Workflow
The client
Workflow are a leading provider of telecoms, IT and audio-visual products and services. Built on a reputation for exceeding customer expectations since 1996, there customer-focussed business model aims to provide businesses with all available options. The team has been providing AV solutions to the education, government and domestic sectors for over 17 years, offering design, installation and maintenance of market leading technologies.
The challenge
Workflow had built a business on customer recommendations but were now looking for a bigger push having broken away from their sister company, in print, and recently employed a number of telesales staff. With initial response not as beneficial as they would like, we were drafted in based on our detailed proposal, to provide a link between the prospects and the business with an aim of increasing telesales success.
The solution
Having established themselves as a separate identity (albeit with the same name) our first job was to create a base for brand continuity. With some minor tweaks to the previous logo and a full set of brand guidelines developed, they were then in a position to build from the ground up.
With the developed the brand substantially, we set about ensuring all communications echoed this change. Creating brand awareness and continuing the brands message can be crucial with telesales, as trust becomes a key factor in decision making, so ensuring all emails were branded correctly became a priority.
Once setup we began optimising Workflows substantial contact list. Whilst heavy in prospect information, much of the data was old, expired or missing, so we set about cleansing the information. Once completed, we created a digital survey for multiple reasons; the first being to see how responsive their customers were and secondly to see if the customer views matched that the business were looking to represent. We could then use this information to build a marketing message, plan a strategy and optimise our prospect lists for best returns.
As part of the process, we wanted to create more content for the website. Be it through blog posts, tutorial videos or marketing messages, keeping the site up to date showed the people behind the business and helps create a connection with an otherwise faceless company. We created a series of blog posts and videos that tackled some of the most commonly asked questions and issues. Doing this not only added content to a very static site but also improves SEO and Google rankings.
Within 2 weeks of receiving our survey response we were in a position to plan out our next set of communications. With survey response illustrating a slightly varied adaptation of the company’s brand message, we were able to adapt our communications to steer prospects back towards the initial brand message.
We set about creating a story through weekly communications. With budgets on the lower side, we didn’t have the benefit of being able to filter prospects according to contract length, so instead split the communications into industries, breaking the available information down in to four unique categories that would be targeted on a quarterly basis. With this in hand we created a string of 6 emails that detailed who Workflow were, how they could help, why you should be thinking about your communications package, how to get in touch and what you will receive, an overview and a final book an appointment communication. These would be sent fortnightly, with telesales staff following up on those who had engaged after each distribution.
Following the completion of the digital campaign, any engaging customer was also sent an A5 flyer, highlighting a particular offer and encouraging response. All digital communications were created around a solid template allowing for customisation and modification by Workflow staff at the end of each quarter, therefore helping reduce design costs.
The final step in our setup was to create a Microsoft Word template for publishing quotes. With this potentially being the final step between communication and sale, ensuring that quote templates were on brand, clear and communicative would be critical to gaining approval. By designing in Word, we ensured all members of the team would be able to edit and adapt their quotes accordingly, whilst ensuring the branding and set-up remained consistent.
The result
Initial uptake to the campaigns has been positive, with telesales staff recording record numbers of bookings and sales on the rise. The staff have found templates useful and easy to use, thus allowing them to publish quotes and information to prospects in a timely fashion. The continuity of the brand has also helped as telesales staff build relationships with customers that will be key to future investments.
Whilst our communication template continues to work, cycling contacts provides a fresh chance of converting previous contacts into customers. Once harvested to its maximum, we would suggest investing a portion of the funds into direct marketing and expanding the database for a fresh approach. This method would also allow Workflow to build its reputation with smaller businesses before attempting to tackle larger organisations or moving into more profitable cities.
Workflow have done a great job of maximising what they have at their disposable before making the jump into bigger markets. Ensuring that your customers are satisfied and introducing benefits or upgrades to those on older contracts can be a great way of boosting sales in short time periods. Doing so through carefully considered marketing messages, and ensuring a less sales lead message, can provide a boost in interest whilst maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. Once exhausted, you can use examples from existing customers, or provide referral incentives to expand your network, before moving to more targeted direct messaging to get the most from your business.
We always suggest that a business build on its existing foundations before progressing to seek new prospects. Getting sales with consumers who are aware of your brand will always be an easier conversion than going after someone new. With companies like Workflow, we find ways to maximise their returns with existing customers, in order to generate an income that can be used to generate larger business moving forwards.
If you’re looking for a way to maximise your returns, or want help devising a strategy that can boost your profits, speak to our team and we will be happy to point you in the right direction.
