pretty amazing!  Well, that phone dialing technology exists today and is available with our Virtual Web Based Dialer, otherwise known as Instant Daytime Dialer.  There's no equipment to buy, it's strictly a service that you use on a pay as you go basis.

Your live callers can double or triple their productivity because they don't have to wait for greetings to finish, nor do they have to spend time leaving the same message over and over again.  It can literally save 2 minutes per call.  Can you imagine how much time you can save when you already know you can't get to 70% of the people who are on your phone list?  This is changing the way call centers allocate resources and, for the first time, call center owners are seeing significant gains in a competitive industry where wins or losses can be determined by very small margins.  Get yourself a demo on how this can help you.  You won't look at power dialers or online phone dialers the same way again.

Most call center owners and operators like the idea of being able to physically oversee their call agents.  They get to see who's coming and going, who's working, who's at the water cooler, and if the company's work policies are being upheld.  Through a bunch of cubicles in a large room, hook up the phones, give the agents the lists and away you go.  However, there's a problem with that business model.  It's expensive.  The call center business isn't what it used to be.  First, there are new federal regulations and Do Not Call lists.  Second, call center hardware like furniture and telephone lines are costly.  Third, don't forget the rent.  And fourth, just because you spend a small fortune getting set up doesn't guarantee success.
That's why you'll see more and more call centers disengaging from the old fashioned model of having everyone in a one big room or floor of an office building.  With technology moving faster than our habits, you're going to see future call centers turning into call networks -- where the agents are scattered, with many even working from their homes.  The beauty of a virtual online calling system is that owners and managers can get on demand productivity reports -- you'll know each agent's numbers instantly -- even if they are working for you overseas.  So, your call center's location will become much less of an issue.  By substantially cutting overhead expenses and being able to have your call agents work from anywhere, your profits will dramatically increase.

One of the reasons businesses choose to stay with traditional autodialer hardware is that they believe it's the only way to integrate the CRM software that they currently use.  However, that is not the case.  Web based dialer systems, or online phone dialers, not only eliminate the need for hardware and T1 lines, but can also be easily configured to work with most existing CRM database programs.  This effectively eliminates the number one hurdle company's face when looking for alternative dialer solutions to reduce overhead costs.

More and more companies are looking to connect with their customer base or contacts to retain or increase business.  Traditionally telemarketing calls have been accomplished via automatic phone dialers.  While this technology is very effective, predictive dialers do require an investment in hardware and T1 lines in order to handle the call volume that is necessary.  Many companies don't have the resources to purchase auto phone dialers or don't want to invest in a technology that is unproven to them. However it is now possible to use web based dialers that have all the power and greater efficiency than automatic phone dialer hardware.  In fact, web based dialers can give you more options than traditional hardware, can integrate with your existing CRM software or provide you with CRM notetaking capabilities themselves!

It wasn't that long ago that owners of call centers only had one option -- buy or rent a large office, buy expensive telecommunication circuits, T1 lines, furniture and a coffee machine.  If the expense of the call center hardware wasn't enough to put you out of business, the lack of productivity would.  With the advent of the Internet and the advances in calling technology, all that has changed.  Auto phone dialers have always been around, and you can always pick up some predictive dialer software.  But times change, laws change, and your typical call center has to adapt.  That's why traditional call center hardware is becoming obsolete.  Today, you can accomplish more with less.  With virtual web based dialers you can now improve productivity two to three times overnight without the expense of any hardware (you'll still need a computer and a phone.)  No shocking bills from MaBell every month either.  When you log on, you are automatically connected with the most advanced calling platform available.  It does all the work for you.  And you'll never have to listen to an answering machine or greeting again.  While the outgoing message is still playing, you are already on to your next call, knowing that the system will automatically drop your message at the beep.  It's a beautiful thing!

The federal government has issued new regulations that puts additional pressure on those call centers that use predictive dialing technology.  In fact, some say the new rules could end predictive dialing as we know it.  In effect, the feds are saying that at least 97% of a call center's calls that are answered by a human, be connected to the live outbound caller within 2 seconds after the phone is answered.  Bottom line:  The feds don't like people being called, only to wait to have a live person get on the phone and explain what the call is about.  The rules are aimed at eliminating outbound calls that are abandoned, and dead air.  So, predictive dialing can never predict when the outbound caller will have a human in place to talk to the person who answers the phone on the receiving end.  

But all that is easily solved.  With virtual web based dialing, there is no waiting or dead air.  Each live outbound caller uses the system to dial out and then wait for a live answer which is immediately engaged in conversation.  If an answering machine picks up, the caller clicks a button and the dialer system will leave a message, while the caller is already onto the next call.  The caller is happy.  The "callee" is happy (most of the time!) and the feds are happy!  Does it get better than that?  For more information, click on the Virtual Web Based Dialer link above.

You can see the entire list of new outbound calling regulations here.

In a crisis, it is necessary to get the world out to a large number of people rapidly to donate blood or platelets.  Voice broadcasting is an excellent and inexpensive way to deliver the message to a large number of previous donors.  In fact, when time is critical, it's the fastest way to get the word out to targeted donors.  (Radio works too, but most of the listeners will never donate blood.)  So whether it's announcing mass donation sites, or asking folks to call for an appointment, remember that voice broadcast is a convenient way for the donors to receive the alerts, notifications and reminders.

Service providers such as security services and cable companies are contacting their customer base using voice broadcasting to alert their customers to new options.  Many of these companies are actually providing strong incentives to their customers to take advantage of these phone blast offers.  For instance, security companies are offering an upgrade to wireless security services, which means you are no longer dependent on a working phone line in your home.  To provide incentive to their customers, they are offering the wireless equipment for free!  Voice broadcasting is not only proving to be an inexpensive way to get the news out to their customer base, but to give customers the incentives they need to take advantage of service upgrades.

To draw customers back into their stores, retailers are increasingly using voice or phone broadcasting.  Retailers are finding this is an excellent way to maintain a relationship with their customer base and announce sales events and deliver voice coupons.  This is a win-win situation.  And, the retailers actually save money by delivering the coupons by phone.  Leaving messages on customers' answering machines with special discount codes is not only faster, but much much cheaper than sending conventional coupons in the mail!  To save postage costs and to dramatically cut lead time, you'll be seeing more retailers using voice blast to get voice coupons in their customers' hands in the future.