Can I run a short trial before committing?
Yes, but the trial usually has to be built from how the service is priced, because a provider may not offer anything it calls a trial. The simplest version is one fixed-price batch of numbers with no contract and no monthly fee, so you can stop when the batch ends.
Before you pay anyone, ask four things. Is there a minimum term? What exactly does the price cover? Can you hear the calls? What do you receive each week? A provider that answers all four in writing is easy to test. One that cannot is hard to test, whatever it calls the arrangement.
What should a short trial include?
A useful trial has a fixed list, a fixed number of attempts per person, and a fixed end date. Without those, you cannot tell whether a weak result came from the list, the opening, or the amount of calling.
Ask to approve the opening and the reason for the call before anything starts. Ask for recordings of all calls, including the ones that did not book, because those show how your business is being described. Ask for a report that separates calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. Booked and held are different numbers, and the second is the one that matters to your sales team.
Use your own list for the test. A list you have already qualified shows what your market does when called. A purchased or generic list mostly shows how good that list is.
How does a trial work at Greetsby?
Greetsby sells by the batch. 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.
You pay before calls start, for the batch you chose only. There is no contract and no monthly fee. When the batch is done, you decide whether to order another. Greetsby books meetings into your calendar, does not give product advice, and does not guarantee a number of meetings. The first batch shows what your own list produces.
A named Greetsby caller is responsible for your campaign and every call on it, and is reachable during working hours. Calls show a Singapore number, and each person sees the same number every time. You can play any recorded call on your list, and a weekly report gives calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held.
How do I know whether the trial worked?
Decide the test before the batch starts, and write it down. The cleanest measure is the batch price divided by meetings held. If you pay S$1,800 for 1,000 numbers and 10 meetings are held, divide S$1,800 by 10 to get the calling cost of each held meeting. Compare that figure with what a held meeting is worth to you, using your own close rate and average sale.
Then listen to a sample of calls. If people were reached but declined, the opening or the reason for the call may need changing. If many numbers were never answered, the list may be old. A small batch cannot settle every question, but it can tell you whether a second batch is worth ordering.
Also check the meetings themselves. Did the right person attend, and was the meeting relevant to what you sell? A booking that never turns into a held meeting is a cost with no return, which is why the report should show both figures.
Do I need to check Do Not Call rules before a trial?
Yes, check your list before any calling starts, trial or not. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) publishes a guide for organisations on the Do Not Call (DNC) rules, and checks are made through the DNC Registry Portal at dnc.gov.sg. PDPC's e-service page refers to a 21-day validity period for DNC check results, so a check made long before calling begins may need repeating.
How the rules apply to your list and your offer is set out in the PDPC Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions, which the PDPC guide links to. Whether a particular call falls inside the rules can depend on who is called and what the call is about, so for a specific case, check with a lawyer. This article is general information.
At Greetsby, the client checks the list against the Registry before sending it and confirms that they have when they upload it. Greetsby does not run the check. Anyone who asks not to be called again is not called again, and Greetsby passes that on to the client. Your list is used only for your campaign, never resold or added to another client's campaign, and deleted when you ask.
Questions
Can an individual insurance agent or adviser representative run a trial?
No. Individual representatives cannot hire Greetsby themselves. The financial adviser firm must be the one to sign up.
How long does a 1,000-number batch take?
Each person gets up to 4 attempts on different days between 9.30am and 6.00pm. Greetsby does not state a fixed end date here, so ask about timing when you enquire at hello@greetsby.com.
What happens after the first batch?
Nothing is renewed automatically. Each batch is paid for on its own, and you decide whether to order another after reading the weekly reports and listening to the calls.
How do I start?
Pick a batch on the Get started page of the Greetsby website, or write to hello@greetsby.com. Greetsby replies within one working hour, 9.00am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Sources
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry & Your Business
- PDPC: Check Numbers Against the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.