It’s hard to believe, but Wednesday is the first day of fall.  I love fall, it’s my favorite season of the year.  It’s the start of all of my favorite holidays, fun family and friend get-togethers, celebration of birthdays and my wedding anniversary.   I also love it because it’s the time of year when my favorite color orange can be seen everywhere.

For credit unions fall is the time when we start looking forward to
and planning for the next year.  New budgets, new goals, new projects and a refreshed resolve to take the next step in creating greatness in our organizations.  It’s also the very best time of year to star creating an outbound call center.

Last week I wrote the 3 Reasons Your Credit Union Needs an Outbound Call Center.  If I was convincing in that article it’s possible that one of the projects your credit union is considering for 2016 is a high performing outbound call center.  But why wait until next year?  If your credit union is thinking of an outbound call center, right now is be the best time to get started.  Here are a few things to consider while making the decision.

First, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day.  With the right consulting and training an outbound call center will take 6 months to create and have operating at peak production.  If the decision has been made that a team is wanted at your credit union, starting the creation process now will get results sooner than later.

Next, typically the first quarter of the year is the slowest for sales leads due to the reduction in new credit purchases after the holiday season.  The most productive time for outbound sales is the second quarter.  Starting the process of creating, staffing, and training your outbound call center now will likely result in having agents on the phone at the first of the year.  Strategically this will give your agents time to perfect their sales skills and work out the kinks in the sales process during the slower first quarter, and be positioned for success come April.

Third, you will likely want to set goals for the performance of this team in 2016 to get results and see a return on your investment.  Setting goals for a team that hasn’t been created is tricky and may lead to misguided performance.  Starting the creation process now will allow your credit union to gauge the opportunity, determine the number of producers, accurately predict the success you want to see from the team, and set smart goals accordingly.

Lastly, starting now will allow you to create your outbound team using 2015 budgeted funds.  The cost of starting an outbound team will not be significant and the profitability it will generate will more than justify the expense.  However, spreading the cost of creation between 2 budget years will typically be more palatable and make greater sense, especially since you’re approaching it strategically to generate a return sooner and time the market for best results.

An outbound call center will be a critical investment in your credit unions future.  It will allow you to serve your members needs at a deeper level, generate growth within your existing membership base, and increase profitability for the credit union.  Starting the creation process now will give your outbound call center the best chance for a successful 2016 by ensuring they are ready to produce when the opportunity is at its greatest level.