Mango - Mango - Page 2 of 4

How Mango Help the Housing Association Sector

Posted on 2 May 20242 May 2024 by Mango

The housing association sector has become one of Mango’s specialities over the last 15 years.

Housing associations provide an essential service; offering shelter and support to their residents, which may be across thousands of different properties up and down the country!

But how exactly do we help housing associations? From 24/7/365 out of hours support to overflow cover – there’s not much we can’t do!

In this blog, we take a closer look at the housing association sector as a whole, and how we can aid the important work these organisations do.

Housing Associations: What’s Involved?

The housing association sector exists to provide their residents with guidance and assistance with a wide range of queries and requests. Whether they be simple or complex, housing associations have a big responsibility over the welfare of their residents, and so must focus on accessibility to ensure nothing’s ever missed.

There are lots of reasons why residents might want to contact their housing association, some of which include, but are not limited to:

To report damages or faults so the housing association can quickly repair and maintain the property in accordance with the law
To obtain information about a property e.g. whether rent has been paid yet or to update personal details.
To inform of an emergency in relation to the property e.g. a gas leak or fire

From working as the first point-of-contact for several housing associations across the UK, we know how important this responsibility is and that when residents get in contact, they deserve a reliable, speedy response.

On Mango’s side, we exist to help housing associations ensure that no query goes unacknowledged. Oftentimes, we see housing associations struggle with the following:

Resource restraints e.g. not having the inhouse capacity to manage peaks in calls or offer out of hours support
Managing expectations e.g. residents not knowing what services they are and are not entitled to
Keeping up with technology advancements e.g. missing multi and omnichannel opportunities to reduce high call volumes and boost first contact resolution via Live Chat, email, social media messaging, video conferencing/WhatsApp

How Do We Help the Housing Association Sector?

Covering Manchester to Cornwall (and beyond!) – we are experienced in offering first-class tenant support services. Our housing association contact centre services are extensive, covering the below (and then some!):

Emergency Lines
Day Time Cover
Out of Hours (24/7/365)
Overflow
Incident Reporting
Outbound
Lone Worker Checks
Escalation Services
Payment Lines
Decanting Services

Our expertise in the above means we can offer these services on a round-the-clock basis, giving clients and their tenants peace of mind that whenever support is needed, there’s always someone there to answer the call.

What are the Benefits?

Through a combination of industry knowledge and proven proficiency, the Mango team offer many benefits to housing associations, including:

Increased accessibility: By offering and managing several channels of communication such as phone, Live Chat, social media and email – we enable tenants with any and all preferences to reach out to have their queries resolved.

Greater flexibility: We understand that call volumes for housing associations can be unpredictable, making it difficult to organise internal resources. We act as an easy, scalable solution, with our out of hours and overflow services providing a reassuring fix to this common problem.

Bespoke reporting: We provide tailored result reporting, so all essential data is included for clients’ records, allowing performance to be accurately tracked and actively optimised.

Faster resolution times: With more queries being handled with our help through various channels, we ensure issues are addressed and resolved more quickly, which is critical to improving tenant satisfaction, meeting regulatory measures and first-time resolution, helping to reduce repeat calling and overall call volumes.

Regardless of the size of the housing association, we understand the importance of being resident-centred and always available. If you have any questions about our housing association services, please feel free to talk to Mango today!

Why is Omnichannel Customer Service so Important?

Posted on 8 April 20248 April 2024 by Mango

In 2024, customer expectations are higher than ever before.

Nowadays, it’s not about the customer conforming to restrictions, like waiting for business opening hours to ask questions and receive answers. Instead, the tables have well and truly turned, and now customer preferences prevail!

With this shift in mind, more businesses are adopting omnichannel customer service solutions to appeal to the masses. But what does this mean? And how is it beneficial to be open-minded about omnichannel approaches? Let’s take a closer look…

What Does Omnichannel Mean?

Omnichannel is best described as a business strategy that aims to provide a totally seamless customer journey experience across all channels including in-store, over the phone and online.

As an omnichannel Contact Centre which supports new movements in the industry – no matter which methods your customers prefer to use, or how an interaction shifts between channels – we make it our mission to facilitate and integrate!

