MODULE 6: TELEMARKETING

Module Overview
Telemarketing deals with creating, registering, and administering the telephonic
contact between a company and its prospects. The contact can be for direct
marketing associated with a questionnaire or other activities directed toward a
particular contact person.

Advantages of telemarketing include the following:

• Telemarketing can provide immediate qualitative feedback when a

contact person is telephoned. The contact person may become
irritated at the perceived intrusion at work. The worker responsible for
the telemarketing initiative must exercise diplomacy and caution,
carefully taking into account the contact person's preferences. Some
customers may welcome the opportunity to influence vendors,
whereas other customers view it as an unwelcome interference.
• Telemarketing is more personal than an email or letter, especially
when a letter seems to be an advertisement. However, converting a
personal communication medium into an asset depends on the
abilities of the salesperson and not in the functionality of the system.
• Telemarketing effectively obtains a high response rate, because many
recipients ignore email messages and mailed items such as surveys
and brochures.
• For serious or important questions, a telemarketing campaign may be
the only way to communicate a message and obtain feedback.

Objectives

The objectives are:

• Set up the telemarketing and default values.

• Create and work with call lists.
• Execute a telemarketing initiative.

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Scenario
This scenario describes how a company uses Telemarketing in Microsoft
Dynamics® AX.

You are responsible for a quality campaign requiring feedback on the latest
product.

You select prospects that have recently purchased the product as campaign
targets. You verify during the campaign target selection process that the
prospects are your best and most loyal customers; they can provide the feedback
you want and are not irritated by a request for their time.

Of the 100 selected prospects receiving an email message that asks them to
participate in a web-based questionnaire published on your website, 25 did not
respond. You set up a telemarketing initiative to contact them by telephone.

The last task in the campaign is conducting a final analysis of the responses and
the campaign process before contacting the Quality and Sales and Marketing
teams with your findings.

Telemarketing Setup
When you are creating campaign reports and graphs, it is important to know the
reason that a call was canceled. A record of call cancellations can provide valuable
information that you can use to avoid future cancellations.

Telemarketing Setup

There is one setup form for the Telemarketing functionality, the Telemarketing
Reason form. Use this form to set up reasons that describe why a telemarketing
call was canceled. To set up telemarketing reasons follow these steps:

1. Click Sales and marketing > Setup >Telemarketing > Reason

canceled.
2. Click New to create a new record.
3. Enter a Reason canceled and Description.

Examples of reasons for cancellation include the following:

• The target is not interested.

• The target is unavailable.

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 Module 6: Telemarketing
• The target is no longer with the company.
• The target is temporarily out of the office.

FIGURE 6.1 REASON CANCELLED FORM

Default Telemarketing Values

You can set up a default activity when you are asked to call back after contacting
a target. The system can automatically create an activity to remind you of this new
call back.

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Set up default values for the automatically created activities in the Activities tab
in the Sales and marketing parameters form. Click Sales and marketing > Setup
> Sales and marketing parameters > Activities tab.

FIGURE 6.2 SALES AND MARKETING PARAMETERS FORM ACTIVITY TAB

You can set up default values for the following telemarketing activities:

• Telemarketing default activity (field group): Select whether an

activity should be created automatically when a telemarketing call list
is created.
• Telemarketing call back default activity (field group): Select
whether an activity should be created automatically when the status
of a call list target in a telemarketing call list is changed to Call back.
• Telemarketing target default activity (field group): Select whether
an activity should be created automatically for the responsible worker
when a telemarketing call list target is assigned to that worker.

The system automatically creates activities with default information in the

following fields:

• Category: Select the default activity category for the telemarketing

activity.
• Type: Select the default activity type for the telemarketing activity.
• Purpose: Type the default purpose for the telemarketing activity.
• Phase: Select the default activity phase for the telemarketing activity.

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 Module 6: Telemarketing
Selections in the type, purpose, and phase fields refer to the setup forms for
activities.

Creating Call Lists

After Telemarketing defaults are set up and connect the Microsoft Dynamics AX
system to the telephone system, you can use the Telemarketing module.

