What does an appointment-setting service actually do?
An appointment-setting service takes a list of contacts from a business, calls each person on that list, and books meetings between interested prospects and the business's sales team. The service does the calling and scheduling; the business does the selling.
The typical process runs in four stages. First, the business provides a list of people or companies it wants to reach, along with an agreed reason for the call and an opening script. Second, the service works through the list over a set period, making several attempts per contact on different days. Third, when a prospect agrees to a meeting, the service books it into the business's calendar and sends a confirmation. Fourth, the service reports back on how many people were reached, how many meetings were booked, and how many of those meetings took place.
This division of work exists because reaching a decision-maker by phone often takes multiple attempts. A study environment where callers focus on nothing but reaching the list and booking meetings tends to produce more conversations per day than a salesperson who is also preparing proposals, running demos and managing accounts.
How is appointment setting different from telemarketing?
Appointment setting books a meeting. Telemarketing tries to close a sale on the call itself. That difference shapes everything: the script, the caller's training, and what the person on the other end experiences.
A telemarketing call asks the prospect to buy, subscribe or donate before the call ends. An appointment-setting call asks only whether the prospect is open to a conversation with the business at a later date. The caller does not give product advice, quote prices or make offers. Because the ask is smaller, the call is shorter and the conversation tends to stay more professional.
For the business buying the service, the distinction matters in how results are measured. Telemarketing is measured in sales closed on the phone. Appointment setting is measured in meetings booked and meetings held. The actual sale happens later, in the meeting itself, led by the business's own people.
What do Singapore businesses need to know before using one?
Any business making marketing calls to Singapore phone numbers must comply with the Do Not Call (DNC) provisions under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012. The prospect list must be checked against the DNC Registry at dnc.gov.sg before calls begin, and the check result is valid for 21 days (reduced from 30 days on 1 February 2021, per the PDPC Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions). Anyone who asks not to be called again must be removed from the list.
Calls to a business number for that organisation's own purposes generally fall outside the DNC rules, but that protection is lost once the conversation turns to the individual's personal needs. For any specific situation, it is worth checking with a lawyer.
Financial advisory firms should note that under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the licensed financial adviser firm itself may appoint an introducer. An individual representative cannot engage an appointment-setting service on their own behalf; the firm must be the one to do so.
What should you look for when choosing a service?
A good starting point is transparency. You should be able to hear the calls being made on your behalf, see how many attempts were made per contact, and receive regular reports on calls, conversations, meetings booked and meetings held. If a provider cannot offer call recordings or detailed reporting, that is a reason to ask why.
Pricing models vary across the industry. Some providers charge per meeting booked, some per hour of calling, and some per number called. Each model creates different incentives. Per-meeting pricing can encourage callers to book loosely qualified meetings. Per-hour pricing gives no direct link between cost and output. Per-number pricing means the cost is known before calling starts, regardless of outcomes.
Other practical points to check: whether the calls show a local Singapore number (important for answer rates), how many attempts are made per contact, whether the service handles rescheduling and no-shows, and what happens to your list data after the campaign ends.
How does Greetsby's service work?
Greetsby is an appointment-setting service in Singapore. It calls the people on a client's own list and books meetings into the client's calendar. The client approves the opening and the reason for the call before any calls are made.
Each person on the list receives up to four call attempts on different days, between 9.30am and 6.00pm. Calls show a Singapore number, and each prospect sees the same number every time. Every call is recorded, and the client can play back any recording from their list. A named Greetsby caller is responsible for the campaign and reachable during working hours.
Greetsby sends a reminder before each meeting and contacts no-shows to rebook at no extra cost. A weekly report covers calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. The client's list is used only for that client's campaign, never resold or shared, and deleted when the client asks.
Pricing is a flat rate per batch of numbers: 1,000 numbers cost S$1,800, 2,000 cost S$3,600, and 3,000 cost S$5,400. That works out to S$1.80 per number, covering all attempts. Each batch is paid before calls start. There is no contract and no monthly fee.
Questions
Does the client need to check the DNC Registry before handing over a list?
Yes. Under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012, the business sending the list is responsible for ensuring numbers are checked against the DNC Registry before marketing calls are made. The check result is valid for 21 days. Greetsby requires clients to confirm they have completed this check before uploading their list.
Can an individual financial adviser representative hire an appointment-setting service?
No. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the licensed financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer. The firm itself must engage the service, not an individual representative.
What happens if a prospect asks not to be called again?
The service stops calling that person immediately. At Greetsby, the request is also passed on to the client so the client can update their own records.
Is there a minimum number of contacts needed to start?
This varies by provider. At Greetsby, the smallest batch is 1,000 numbers at S$1,800.
Sources
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry and Your Business
- Allen & Gledhill: MAS Responds to Feedback on Amendments to Introducer Notice (22 May 2026)
- SingaporeLegalAdvice.com: Check the Do-Not-Call Registry Before Marketing to Singapore Phone Numbers
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.