In today’s dynamic, answer rates are the top priority for executing smart sales. Want to reach more contacts and generate positive outcomes?
Many businesses are dealing with low answer rates, so they are looking for strategic solutions. So, to shed light on such aspects we have covered the ideation on “Call Answer Rates”.
Let’s dive into this,
What are call answer rates?
The call center KPI metric demonstrating the percentage of answered calls in connection with a total number of calls is called as call answer rate (CAR). It is basically, the focal sales metric which is sometimes considered as contact rates or live answer rates. Call answer rates are the total number of phone calls that are being responded to resulting in a live conversation.
Types of Call Answer Rates
When we glance at the ideation of call answer rates, it’s crucial to take a look at the types of CAR which are brief down below;
1. Inbound call answer rates
In this context, the measurement begins with the percentage of incoming calls that were answered by agents within a set time frame in comparison to the total number of calls received.
2. Outbound call answer rates
While, it’s the opposite of inbound, here, the measurement is attempted on how many outbound calls are conducted that are answered by the prospects or potential customers. These call answer rates determine the effectiveness of outbound calling campaigns.
How do you Calculate Call Answer Rates?
Call answer rate formula,
CAR = Total number of answered calls (incoming/outgoing) / Total number of calls (inbound received/outbound made) x 100
Let’s understand with a small illustration;
In the case of inbound call centers;
The call center receives 120 incoming calls and answers only 90% of them, the CAR is 75%
While in an outbound call center;
The call center makes 500 outgoing calls and only 190 of them are answered up by leads, the CAR 38%.
Why do Call Answer Rates Matter on Sales Calls?
Call answer rates matter on sales calls because they have a direct impact on overall sales performance, accomplishing them as a pivotal KPI metric for businesses to monitor and improve results. As one should be aware every answered call indicates a missed opportunity which creates a problem of getting engaged and converting those leads into paid ones. Therefore CAR matters a lot in such a scenario for upgrading the chances of call connection rates with prospects.
One point to be considered:
Apply the 80/20 rule in the call center, which implies that almost 80% of incoming calls must be answered by agents within a specified time frame, i.e., 20 seconds or less. This rate counts on average as a good service level.
Another crucial aspect is that when calls are answered or responded instantly it is likely to generate a sense of commitment and responsiveness, leading to positive CX. If calls are unanswered, it could waste money that you spend on marketing tactics for lead generation. Managing incoming calls via high call answer rates employs higher productivity of the sales team.
Key Factors Influencing Call Answer Rates
Once you understand the following factors, you are enabled with on-hand problems that are affecting your answer rates and instantly get ready to resolve those issues that are pinpointing in between.
1. Quality of your leads
It’s no longer a secret that the quality of your leads can influence call answer rates. High-quality leads who have generated some kind of interest or engagement towards your brand’s offerings are likely to answer the calls compared to cold leads.
2. Caller ID Recognition
Caller identification is the main concern nowadays and it has greatly affected the answer rates. Calls that are unknown/ spam/ blocked caller IDs are less likely to be answered, only identified IDs and trusted caller IDs seem to gain higher answer rates.
To overcome such a problem, local presence dialing is the ultimate solution for creating a sense of familiarity and trust. It displays familiar area codes, which helps your caller ID be recognized.
3. Irrelevant time & day
The main game is played at specific times and on particular days of the week. Peak calling hours ( business hours) resulted in higher call volumes and lower answer rates. Similarly, CAR may fluctuate based on days like Monday that have lower answer rates because of the post-weekend.
4. Frequency of calls
Another factor that impacts the answer rates in call centers is the call frequency. Sometimes excessive and frequent repetition of calls results in lower answer rates. Too many excessive calls act as spam calls.
5. Call handling approach
How do you handle the call? This matters a lot when you make a contact. The call-handling approach begins with call routing, voicemail techniques, and follow-up procedures. When this process is automated with a reputable cloud auto dialer system, it may result in higher answer rates and overall sales outcomes.
How do you improve call answer rates in sales calls?
Still not figuring out how to augment call answer rates in sales calls? Do Focus on above mentioned strategic measures and observe the ultimate results on sales performance.
Intelligent call routing
Making count on smart call routing via IVR systems for directing calls to the most appropriate agents. This simply handles the specific customer inquiries and improves the call answer rates in sales calls.
Advanced predictive analysis
Using predictive analysis tactics to forecast call volumes empowers proactive approaches to make adjustable staffing levels. This predictive modeling recognizes the high-value leads that truly prioritize calls for instant attention resulting in successful sales calls.
Self-service options
These include resources like knowledge base, FAQs, ebooks, and a lot more which simply assist the prospects to own the information themselves before contacting support teams or agents. This typically indicates that fewer calls are responded to by agents.
Automated dialer systems
Get associated with automatic dialing technology, like predictive dialers, to simplify the outbound calling process with maximum agent productivity. Predictive dialer technology integrated with call pacing algorithms guarantees that agents are proactively engaged and available to answer incoming calls promptly.
Conclusion
It’s peak time to focus on how much your outbound calls get answered and how many incoming calls you answer. Think about partnering with an outbound marketing platform for high answer rates! Learn more about getting quality call engagement and more meaningful conversations.