Very little functionality is tied to either a campaign or a questionnaire. To register

hours, expenses, or income associated with a telemarketing campaign:

1. Create a campaign in the Campaign module.

2. Attach it to a project.
3. Create the call list.

Call Lists

Telemarketing is executed toward many targets and needs a systematic approach,

especially with the initial selection of the targets. Creating relevant call lists is
important to the successful execution of a telemarketing initiative. Call lists are
created from all the contact people in the system and can be filtered.

A call list is a list of selected contact people selected from criteria the worker
deems relevant to a telemarketing initiative. Typical telemarketing initiatives can
target the following:

• New or potential customers.

• Trusted customers who are treated a certain way.
• Customers who are looking for other suppliers and need special
treatment or special price reduction offers.

When a call list is created, make selections from fields registered or stored in
prospects and contact persons. You have almost unlimited ways to generate a call
list from fields such as the following:

• Sales district
• Revenue
• Relation types
• Segment

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Creating Call Lists

Use the Call list form to view an overview of the call lists, create and maintain call
list targets, and attach a questionnaire to a call list

To create a call list, follow these steps:

1. Click Sales and marketing > Common > Telemarketing > All call
lists.
2. Click Call list on the Action Pane to create a new call list. The Call list
ID defaults from the setup parameters, and is a unique code for the
new call list.
3. In the Description field, type a short description of the new call list.
4. In the Owner field, select a worker responsible for the whole call list.
5. In the Questionnaire field, select a questionnaire to attach to the
new call list, if applicable.
6. Specify the date interval in the From date and To date fields in the
Telemarketing period field group.

The values in the date fields are for information only. You can still make calls to
targets after the date in the To date field and before the date in the From date
field.

FIGURE 6.3 CALL LIST FORM

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Selecting the Contacts

After the basic call list is created, define the criteria for selecting contact persons
for the call list by using the following procedure.

1. Click the Targets FastTab to add targets to the call list.

2. Base selections on the Prospects or the Contacts forms.
3. Click Add, and then select the Contact ID that you want to target.
4. Click Select Targets to define filters to the selection based on the
prospect or contact target and the characteristics of the call list that
you are creating. The call list is based on the results of the query
when it is created. For example, if a new prospect in the Pets segment
is added after the call list is created, it is not included in the call list.
You must re-create the call list. The worker creating the call list is the
person responsible for the contact persons in the list.

FIGURE 6.4 CALL LIST QUERY FORM

Call List Distribution

When a call list is created, the worker responsible can automatically be set to the
user logged on to Microsoft Dynamics AX. Before this can happen, a relationship
must be established between the Microsoft Dynamics AX user and the worker. To
set up this relationship, click System administration > Common > Users >
Users. In the Setup group, select Relationships and link the person to your user
ID.

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The worker creating the call list is not always the person contacting the targets,
especially when the list is long or when the telemarketing initiative is also
associated with a large questionnaire. Other workers can be assigned one or more
targets, distributing the responsibility for making the calls and receiving the
responses.

Responsibility can be distributed in several ways:

• To the main contact for a prospect.

• To the main contact for a contact.
• To a person having a general responsibility.
• To a selected list of workers.

To define the distribution of the call list, expand the Targets FastTab in the Call
lists form, highlight a record, and then click Distribute. When a worker has
responsibility to call a list of contacts, a task appears in the worker's activity
calendar.

Select one of the following options for distribution:

• Responsibilities distribution

Distribute the campaign or call list targets (contact persons) to selected workers,
regardless of who is responsible for the business relation, contact person, or
activity.

Do this if a large and general marketing push is planned or the worker contacting
the business relation is irrelevant compared to the content of the message.

• By main responsible on prospect

Distribute the call list or campaign targets to the worker registered as the main
person responsible for the prospect. This makes sure that all targets (contact
persons) from a prospect are contacted by the worker responsible for that
business relation.

If the prospect does not have a main responsible registered, the target is not
updated.

• By main responsible on contact

Sometimes large customers have many contacts registered, with many workers
working with many contacts.

