Thursday, May 24, 2012

Inbound B2B Leads - Outsourced Or Not, Always Use The Best Tools!

Costs have always been a primary or at least significant reason as to why certain business processes function at a less that satisfying performance. However, saying you can't afford it doesn't mean you should automatically give up on using the best.

But first, here's an example as to how cutting costs can put a strain on performance.

Today business technology companies are beginning to offer their ERP software solution on the cloud. SaaS is the new trend among vendors. With this new development, businesses are promised access to their company management system from virtually anywhere be it home, the office, or even on the go.

Unfortunately, every innovation is never met without opposition. And for opponents of new cloud technologies, executives are complaining that shifting software in that direction fear of putting the safety of their data with it. If something goes wrong with the vendor, everyone else suffers. If there are changes or updates made without prior notice, it might spell bad surprises for the end-user and negative feedback for the providers. This in turn will really hamper your efforts to make inbound leads out of current clients. Simply put, they won't want to keep doing business with you if you continue to snub them like this.

Perhaps the worst thing that's been done though is having an indifferent response to all these dangerous possibilities and a lack of drive to reassure the client. So how does cutting cost fit in all this?

Well for one, what's the most typical thing people do nowadays when they're having software trouble. They file a ticket or send an email to the company. Guess what? That ticket or email will probably be just one of the many that will be filling the company's inbox. A company that cuts costs is not very likely to do anything that will at least improve that experience.

At this point, it's time to review on what it would take to do just that:

  • Flexibility - You need to be available in any way possible. Don't just leave them the option of filing a ticket. Give them alternatives (especially when these are people are more skilled with speaking out their problems instead of writing it down).
  • Data management - Data always helps. Try to find out if there's anything in common among the people who have been contacting you. One thing that happens a lot in any online service is that even if you insist on a ticket system, you should at least try and see if there's a sudden rise in a particular complaint.
  • Stay informative - Once you've engaged enough and gotten the necessary data, try to at least assure everyone (be it a public announcement on your website or even a wide call campaign to all current clients) to keep them in the loop of what's happening with the system.

As expected, the costs of just data management and communication alone would really eat a whole out of the company pocket. There's equipment to purchase, set up and install along with personnel to recruit, train, and pay. The thing is though, you can always just outsource the best if you can't afford it for yourself. A strained relationship with your clients is not worth the hesitation!



This news article is brought to you by ACCOUNTING - where latest news are our top priority.

No comments:

Post a Comment