A leading technology company that designs, builds and customizes products and services to satisfy a wide range of customer requirements. It follows a guiding principle that focuses on each individual customer and their needs. Effectively marketing all of its products, services and accessories to its worldwide customer base, however, can present an enormous challenge for such an industry leader.
The Technology client aimed to increase warranty and accessory sales among its small business clients. Small business clients were defined as those with 0-400 employees who spent up to $75,000 per year with the client. While the technical giant was proficient at capturing customer data, and had used outbound marketing campaigns in the past, it sought to increase response rates and sales among this sector. Yet how could it outperform past efforts? What new methods could be employed? The client turned to Inktel Direct for the answer.
Inktel responded by developing a campaign that combined Direct Marketing, Variable Personalized Printing, Interactive Internet Marketing and Inbound and Outbound Call Center Services. Inktel, providing a complete Customer Relationship Marketing solution, managed the entire process in-house.
To begin the process, Inktel received weekly data transmissions from the client to its FTP site. This data contained thousands of names, addresses and contact information of recent small business buyers, along with what products they had purchased. The Inktel Data Management team then cleansed the data while performing data analysis and modeling to produce more relevant and personalized offers. To drive inbound calls, Inktel’s system would then generate a variable (personalized) letter and specific offer based on the customer’s purchase. For example, a laptop buyer might have received a supplemental warranty offer while a desktop buyer might have received an extended warranty offer. Mailings took place on a weekly basis, and Inktel determined what to offer to whom.
By developing all creative in-house, including the offer letter, the envelope and buck-slip insert, Inktel maintained direction and control over the success of the campaign. Buck-slip inserts included individual toll-free numbers whereby the effectiveness of each letter and offer could be analyzed based upon true response rates. Inktel tracked buying behavior that would help predict future buying patterns. When a certain offer produced high response rates, characteristics of both the offer and customer were analyzed and additional offers were directed toward that type of customer.
Highly trained representatives in Inktel’s automated state-of-the-art call center serviced inbound callers and captured order information. Call center representatives also handled customer service inquiries, connecting callers to the client’s appropriate representatives. Inbound response rates were tracked, then outbound calls were placed to those that had not responded within the first week. Inktel’s automated system loaded the dialer set with specific parameters. This produced calls targeted toward those with a high probability of success based on purchase patterns.
Initially, order information was forwarded to a client representative for input into the company’s internal system. Inktel’s accelerated competency in capturing and maintaining accurate data, however, quickly caused the client to entrust Inktel with access to internal system directly. No other vendor had been allowed such access. Providing this value-added service to the client eliminated an additional step in the process and the potential for error. Inktel also provided the client with access to a secure website where real time results could be tracked from anywhere in the world
By expanding upon traditional outbound methods, Inktel proactively formulated a successful Customer Relationship Marketing solution for the client. Driving inbound sales through strategic direct marketing, tracking and analyzing responses, following up with outbound calls and tailoring offers based on buying patterns delivered the following outstanding results:
| Goal | Result | |
| Inbound Close Ratio | 45% | 60% |
| Outbound Close Ratio | 10% | 17% |
In addition to exceeding sales goals, Inktel captured valuable information for the client to build future Relationship Marketing campaigns upon. Inktel Direct once again effectively managed the matrix of interactive communication between its clients and their customers.