We believe omnichannel customer service solutions offer a truly unified communication experience for your audience. Not only this, but we know having a Contact Centre to manage all the moving parts ensures greater visibility over customer interactions across every channel they use, helping you understand them even more.

In our opinion, the best hybrid customer service solutions include email, SMS, social media (Facebook, Instagram etc.), Live Chat and voice.

While this may sound like a lot of maintenance, there are many benefits to offering a broad range of channels…

The Top 3 Benefits of Omnichannel Customer Service

It’s no surprise that companies that provide omnichannel support perform better across key customer experience metrics, such as faster response times and higher customer satisfaction scores. It’s simple: the more you’re there for your customers, the more rewards you reap!

Here’s a few benefits we have seen become a reality for our own clients:

Meets the Needs of More Customers

The more options you offer, the more you are tailoring your customer service experience to people with different preferences. One customer may prefer to have a conversation over the phone, whereas another may choose instant messaging via Live Chat. Either way, having plenty of alternatives and avenues available with the latest technology at the fore is sure create a seamless, more personalised customer experience.

Improves Resolution Rates

Long gone are the days where customers must wait until 9am to get in touch. By having a 24/7/365 omnichannel solution, this reduces any backlog that would have otherwise built-up overnight several years ago! Plus, the more questions that are answered promptly, the greater relationship you are building between you and your audience.

Creates Greater Loyalty

By investing in offering multiple channels and lines of communication, this demonstrates a real commitment to your customers. In turn, customers will appreciate and praise your business more if they know you’re there for them regardless of the time or day. This plays a huge a part in cementing loyalty, boosting reputation, and ultimately, helping your business grow.

Key Omnichannel Statistics and Takeaways

We like to keep on top of the trends, so here’s a few key statistics we think really emphasise the prevalence of omnichannel customer service in today’s world:

The customer retention rate of companies with omnichannel customer service solutions is about 89%.
Retailers that do not adopt omnichannel in their businesses lose between 10-30% on sales.
Businesses with omnichannel customer support will have 23 times higher customer satisfaction rates than those that don’t.
Customers want more convenient customer service. In fact, 87% of them want brands to put in extra effort to provide a more seamless experience for them.
64% of consumers agree that the best feature of omnichannel contact methods is that availability is round the clock with no waiting involved.

Fascinating, right? With these stats in mind, if you want to gain plenty of new customers, you need to be available for them across different platforms.

At Mango Direct Marketing, we offer extensive Contact Centre services, helping our clients fulfil and exceed their omnichannel customer service strategies.

We know there’s a lot to consider and operate when it comes to omnichannel customer service – that’s why we’re here – to make it all easier for you!

If you want to learn more about both our hybrid and standalone Contact Centre services, please feel free to talk to Mango today and we’ll get straight back to you. Alternatively, if you want to keep up with what’s going on at Mango – you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!

4 Call Centre Management Best Practices

Posted on 20 March 202420 March 2024 by Mango

If you’re curious about the call centre industry, you’ve come to the right place!

It’s not just picking up the phone and having a chat – there’s so much more to the world of call centres to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible.

What Does Call Centre Management Involve?

From strategy to scripting, call centre management is a group of methods, approaches, actions and determinations that are used by a widely skilled team to manage daily operations and upgrade efficiency.

As a full-service telemarketing agency that’s been operating for over 15 years – it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about running a call centre. Below, we uncover our top four best practices, so you have an idea of what high standards to expect.

1. Internal Communication is Everything

Regardless of what role you play in a call centre, no two days are ever the same. With its fast-paced, unpredictable yet exciting environment – you are always kept on your toes – and teamwork really does make the dream work in this setting.

Whether you are a Team Leader, Client Manager or IT Developer – internal communication is paramount to ensure success.

We know all too well that campaigns are never static – they are ever-evolving to truly maximise potential. Only through each department collaborating together is this end result possible.

Ensuring strong internal communication is imperative. When we are talking about employee satisfaction, there is no better way to discover it than through internal communication.

For example, agents should feel valued and appreciated, and this can be achieved through regular one-to-one sessions, company-wide shout-outs and ‘thank you’ prizes for a job well done. By making this practice a staple part of our day-to-day, our staff feel motivated and engaged to do well, helping the call centre perform highly as a result.

