Over 30% of the leads are never followed back after being rejected the first time. Nevertheless, nearly one-third of marketers find that outbound communication is effective in generating more leads. The same statistics prove, however, that by being more persistent, agents can increase the conversion rate by up to 70%.
Therefore, outbound communication is one of the most beneficial practices in marketing for any business. Delegating outbound calls to several employees can be risky as the volume of inbound calls fluctuates depending on a number of factors. So your loyal and potential clients can be left with no response or hold the line for too long.
That’s why, to be able to sustain the necessary number of agents and calls per day, business owners have to make substantial investments in hiring and training new staff. Unfortunately, not every company can afford it.
Luckily, there is an AI-based voice solution, which is a more cost-effective alternative. Let’s consider how AI can help your business grow by automating outbound communications.
Qualified leads
AI assistants make the lead qualification process faster and easier. On the one hand, they can analyze customers in your CRM to find qualified leads. On the other hand, during outbound calls, virtual assistants can recognize behavioral and speech patterns and help to sort out hundreds of prospective clients.
Thus, your call center team will be able to find those customers who are most likely to buy your services or products. Most importantly, pre-qualification allows sales reps to free time for inbound calls and other essential tasks.
Higher conversion rate
Most call centers admit that the major issue is low contact rates. AI-based pre-qualification can increase the contact rate when contact center agents come into play. Communication with qualified leads helps avoid time wasted on calling disinterested clients, voicemails, hang-ups, dropped calls and so on.
As mentioned earlier, agents give up too early, even though statistics show that persistence is a key for higher conversion rates. An AI-based agent, in turn, can call multiple prospects simultaneously without getting tired of it. This also positively affects conversion rates.
For example, a virtual agent developed by Neuro.net increased conversions by 35% while offering a discounted plan option.
Personalized and friendly interaction
During working days agents may feel frustrated, annoyed or simply tired. Even though it’s completely normal, it may affect the quality of outbound communication. Virtual agents, in turn, stay positive 24/7. Sentiment analysis and natural language processing capabilities help AI assistants to make customer experience friendly and unobtrusive.
By analyzing customers’ answers in real time, AI agents can adjust their scripts according to customers’ needs. Analyzed data can be then gathered for further improvements in communication. Thus, contact center agents can use the data on qualified leads and offer products that customers are most likely to purchase.
Reduced сosts
As one AI agent can replace dozens of employees, less training and expenditures on labor costs are required. Therefore, you can scale your business, while hiring fewer, but more skilled agents.
Additionally, analysis carried out by an AI assistant eliminates redundant processes, so human agents can focus on converting qualified leads. As mentioned before, they won’t spend time on useless and ineffective conversations.
A good example can be the implementation of a virtual contact center developed by Neuro.net in one of the most well-known telecommunication companies in Eastern Europe. The outcome was incredible: the cost of an effective call reduced by 4 times.
Data insights
A virtual agent can also conduct surveys and measure NPS. Analytics performed by the agent can be then used for more efficient decisions in your marketing campaign. Your employees will be able to observe what issues arise most often, what can be improved, what customers would like to use and so on.
For instance, Neuro.net’s conversational AI incorporates the best survey and NPS measurement methods, performs classification with 97% accuracy and ensures seven times higher completion rates.
Bottom line
A customer-focused approach is essential, especially in highly competitive markets. Outbound communication is a great way to understand your customers better and meet their needs. To stay competitive and reduce costs, a business can implement an AI-based contact center so that human agents can focus on more important tasks, save their productivity and convert more prospects into loyal customers.
