What does a telemarketer do and what is the job market like?

THE telemarketing is a way of doing direct sale using the telephone or online chat tools. Over time and with the convenience of online services, this profession has expanded to customer service, billing and technical support, not just sales. 

Even though telemarketing used to have a bad image – after all, no one likes to be bothered on their personal phone number while at work, for example – many companies have now understood how telemarketing works. call center tool and offer a service more humanized and less robotic. 

With everyone having to stay at home in isolation since 2019, this was an extremely important way to talk to leads and customers, so, The forecast is that in 2022 the growth in this area will be even greater. 

To explain how this area works, in this article you will see:

• What makes a telemarketing professional?
• What are the types of telemarketing?
• How much does a telemarketing professional?
• Profile and characteristics of the telemarketing professional

What does a telemarketing professional do?

The telemarketing professional is responsible for making contact with the customer, whether by calling, receiving calls, by phone, some type of chat or even email. He offers solutions so that the customer can buy a certain product, or to resolve some type of request. 

For that, need to know the company's system, the service protocol applied by her and become familiar with daily contact with people. 

What are the types of telemarketing?

The aforementioned telemarketing functions fall within the types of work that will be mentioned below. To segment demands by sectors, there are the following models of this activity:

Receptive

In this format, the telemarketing professional is responsible for serving customers who contact the company, whether requesting information or making complaints. 

Some activities encompass this type of telemarketing:

• SAC (Customer Service)
• Technical Support
• Retention
• General customer service

Active

In active telemarketing, it is the operator who makes the first contact with the customer, whether to offer some product personalized to it, make a charge or do a survey for the company. 

 The activities of this attendant involve:

• Sales
• Relationship
• Opinion polls

It's a good opportunity to show that the company cares about its audience and its contacts, offers personalized options for him, as well as wanting his opinion for the creation of a certain product, or wanting to understand if he has doubts or needs any support. 

It is worth remembering that the line between becoming a “friend” of the customer and becoming a “nuisance” is very thin, which is why telemarketing professionals need to receive training periodically, to learn how to deal with the objections presented and be flexible with each person who passes by. 

How much does a telemarketing professional earn?

According to the Vagas website, the average salary for a telemarketing attendant is R$1,013.00, and the provisions are that this salary will be higher due to the demand that is increasing more and more for the area. 

New trend for telemarketing

Some research points to the contact center as the new format of the area, which has already started to be widely adopted in 2021. This is because companies are offering increasingly agile and high-quality services. 

And that is exactly the proposal of contact center: serve the customer according to their profile, making the conversation more personalized and, consequently, more assertive.

This new project focuses on technological modernity, in the multiple ways of maintaining contact with the consumer, to the greater autonomy of the customer to resolve some issues by themselves through omnichannel, artificial intelligence and proximity through social media. 

Even though flying cars don't exist yet (which we imagined would exist in 2020), the world is increasingly technological and, without realizing it, we are inserted into this environment. 

Those who don't adapt end up being left behind. 

Some features of the contact center

The following points are part of the characteristics of the contact center:

1. More emotional service
2. Respect for the General Data Protection Law
3. Respect for the customer's choice of the type of communication they want to receive
4. Offering solutions compatible with your profile
5. Integration between channels and increasingly faster responses

Profile and characteristics of the telemarketing professional

Some adjectives are essential for anyone who wants to enter or grow in this area. 

Check out what they are:

Constant professional training

There is no specific training for telemarketing or customer service operators, but as demand in this area increases, so does the need to learn about the field and new movements. 

So, courses that talk about customer service, public speaking and communication techniques, how to deal with objections and related subjects are very important to acquire repertoire and achieve greater success in the area, after all, it is a profession that, in many companies, is driven by goals. 

Perseverance

In fact, the telemarketer can't get discouraged with the first no he receives, or with service that is not quite what he expected. Perseverance makes all the difference in this profession. 

Ethics

It is not difficult, when working in customer service, to find yourself in an uncomfortable position: being pressured by the client, by goals and feeling like there is no way out. However, ethics must always prevail, as this difference is totally linked to the reputation of the operator and the company. 

Emotional control

After understanding everything that has been said about the telemarketing profession, it is easy to understand the importance of having emotional control to be on the front line of customer service all day long. 

As a spokesperson for the company, this operator is likely to hear things that are not always pleasant. But it is up to him to work on emotional control, not absorbing and not taking it personally, as far as possible. 

What does an outbound telemarketer do?

THE active telemarketing operator is the one who takes action, that is, the professional responsible for calling customers or potential customers.

The calls made may be for collection purposes, or to offer services, plans or company products.

Apart from that, it can also simply serve to create the company’s first contact with the customer.

The people who receive calls from this professional are not chosen randomly, they are customers or leads and are part of a selected list.

THE active telemarketing operator You need to know how to approach the customer and have skills such as:

• Differentials in relation to the company's competitor;
• Know all the products and services offered by the company, in detail;
• Always stay up to date with promotions and new features;
• Good communication skills;
• Persuasion;
• Provide security and peace of mind when talking to the customer;
• Education;
• Empathy;
• Courtesy;
• Good sales pitch.

THE active telemarketing operator is the company's spokesperson. The company contacts the customer through this professional. 

Therefore, it is essential that values, expectations and objectives are aligned. To ensure the success of the actions, the company needs to offer training to the professional. 

THE active service area employee, in turn, needs to make an effort to get to know the company, its products, services and also its customers well. 

One of the biggest challenges faced by this professional is the short time it takes to convince the customer to stay on the line, since they can hang up the phone as soon as they find out it is telemarketing operator.

This does not always happen with bad intentions, but because the person is busy or does not have time to see this professional.

Unlike inbound, the customer is not waiting for a call from the active, and it can happen at opportune moments.

