Which numbers show whether a calling campaign is working?
Four counts, read in sequence, tell you most of what you need: calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. Each count is a step the one before it feeds, so a weak result at any step points to a different problem.
Calls made tells you whether the work happened. People reached tells you how many calls turned into a conversation with the person you wanted, which depends mostly on the quality of the list. Meetings booked tells you whether the opening and the reason for the call gave people a reason to say yes. Meetings held tells you whether the booking was real, because a diary entry that nobody attends has no value to your sales team.
If you track only one number, make it meetings held. Booked meetings can be inflated by vague invitations, and calls made can be high while few people are reached.
How do you work out what a meeting costs?
Divide the total you spent on the campaign by the number of meetings held. Use the same sum whatever the pricing model: per meeting, per hour of a caller's time, or per number called.
The pricing model changes which risk you carry. Under per-meeting pricing, the provider carries the risk of a poor list. Under per-hour or per-number pricing, you carry it, so the cost per held meeting is the figure that keeps you honest. If you call in-house, include the caller's salary share, the time you spend preparing lists and any phone costs, or the result will look better than it is.
Cost per meeting is still only a halfway figure. A meeting is worth what it leads to, so follow a sample of them through to proposals and signed work. Depending on what you sell, that can take several months, so set a review date in advance.
How long before you can judge a campaign?
Judge a campaign when every number on the list has had all its planned attempts, not after the first few days. People who do not answer on a Tuesday morning may answer on a Thursday afternoon, so early figures understate what the list will produce.
Sample size matters as well. A few hundred calls can swing widely on a handful of conversations. A list of 1,000 numbers is a more useful test than 100, and you should compare results across lists of similar quality rather than against a figure from another business.
Treat the first batch as a measurement of your own list, your own offer and your own opening. If you change the opening, the list and the offer together between batches, you will not know which change made the difference. Change one thing at a time and keep notes.
What should you listen for in call recordings?
Play a sample of calls, including the ones that did not book. Counts tell you how many calls ended in a meeting, and recordings tell you why the others did not.
Listen for three things. First, whether the person understood within the first few seconds who was calling and why. Second, the objections that come up repeatedly, such as already having a supplier or the wrong person answering. Third, whether the opening you approved is the one being used. Repeated objections are useful input for your list and your offer, and a pattern of wrong-person answers usually means the list needs cleaning.
Ask for a few dozen recordings from across the campaign, not only the best ones.
Does compliance belong in your measurements?
Yes, because a campaign that breaks the rules is not working, however many meetings it books. Keep a record of how many people asked not to be called again and confirm each one was removed.
The Do Not Call Registry's own website says organisations must check with the Registry before sending telemarketing messages to Singapore numbers, and that the organisation, not a third party doing the checking, is liable if a listed number is missed. Which calls the rules cover depends on the facts, so for your own case, check with a lawyer.
What does Greetsby report on a campaign?
Greetsby sends a weekly report with calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held, which maps directly onto the four counts above. Every call is recorded, including those that did not book, and you can play any call on your list. A named Greetsby caller is responsible for your campaign and can be reached during working hours.
Greetsby does not guarantee a number of meetings. It calls the people on your list, up to 4 attempts each on different days between 9.30am and 6.00pm, and the first batch shows what your own list produces. One batch of 1,000 numbers costs S$1,800, which is S$1.80 a number, paid before calls start with no contract. You can write to hello@greetsby.com with questions.
Questions
What is a good number of meetings from a calling campaign?
There is no figure that applies to every business, because results depend on the list, the offer and who is being called. Use your first batch as the baseline and compare later batches against it.
Should I count booked meetings or held meetings?
Count both, but judge on held meetings. The gap between the two shows how many bookings fall through before anyone attends.
How many call attempts should each number get?
Several attempts on different days give a fairer picture than one. Greetsby makes up to 4 attempts per person on a new list.
Can an individual insurance agent or financial adviser representative hire a calling service?
Not for Greetsby. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must be the one to sign up.
Sources
- Do Not Call Registry: Organisations and the DNC Registry
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry and Your Business
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.