The Value in optimising upsell and cross-selling across your call centre
Updated: Oct 29
Cross-selling and upselling are two important sales techniques that can help call centres to increase revenue and improve customer satisfaction. Cross-selling involves offering customers complementary products or services to the ones they are already interested in. Upselling involves offering customers a more expensive or upgraded version of the product or service they are interested in.
Call centres have a unique opportunity to cross-sell and upsell to customers who have already shown an interest in a product. This is because they have access to a wealth of customer data, including the customer's purchase history, product preferences, and contact information.
However, many call centres are missing the opportunity to cross-sell or upsell when a customer shows an interest in a product.There are a number of reasons for this, including:
Lack of training: Call centre agents are often not trained on how to cross-sell or upsell effectively. This is because cross-selling and upselling can be perceived as pushy or sales'y. However, when done correctly, cross-selling and upselling can be a valuable service to customers.
Lack of time: Call centre agents are often under pressure to handle calls quickly and efficiently. This can make it difficult for them to take the time to cross-sell or upsell to customers.
Lack of technology: Many call centres do not have the technology in place to support cross-selling and upselling. For example, they may not have a system that can automatically recommend complementary products or services to customers.
How call centres can improve their cross-selling and upselling efforts
There are a number of things that call centres can do to improve their cross-selling and upselling efforts:
Train call centre agents on how to cross-sell and upsell effectively. This training should cover the benefits of cross-selling and upselling, as well as how to do it in a way that is not pushy or sales'y.
Give call centre agents enough time to cross-sell and upsell to customers. This may mean adjusting call handling times or hiring more agents.
Invest in technology that supports cross-selling and upselling. For example, call centres can use a system that can automatically recommend complementary products or services to customers.
By following these tips, call centres can improve their cross-selling and upselling efforts and increase revenue and customer satisfaction.
An example of cross-selling and upselling in a call centre
A customer calls a call centre to inquire about a new smartphone. The call centre agent provides the customer with information about the smartphone and answers any questions they have. However, the agent does not cross-sell or upsell the customer to any other products or services.
This is a missed opportunity. The call centre agent could have cross-sold the customer to a smartphone case, a screen protector, or a wireless charging pad. They could have also up-sold the customer to a more expensive or upgraded smartphone model.
By cross-selling or upselling the customer, the call centre could have increased revenue and improved the customer's experience. The customer would have received everything they needed for their new smartphone and would have been more satisfied with their overall purchase.
How SalesGem supports call centre operators to cross-sell and upsell
Utilising SalesGem solutions you can get a detailed report per call on if there was a potential missed opportunity for your sales agent to cross-sell or upsell to the customer. This will allow you to better maximise one of the most cost-intensive areas of your business and also help you optimise to drive higher ROI.