2. Prioritise Employee Engagement

An engaged, happy, valued team makes for seamless operations and excellent services.

The more an agent is invested in their role, the more productive they will be, and this needs to be nurtured consistently. As such, we make it our mission to prioritise employee engagement activities to maximise overall output – and because we have lots of fun doing it!

We implement a monthly engagement calendar, with feedback from staff members at the forefront of our plans. From in-office activities to outdoor challenges, we like to make sure our work culture is both stimulating and exciting for all.

By doing this, it helps improve efficiency, provide better service, make callers happy and cement a positive brand image. We also love giving back to the community – another goal we can achieve while bonding as a wider team! Anyone want to help us plant trees or be part of our next beach clean?

3. Stay Up to Date with Legislation

The call centre industry is a constant work in progress, moving at a fast pace to keep callers and their data safe and secure in line with legislation and best practice.

With legislation covering all areas from health and safety to data protection and GDPR – call centres big and small can’t afford to miss out on any major or minor changes.

It is call centre management’s responsibility to know and understand all laws associated with the company, and a perfect reputation in this area is essential to ensure future success.

That’s why we recommend involving as many management staff as possible in trade memberships, so you know you’re always being kept right on all things legislative.

4. Invest in Technology

Every year, new technologies appear! From updated systems to advanced features, call centre solutions are being continuously refined to make interactions easier for agents, callers, and management too.

From IVRs to intelligent routing, we really would be lost without investing time. Effort and financially into these innovations. Just imagine trying to sift through a customer base manually without search or filter functions – what takes a system seconds would take us hours!

To ensure we’re always on top of the tech world, our very own Technology Director leads our IT team in new developments across systems, telephony, development, reporting and data analysis.

As a result, we have robust and reliable third-party software integration, internally designed, purpose-built call monitoring functions and real-time dashboards – to name just a few!

Just like in every industry, it takes years of trying and testing to get it right – as well as staying in the know to keep operations as smooth as possible!

If you’re looking for a call centre management team that has its best practices pinned down – talk to Mango!

How You Can be Always Available with Call Answering Services

Posted on 22 February 2024 by Mango

When you’re at your busiest, that always seems to be the prime time for your phone to ring off the hook!

You then make a split-second decision to answer as it could be a potential lead, losing your train of thought on your current task.

Or when you’re in meetings all day, how often do you return to your desk to find 20+ missed calls to catch-up on, to find that only a handful are genuine compared to spam after you’ve already taken the time to call them all back?

We understand all too well that as much as you probably wish you could – you can’t be in two places at once! But thankfully there’s always a solution, and it’s known as call answering services.

Call Answering Services: What Exactly Are They?

Well, they are pretty much exactly what it says on the tin – professional phone answering completed on your behalf for when you can’t be there to answer.

For example, if somebody calls you and you’re unavailable, this will be answered by a highly skilled agent who is trained on your operations and seen as an extension of your team. From taking messages to appointment setting – they help manage your opportunities while you’re focusing on other important areas of your business.

And even when you’re not focusing on your business – if you’re benefitting from this service – you can enjoy having your calls taken during the night, the weekend, and bank holidays!

Why Use Call Answering Services?

There’s lots of reasons why companies big and small may use call answering services. For example:

Better customer experiences – reducing long wait times and frustrations
Drives extra business that could otherwise be missed
Employing a full-time receptionist salary can be costly
Getting existing staff to step in when needed and taking them away from their day-to-day tasks can be counterproductive
Call answering services provide peace of mind – especially when it stops the distraction of what feels like endless phone ringing!
It’s a flexible service, which can be started/stopped as and when needed, with a quick and easy setup process
It doesn’t have to stop at phone answering and message taking – you can combine this service with other helpful inbound solutions such as Live Chat messaging and social media monitoring for example

Call answering services are there for companies of all sizes and all call volumes. Whether they want to cut overheads or boost internal efficiencies – there is a phone answering option for all!

What to Expect from Outsourced Phone Answering Services

We understand that handing your calls and associated messages over is a big decision, but it can be as simple as 1, 2, 3, 4…really!

