Telemarketer

Telemarketers are telephone marketing agents who sell to customers on behalf of the companies they work for. They are in contact with customers by telephone to market products, provide information or to address queries.

Through advances in technology, telemarketers are not restricted to the telephone but also use email, SMS messaging, fax and mail as ways of communicating with customers.

The job demands strong interpersonal and customer service skills since a telemarketer is often a customer’s first point of contact with a company. Higher standards are required from call centre staff in some fields of work, where technical and linguistic skills are more important.

A telemarketer’s role and day-to-day responsibilities depend on the particular industry in which they work and the type of call they make.

Their work may involve:

direct selling, which may include ‘cold calling’.

taking catalogue or other orders and arranging delivery

carrying out market research

providing advice or other information requested, to customers

providing a financial institution’s customers with information requested, such as their account balances, or dealing with credit card bill queries

The work can be highly intensive, and repetitive. Telemarketers are usually set targets to answer or deal with a certain number of calls within a specific period. This creates a pressurised environment.

Most telemarketers work from 35 to 40 hours a week. Depending on the industry, the contact centre may be open 24 hours a day, including weekends, and operators may be required to work shifts to cover all hours. Part-time work is also available.

Telemarketers communicate with customers using telephone, e-mail, fax, or mail correspondence. Customer service representatives use multi-line telephones systems, which often route calls directly to the most appropriate representative.

They usually work at desks or ‘workstations’ in a large open-plan office. Each call centre operator normally has a computer and telephone headset which enables their hands to be free to access information or input data.

Employment

Telemarketing jobs are often good introductory positions into a company or an industry. Telemarketers are employed by: