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Missed Call Marketing coupled with IVR Solutions: Key to Successful Modern Day Marketing

Modern Marketing has taken a new turn due to technological innovation in the field of telecommunications. IVR and MCM, i.e., Interactive Voice Response Campaign System and Missed Call Marketing Solutions comprise most of the modern marketing techniques through telecommunications.

What is IVR?

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a technology that uses voice and DMTF tones input via keypad to interact with users. These systems are meant to handle huge call loads. IVR is known for its reduction of caller waiting time. In a simpler sense, IVR gives a pre-recorded audio and accepts keypad input, after it gives an option driven menu.

What is MCM?

Missed Call Marketing is an innovation that is used by entrepreneurs globally for the purpose of telecom marketing. The most basic and cheapest way for connecting to the public is MCM. MCM doesn’t require any specific app or system in the phone. One has to just place a missed call on the given number to receive the desired info in the form of a text or another incoming call. Placing a missed call is free of cost and hence MCM is widely accepted.

Simple MCM process:

  1. A ‘missed call’ number is circulated through ads and campaigns
  2. Customer places a call
  3. Call is terminated
  4. Customer receives a text or call regarding specific information

Simple IVR process:

  1. An outbound call is placed to a customer
  2. If the customer is interested he receives it otherwise, the process ends
  3. If he receives it, he is run through the menu
  4. Customer gets the info.

How can both techniques be combined to get a unique solution?

IVR and MCM can be combined to get a unique marketing solution that can be user friendly, affordable, less time consuming and really simple.

Missed Call Marketing is limited to a certain extent as the complete information isn’t necessarily received by the end user; and IVR has its chances of getting calls wasted to uninterested users. Therefore, a unique system can be created using both techniques, which will follow the following process:

  1. A ‘missed call’ is circulated through ads and campaigns
  2. Customer places a call
  3. Call is terminated
  4. An outbound call is placed to a customer
  5. The customer is run through the menu
  6. Customer gets the information.

Thus, it avoids the drawbacks of both MCM and IVR and a unique system is created that can boost marketing to a new level.

Big V Telecom, a cloud based telephony company, offers such a combined marketing system with its product, DialNDisconnect. One of the most reputed solutions providers in the telecommunications sector, Big V Telecom has developed several innovative and cutting-edge solutions, spanning across various sectors.

 

big v telecom

Missed Call Marketing – Changing the Face of Mass Communication

Marketing has, until now, primarily involved promotion via physical and virtual methods. Flyers, leaflets, online advertisements and more have always formed the heart and soul of a marketing campaign. Recently though, there has emerged a new method for increasing customer engagement, that is, missed call marketing.

What Exactly is Missed Call Marketing?

Missed call marketing works on the principle of providing service information to the end user without them having to spend a single buck. It stems from the idea that almost every person in the world has mobile handset today. A fact that can be used to reach out more efficiently to every individual living in the civilized world, than a website or a leaflet could.

Missed call marketing involves providing a single, one-for-all contact number by the brand to be promoted, where customers can give a missed call to avail information about product features, promotional campaigns, discounts and offers, free of cost. The company, on receiving the missed call, sends out a text or pre-recorded voice message, which provides the end user with the information required.

The Scope of Missed Call Marketing

A mobile phone has become one of the most common digital gadgets used by people across all strata of society. These handsets range from simple, small phones with basic caller applications, to high-end smart-phones and tablets that have myriad cutting edge features.  One common affordable and easy to use, mode of connecting with such diverse target audience using technologically diversified mobiles is missed calls.

India itself has an active mobile user base of over 833 million, ranging over different topographies. Missed call marketing enables brands to reach out to all of these via just a missed call. This innovative technique has proven itself to be significantly ahead of the rest of the conventional means of mass communication, and the scope is only expected to keep increasing with increasing number of mobile users.

Features of Missed Call Marketing

To avail of this robust marketing platform, as a brand you can use a cloud telephony solutions like DialNDisconnect from Big V Telecom. This service provides your company with a dedicated virtual phone number where customers can send a missed call and get in touch with you. The service can be used to fulfill several purposes like:

  • Number Verification

The dialed number is instantaneously verified, before being added to your database, to make sure that it is not a spam call. This database of numbers can be then accessed to send promotional messages as and when required.

