Companies often waste tons of money by operating wrong calling functions. Some use telemarketing for telesales jobs and some think a call center can do all their work.
Eventually, there are basic differences among these three functions. A good call center can shift a business’s voice. Similarly, a good telesales team can bring a sustainable revenue stream. But it’s your job to pick the right one.
This article will discuss telesales, tele-marketing and call centers’ functions. Then we will provide you with a comparison table so that you can pick the right one for your business.
What is Telemarketing and Its Functions?
Telemarketing means promoting products or services over phone calls. Usually, a telemarketing agent remains behind these calls. Recently, AI chatbots are also being used for this purpose.
Telemarketing is a direct marketing approach. Businesses use this to reach out to potential customers. But the form of telemarketing services differs with a company’s industry and customer type.
For example, an agency provides assistance to businesses to get ISO certifications. In this scenario telemarketer’s job is not about calling other businesses and letting them know about the agency’s offerings. Rather, their job is to call the right person and arrange a meeting for the sales team.
In another case, a company offers door cameras. Telemarketers in this case will call different homes and offices to make them aware of their product. Thus, telemarketing is a medium of reaching and promoting products and services among potential customers.
But this traditional marketing approach has seen lots of difficulties recently. Increasing scam calls and phishing activities have created negative impressions about this marketing form.
The situation has become so frustrating that USA and Canada have introduced ‘’Do Not Call” (DNC) policy for their resistance. Any households that are listed in DNC can even take legal action if they get telemarketing-related calls.
Different Types of Telemarketing
As discussed, telemarketing isn’t just about selling a product or service. A telemarketer creates awareness about their offerings among potential customers. However, there are different types of telemarketing depending on the nature of the job.
Outbound Telemarketing
When an agent calls potential customers to promote a product, it refers to outbound telemarketing. It’s also commonly known as cold calls to many, but they do not entirely represent the whole telemarketing.
These cold calls are made to potential customers who have no ideas about your product or service. Here, the purpose is simple, and that is promotion.
Cold calls are crucial because they help generate and qualify leads for future approaches. This process is budget-friendly but requires calm and engaging mindsets to tackle different reactions from customers.
Another form of outbound telemarketing is warm calls. Unlike the cold calls, warm calls are made to prospects who already have an idea or interest about the offerings. Target of warm calls are to influence potential customers to make an action and become actual customers,
Outbound calls often also cover follow ups to make sure that the customer is satisfied and if they have any further requirements or not.
Inbound Telemarketing
Often the telemarketing team gets calls from customers for an inquiry, to seek information or simply to purchase. This whole process where customers are influenced to make the call themself happens, refers to inbound telemarketing.
Inbound telemarketing occurs when a customer sees your business’s promotions or when someone refers to you. Getting inbound calls depends on several stages
First strategies are made for a promotional campaign to promote products and services. Different marketing channels like websites, social media content, ads, billboards are used for these promotions.
Then a potential customer watches it, and gains interest. To know more about it or to simply buy it they contact the business over phone calls.
Inbound telemarketing can be complex and overall can be expensive than outbound. But the conversion rate is greater, around 13% where outbound calls have a success rate of 7%.
Lead Generation and Qualification
Leads are like blood circulation, this is what keeps a business going. Telemarketing helps to build leads and qualify them. Thus, getting ideas about when customers are ready for a sale.
A telemarketing agent makes calls with an engaging tone and gets an idea about the customer’s mindset. To get an action just from a mere lead requires calling agents to convey an appealing message.
Build Strong Relations with Customers
Telemarketing also aims to pursue a good relationship with customers. Inbound calls can come from existing customers. Similarly, outbound can target the running customers as well. These calls are called follow-ups, which help to get repeat business.
Current or previous customers can have specific requirements. Fulfilling their requests is part of a good business operation.
Another task outbound calls do to maintain good relations is offering something special to customers. Special or dedicated offers make customers feel important. This feeling helps to retain them for the future, even though they do not take immediate action.
