Which is better, paying per number called or per meeting booked?
It depends on how much you trust your list and how closely you want to see the work. Per-meeting pricing suits a buyer who wants the cost to follow results. Per-number pricing suits a buyer who wants a known total up front and is willing to judge the list by what it produces.
The practical difference is where the risk of a poor list sits. A provider paid per meeting carries that risk and will usually write a narrow definition of a qualifying meeting to protect itself. A provider paid per number carries less of it, and you carry more.
What does each pricing model actually pay for?
Pay per number called means you pay a set amount for each phone number on your list that is dialled, however the calls turn out. The cost is known before any call is made, because it is the list size multiplied by the rate.
Pay per meeting booked means you pay only when an appointment goes into your calendar. The total is unknown until the campaign ends, and it depends on how the contract defines a meeting.
A third arrangement is pay per hour, where you buy caller time. It is mentioned here only so you can see that the three models measure different things: numbers, outcomes and time.
What should you check before agreeing to pay per meeting?
Ask what counts as a meeting. Some contracts count a booking when a prospect agrees to a slot. Others count it only when the meeting is held. Those can be very different totals for the same campaign, so get the definition in writing.
Ask who decides whether a prospect is qualified, and what happens when a prospect cancels or does not turn up. Ask whether you can listen to the calls. When the provider is paid only for bookings, you want to know how the booking was obtained and what the prospect was told.
Also ask what the provider needs from you. A per-meeting price usually assumes the list, the offer and the timing are good enough to produce meetings. If the provider thinks yours is not, it may decline the work or raise the price.
What should you check before agreeing to pay per number called?
Ask how many attempts each number gets, on which days, and at what hours. A rate per number means little until you know whether it covers one call or several.
Ask whether every call is recorded and whether you can play the ones that did not book. With a fixed cost, the recordings and the weekly report are how you check the work. Ask too who is responsible for the campaign, and whether you can reach that person.
Be clear that you are paying for effort on your list. A fixed price does not promise a number of meetings, and any provider that says otherwise in advance has not seen your list.
How does Greetsby price it?
Greetsby charges per batch of numbers called. 1,000 numbers cost S$1,800, 2,000 numbers S$3,600 and 3,000 numbers S$5,400. That is S$1.80 a number, and it covers up to 4 call attempts per person, on different days, between 9.30am and 6.00pm.
The batch is paid for before calls start. There is no contract and no monthly fee, and when a batch is finished you decide whether to order another. Greetsby does not promise a number of meetings. The first batch shows what your own list produces, and every call is recorded so you can play it back. A weekly report shows calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held.
Greetsby sends a reminder before each meeting and contacts no-shows to rebook at no extra cost. Enquiries go to hello@greetsby.com.
Does the pricing model change your Do Not Call obligations?
No. The pricing model does not change the rules on who may be called. Under the PDPC's Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions, a Registry check result received from 1 February 2021 is valid for 21 days from receipt, and checks are made through dnc.gov.sg.
The Guidelines also say that a message sent to an organisation for a purpose of that organisation is generally outside the Do Not Call rules. That protection is lost when the call turns to the person's own personal needs. This is general information from the Guidelines. For a specific campaign, check with a lawyer.
Questions
Is pay per meeting cheaper?
Not necessarily. The total depends on how many meetings are booked and how the contract defines one, so it is unknown until the campaign ends. A fixed per-number price lets you work out the cost before you start.
Does paying per number mean paying for meetings that never happen?
You pay for the calls made, whatever the outcome. That is why the recordings and the weekly report matter, since they show what was done with your list.
Can an individual insurance agent or financial adviser representative sign up for a calling service?
No. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must be the one to sign up.
Who checks the list against the Do Not Call Registry?
The business that owns the list. With Greetsby, the client checks the list before sending it and confirms on upload that this has been done.
Sources
- PDPC: Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions (revised 1 February 2021)
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry and Your Business
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.