 

  • Public Votes

This functionality is useful when public voting needs to be done to decide on preferred product or service. It is also widely used by television reality shows as well as beauty pageants to decide winners in competitions when there are multiple options available. The number of missed calls received by each candidate on their dedicated numbers is monitored, calculated and the final result is analyzed.

 

  • Product Promotion

Perhaps the most important application, missed call marketing can be used to promote products across a wide user base, irrespective of the end user’s device type. This gives businesses an opportunity to test new product viability or gain feedback on current services or products. It also enables business to gain popularity amongst consumers by offering add on offers in the form of discounts or some kind of entertainment in return for the missed call given by them.

 

Missed call marketing is one of the most powerful means of mass communication today and the market is yet to reach its full potential. A simple, yet robust tool it helps companies get in touch with their client base easily and quickly.

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Benefits of using Outbound IVR Solutions to Conduct Surveys

Consumer opinions play a very important role in determining the success and future course of a company. This is why companies adopt various methods to take consumer feedback on existing products and services and also to understand consumer expectations while developing new ones.

Many a times questionnaires sent through E-mails and SMS tend to be lost amongst the others received or overlooked as they require subsequent actions from survey takers. On the other hand voice based surveys are less likely to be missed by the consumers. Research shows that voice based surveys achieve higher response rate from consumers because they are personally targeted and make the consumers feel valued.

Large-scale voice based surveys if manually handled tend to take up a lot of time and require engaging large manpower resources too. In order to overcome these constraints many businesses today opt to take services of Outbound IVR providers like Big V Telecom – first Tata Elxsi incubate company, to undertake market research and customer satisfaction surveys.

What is Outbound IVR

Outbound IVR is an intelligent voice based bulk customer outreach system that can assist in surveys on the basis of customer DTMF inputs. This means that customers are asked to select options by pressing relevant number keys. Outbound IVR is popular method of survey among many businesses due to the following benefits it provides.

  1. Survey large sample in less time: Since surveys conducted through Outbound IVR are automated and cloud hosted, many consumers can be called simultaneously. Thus within a short span of time business can survey a large database of consumers.

 

  1. Customized Scheduling: If it’s a post purchase survey or feedback about customer service quality it can also be scheduled after taking prior permission during primary interaction. The survey can be scheduled keeping in mind the general convenience and availability of the consumers.

 

  1. Get unbiased responses: The inputs provided by the consumers during the survey are directly registered in the database. Since there is no human element involved from the business-end while recording responses, they can safely be assumed to be unbiased and error free.

 

  1. Faster Data Analysis: With survey data automatically generated and entered in the system, it is also analyzed instantly. This provides quick results on completion of survey for the business to act upon. In case of consumer satisfaction survey, any negative feedback can be instantly identified by setting up required triggers and corrective actions can be taken with follow-up calls from the business representatives.

 5. Highly Cost Effective: Since businesses can conveniently hire Outbound IVR services on demand from cloud telephony providers like Big V Telecom they do not need to make any investment for infrastructure setup. Also since everything is automated right from conducting survey to analyzing the results, it can be accomplished with minimal manpower resources.

How different industry sectors in India are utilizing missed call services

The challenge that the companies face while marketing in India is that around 70% of the population resides in small towns and villages where digital connectivity and media outreach is limited. But they can instantly connect with this large proportion of Indian population through phones with over 1,040 million mobile and landline connections. Making the most of this connectivity, marketers across various sectors have vividly used missed call marketing for consumer engagement across the country.

The most appealing attribute of using free missed calls is that it encourages willful engagement from the consumers’ end and provides positive leads to the business. With customizable missed call service providers in India like us, the first Tata Elxsi incubate company, Big V Telecom, implementation of missed call campaigns is an easy task. Our service, DialnDisconnect provides highly quantifiable missed call services with powerful call data analytics.

