Telemarketing: Irritation for customers
Saturday, 17 April 2010
MS Siddiqui
In a market economy, a business may be expected to act in what it believes to be its own best interest. The purpose of marketing is to create a brand image, competitive advantage through reaching the possible customers. Communicating through Cell telephone is much easier and less costly. The direct contact with an individual is extremely powerful, especially when coupled with its immediacy and has the scope therefore for delivering very timely and contextually relevant messages.
As our economic system has become more successful at providing for needs and wants, there has been greater focus on organisations' adhering to ethical values rather than simply providing products. This focus has come about for two reasons. First, when an organisation behaves ethically, customers develop more positive attitudes towards the firm, its products, and its services. When marketing practices depart from standards that society considers acceptable, the market process becomes less efficient and sometimes it is even interrupted. Absence of employing ethical marketing practices may lead to dissatisfied customers, bad publicity, a lack of trust, lost business, or, sometimes, legal action. Thus, most organisations are very sensitive to the needs and opinions of their customers and look for ways to protect their long-term interests.
A report on study in BizReport on mobile marketing revealed that most people aren't happy with the thought of being advertised to on their mobile phones. In fact, according to WebVisible and Nielsen//NetRatings' recent survey of 2,000 U.S. Internet users, a massive 92 percent said they would be irritated by advertising on their mobile phones.
The report also clarifies that almost three-quarters of those surveyed (74 percent) said they preferred to search for local products and services rather than having ads sent directly to them. This bodes well for the recently announced Google AdSense for Mobile service.
Two thirds of respondents favored more targeted ads. Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they only get ads relevant to them when using the Internet and 53 percent said the same of television.
Other preferred sources of local information were printed versions of the Yellow Pages (65 percent), Internet Yellow Pages (50 percent), newspapers (44 percent), White Pages (33 percent), television (29 percent) and consumer review websites (18 percent).
Despite the study report, Big businesses in any part of the world buy service of call centers and business processing centers. These centers are independent service providers to big business houses. They can provide service to all types of customer interactions, ranging from travel services, financial services, technical support, education, customer care, and online business to customer support and online business to business support.
The service also provides good exportable products with the globalisation of business. It is reported that the USA has more than three million call centers to sell services to large companies with millions of customers. These service providers are struggling to cut costs and increase returns, and because of these they may outsource in English speaking countries up to 1.5 million US-based call centre jobs that are currently being staffed by Americans. Some countries like India, the Philippines and even in very recent time Chinese are gradually replacing the Americans. They are working living in their own countries by the virtue of cheaper and easier communication through Global super highways. Bangladesh just started to take its own share by setting up some call centers.
Some of the nations in Asia export tele services to the west. India having good number of well educated English speaking youths is for about a decade exporting service to the west through hundreds of such calling centers.
This is more than US$11 billion dollar industry, which is estimated to grow $30 billion by 2012. The success comes from education system in English language. The educated youths are happy to work for western companies.
Bangladesh telecommunication regulatory authority issues licences for call centers. There is a high hope that these call centers will export service to the west and their share of export will grow fast.
It has brought up more scope of job opportunity for students and this can be one of the best forms of part time employment today. There are many call centers employing college and university students on part time basis.
On the other hand, the call centers in Bangladesh are working as agents of different service providers as telemarketer for Bangladesh-based local and foreign banks, insurance and telephone companies. Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits to prospective customers to buy products or services, either over phone or subsequent face to face or web conferencing appointment schedule during the call. Telemarketing may be done from a company office, call centre or home. It may involve either a live operator or a recorded message, in which case it is known as "automated telemarketing" using voice broadcasting. 'Robocalling' is a form of voice broadcasting which is most frequently associated with political messages. The mobile phone companies using Robocalling and autoanswering system for delivering certain massages.
Telemarketing calls are often considered an annoyance, especially when they occur during the dinner hour, early in the morning, or late in the evening or while in meeting with someone.
The citizens are disturbed in their private life due to these calls of telemarketers in any part of the world including Bangladesh. This has considered as civil offence in many countries. Australia and USA has law to prevent excess to private life by the telemarketers.
Now-a-days, the policy makers in some countries are making law and rule to stop unwanted calls of subscribers. The citizens can register their numbers in 'No Call lists'. Under these identical laws and the telemarketers should not make a call to these numbers. The telemarketing departments of business or any call center must require compliance with this Act. The law provide for heavy penalties on companies which call individuals on these listings.
One of the countries like Australia passed the Donot call register act 2006.
There are few self regulatory arrangements by the trade/industry associations that maintain "Do Not Call" list. Telemarketers are restricted from initiating contact with listed consumers. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has implemented a national Do Not call registry in an attempt to reduce intrusive telemarketing nationwide. Companies that use telemarketing as a sales tool are governed by the United States Federal regulations.
The recent aggressive telemarketing by some foreign Banks, insurance companies, discount card companies engaged some call centers. They use to call at cell phone and ask ' Sir do you maintain a account with us?' They don't check their own records before calling someone whether he/she already has account with them. This telemarketing has already irritated the cell phone users.
There is a question on ethics of the business. Ethics are a collection of principles of right conduct that shape the decisions people or organizations make. Practicing ethics in marketing means deliberately applying standards of fairness, or moral rights and wrongs, to marketing decision making, behavior, and practice in the organization.
In this situation Bangladesh needs 'Do-Not-Call Act' like USA and Australia or the trade association of the service providers like banks, discount card sellers should maintain a list of 'Do-Not-Call list'.