Here’s what you can expect from Mango’s call answering service at its most basic level:

A call comes through to your business line
One of our agents (who belong to a fully trained, dedicated team for your account) answers, confirming your business name and following your approved script
Using a friendly, welcoming tone, they explain that you’re unavailable and ask if they can take a message to pass over to you
The caller’s details and message are taken and delivered to your inbox instantly for you to review (this can either be done via email notification or SMS messaging)

This service can be setup for you in as soon as 24 hours. Not only this, but you can expect this new-found convenience at a low-cost flat fee, so you know what you’re spending each month.

See? It really is that simple!

What are the Next Steps?

If you’re contemplating a call answering service for your business, our best advice would be to take one week where you monitor call volume and how this impacts your workload.

Use this checklist to help give you an idea:

How many calls do you receive each week?
What methods are you relying on to handle them currently?
How are these calls effecting your day-to-day operations? E.g. roughly how long are you spending managing these calls yourself?
How many calls are genuine vs spam?
Is there a special circumstance that may increase your calls during a certain period where you will require help e.g. flyer drops, the launch of an exclusive deal, post-networking event, social media advertising – or will you need help on an ongoing basis

If you find answering calls disrupts workflow by taking you/your staff away from what they do best, or that you are losing business and getting customer complaints – then introducing a call answering service may be the answer. Whether it be for a short trial period or on a rolling basis – at Mango – we can give you a speedy, tailored solution to suit your exact needs

From a dedicated team to bespoke reporting – we ensure your account is maximised at a low cost, giving you and your team the freedom to take your business to the next level!

If you have a question or are ready to get started – talk to the Mango team now!

Committing to the Community: Mango’s Local Sponsorships

Posted on 8 February 20248 February 2024 by Mango

Here at Mango, we’re big, big advocates for promoting the local community to help it prosper.

So, we’re always looking for new ways we can play a part in the bigger picture, by giving local organisations and associations alike a well-deserved boost to create new opportunities and maximise civic pride.

As such, we’ve been pretty busy making waves with NI-based charities and clubs, finding out how we can aid them in making their hopes, dreams and missions a reality.

You may have seen us in the news the last couple of months, with the announcement of our corporate partnership with local charity NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust to expand the reach of their impactful work for children (more on that later!).

Well, we have recently added another much-loved organisation to our roster…

Bangor Football Club

Last week, we announced our brand-new local sponsorship deal with Bangor Football Club!

The club, founded in 1918 and based in Clandeboye Park, has an extensive and impressive history that we are proud to now be a part of.

The club has come a long way with developing the stadium grounds and league teams, as well as invoking a strong sense of community amongst football fans across the city and beyond – something we are super excited to join in an official capacity.

Bangor FC Chairman, Graham Bailie, said: “We are delighted to secure the support of Mango, which is a high-profile company with well-established links in the city.

“Mango shares the ambitions of the football club as they are renowned for consistently striving to set high standards and delivering excellent results. We are thrilled to have them onboard as we continue our journey and I look forward to working with them and seeing how we can strengthen our relationship moving forward.”

Mango CEO, Stuart Lally, said: “As a family-owned business rooted in the local community, we’re incredibly proud to sponsor Bangor FC. This partnership aligns seamlessly with our work culture of being happy, friendly, diligent and delivering results.

“Just as the Bangor players strive for victory on the field, Mango is striving to set a high standard, delivering excellent results for our customers, whilst supporting our loyal team and driving a positive ethical culture.

“We wish the team continued success in their matches this season and we are looking forward to seeing the players in action over the coming weeks.”

With local charities and the community at the heart of our business strategy year-on-year, we have had the pleasure of working with lots of other amazing organisations and associations. Some for only a couple of months so far – and others for over a decade!

NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust

If you’ve been keeping up with us for the past few months, you might have noticed in October 2023, the Mango team went on their biggest venture yet – a sponsored ‘Walk to Scotland’!

The annual event, coordinated by the NI Children to Lapland team, exists to help raise funds to give terminally ill, life-limited and deserving children the trip of a lifetime to visit Santa in his hometown of Rovaniemi, Lapland.

The team raised close to £1,000 in support of the charity, and led to the announcement of our official corporate partnership in December.

Commenting on our motivation for initiating a partnership with the charity, Stuart said: “We were deeply moved by the amazing experiences the NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust has provided to local children since its inception in 2008.