Here’s how some of the leading industry sectors in India are utilizing missed call marketing:

  • FMCG

In the Indian scenario of missed call marketing, taking the lead is the FMCG sector whose target audience includes people from different economic backgrounds. FMCG giants like HUL, PepsiCo and Cadburys have used multiple missed call campaigns to garner feedback on new and existing products and packaging. Companies in this sector have also used it to reach the most rural population, tailoring call-to-action responses to suit region specific target audience. One of HUL’s most innovative and successful campaign included providing free, on-demand audio entertainment in Bihar, UP and Jharkhand.

  • Media and Entertainment:

The next widespread use of missed call campaign was made by the media and entertainment sector. The reality shows have been seeking participation from television audience in the form of missed calls to either vote for or vote out contestants while the talk shows based on real –life instances and social causes used it to know audience opinions on the same. The entertainment channels launched the missed call services for viewers to know show timings or set reminders while the DTH providers use it to provide customer support.

The application of missed calls in the banking sector has helped them boost productivity manifold.  Their ongoing missed call services have proved to be a boon by saving them time, money and resources used in accomplishing tasks like verifying mobile numbers of account holders, providing account summary and such other routine tasks. Not to forget, the benefits of generating credible leads for their telemarketing team by promoting different financial products through promotional missed call campaigns!

  • NGO:

Lastly, the missed call campaigns that struck the right chords with the audience are undoubtedly the ones used by NGOs and government to garner support for social causes. Some of the causes that Big V is proud to be part of are the ‘Call Anna’ campaign supporting anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and a co-initiative with Pune Police to reintegrate convicts with the society.

Many more sectors are opting for this lucrative marketing tool with latest to join the missed call marketing trend are the e-commerce and social media companies. Is your company using it? Do let us know!!

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5 Ways a Virtual Contact Center gives your business a competitive edge

With rapidly changing economic scenario, businesses need communication systems that are highly dynamic. They need systems that go beyond merely providing connectivity and give the business additional benefits that provide competitive edge. This is what technologically advanced cloud telephony aims at providing your contact center.

Here are 5 ways a virtual contact center can give your business competitive edge:

  1. A unified and uninterrupted communication system

A virtual contact center enables you to create a unified and intelligent communication on a single virtual number system for your offices at different locations across the globe. This helps you to streamline your business and enables you to create uniform brand identity across all locations. With cloud telephony you have the freedom to choose and drop the features as per your needs and thus ensure affordability.

Additionally, your business is up and running at all times with uninterrupted services from your virtual phone system. With its multiple call handling and auto response facilities, your businesses will not miss any calls and opportunities.

  1. Makes business ready to adapt to changes

An organization’s sustainability and growth is largely dependent on its ability to respond and adapt to changes in the business environment. Cloud telephony solutions provide immense flexibility to businesses to adapt to changes as they can be modified and upgraded in no time.

For instance if you need to respond to a change in competitor’s marketing strategy in real-time then you can do so by greeting your callers with pre-recorded messages advertising your offers. Additionally if you are expanding your business, you can instantly add more extensions to your virtual number to accommodate more locations and employees. Virtual contact centers even add mobility to your business. As they entail no on-site infrastructure, you can shift location anytime without hampering business continuity.

  1. Enables monitored customer interaction

The age old phrase ‘Customer is the King’, holds higher relevance today when customer is spoilt for choice and can switch loyalties at slightest dissatisfaction with a product or company. In fact over 75% of leading businesses consider customer service as prime factor determining sustainable growth. It is therefore important to continuously monitor and improvise on your customer care practices to stay ahead of the competition.

With innovative and affordable cloud telephony empowered contact centers, the call recording facilities are no longer meant for only big budget companies. They are now easily accessible even by small and midsized businesses, helping them maintain competitiveness with large scale businesses too. A virtual contact center can help track live calls and also retrieve and analyze other calls to make sure you do not miss any business opportunity or any customer over minor issues.

  1. Optimize resource utilization by quantifying marketing initiatives

When you are running a business on a tight budget in a competitive sector, every penny spent has to have good returns. With cloud telephony you can easily quantify the success of your marketing channels and have credible data on the ROI each channel generates. This helps you to optimally allocate your available resources in the most profitable channels and gain competitive advantage.

