Approximately 80 percent of the calls generated by commercials and infomercials occur within the first five minutes after the commercial has aired. These "call spikes" make setting up an in-house center for receiving telephone orders impractical and expensive.
"800" service bureaus that specialize in handling spot TV and half-hour infomercial-generated calls present the advertiser with an effective and relatively inexpensive resource for handling a high volume of calls.
In selecting an inbound call center or fulfillment house, the advertiser must determine if the number of lines and staff available at the times when specific ads are scheduled to run is sufficient to handle the expected number of calls. Advertisers should expect to pay the following costs:
- A one time setup fee that will include normal program setup and any unique programming or training that may be necessary.
- Call-processing fees based upon a negotiated per-call charge or actual usage, per minute, of on-phone conversation.
- A monthly minimum fee credited against call charges.
- Special transaction fees such as output, payment processing, etc.
Operator Centers with 100-400 Workstations
AT&T American Transtech 800 Baymeadows Way Jacksonville, FL 32256 (904) 636-1000
Neodata 833 W. South Boulder Road Louisville, CO 80027 (303) 666-7000
Precision Response 1505 N.W. 167th Street Miami, FL 33169 (305) 626-4600
The Product Line 2370 S. Trenton Way Denver, CO 80231 (303) 671-8000
Sitel 5601 N. 103rd Street Omaha, NE 68134 (402) 498-6810
Teletech 15355 Morrison Street Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 501-5595
Operators Centers with More than 400 Workstations
MATRIXX Marketing 2121 N. 117th Avenue Omaha, NE 68164-3000 (402) 498-4000 West Telemarketing 9910 Maple Street Omaha, NE 68134 (402) 571-7700