Distribute the call list or campaign targets to the worker registered as the main
responsible for the contact. This makes sure that the targets (contacts) are
contacted by the workers who are responsible for contact with that contact
person.

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If the contact does not have a main responsible registered, the target is not
updated.

• By responsibilities on prospects

For some customers, the workers are given special responsibilities to administer.
For example, one worker could be the overall account manager for the prospect,
another responsible for coordinating all marketing initiatives, and yet another
responsible for service agreements.

Distribute the call list or campaign targets by responsibility to the worker who has
this responsibility with regard to the prospect. This makes sure that the targets
(contact persons) are contacted by the worker who usually is responsible for a
certain area or activity, such as sales contacts or service agreements.

If the prospect does not have a worker registered for the selected responsibility,
the target is not updated.

• By responsibilities on customer

Distribute the active call list targets (contact persons) by the specific responsibility
that is selected in the Customer details form. If the customer does not have a
worker registered for the selected responsibility, the target is not updated.

• By responsibilities on vendor

Distribute the active call list targets (contact persons) by the specific responsibility
that is selected in the Vendors form. If the vendor does not have a worker
registered for the selected responsibility, the target is not updated.

• Clear distribution

Clear the target distributions for the call list.

After you select one of the distribution options, Add workers to the distribution
list in the Responsibilities distribution form by one of the following methods:

• Create a new line in the distribution list.

• Select the relevant worker from the list in the Worker field.

Or:

• Use Select to query the database for the desired workers.

The number in the Total targets field refers to the number of calls the worker is
required to make. When workers are added to the grid, select a worker and
change the number of activities in the Total targets field. The value in the
Remaining field at the bottom of the form contains the number of unassigned
targets remaining.

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Note: Select the Responsibilities option in the Prospects form to view

worker responsibilities for a prospect.

Click the Distribute equally button to distribute the number of follow-up

activities evenly among workers in the grid. The total targets are divided equally.

Note: The system does not distribute campaign targets based on a sorting
order when distributing campaign targets. This kind of distribution is used for large-
scale campaign initiatives. If a more personal approach is desired, distribute the
calls by contact person.

Click Clear distribution to clear the grid and reassign targets.

Click OK to distribute the selected workers.

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Lab 6.1: Create a Call List

Scenario

Scenario: You are working at the Contoso company. The marketing team has
decided to obtain feedback from Adventure Works about your product line. The
team is calling the campaign Great Adventures. The Marketing questionnaire is re-
purposed for use in this telemarketing campaign. You plan to start the campaign
starting two weeks from today and end the activity three weeks from today. You
are assigned to create the call list for this activity.

Challenge Yourself

Target Adventure Works for this activity. Create a call list according to the
information that was provided.

Need a Little Help?

1. Click Sales and marketing > Common > Telemarketing > All call
lists.
2. Click Call list on the Action Pane to create a new call list.
3. Enter the appropriate information to create the call list.

Step by Step

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create the Call List

1. Click Sales and marketing > Common > Telemarketing > All call
lists.
2. Click Call list on the Action Pane to create a new call list.
3. In the Description field, type “Great Adventures.”
4. In the Start date/time field, enter the date two weeks from today.
5. In the End date/time field, enter the date three weeks from today.
6. In the Questionnaire field, select Marketing from the list.

Select the Targets

1. Click the Targets FastTab.

2. Click Add.
3. In the Contact ID filed, select Jeremy Nelson.
4. Close the Contact lists form.

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Telemarketing Maintenance
Use the Call list form to view and update telemarketing call list information. To
open a telemarketing call list, click Sales and marketing > Common >
Telemarketing > All call lists, highlight a call list in the All call lists list page,
and then click Edit.

Status

Expand the Targets FastTab in the Call list form to view the targets for the
specified call list. When a target is created, it automatically has a status of Open.
To change the status of a target, highlight the target and then click Status on the
Targets FastTab. The following table shows the available options and the
description of each status:

Status Description
Open The call is open and pending action.
Call back The worker should call back for additional
communication.
Closed The call was completed successfully and is
now closed.
Canceled The call was canceled before it was
completed.