  1. Empowering Employees and Increasing Productivity

Your virtual contact center doubles up as an analytical tool that enhances overall employee and business productivity. It can provide detailed analysis of every business interaction, empowering employees to better resolve customer queries. It automatically generates customer database based on call records, assisting in employees in providing proactive customer support and also generating sales ready leads for future business.

With changing work patterns, companies today have scattered workforce and employees working outside office premises at flexible hours. Such workforce can be better managed with easy connectivity provided by virtual call centers.

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How to Plan a Successful Outbound IVR Campaign

Rightly designed and executed Outbound IVR campaigns can definitely strengthen a business’s ability to build healthy customer relationship, proactively handle potential grievances, and streamline customer engagement. Here are some key pointers to consider while planning your Outbound IVR campaign to ensure it achieves desired success.

  1. Use an updated customer database

In order to make every outbound call effective, it is important to use an updated customer database in line with the purpose of the campaign. An entire database can be called to provide general information but if the campaign is being run for payment reminders then calling customers whose payments are clear could annoy them. It is also important to ensure customers are not troubled with repeated calls.

  1. Keep your message short and to the point

Since outbound IVR campaigns are automated and carry pre-recorded messages, a long message could deter recipients leading them to hang-up midway. Use short and simple statements. If the Outbound IVR Campaign is a feedback survey then include just a few relevant questions with limited options to choose from. Simple options like press 1 for ‘yes’ and 2 for ‘no’ are known to receive better results. 

  1. Personalize with multiple language options

With cloud telephony providers like Big V Telecom, the first to be incubated by Tata Elxsi, providing multi-language options for Outbound IVR services, you can personalize messages for customers in their local language. In a multi-lingual country like India, providing customers the liberty to hear the message in the language of their choice helps capture their interest and increases the probability of accurate responses.

  1. Ensure value addition

Outbound IVR campaigns should be worth the customer’s time. Frequent IVR campaigns or calls with repetitive messages could lead the customers to opt-out of the campaigns. Automated voice messages for appointment reminders or informing about lowest price or discount or payment reminder would be appreciated by customers. On the other hand calling up a regular customer to take up membership card could be annoying. 

  1. Provide option to connect with agent

Providing customers option to connect with your business representative at the end of the call can make the outbound IVR campaign more productive. Especially if the campaign is advertising launch of new products and services or is providing low cost deals, instant connectivity with cloud contact center could result in prompt sales.

big v telecom

Cloud Telephony Services– Your On-demand Communication System

The just-in-time concept of manufacturing is now gaining popularity in the service sector too. Just-in-time or on-demand services refers to availing the services only when required and paying only for the services when in use. This concept is especially beneficial for businesses that need to avail technologically advanced services like cloud telephony, which would otherwise demand high investment.

Minimize Operational Costs with On-Demand Cloud Telephony Services

Telecommunication as a service has historically been one of the important elements of business that required pre-planned implementation until the advent of cloud telephony. Cloud Telephony is redefining the way businesses today look at setting up their communication systems. With many established cloud telephony service providers, India has been able to provide large scale and affordable on demand hosted IVR solutions.

Since the services are availed from third party service providers, businesses themselves don’t need to make any additional investment in setting up infrastructure or procuring additional manpower. Additionally there is no need to sustain high maintenance PBX systems as it is all hosted on the cloud.

Instant scalability of cloud telephony infrastructure

On-demand cloud telephony has given businesses the liberty to take quick strategic decisions about relocating business without having to undergo delay in setting up required communication channels. Since the business phone system is cloud hosted it does not require any physical relocation and can be used without any interruption on your mobile phones as well.

In case of expanding business at a new location all that the business has to do is call up the cloud telephony service provider and ask for up-scaling services by adding new extensions that can be conveniently used on existing virtual number. The employees can use these numbers on their mobile phones too.

