{"id":2848,"date":"2017-09-20T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2848"},"modified":"2024-01-12T15:37:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T15:37:43","slug":"ultimate-inbound-call-script","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/ultimate-inbound-call-script\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Inbound Call Script: What to Ask & When"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone knows the first line of an inbound call script: \u201cHow can I help you today?\u201d It\u2019s what comes next that may trip up many Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the problem: large organizations may have huge call centres staffed with expert agents who have been thoroughly trained to manage all manner of inquiries, routing them to the right sales rep or at least getting them to the next stage of the purchase process. SMBs, on the other hand, may employ no dedicated agents but rely on many different members of their team to handle inbound sales calls. That can lead to an inconsistent approach and, at least potentially, highly inconsistent results from a deal perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While outbound call scripts can have a fairly standard template, it\u2019s important to recognize that inbound calls may be a discovery process for prospects. In other words, they have an agenda of their own which may end at simply getting some additional information rather than moving directly to a buying decision. Those taking such calls need to let prospects lead the conversation to some extent, while being prepared with the information that will capture them as an active opportunity in the pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the caller has identified the reason for reaching out \u2013 ideally to learn more about a particular product or service \u2013 consider the next words carefully:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDetermine the Caller\u2019s Needs\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBegin to get to know the caller\u2019s needs: \u201cGreat, I can help with that. First, can I just get a little more information from you?\u201d Just like outbound sales tactics that make strategic use of CRM<\/a> to build an effective profile of a customer\u2019s interests, buying behaviours and other data, inbound calls are the fastest and best way to quickly gather intelligence.\u201d Names, titles, company names \u2013 all this and more can be (and should be) immediately searched for any existing information that may have been used to prompt the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even details that might seem generic, such as industry, can offer whoever\u2019s taking the call to immediately arm themselves with whatever analytics might be available about that particular vertical segment, the latest products or features aimed at it or special promotions and discounts that might be available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCapture Touchpoints\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collect the caller\u2019s contact information. Ask: \u201cIn case we get disconnected, what\u2019s the best way to reach you?\u201d For SMBs, tackling inbound calls may not be a matter of sitting at a desk with a PC in front of them. In fact, one of the secret weapons to stay competitive with larger enterprises are apps that let firms of any size manage their business via a smartphone. That said, a sudden signal loss or other mishap while using a mobile device could mean an abrupt end to a conversation with a prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice, however, that this question isn\u2019t focused on getting another phone number, which is how inbound scripts would have been written even a few years ago. Instead, aim to capture obvious touchpoints, such as email, and even some less-obvious ones, such as social media accounts on Twitter or LinkedIn. This accomplishes two things: A way to tap into much more data about the prospect following the call, and a way of conveying to the caller that you\u2019re less interested in rushing off the phone but want to build a real relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEstablish a Connection Between Inbound Marketing and Inbound Calls.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAsk the caller: \u201cWhat prompted you to call us today?\u201d For SMBs with scarce marketing resources, this is the point where it would be a good time to test and see whether or not their investments in advertising were paying off.\u201d For SMBs with scarce marketing resources, this is the point where it would be a good time to test and see whether or not their investments in advertising were paying off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n