The Ideal Time for a Sales Call
Call centers are all about customer service. The importance of this cannot be overstated. However, perhaps just as important are sales. In order to have customers to service, a business must first sell to them. Sales calls occupy a great deal of a call center’s time throughout the day, but when to call and not call a potential customer must be thought out carefully.
When Not to Call
Monday: the day most people dread. It’s also a day call centers should tread carefully with. There are plenty of good times to make calls on a Monday, but one particular time to avoid is first thing in the morning. From 8 to 9 a.m. should be avoided for obvious reasons. Hardly ever do you come across someone pleased to be at work (or even awake) at that time on a Monday, so it’s best to avoid pestering them.
Another time to avoid is late Friday afternoon. Weekends are exciting, and we look forward to them constantly. So when it finally comes time for the weekend to start, most people don’t want to deal with sales calls. Taking it a step further, most people are likely to not even answer the incoming call. A good call center representative can make something out of nothing when someone answers the phone, but it’s impossible to make a sale if the phone is never answered. That’s why it’s best to avoid calling around 5 p.m. on Fridays.
The Best Time to Make a Sales Call
Early Monday mornings may not be ideal, but that doesn’t mean all of Monday is a no-go. In fact, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. are relatively good times to get pick-ups on calls. The best times, however, are between 8 and 9 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. People are in sync with their work week and are more apt to entertain sales calls.
Mid-afternoons on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are ideal times to make sales calls as well, though not quite as great. About half the amount of people answer, but a reasonable number of potential customers still pick up the phone.
What Can Help
Knowing when the best time to call is essential but doing other things can help ensure your pick-up percentages are at a comfortable number. It’s best to make sure your potential customer is seeing a local number when calling them. A number with a familiar area code makes them more likely to answer as opposed to a random, unknown one.
One other thing to assist with pick-up percentages is having click-to-dial software. If your call center representatives are having to manually dial each phone number, that limits the amount of time they have to actually call customers. The time saved clicking to dial means a greater number of potential customers will be reached.
To call, or not to call. That is the question. It’s a tough question, but the proper understanding of the right times can really make a difference for a call center. Utilize the good times, and don’t waste them by scheduling staff meetings during those periods.
