Telemarketing: Inbound or Outbound?

What’s the difference between inbound telemarketing and outbound telemarketing?

Inbound telemarketing representatives answer questions, collect information, and process orders from calls that come into the call center. The inbound calls may be generated as a result of any one of a number of methods, including: print media advertisements (newspapers and magazines), broadcast media (radio and television), direct mail advertising (just don’t call it junk mail), and Internet ads that feature a toll-free number. With an inbound telemarketing effort, the representatives wait for the call to ring into the call center.

Outbound telemarketing representatives, on the other hand, initiate the call to the customer or prospect, making use of technology such as predictive dialers. Outbound telemarketing efforts use lists of numbers, with varying degrees of qualification, to reach as many prospects as possible in a given time frame. The lists can come from a variety of sources, whether specifically generated through a direct response campaign such as publishers bingo cards or a range of Internet marketing endeavors. With an outbound telemarketing effort, the call center initiates the contact.

Related:

Virtual Call Centers