Managing direct response call queues: balancing volume with sales acquisition

Many executives and suppliers take a one-size-fits-all approach to direct response, based on the basic assumption that a large shared pool can best absorb a large amount of fluctuation and unpredictability. As a result, direct sales calls are very often routed to mass, multi-client homogenous queues that can handle high volume.

The problem with this approach is that call center agents in mass queues do not get sustained engagement with specific products or brands. This is especially problematic for smaller lines going into mass queue, where a product may only be 1 in 1,000 calls. This creates a very steep learning curve for agents.

As a result, direct response calls are treated as order-taking interactions, rather than sales interactions. This leads to lower conversion rates and significantly impacts smaller volume brands and products.

Empowering call agents to do more than take orders
In direct response, most money is spent on getting people to pick up the phone and call. It just doesn’t make sense to spend all that money up front on getting the call and then lose potential sales because the call center agents don’t know enough about your product/brand to close the deal – or increase your sales total through cross-sell and up-sell.

This is why mass queues for smaller brands really aren’t beneficial, and I advise direct response clients not to get overly enamored with big queues that can absorb volume. Instead, you want to have enough product-specific calls in a queue to allow call agents to be product experts who are focused on achieving higher close rates.

This also means that direct response businesses comprised of multiple brands and product lines need to look beyond total call volume for their company and think about their call queues in terms of specific products.

Shift the focus back to sales with accurate forecasting
It’s true that mass queues offer economies of scale, and with direct response, call volume is an important consideration. When people pick up the phone to buy your product, you don’t want to keep them waiting, especially since people responding to infomercials simply don’t wait.

But too many direct response businesses deliver such poor call volume forecasts, the feeling is that they must use massive shared queues. Direct response companies should be able to forecast volume with reasonable accuracy for most media buys (with the exception of “spot” buys).

Based on accurate volume forecasting, calls can be routed to a dedicated or semi-dedicated queue, combined with a mass queue to accommodate overflow. This balanced approach will increase close rates and average-order-value while handling spikes in call volume.

With proper planning and strategy, direct response call agents can do more than take orders: they can maximize sales and build your brand.

–Bryan DiGiorgio