Use a Local Caller ID Number to Increase Answer Rate

Using Caller ID with name is critical to providing a transparent customer experience. Using a local caller ID number will help to increase answer rate.

Here are four scenarios

Scenario #1

Your phone rings and it says “Out of Area” and does not display a phone number. You let it ring to your voicemail because you’re sure if it is a telemarketer and you don’t want to be bothered.

Scenario #2

Your phone rings and it says “1-866-963-2889”. You let it ring to your voicemail because you’re sure it is a telemarketer. In addition, you make a mental note that this is the 3rd time you’ve received a call from this phone number today and at least the 10th call this week. You’re annoyed. When you check your voicemail, there is no message.

Scenario #3

Your phone rings and it says, “4026945199” and the name display says, “FavoriteMags”. You answer the call because you anticipate a friendly telemarketing rep to assist you with renewing one of your favorite magazine subscriptions.

Scenario #4

Your cell phone rings and it says, “4026945199” and no name displays. You’re in a meeting and can’t answer right now, so you let it ring to voicemail. After your meeting, you call back the number. You’re pleasantly surprised when you’re greeted by name and the caller quickly tells you the purpose of the call. Within 2 minutes, you’ve just renewed your favorite magazine and at a great price! Then the telemarketing agent asks if they can text you the receipt. You say yes. You love doing business and communicating via text.

Scenarios 1 and 2 are old school telemarketing organizations. They haven’t implemented Local Caller ID phone numbers with Name Display. Their telemarketing results are being hampered and they may not even know the depth of the problem.

Scenarios 3 and 4 demonstrate savvy outbound telemarketing operations that understand the power of pairing a local phone number with a name that the consumer will recognize. Savvy outbound marketers know that the name display is a reinforcement of the relationship and the brand name in the market. But that is only the beginning! In addition, savvy outbound marketers understand the value of answering the incoming calls and offering text communication as another way to confirm key information.

I assume you already separate wireless numbers from wireline numbers and then use the appropriate technology when making your outbound calls. When calling wireless numbers nothing is more annoying then someone who doesn’t leave a voice mail when you missed their call. Here is a tip – Leave a message “Hi this is Dean calling in regards to renewing you xyz service. Please give us a call back or text us, which ever is easier for you”. Yes this works – It also gives you an opt-in.

That’s why we don’t just offer our customers Local Caller ID numbers but we text enable all of them. We will provide a simple web app to use to handle text messages right next to your chat station. With zero lift you can have it all.

“Text enabled Local Caller ID numbers with name pairing – you just created a third dimension to your outbound programs”.

Whether you use hundreds of Local Caller ID phone numbers for your outbound telemarketing (numbers assigned to call records based on the local area) or a single Caller ID number that displays a name, you will see an increase in the answer rate and an increase in the number of inbound calls that are generated in response to the outbound calls. If your list is large enough, we advocate for pinpointing a local phone number for outbound Caller ID that is specific to the area code of the called party. If your list is too small, maybe use a local phone number that is tied to your corporate office location.

Whatever the approach, a 10 digit (non-8XX) phone number will always generate better results for your outbound telemarketing program. Text enable your Local Caller ID numbers with name pairing to create a third dimension to your outbound programs. Call me today to discuss your specific program. It’s only $2.00 per number per month and we can have them provisioned in 15 minutes or less!

By Dean Garfinkel, President, Quality Voice & Data

Dean Garfinkel is the President of Quality Voice & Data, a leading enhanced telecom solutions provider to the telemarketing and call center industry. Dean’s passion for creating value-added solutions for his clients has resulted in numerous solutions which are industry-standard and used by most Fortune 500 call centers and their call center vendor partners. Dean can be reached at dean@qualityvoicedata.com or 516.656.5115.