Sales outsourcing 'is cost-effective'

Carrying out sales outsourcing can be a cost-effective way for companies to increase their client numbers.

This is the view of outsourcing expert Jack Morkel, who explained that handing over activities such as telemarketing to a "good quality" call centre may be beneficial for firms.

His comments may be of interest to businesses that are currently looking to expand their customer base, but lack the time or resources to conduct lead generation in-house.

Mr Morkel said that outsourcing specialists can help with activities such as telemarketing - which can be used to introduce new products or increase sales - and appointment setting, all of which can be arranged to take place within a "stipulated time period".

In addition, outsourcing call centres can also be used for inbound support and order taking, he remarked, adding that firms enlisting the services of such an organisation can benefit from access to "highly-skilled agents", as well as "low operating costs".

Businesses that are considering sales outsourcing may wish to ensure they have a long-term plan in place, as research group Cognizant recently conducted a survey revealing that under half of chief financial officers have attempted to calculate the financial benefits of outsourcing.

The firm's Sanjiv Gossain noted that many companies seem to be conducting outsourcing based on "short-term cost-cutting" decisions.