As marketing and sales communication channels have expanded, customers have developed clear preferences for when and how they want to receive content. Whether it’s generational, at a certain stage of the buyer’s journey, or for support, customers are now able to pull more levers to personalize when they receive text messages, emails, phone calls, and other multichannel communications.
For a long time, these levers were “all or nothing,” with unsubscribe or opt-out requests completely removing the prospect from all channels. But this “one strike and you’re out” approach represents a lot of missed opportunities to connect through different avenues. In fact, research shows that prospects want to adjust their communication channels, not abandon them altogether. A Forrester study revealed that only 26% of unsubscribers do not want to hear from the brand ever again, meaning that 74% of these opt-outs are from prospects who would rather customize their preferences but are defaulted to a “total unsubscribe" because they have no choice. Without a better choice, sellers are missing an opportunity to connect via their buyers' preferred channels with the right message at the right time, and are losing them in one fell swoop.
There hasn’t been a good solution for sellers--until now.
Outreach has launched Opt-Outs By Communication Channel, a new feature only available on Outreach, that gives sales reps more traction with their prospects and greater insight into which channels their customers prefer. With this new feature, opt-out requests are specific to each channel--email, call, text--giving sales reps a new swim lane to continue communicating through the remaining channels if the prospect chooses to opt-out on one. For example, an email unsubscribe request will now only opt a prospect out of emails, allowing reps to continue reaching the prospect via text or phone. Additionally, if a prospect requests to no longer be called, a rep can mark the prospect “opted out” from future calls while still allowing text and email communications.
With this new feature, sales teams’ multichannel strategies have greater agility and understanding of customer preferences. With Opt-Outs by Communication Channel your team is better equipped to understand what your customers want and then deliver it.
"Having the ability to change the communication preferences by call or email allows our reps to work smarter. We don't miss out on meetings from prospects who have said take me off your email list because we still have the ability to sequence and call."
-KATELYN MARTIN, SENIOR MANAGER OF REVENUE OPERATIONS AT JELLYVISION
Be sure that you’re staying connected to your prospects on the channels that they prefer while staying GDPR compliant. Read our support article and reach out to your CSM to get set up, and we’ll get you on your way!