“Our team at Mango is extremely passionate about contributing to the community and supporting local charities. Whether it’s through sponsorship, volunteering, or fundraising – we are dedicated to helping worthy causes thrive to benefit more people in need.”

We’ve also got lots of fundraising plans in the works for the year ahead, so keep your eyes peeled for what we do next! Here’s a hint…

Abbey Villa Football Club

Mango has been a key sponsor for Abbey Villa Football Club, located in Adam’s Park, Millisle, for over 10 years now!

Throughout our time as sponsor of the Northern Amateur Football League (Division 1A) team, we have keenly watched the club evolve from strength to strength with countless triumphant wins, supplying new season kits and, most recently, a spectator stand to keep up with audience demand.

We’re so proud of the team and how far they’ve come. We can’t wait to see how it progresses over the next 10 years!

The Barn Animal Rescue

Based in Newtownards, The Barn Animal Rescue is a remarkable charity that rescue cruelly treated or abandoned animals; rehoming to their forever families to experience love and care for life.

With help from the wider community, the charity can carry out vital animal welfare work. This is something we are extremely passionate about – as The Barn holds a special place in our hearts here at Mango – with lots of our staff having them to thank for their own furry companions!

From fundraising and donating items in need right through to volunteering, the Mango team support the charity on a repeated basis, with plans to increase our efforts and initiate set volunteer days to provide much-needed assistance (and play with the puppies, of course!).

Storehouse North Down

Storehouse North Down exists, as a charity, to be a real answer for families and individuals who have no safety net. It is supported by local churches, community groups, businesses and individuals alike to fight food poverty across Bangor, North Down and beyond.

Mango helps this incredible charity through donating essential items for emergency food hampers. Our biggest being the Christmas collection – where we supplied multiple trolleys worth of food and gifts for the Storehouse team to assemble and deliver Christmas dinners and presents to those in need.

We have further plans to give back to the local community through Storehouse North Down, so watch this space!

Mango’s Continued Commitment to the Community

There’s plenty more where that came from…but we might be here a while listing all the other charities and clubs we’ve worked with over the last 15 years!

With our CSR mission continuing to grow, we are always looking for new ways to aid non-profit organisations and grassroots groups to spread their positive work. If you’re interested in partnering up with a company like us, or need support in reaching your charity or club’s goals – feel free to talk to the Mango team today.

Life as a Contact Centre Team Leader

Posted on 25 January 202425 January 2024 by Mango

Team Leaders are the beating heart of any Contact Centre.

From monitoring quality and performance to lending a helping hand and a listening ear – they’re a vital gamechanger when it comes to campaign management and staff development.

But no one can spotlight what being a Contact Centre Team Leader is like more than someone who works in the role every day.

In this week’s blog, we chat with Karen, one of our very own Team Leaders.

Covering everything from her journey to becoming a Team Leader to what her role entails – we learn that no two days are ever the same in this rewarding yet busy job!

Karen’s Team Leader Journey

After working in the healthcare sector for over 30 years and seeing first-hand the struggles and pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic, Karen decided it was time to try something different.

“I was looking for a new challenge, so I applied for a Call Centre Advisor role at Mango.

“As I’d never been in a Call Centre environment before, I received immense support from the Training and Quality Manager and Team Leaders. The more I was taught, the more I wanted to learn!”

Over time, Karen gained new skills in other areas that extended beyond call handling. She began supporting the wider teams with email management and live chat responses, and the more she mastered, the more confident she became.

“As Mango’s demand continued to rise, an opportunity for Team Leader became available. After lots of positive encouragement from the Call Centre Management Team, I decided to go for it, and haven’t looked back since!

“I now manage a large team and I absolutely love them. They know they can always come to me, regardless of what the issue is.

“It’s funny looking back – what I originally imagined being a quiet retirement job has become a passionate career for me. My life really did restart when I joined Mango.”

Team Leader Qualities

They say the three most important roles of a Team Leader are motivator, communicator, and uniter.

For example, Karen motivates her team members to do great work, consistently communicates expectations and the Contact Centre’s culture, and unites them with a shared sense of purpose to achieve the company’s overall vision.

Karen achieves this through positive reinforcement, something she believes is the real key to keeping staff morale high.

“I know my team perform at their best when they feel their best. My approach revolves around the fact that there’s always something positive to focus on.

