Electronic Retailer - September 2012 - 40

ADVERTORIAL

Listen Up Español
Listen Up Espanol is the leading Spanish language call center for the U.S. Hispanic market. Operating in Portland, Maine, and with the call center in Hermosillo, Mexico, the company employs more than 800 native Spanish-speaking call agents. Tom Sheppard is director of client development. He can be reached at tom@listenupespanol.com or (805) 433-5000. product gets returned, generates a chargeback or a customer service complaint, the lower up-front cost can work against the marketer on the back end.

How have online technologies – email and social media – changed how call centers do business?
Online technologies have helped to increase the overall response rate for the typical direct response campaign. That said, a high percentage of customers still pick up the phone to place an order, learn more about a service, or make the call after jumping on their favorite search engine to check out the product reviews. I would argue that providing as many options as possible for the customer to engage in a marketers’ product or service creates lift for all involved. More options = more customers = a longer life cycle for the campaign and greater ROI for the marketer and associated vendors. To take it one step further, not having an online and social media strategy to supplement the traditional direct response component of a campaign is leaving money on the table. Today, you have to know as much about what people do online and with their phones as you do about the TV.

What are some of the ways in which a marketer can use a call center to enhance a direct response campaign?
The call center is an integral component of any successful DR campaign. Direct response marketing today though needs to be leveraged from every angle: TV, the internet, mobile and social. Giving customers the freedom to buy through multiple channels is critical to maximize the value of every media dollar. In today’s multicultural market it is very important to utilize Spanish and English TV, internet and mobile options, and to have a call center than can effectively handle these various types of traffic. English and Spanish language websites and mobile marketing campaigns need both Spanish and English 800 numbers. By having multiple options available for the customer to buy you are better able to maximize the value of your media spend.

What can a call center do to help marketers succeed in the sought-after U.S. Hispanic demographic?
It might seem like an obvious point, but it is critical that the call center speak the language that this demographic prefers to communicate in. It goes well beyond just having Spanish speaking agents though. It is important to recognize there are geographic and regional differences and associated nuances with the language both on the caller and agent side that can impact the interaction on the call and, ultimately, impact sales conversion. Call scripting and/or translation is another key component that the center should be very involved with to help the marketer realize the highest degree of success possible for a campaign. The center should be able to craft and optimize the script to best “speaks” to the caller. It is very important to recognize that what works in the U.S. general direct response market does not necessarily work in the U.S. Hispanic market. Offer structure and order flow is another area where the center can help make a campaign a success. As mentioned above, there are differences between U.S. general and Hispanic markets and various offers (hard, soft or trial) can work differently between the two markets. Offer structure including overall price, multi versus single pay, payment types and continuity all need to be considered. It can be a complex equation, but these potentially rough waters can be much more effectively navigated with the help of an experienced call center partner.

What are the beneﬁts of using a live call center agent versus IVR?
There is definitely a place for a sound IVR option for many direct response campaigns. Typically though, a live agent environment drives higher sales conversions and higher overall order value on any given campaign since a live agent can listen to a customer and respond appropriately. This is most pronounced on a soft offer or trial offer campaign and particularly the case in the U.S. Hispanic market. Ethnic and age demographics can impact the success of an IVR solution compared to live agent. Even with a campaign that might effectively utilize an IVR, it is important to have caller optout capabilities of some sort to a live agent. Another benefit of the live agent environment compared to IVR is when a campaign is initially being launched and in test mode. The live agent interaction with the caller can speak volumes with regard to script flow, offer structure, price points, upsells and any potential objections that the caller may bring up during the call that would be totally missed on an IVR call. From a pricing perspective it may seem like an IVR is cheaper and more effective, but if a high percentage of your 40

electronicRETAILER | September 2012

Electronic Retailer - September 2012

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