The call center is increasingly assuming center stage in the sales and
marketing activities of HP India with as much as seven to 15 percent of the
company’s monthly sales accruing from leads generated and managed by its call
center. Although HP declined to quantify the value of sales that accrue from the
call center, it is estimated to be in the range of Rs 8-10 crore per month
depending on whether there is a campaign going on or not.
The service is particularly beneficial for its SMB and consumer segment which
typically requires more information before making a purchase. HP started on this
initiative two years ago when it outsourced its call center requirements to
Delhi-based DSS Mobile.
Since then, the call center has played an undeniable role in passing on
valuable leads to resellers and increasing the business turnover many times
over. Calls are either categorized as ‘hot leads’ or ‘information seekers’
depending on the urgency of the calls. Agents are trained to elicit responses
that could help them sift serious buyers from information seekers.
|
A hot lead is then passed on to the reseller depending on criterion like
profile of the reseller, proximity to the customer and so on. If several
resellers qualify, then the software picks up the reseller which has the least
amount of transaction to its credit.
The role of the call center does not end in simply passing on the leads.
Agents keep in touch with the customer and continue with the follow-up till the
deal is closed in favor of HP or against it – in marketing parlance they call
it "till the loop is closed."
"It is a dynamic process whereby non-performers are pulled out of the
network just as performers are propped into the network. Performance is based on
the ability to transform leads provided by the call center. About 40-50 percent
of resellers form the CIC network," says Vasudha Duggal, Manager - Customer
Information Center (CIC) and CRM, HP India.
"Resellers are tremendously happy with the system," says Raj Kumar
Rishi, Country Manager, SMB, HP India. The feedback from resellers has been that
it is one of the successful initiatives of the company. So will HP look at
developing call centers as an alternate channel? "No," says Rishi,
"but certainly the value from call centers are increasing and we shall look
at developing specific campaigns that would be handled entirely by call
centers." Right now, this functionality is restricted to facilitating the
reseller.
Also HP is convinced that the outsourced model of its call center would
remain integral in its scheme of things. Says Rishi, "We are looking at
expanding the model both in terms of reach and functionality."
As of now, the call centers are located in the eight cities of Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Pune with a total of 19-20
seats dedicated to the company.
BALAKA BARUAH AGGARWAL