This is a guest post by PhoneBurner.
Sales teams know how important phone calls can be, and struggling to contact a prospect or locate customer information can lead to lost deals. A CRM should allow you to make calls quickly, record conversation details, and perform follow-up tasks after calls. This saves you time and keeps your communications organized so fewer opportunities will fall through the cracks. One way to ensure your calling strategy remains efficient is by integrating your CRM platform with a phone dialing extension.
Expected vs unexpected calls
The ideal dialing method depends on the kinds of calls you’re making. There are calls that are expected by the person you’re dialing, and calls that are not.
Expected calls may be for appointments, scheduled follow-ups, or even semi-impromptu calls triggered by an email or a text message. For example, “Hey, give me a call to discuss this proposal when you have a chance.”
When prospecting or doing cold calls, the person on the other end of the line either doesn’t know you, or there’s some level of relationship but they’re unaware that a call or check-in is due. Calls to existing clients about special events, promotions, or product issues would fall into this category.
A good dialing extension will have features that will allow you to customize your call strategies based on the types of calls you're making.
Expected calls: Click-to-call with contact details
Dialing extensions should offer a click-to-call feature within your CRM, allowing you to click on an icon next to a contact and call them immediately.
Expected calls are usually unique in that they require either preparation or a longer review of contact notes and conversation history. Some may be scheduled appoints, but most will be leads or existing customers who are waiting for you to get back to them.
If someone reaches out with a question or suggestion, or if you are asked to review something, you don't want to waste time. Your CRM should show the communication right away, and you can make the call without hassle. No switching tabs and no making customers wait on the phone while you "pull up their details." The customer comes away satisfied and you can fit more of these high-value, high-potential calls into your day.
Unexpected calls: Power dialing
Whichever dialing extension you choose, it should come with power dialing. A power dialing feature allows you to run through a list of selected contacts in your CRM at a pace of 60-80 calls per hour. This is great for cold calls to leads to qualify them, drive them to an appointment, or schedule bulk follow-ups. Also falling into this bucket are calls to existing clients where the reason for the call is the same in every case—a promo, a new product announcement, a quarterly review, an event, etc.
You want to get through calls like these as quickly as possible for three reasons:
- You don’t want to waste time with the wrong people
- You don’t want to waste their time
- Few of these calls will result in a live conversation
Kicking efficiency into high gear
With either type of call, you'll be left with homework:
- If the contact doesn't answer, you should leave a voicemail, send an email, make note, and log the call in your CRM
- If the contact does answer, you still need to send a follow-up email, update contact notes, and log the call in your CRM
That’s 3-4 “to-dos” for every call, and they are all essential. Half of it is for you, and half is for the prospect.
Voicemail - Helps you build customer relationships and brand name recognition with new prospects. This can increase callbacks and/or the likelihood of a prospect answering subsequent calls.
Emails - These are important for the same reasons as voicemails. More touchpoints equal more replies and higher conversions.
Notes - This is for “future you.” No notes (or bad notes) mean you won't have access to contextual details the next time someone calls. Good notes allow you to make a better impression.
Call logging - This is also for “future you.” If you are diligent about logging your calls within your CRM, you can track your performance, build smarter call lists, and use automation more effectively.
Introducing PhoneBurner for Zoho CRM
So far, we've discussed click-to-call, contact details, power dialing, and the ability to execute follow-up tasks after all call types. A dialing extension for your CRM can help you do all this and more. That's why we're happy to introduce PhoneBurner for Zoho CRM. This extension allows you to handle all your calling needs with a single click right from your CRM interface.
You can pre-configure buttons for call outcomes such as “Got voicemail,” “Wrong person,” “Interested,” “Not interested,” or "Requested more info.” This means that any follow-up action is only a click away. This also keeps all your lead and customer information categorized and consolidated in your CRM.
With this integration, you can multiply your touchpoints and generate more exposure, callbacks, and replies—all while saving time in the process.
If you'd like to learn more, please check out the PhoneBurner extension on Zoho Marketplace. Happy calling!
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