The writer is a part-time teacher at Leading University. He can be reached at email: shah@banglachemical.com
In a market economy, a business may be expected to act in what it believes to be its own best interest. The purpose of marketing is to create a brand image, competitive advantage through reaching the possible customers. Communicating through Cell telephone is much easier and less costly. The direct contact with an individual is extremely powerful, especially when coupled with its immediacy and has the scope therefore for delivering very timely and contextually relevant messages.
As our economic system has become more successful at providing for needs and wants, there has been greater focus on organisations' adhering to ethical values rather than simply providing products. This focus has come about for two reasons. First, when an organisation behaves ethically, customers develop more positive attitudes towards the firm, its products, and its services. When marketing practices depart from standards that society considers acceptable, the market process becomes less efficient and sometimes it is even interrupted. Absence of employing ethical marketing practices may lead to dissatisfied customers, bad publicity, a lack of trust, lost business, or, sometimes, legal action. Thus, most organisations are very sensitive to the needs and opinions of their customers and look for ways to protect their long-term interests.
A report on study in BizReport on mobile marketing revealed that most people aren't happy with the thought of being advertised to on their mobile phones. In fact, according to WebVisible and Nielsen//NetRatings' recent survey of 2,000 U.S. Internet users, a massive 92 percent said they would be irritated by advertising on their mobile phones.
The report also clarifies that almost three-quarters of those surveyed (74 percent) said they preferred to search for local products and services rather than having ads sent directly to them. This bodes well for the recently announced Google AdSense for Mobile service.
Two thirds of respondents favored more targeted ads. Fifty-six percent of the respondents said they only get ads relevant to them when using the Internet and 53 percent said the same of television.
Other preferred sources of local information were printed versions of the Yellow Pages (65 percent), Internet Yellow Pages (50 percent), newspapers (44 percent), White Pages (33 percent), television (29 percent) and consumer review websites (18 percent).
Despite the study report, Big businesses in any part of the world buy service of call centers and business processing centers. These centers are independent service providers to big business houses. They can provide service to all types of customer interactions, ranging from travel services, financial services, technical support, education, customer care, and online business to customer support and online business to business support.
The service also provides good exportable products with the globalisation of business. It is reported that the USA has more than three million call centers to sell services to large companies with millions of customers. These service providers are struggling to cut costs and increase returns, and because of these they may outsource in English speaking countries up to 1.5 million US-based call centre jobs that are currently being staffed by Americans. Some countries like India, the Philippines and even in very recent time Chinese are gradually replacing the Americans. They are working living in their own countries by the virtue of cheaper and easier communication through Global super highways. Bangladesh just started to take its own share by setting up some call centers.
Some of the nations in Asia export tele services to the west. India having good number of well educated English speaking youths is for about a decade exporting service to the west through hundreds of such calling centers.
This is more than US$11 billion dollar industry, which is estimated to grow $30 billion by 2012. The success comes from education system in English language. The educated youths are happy to work for western companies.
Bangladesh telecommunication regulatory authority issues licences for call centers. There is a high hope that these call centers will export service to the west and their share of export will grow fast.
It has brought up more scope of job opportunity for students and this can be one of the best forms of part time employment today. There are many call centers employing college and university students on part time basis.
On the other hand, the call centers in Bangladesh are working as agents of different service providers as telemarketer for Bangladesh-based local and foreign banks, insurance and telephone companies. Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits to prospective customers to buy products or services, either over phone or subsequent face to face or web conferencing appointment schedule during the call. Telemarketing may be done from a company office, call centre or home. It may involve either a live operator or a recorded message, in which case it is known as "automated telemarketing" using voice broadcasting. 'Robocalling' is a form of voice broadcasting which is most frequently associated with political messages. The mobile phone companies using Robocalling and autoanswering system for delivering certain massages.
Telemarketing calls are often considered an annoyance, especially when they occur during the dinner hour, early in the morning, or late in the evening or while in meeting with someone.
The citizens are disturbed in their private life due to these calls of telemarketers in any part of the world including Bangladesh. This has considered as civil offence in many countries. Australia and USA has law to prevent excess to private life by the telemarketers.
Now-a-days, the policy makers in some countries are making law and rule to stop unwanted calls of subscribers. The citizens can register their numbers in 'No Call lists'. Under these identical laws and the telemarketers should not make a call to these numbers. The telemarketing departments of business or any call center must require compliance with this Act. The law provide for heavy penalties on companies which call individuals on these listings.
One of the countries like Australia passed the Donot call register act 2006.
There are few self regulatory arrangements by the trade/industry associations that maintain "Do Not Call" list. Telemarketers are restricted from initiating contact with listed consumers. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has implemented a national Do Not call registry in an attempt to reduce intrusive telemarketing nationwide. Companies that use telemarketing as a sales tool are governed by the United States Federal regulations.
The recent aggressive telemarketing by some foreign Banks, insurance companies, discount card companies engaged some call centers. They use to call at cell phone and ask ' Sir do you maintain a account with us?' They don't check their own records before calling someone whether he/she already has account with them. This telemarketing has already irritated the cell phone users.
There is a question on ethics of the business. Ethics are a collection of principles of right conduct that shape the decisions people or organizations make. Practicing ethics in marketing means deliberately applying standards of fairness, or moral rights and wrongs, to marketing decision making, behavior, and practice in the organization.
In this situation Bangladesh needs 'Do-Not-Call Act' like USA and Australia or the trade association of the service providers like banks, discount card sellers should maintain a list of 'Do-Not-Call list'.
The writer is a part-time teacher at Leading University. He can be reached at email: shah@banglachemical.com