“If people feel like they’re valued and realise just how integral they are to the bigger picture, then their approach to work will be positive, too.”

What are Typical Team Leader Tasks?

As Karen admits herself – “No two days are ever the same, and every day is a learning day!”

A typical day for a Team Leader covers everything from campaign management to staff development, with the main goal being to maximise performance and satisfaction for both clients and employees.

Karen tells us a few of the key tasks she juggles in her role day-to-day…

Staff Coaching and Training

Training is one of the most important tasks for a Team Leader. Not only has it a direct impact on productivity and performance, but training also gives employees a better understanding of their responsibilities and improves their confidence which positively impacts performance.

“Training can be anything from one-to-one coaching to client training sessions, where our staff come together to be trained on a campaign by a client, with the Team Leader asking questions on behalf of the Call Centre team to cement understanding.”

Echoing the benefits of training, Karen says: “I am passionate about coaching and training staff – we are a people business at the end of the day – so our team is our best asset! Training encourages questions, addresses learning gaps and areas for improvement, as well as keeps morale and performance high.”

Employee Engagement Activities

At Mango, we have a busy employee engagement calendar, with multiple activities scheduled each month!

Team Leaders play a vital role in spreading company culture and aiding social relationships, which is important when it comes to:

Encouraging staff to have an emotional connected to their job, co-workers, and organisation as a whole
Boosting job satisfaction
Supporting alignment with organisational values
Making going to work an enjoyable experience
Helping staff feel more connected to the wider community

“By taking part in employee engagement activities, it ignites friendships for life, I know from experience on my Mango journey!”

Quality Monitoring

A Team Leader manages their teams to ensure quality across all services is high and consistent, whether it be handling calls or writing responses via email or live chat.

“I call listen daily to ensure my team are using best practices and maximising their potential. Even if it’s something small they can improve, like using a customer or supporter’s name more often to build rapport – it makes all the difference between a good call and a great call!

“I always say to staff that they should never be afraid to ask for help, and that the more questions they ask, the better it is for their confidence, compliance and quality.”

For more tips on ensuring high call quality, check out our blog: Tracking Call Quality: Our Top Hints and Hacks

Allocating Campaign Work

As a telemarketing outsourcer, at Mango, we support and work on behalf of so many organisations across the globe!

Our Team Leaders are key in supporting the Resources and Planning Manager with allocating campaign work to their teams in order to meet demand. It requires strong organisational skills, as well as liaising with the Client Management team to determine any specifics.

But for Karen, it doesn’t just stop at divvying out tasks to her team:

“I also like to jump on calls too! It means I can get a better understanding of my team’s experiences, pinpoint any potential script improvements, and sharpen my knowledge of our current campaigns.”

Special thanks to Karen for her interesting insights into what life’s really like as a Contact Centre Team Leader!

If you would like to learn more, please feel free to ask us questions in the comments, or reach out to us by dropping us a message via our website or over on socials!

Fundraising Services: How to Maximise Your Charity’s Work

Posted on 12 January 202412 January 2024 by Mango

It’s a New Year, making it the perfect time to reimagine alternative ways you can make waves with your charity’s important work.

No matter how grand or modest the campaign, fundraising is essential to keep charities going from strength to strength during tough times.

For example, in 2023, 60% of people in the UK struggled to give to charity compared to the year before due to the cost-of-living crisis.

With the mountainous task of trying to secure and increase funds, it’s therefore no surprise why charities lean on outsourced, specialist companies to help boost income. Not only this, but agency support can also see charities maximise their internal resources and cement strong relationships with new and existing donors.

What are Fundraising Services?

While it may seem niche, fundraising services are pretty broad!

For example, there’s everything from consulting and strategic planning right through to call handling and fulfilment management.

In our case, the fundraising sector is one of Mango’s largest, where we deliver everything from small to large scale telemarketing campaigns, encompassing everything from response handling, live chat, email, to good old reliable telecon!

We are so fortunate to play a part in supporting fundraising for so many lifechanging organisations locally, nationally, and internationally.

Here’s a few ways we do it, and how these services can help maximise your charity’s intake and overall operations.

Telephone Fundraising

Telephone has long been at the heart of fundraising, providing a direct connection between supporters and their chosen charity, and vice versa. We usually divide telephone campaign types into inbound (supporter to charity) and outbound (charity to supporter).