In situations like this, a good sales pitch, analytical thinking, persuasion and agility will make all the difference.

What does an inbound telemarketer do?

As the term itself indicates, the inbound telemarketing operator is the professional responsible for receiving/answering calls from customers or potential customers.

The content of the calls depends on the sector; they can be to make complaints, ask questions, request support, hire services, etc.

This is the main difference between active and receptive: active calls customers, receptive receives calls from customers.

Some people consider inbound to be a better alternative than outbound, because the customer calls the company interested in a product or service.

However, it doesn't always work that way. In many cases, the call is to make complaints, cancel and ask questions, for example.

Both areas certainly have their own challenges. However, both need to offer the best customer experience. 

The receptionist has the advantage of the client contacting the company at a time that is convenient for them.

In other words, when he had time and decided to make the call.

This way, he will have more time to listen to the attendant, who knows, maybe purchase a new product.

On the other hand, the professional will have more time to carry out their approaches and achieve their objectives.

However, not everything is perfect. Even if the customer was the one who made the call, he or she may be impatient, in a hurry and rude to the attendant, especially if the call is to complain about a service offered by the company.

Therefore, companies need to train these professionals and ensure that they have:

• Patience;
• Empathy;
• Techniques to calm clients;
• Good communication;
• Negotiation skills;
• Knowledge of the main products and services offered by the company.

What does a debt collection telemarketer do?

Many companies outsource their collections, that is, they hire specialized companies to collect from their debtor customers. 

Therefore, there are several telemarketing companies that specialize only in debt collection. The main employee of this company is the collection telemarketing operator. 

He is responsible for calling customers and trying to negotiate the debt. After all, What does a debt collection telemarketer do?

This sector works with several efficient methods to carry out collections in a friendly manner. 

Despite being a charge, this professional also needs to ensure the best customer experience in service.

In addition, present negotiation alternatives for your debts. Among the main features that the collection telemarketing operator needs to have, we can highlight, for example:

• Respect;
• Empathy;
• Know how to listen;
• Negotiation skills;
• Creativity;
• Communication.

As mentioned previously, this professional also needs to ensure that the customer has a good experience in the service,

Therefore, he needs to adopt the right approach for each type of client. In this case, it is easier to achieve success in negotiations.

It is very important to know the client approached and details about their relationship with the company. 

The company, in turn, in addition to offering quality training, needs to facilitate the operator's access to customer information. 

Just like in the asset, in the collection area it is also necessary to use the first few seconds to get the customer's attention.

This way, he will not end the call prematurely and the telemarketer will have time to present negotiation solutions.

Telesales operator: what do they do?

You know what does a telesales operator do? 

In short, telephone sales! This professional is responsible for approaching potential customers by telephone to offer a service or product from a given company. 

In addition to sales, he is also responsible for prospecting new customers and creating actions to maintain current customers, that is, to make them loyal.

In many cases, contact can extend to other channels, for example, email, WhatsApp and other essential tools to have more efficient contact and communication with the target audience.

Despite having a good demand in the job market, the average salary of a telesales operator is not that high.

According to the website vagas.com.br, this professional earns an average fixed salary of approximately R$1,187.00.

However, it is still possible to earn some type of remuneration for sales or closing a contract, for example.

One of the advantages of the career is that it is not necessary to have higher education to work as a telesales operator.

However, companies give priority to professionals with the following characteristics:

• Persuasion;
• Good communication;
• Good diction;
• Organization;
• Negotiation skills;
• Empathy;
• Emotional Intelligence;
• Patience.

Organizations also look for professionals who know how to listen, that is, who are good listeners.

This is because this is the only way to know and understand the customer's main needs: by listening to them.

Finally, another feature that a telesales operator need to have is the ability to work under pressure.

These professionals are required to achieve the goals set by the company. Therefore, it is necessary to be flexible and not let the demands and pressures affect their performance, or even their emotions.

In fact, it is important to know how to transform them into stimulus tools to achieve goals and objectives. 

The Job Market and trends for the coming years

The telemarketing job market is still very buoyant. However, one of the main reasons is the high demand for professionals. 

Anyone who knows the profession knows that it is not easy to be one. telemarketing operator. 

In addition to low wages, these professionals have to deal with exhausting routines and extremely rude clients, with no empathy or patience. 

Another factor that makes this professional's routine difficult is the demands from their managers and the pressure.

Of course, you have to have a lot of flexibility and strong emotions.

Many things have already changed in relation to these issues, but there is still a lot to improve and initiatives must be taken by companies and also by you and me, as human beings.

It is essential to have a little more empathy, understanding, respect and consideration for this professional.

The trends for the sector in the coming years are interesting. With the advancement of technology and changes in people's purchasing behavior, this sector also needed to innovate.

The way we provide care is changing and among the main changes we find the Omnichannel Service.

The main basis of this strategy is to use all of the company's channels fully to interact with the customer, such as: chat, application, telephone, etc.

For example, the customer may have their first contact with the company by telephone, but complete their purchase or service contract over the telephone.

Another very interesting novelty is the Callback. Have you ever called a call center and had to wait a few minutes for the attendant to answer?

In this strategy, the customer will receive a notification that an attendant will return the call, so they will not need to wait on the line.

Finally, another innovation that deserves attention is the use of Big Data to improve customer service and make it more personalized and efficient.

With this tool it is possible to store, combine and analyze customer data and behavior.

This way, the company can understand and understand the needs of its customers and, based on this, present the solutions they are looking for.

Do you already work or are you interested in working in telemarketing?

We hope this article has been helpful. 

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Read also the article “Professions on the rise in 2021: 10 professions to keep an eye on this year”. Keep following our content! 

Nathalia Silva November 8, 2022