FLS Connect

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Why does your firm need outbound services? Did you use to handle these needs in-house?

To conduct telemarketing fundraising for our organization. We, at one time operated an in-house call center which did handle the telemarketing fundraising, but due to rising costs, we chose to shut it down.

How many outbound calls did your company handle every day?

We were making up to 3,000 contacts and 10,000 dials per day. I spent more than 50% of my day managing it. Telemarketing fundraising is essential to our success as it is one of the ways we raise funds to operate our non-profit organization.

What challenge were you trying to address with the service provider?

To increase the profit margin of our telemarketing fundraising. Outsourcing is more expensive than running the in-house call center, but with FLS Connect we get much better profit margins. The number one goal overall was to raise more funds.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of the service provider's involvement?

FLS Connect provides essential telemarketing fundraising services. That includes house file analysis, yearly fundraising plans, profit projections, detailed daily statistics and pledge fulfillment services. This is just some of what they do for our organization.

Could you describe the service provider's pricing structure and how they billed you?

FLS Connect bills per contact made. So you pay for each contact which is considered any call that ends with a disposition such as a pledge, refusal, wrong number, etc. You are not charged for a call in which the end result is a rescheduled call, such as a not home or no answer. They invoice every two weeks for calls previously made. You do not have to prepay. They also offer a 'break-even' guarantee on prospecting projects. That means you don't lose more than an amount equal to the fulfilled dollars or the cost of the project, whichever is lower. You're guaranteed to not lose money on prospecting.

How did you come to work with this service provider?

The person in my position had used them previously.

How would you assess the service provider's abilities to conduct outbound sales calls, generate new business, and handle customer issues?

FLS Connect is a leader in their industry and have helped grow our in-house file year after year. They are very quick to resolve any customer complaints or issues and are very transparent about their business.

How much time and money does this service provider save you each month?

That is hard to quantify, but they have increased our telemarketing revenue by 50% over previous years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What takeaways and measures of success can you share about working with this service provider?

Working with FLS Connect has been very easy. I haven't worked with any other telemarketing vendors, but I can tell you that they are very professional and they deliver a top-notch result.

What are the service provider's strengths?

The collective experience of the owners, management, and workers. Basically, the people that work there are their greatest strength.

What areas can the service provider improve?

There is not much I could say they need to improve on. Telemarketing fundraising is an increasingly more difficult thing to do in today's age, with less people having land lines, but they continue to deliver results year after year.

How long has your company been working with this service provider?

Since February 2010 and ongoing.

How much money do you spend annually with this service provider?

$200,000 to $999,999.