If a target has a specific status, not all statuses are available to select. The
following table shows what statuses are available under the current condition of
the target line record. Note that after a status is Closed, it may not be changed.

Status Call back Closed Canceled

Open Yes Yes Yes
Call back No Yes Yes
Closed No No No
Canceled Yes Yes No

Yes - The status can be changed to the new value.

No - The status cannot be changed to the new value.

Note: If you cancel the call, you are prompted to select a reason for the
cancellation.

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 Module 6: Telemarketing
Telephone Call

Telephone calls can be made manually or by using the Computer Telephone

Integration (CTI) system using the Microsoft Telephony Application Programming
Interface (TAPI) protocol. CTI is discussed in the Common tools module of this
course.

To manually enter information about telephone calls, open the Call list form and
expand the Targets FastTab.

The following fields are used to log information about telephone calls:

Owner: Select the name of the worker who is responsible for the call list record.

Planned date/time: Select the planned date and time for the telephone call.

Actual duration: Enter the time length of the telephone call.

Contacted by: View the name of the worker responsible for the telephone call.

Actual date/time: Enter the actual date and time that the telephone call was
made.

Answer: View whether the telephone call was answered.

Reason canceled: View the reason that the telephone call was canceled.

To view corresponding party records for the contact (that is, listed as the contact
for the target), click Related information on the Targets FastTab.

To create an email group based on the target, click Create email on the Targets
FastTab. This opens the Create-email form where you can enter an Email group
ID, associate it with a Category, and determined the Email group copy type such
as Bcc.

Call List Actions

There are many actions specific to each call list. The following Action buttons are
available from the Call list form:

Responsibilities: Click Responsibilities to assign a worker to the call list.

Questionnaire: Click Questionnaire to create or select a questionnaire to be

used with the call list. Questionnaires might be used to make sure that workers in
the call center follow a consistent and standard questioning technique.

Campaign: Click Campaign to view campaign information related to the call list.

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Call distributions: View how the call list is distributed to contacts. You can also
view the status of each of the call list contacts.

Statistics: Click Statistics to view a graphic representation of the call list status.

Activities: Click Activities and then click one of the following:

• View activities: Open the Activities form to view activities that have
already been created.
• New action: Open the Activities form to create a new action activity.
• Schedule appointment: Open the Activities form to schedule a new
appointment activity.
• Record event: Open the Activities form to record a new event
activity.
• New task: Open the Activities form to create a new task activity.

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 Module 6: Telemarketing

Module Review
Module Review and Takeaways

In Telemarketing, you create, register, and administer telecommunications

between a company and its prospects. Companies maintain call lists to help them
communicate with their customers and business contacts. Microsoft Dynamics AX
provides the tool to maintain call lists and assists marketers in administering
campaigns and collecting feedback from those campaigns.

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Test Your Knowledge

Test your knowledge with the following questions.

1. Which of the following setup parameters apply to the telemarketing

functionality?

( ) Decision

( ) Segments

( ) Phase

( ) Reason canceled

2. What does the Number field on the Responsibilities distribution form

represent?

( ) The number of workers involved in the telemarketing initiative.

( ) The number of calls the worker is required to make.

( ) The number of targets in the telemarketing initiative.

( ) The number of remaining calls to be divided among workers.

3. You can change a call status from Closed to Open.

( ) True

( ) False

4. You can set up default values for the Telemarketing call back default activity
to create an activity automatically when the status of a call list target is
changed to Call back.

( ) True

( ) False

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Test Your Knowledge Solutions

1. Which of the following setup parameters apply to the telemarketing
functionality?

( ) Decision

( ) Segments

( ) Phase

(√) Reason canceled

2. What does the Number field on the Responsibilities distribution form

represent?

( ) The number of workers involved in the telemarketing initiative.

( ) The number of calls the worker is required to make.

(√) The number of targets in the telemarketing initiative.

( ) The number of remaining calls to be divided among workers.

3. You can change a call status from Closed to Open.

( ) True

(√) False

4. You can set up default values for the Telemarketing call back default activity
to create an activity automatically when the status of a call list target is
changed to Call back.

(√) True

( ) False

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