Sales Action
Making sales is the final goal of telemarketing, not necessarily right on the call. But in some cases, an agent conveys a message so good that the lead agrees to make a purchase.
What is Telesales and What Do They Do?
Similar to telemarketing, telesales take place over phone calls as well. The telesales team’s main duty is to sell products or services over these calls. Thus, this is often viewed as a revenue engine in the business landscape.
Unlike telemarketing, the sole goal here is to make a sale. But similar to telemarketing, this takes place through both inbound and outbound calls.
People’s concept about telesales is that it’s a simple job. On the surface, this may look like a basic task but there are complex aspects related to this.
Due to rising fraud and fake calls, telesales is facing backlash. People now get irritated and hang up more when they hear someone is calling to sell something.
Aggressiveness toward telesales agents has also increased. Facing these issues and conveying the brand’s message into a sale is a tough thing to conclude. Common duties of a telesales agent are:
- Direct sale
- Doing order process-related duties
- Call handling
- Maintain sales goals
- Handle customers queries
Direct sales
The primary task of a telesales agent is to sell products or services.
Order processing
Part of the direct sale process.
Telesales agents also need to process customers’ orders. Their duty is to place the order and send it to the delivery team. After that, the delivery team packs and sends the product or service to customers
Call handling
The telesales team often has to handle calls if there is no dedicated call answering service ( call center). The team is responsible for turning prospects into actual customers. This process needs to be smooth. Any latency or lack can shift customers’ interests.
Maintain sales goals
Similar to a conventional sales team, a telesales team also has to maintain the company’s sales goals.
Handle customers queries
Part of the telesale department’s job is to help customers with their questions, concerns and inquiries. This process needs utmost care because a minor detail can make the prospect lose interest.
What is a Call Center?
Call centers mostly provide calling-related services via phone calls. Previously explained telesales and telemarketing can be part of call center services in some cases.
Their services range from answering customer calls, taking orders, handling appointments to providing general help with information and many more.
Currently, offshore call center services are becoming crucial for businesses. North America alone outsources more than 30% of the world’s call center services. The overall outsourcing call and contact center market is $97 billion dollars globally.
People think call centers are congested places full of dialing operators. Their duty is to constantly dial people asking for a sale. Modern call centers are not just a dialing operation, their service list is long.
Call center establishments’ structures have shifted massively. Now, many call centers offer hybrid work environments for their employees. Fully remote operations are out there too. AI-powered call centers are in the development phase and soon they will enter the market.
But still, on-site call centers hold the most market share. Diverse duties of a call center include:
Customer Relationship Management
The primary goal of a call center is to maintain a smooth relationship between the business and its clients. Common duties of a call center in CRM are:
- Answer customers’ calls and handle their requirements
- Place a complaint and provide solutions
- Answer queries related to the products and services’ uses
- Inform service details, upcoming payment dates or dues
- Inform about personal offers and discounts
- Help with re-order and customization
- Wish them at anniversaries and special occasions, making them feel important and developing a strong bond
Outbound Call Services
Outbound call center service refers to different telesales, telemarketing, outreach and market penetration-related services. These services vary with the type of industry a business is operating in.
For example, if you’re operating a healthcare service, outbound services include:
- Letting patients know about their appointment date (CRM)
- Cold calls to patients for taking appointments (telesales)
- Offer a discount for a certain appointment (telemarketing)
- Asking customers for requirements ( market research, survey and lead)
- Informing about appointment cancellation (CRM)
- Informing about appointment availability (outreach)
Similarly, if your business sells Christmas trees, the outbound callers’ duty is to:
- Promote your product (telemarketing)
- Do direct sales (telesales)
- Response to customers’ queries (CRM)
- Identify and qualify potential customers (lead management)
- Maintain long-term communication (outreach)
Thus, it is evident that a call center’s outbound service ranges from marketing, sales to customer service management.
Inbound Call Center Services
Often prospects reach out to businesses to gather information or to place an order. Inbound call center services are designed to respond these scenarios.
Sales-based inbound calls are complicated. The process involves marketing activities like branding, advertisement, referrals, promotional campaigns and syncing them to get back calls.
