Identify and Capitalize on Upsell Opportunities

Far too few call center managers recognize the potential for their operations to generate revenue for their organizations, and therefore miss out on many opportunities to upsell and cross-sell their products to an audience that already has faith in their offerings. It’s important for call center leaders to articulate best practices for these advanced techniques and ensure that their agents are capitalizing on every chance they get to make a last-minute sale on the phone.

Of course, this is easier said than done, since upselling and cross-selling do not have the best reputations in a call center environment. While the odds may be stacked against managers and agents, certain technologies and tactical approaches can help them overcome these obstacles and develop the capabilities and confidence necessary to close the deal. Here’s a look at three ways in which  call center management uses call recording optimize the workforce to identify and capitalize on upsell opportunities on a regular basis.

1. Focus on the basics of customer experience: In many call centers, the overall level of service needs to be heightened to the point that upsell and cross-sell opportunities come as a natural progression in the conversation, as callers are generally more satisfied and happy to continue their partnership with the brand. With this in mind, call center managers should work to improve the big-picture performance of their operations, knowing that with stronger service will come plenty of chances for agents to showcase different products.

2. Identify trends in successful performances: As CSI Software Advice pointed out, callers are more willing to hear about upsells than they let on. The source pointed to AchieveGlobal research revealing that 15 percent of consumers want to hear more about these offers in the right context. Of course, it’s up to managers to figure out what those ideal situations are and use call recording technology to draw conclusions about their own best practices.

“Listen for the answer to the current question, and other ones too,” said Craig Harrison, a speaker and consultant with Expressions of Excellence, according to the source. “Listen to the meta-message – the message within the message. What is being said? What isn’t being said? Listen for more opportunities to serve/sell.”

3. Target and remedy deal-breaking behavior: While most agents are fully capable of implementing upsell best practices, old habits die hard, and managers will need to work with these tough cases to clean up their behaviors and establish a more polished approach. As CSI Software Advice pointed out, customers hate when agents try to sell a product that has little to do with their current purchase. Sometimes, representatives are too aggressive with their tactics.

With call recording software to guide their coaching efforts, managers can more accurately and consistently fix agent activity that is clearly diminishing the chances of an upsell. By identifying and eliminating these deal-breaking practices, call center operations will be much stronger on the sales front, while improving the customer experience in a holistic manner.