Call Centers and White Label Software Utilization…
Call Centers and White Label Software utilization, frequently asked questions and some misconceptions…
(Aviv Cohen, Shieldapps CEO – June 2015)
‘How do I get more calls out of this software?’, ‘We will buy allot of installs and get more calls!’, ‘We don’t need this with the current calls, it’s just to get more inbound calls’
These are just a few of the things we hear on the phone on a daily basis…
The point is crystal clear and correct: remote technical support call centers need more calls.
What’s not so correct, and completely missed sometimes, is the assumption that all other parameters to their revenue driving equation are in the right place.
A call center’s predicted long term value and outcome is measured not only by bottom line profits, but also by service quality (aka value to the users), cost-efficiency (aka call-to-sale conversion rate) etc’. Furthermore, a call center will not stand, without a proper merchant account, which in turn is dependent in the refund/charge-back rates thresholds.
Bottom line is – utilizing a white label is the correct approach for sure, but using it right is the winning approach!
‘Technical Support’ is one of a few large verticals we work with, and given its intense and dynamic nature we pay very close attention to it and to the way our clients are utilizing our tools.
With more than 100 call-center clients on board the facts are very very clear:
- Those who do not take a white label will keep depending on external call sources and value providers (in other words, they will keep begging software vendors for calls, resell some known brands at best, and keep hustling with merchant accounts charge-back issues)
- Those who do take the white label path, and do not follow the very basic do’s and don’ts, might last a little longer, but end up the same.
- However – those who take a white label, and utilize it to the maximum capability and effectiveness – have changed the rules of their own game, will scale up, and last longer.
So to clarify and show some practical real-life example, here is a detailed step-by-step scenario of how call center ‘X’ of medium size in India has managed to scale up sales month-by-month (we have given this example in the past, in case you are a loyal follower, so bear with me :))
The plan followed was very straight forward:
- Month 1: introduce the white label to the sales floor.
- A premium license to be a part of all sales packages
- A premium license to be used as incentive to close the sale
- The idea behind this approach is that the product as added-value in the existing package will both raise the conversion rate, and lower the refunds/charge-backs as well. A user is less inclined to file for refund if a part of the payment was for a software he/she have at hand.
- Month 2: call center launched ppc and media buy campaigns promoting the software (not promoting the tech support offering).
- with more funds now, dedicated advertising can be done, promoting the software as-is, thus not facing the obstacles of tech-support advertising. While software advertising has its own hurdles, it is (for now) easier than tech-support advertising.
- new inbound calls are now being generated by the software distribution for either technical support OR for activation assistance.
- Month 3: call center invested in PPI distribution of the software.
- after the first couple of months, as more funds are now available, larger scale (at lower quality and pricing) distribution is tested in order to create a larger ‘net’ of trial version users.
- the basic assumptions are that the distribution is clean, legit and straight forward.
| Before | Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | |
| Calls per day | 430 | 430 | 590 | 810 |
| Call-to-sale rate | 14% | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| Average Sales/day | 60 | 80 | 112 | 146 |
| Average order value | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 |
| Mothly revenue | 60x$150×30 =$270,000 |
80x$150×30 =$360,000 |
112x$150×30 =$504,000 |
146x$150×30 =$657,000 |
| CHB % | 6% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Total impact on revenue | 0 | +$90,000 | +$227,520 | +$373,635 |
To be fair, please note the table above is not referring to profit as we do not refer to costs. More calls require more representatives, and technical infrastructure etc’, and of course advertising has its costs – but the general assumption is that the process is profit-positive, hence what matters is the scale.
No need for fancy finish and flashy slogans here… the numbers are self explanatory and undeniable.
! – If you are a call center, you must utilize a white label.
! – If you utilize a white label, you must use it in the calls/sales process before anything else.
! – Then, and only then – approach distribution, marketing and getting more calls with it.
Makes perfect sense? Contact us and lets get to work!
Needs further clarification? More information here and contact us just as well…