Outbound marketing helps to get back inbound calls as well. Inbound calls occur due to:
- Customers’ interest in purchasing (product information and sales)
- Set up a meeting or appointment (appointment scheduling)
- Complain about product or service issues (help desk services)
- To know more about a specific product or service( customer support, common call center responsibility)
- Customize order (order management)
- Facing difficulties to use certain product or service (technical support)
These discussions point out that telesales and telemarketing are subsets of a call center’s services. And a call center is far more than just dialing and receiving calls.
Comparison of Telemarketing vs Telesales vs Call Center
As discussed earlier, businesses often make the wrong approach with calling functions. Previous discussions have given you a clear idea about telemarketing, telesales and call centers’ functions.
Now this comparison table will help you choose the best option for your business.
| Characteristics | Telemarketing | Telesales | Call Center |
| What is it? | Marketing process that involves promotion, creating awareness, among customers, appointment setup via phone calls | Further approach of telemarketing to generate interest of customers in sales | A specialized office to handle customers’ diverse interests and needs via phone calls |
| What do they do? | Promote your product and service. Generate leads for telesales and conventional sales teams | Sells your product and service | Primarily answers phone calls. They also provide CRM, outreach, marketing and sales services in some cases. |
| Which one do you need? | If your business needs fast, direct and targeted promotion, then this is a better option. | If you need dedicated sales activity for your product or service, then this is for you. | If you need a dedicated customer support service, it’s for you. |
| How much do they cost? | U.S.-based companies charge $25-$80 per hour. Offshore companies charge from $10-25 dollars | U.S.-based companies charge $25-$65 per hour. Offshore companies charge from $6-$20 dollars+ sales incentives (optional) | U.S.-based companies charge $25-$30 for basic call support. Highly technical services can cost up to 80 dollars an hour. But offshore call center charges start at $5 an hour for basic call-related services. |
| What level of skills are required? | For telemarketing, the skill requirements are moderate to high | For telesales, skill requirements are high-maximum | For just call handling, the skill requirement is basic to moderate. For highly technical call handling skill requirement is high. |
| Best for? | B2B marketing | B2C sales | Both B2B and B2C, but works well for basic customer service related taks |
Now it’s your time to decide which one is better for your business.
Conclusion
Tele-marketing, telesales and call centers may sound very similar. But when it comes to functionality, they are pretty different and work well with different businesses.
Telemarketing is good for carrying out outreach, fast promotion, maintaining good-relationships and creating awareness among potential customers. In B2B, leads are like taking care of babies, needs constant nurturing. It takes time for them to become prospects and make action.
On the other hand, Telesales are only focused on sales and sales-related direct services. It is a niche of telemarketing and works well with the B2C concept. A business selling directly to customers doesn’t face many complications. And for this, it’s suitable for them.
Lastly, call centers work well with basic calling and customer service-related tasks. But they can also provide diverse services, including telemarketing and telesales. Thus, depending on the requirements, you need to choose which one is better for your business.
FAQs
Is Telemarketing the Same as Telesales?
Not entirely. Telesales is part of telemarketing. Telemarketing involves promotion, meeting setup, awareness generation, sales and customer management. On the other hand, a telesales’ primary task is to do direct sales.
Is Telemarketing Part of a Call Center?
Yes, it is. Both telemarketing and telesales are part of a call center’s service.
Is a Call Center Always Doing Sales?
No. Call centers also provide call answering services. But with customers’ requirements, they do sales, marketing, and outreach activities as well.
What is The Difference Between an Inbound and Outbound Call Center?
Inbound call centers basically answer phone calls from customers with different needs. Outbound call centers call customers or leads for marketing, sales, outreach, lead qualification, and information-providing related tasks.
Which is Better for B2B Lead Generation: Telemarketing or Telesales?
For B2B lead generation, telemarketing is a better option. B2B leads need long-term nourishment before turning into prospects. Which is less effective if done with telesales. Thus, telemarketing is better for B2B lead generation