Aids Strategic Marketing

Affordable IVR services from providers like Big V Telecom, the first company to be incubated by Tata Elxsi, ensure that the businesses can take up informed marketing projects to gain a competitive edge without having to undertake large monetary risks. With real time and on-demand call analytics, companies can know the success rate of various marketing channels and invest in the most profitable ones.

Additionally for taking up marketing initiatives like missed call campaigns or outbound IVR surveys, cloud telephony service providers can offer short-term on-demand missed call and outbound IVR services on existing numbers for the stipulated time-frame of the campaign.

With cloud telephony at your hand you can upscale or downscale your telecommunication facilities as per your business requirements. You will no longer require spending on unnecessarily maintaining systems that might be of use only in future and can optimize the allocation of your resources for more important aspects of business.

big v telecoms

Cloud Telephony Advantage for Automobile Dealers

Buying a vehicle is a decision that a buyer takes after a lot of different considerations. One of the important elements that determine the final outcome is the interactions with various automobile dealers as they are the ones with whom the buyers would enter into a long-term association. Thus automobile dealers leave no stone unturned to fine-tune their operations, especially their communication systems to beat the increasing competition. And what better way to do it than harnessing the cloud telephony advantage!

Single Virtual Number to Create a Unique Brand Identity

Cloud telephony solutions are highly customizable which makes them apt for the complex business structure of automobile dealership. Centralizing telecommunications with a single virtual number allows creating a unique brand identity for automobile dealers. Additionally it creates a unified communication and tracking system for the dealers to manage multiple locations of showrooms and workshops. On the other hand buyers can easily locate and get in touch with showroom located nearest to them.

Improve Lead Management and Conversion

Multiple call handling, intelligent call routing and missed call notification features offered by cloud telephony solutions ensure that the automobile dealers do not miss any inbound leads. Additionally cloud hosted IVR solutions offer auto answering with pre-recorded messages that helps them to professionally greet their customers every time. These pre-recorded messages could also be used to inform customers about current offers to initiate a new lead during inbound as well as outbound calls.

Monitor Sub-dealer Performance

Having multiple sub-dealers makes it difficult for the management to keep a real-time track of sales initiatives and other activities until monthly reports are received. Cloud Telephony solutions can provide call logs and analytics for individual sub-dealers which makes it easy to constantly review their performance.

Additionally virtual call centers offer call recording facility for all the inbound as well as outbound calls. Cloud telephony providers in India like Big V Telecom, the first company to be incubated by Tata Elxsi, provide web and mobile app interface from where the management can easily access recorded calls. This helps them monitor the customer response rate and standardize customer service quality that is of utmost importance in the automobile industry.

Send Automated Reminders to Customers

Cloud telephony can be seamlessly integrated with the dealers CRM database. Combined with progressive outbound calling automobile dealer can send automated reminders for upcoming vehicle service appointment or renewal of automobile insurance. This not only helps increase revenues but also helps build lasting customer relationship.

3 Quick Tips to Run a Successful Missed Call Campaign

Missed call solutions are finding mainstream position in the marketing strategies of many large scale organizations. Although it started with merely getting cricket scores on giving a missed call, today it is being used by banks to provide on-demand services to customers, media and entertainment companies to ask for votes on their reality show and by NGOs to garner support from the masses for social causes. Even multi-nationals have realized that a free missed call can open a large window of opportunities for their business by engaging millions of penny-wise customers. The latest to join the increasingly popular missed call marketing is the trend-setter Facebook itself!

Now, you might be wondering, missed call services are meant only for the big names or large scale organizations. Well, even small and medium sized businesses can effectively use missed calls to enhance their marketing campaigns within a limited budget. What makes them affordable is that they are hosted on the cloud and require no infrastructure. With extensively customizable and highly quantifiable service like DialnDisconnect from Big V Telecom, the first company to be incubated by Tata Elxsi, you can easily design and modify your missed call campaign as and when you want.

All you need to do is take care of the following basics and you can successfully run a missed call marketing campaign.

  1. Offer customers benefit for being a part of your campaign

Since by giving a missed call, the consumers allow you to contact them for pitching new products and services or seeking feedback through a call-back survey, it is important to ensure they too are benefiting from the proposition.

To get the consumers effectively engaged and involved in your missed call campaign it is important to offer them a valuable response. Additionally it is essential to market it well to ensure it reaches the right audience that will respond to the call-to-action.

Based on your target audience, design a creative response that adds value to the customer’s experience in interacting with your organization. It could be as minimal as useful tips related to the business or a small discount coupon on their next purchase.

  1. Use a quick response mechanism

It is important to design the right mix of text and voice based response to appreciate consumer’s efforts. A simple but instant thank you message with a promise to get in touch soon can work wonders in turning a consumer into a loyal customer. The idea is to make the consumers feel valued!

Businesses that offer to call customers back for free against their missed calls have been known to experience increased sales, goodwill among consumers and rise in customer loyalty.

  1. Implement powerful data analytics and optimize the use of data generated

What makes missed call marketing appealing is the fact that it is a medium with potential to reach out to a large consumer base of millions of mobile subscribers in the country. To reach out to the maximum consumers in the region where the campaign is being run, it is necessary to ensure it is marketed well. Once that is done, to effectively tap the created opportunities it is important to have the right data analytics mechanism in place.

With DialnDisconnect, you can access live missed call data and analytics from anywhere through a comprehensive web interface. It can provide detailed data about the time and place from where the missed call is received. It can also automatically sync the generated database with your CRM account too. Additionally it can also provide you with complete audio logs of callbacks generated to ensure timely monitoring and quality control.

Increase Effectiveness of Your Marketing Initiatives with Missed Call Services

While internet is still in its early stage of outreach in India, mobile phones have penetrated even at the grassroots level. With over 833 million active mobile connections across the country, it has outnumbered the reach of other traditional media like newspaper and television. Mobiles have become a preferred choice for marketers to instantly reach out to the target audience, since people are always accompanied by their mobiles.

Capitalizing on the widespread use of mobile phones, marketers have adopted new age missed call services to enhance the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Missed calls can be configured to generate any desired response in the form of callback or a text message. It can also be used to take a vote, verify mobile numbers, register for various offers and much more.

Making marketing initiatives interactive and quantifiable

Most advertisements whether they are aired on television and radio or printed on newspapers and billboards result in one way communication with no substantial evidence of reaching the right audience. Integrating missed call services in your advertisements can increase their effectiveness by making them interactive for the target audience. The key here is to offer a valuable response in return – like requesting a call back for more information or providing some kind of entertaining content.

Missed call services also help you to know the success of your marketing campaigns. With providers like Big V Telecom’s DialnDisconnect, you can receive powerful and live data analytics on responses generated through missed calls. It will enable you to accurately measure the return on investment for each campaign by quantifying missed calls received through them.

Enables wider outreach to masses

Giving a missed call is one of the most basic functions that any person not familiar with advanced mobile technology too can accomplish. Additionally since missed calls do not cost anything to the users, it appeals even to the pre-paid subscribers who are very careful in spending the limited available talk-time. Thus as compared to sending SMS on premium corporate numbers or making outgoing calls, using the free of cost missed call services can be more encouraging, especially  for people with limited means of mobile connectivity. Many companies have realized this potential and have successfully used missed call campaigns to achieve better results from their marketing efforts targeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns as well as villages where 70% of Indian population resides.

Generating Qualified Leads

Missed call campaigns can help you break the ‘Do Not Disturb’ barrier, which restricts any unsolicited marketing activities. By encouraging consumers to request a call back by giving missed call, your company is able to initiate a marketing call with consent from the consumer. This helps you create a pool of qualified leads instead of making random cold calls with lesser probability of conversion.

With DialnDisconnect, you can get an automatically updated customer database generated from your missed call campaigns. This database can be easily synced with your CRM account and used as a ready database of leads for future use.

As you can see, the universally used missed call, has acquired a whole new meaning with the corporate clan integrating it in their business activities. Today missed call services make up for over 500 crore industry in India, and is being used to accomplish wide range of marketing and administrative purposes. A rightly designed missed call campaign can increase effectiveness of your marketing efforts manifold.

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