For inbound campaigns – which relate to calls being made by supporters in response to charity appeals such as telethons, newspaper ads, direct mail etc. – it can be difficult to estimate impact and volume. Having an external fundraising team that acts like an extension of your team can help in many ways, such as:

Saving the charity money
Giving inhouse teams more availability to work on other upcoming projects
Boosting answer rates by accepting calls on your behalf
Establishing relationships with supporters
Processing one-off donations and upgrading existing Direct Debit amounts
Capturing data to expand the charity’s donor database with full compliance at the forefront

As well as taking the weight off, giving your wider team peace of mind and allowing you to better focus on other essential tasks to optimise success.

With outbound campaigns, this type of fundraising service involves reaching out to supporters to re-engage lapsed donors, upgrade monthly donations, or even just say thank you for previous giving.

This is a specialist type of campaign which requires an experienced team. At Mango, our team are highly skilled and trained to interact with supporters in a friendly, effortless and considerate way, something that can reap plenty of great rewards for charity clients.

Fulfilment and Response Handling

Charities make a huge impact through their investment in print communications (such as door drops and direct mailings).

However, with this successful method, comes a lot of careful steps that need to be mastered to ensure a prompt and seamless service – something which, without external support, can put a strain on a charity’s internal operations.

That’s where charity fulfilment and response handling services come in to help.

From printing and packaging right through to payment processing and posting returns – fulfilment and response handling are intricate procedures which need to be perfected by a team with expert knowledge and experience.

In our time, we have seen charities come to us to make use of this type of fundraising service for the following purposes:

Storage of branded merchandise and promotional materials
Printing, picking, packing and posting
Data entering and validation in-line with GDPR and ISO 9001 standards
Payments e.g. managing cheques and linking with credit cards processors to take donations securely
Reporting e.g. bespoke income reports and copy scans for full transparency and insight

Whether your charity requires ad hoc or full-time support with this fundraising area – we understand that every little helps – and that’s why Mango offers a flexible model, meaning that we can always quickly adapt and give you the peace of mind that, as your fulfilment and response handling partner, we will take care of all your needs.

Find out more about response handling by checking out our blog: What are Response Handling Services? + 3 Benefits

SMS Fundraising

Fundraising via text message has long been a staple for its speediness and ease of use for the supporter. For the charity, it’s a modest technology tool that’s effective, inexpensive and practical.

Fundraising efforts using texting services achieve a 45% response rate, making it a key focus for charities big and small to implement. With SMS fundraising being a high demand yet specialist area, many charities seek additional help from a third party like us to ensure everything is covered from writing message contents, segmenting distribution lists, following compliance and conducting call backs.

At Mango Direct Marketing, we have worked with lots of charities across the world to create and deliver tailored, integrated SMS campaigns that generate positive, tangible results.

With this, we can assist at any capacity – whether it be giving advice on SMS strategies to implementing our intuitive tech to help you see an instant ROI boost.

At Mango, our extensive services give charities the freedom to concentrate on achieving their goals and missions, while we take care of the rest. If you are considering lightening the load by outsourcing a fundraising service agency, then feel free to talk to Mango and we’ll give you a full rundown of how we can help.

Mango’s 2023 Year in Review

Posted on 29 December 202322 December 2023 by Mango

What a year it’s been.

There’s a lot that goes on in 365 days. Some days are quieter and busier than others – but there’s no doubt that the time flies in fast!

Working in a live environment, we sometimes don’t pause and reflect on all the amazing moments we share with our colleagues – who we actually spend more time with in a year than we do with our very own family!

That being said, with 2024 just around the corner, we want to take this chance to stop and remind ourselves of all the milestones and highlights we’ve had in 2023.

Year in Review: Mango’s 2023 Highlights

Sit back, relax and enjoy this wee round-up of our past year – and feel free to share your own achievements in the comments so we can celebrate these together!

Mango’s 15^th Birthday

Mango opened its doors on 4th August 2008, in the middle of the recession. So, celebrating our 15th year in business was a pretty big deal in our books!

To commemorate the occasion, we hosted a company-wide birthday party across the Mango offices. The day was jam-packed, covering everything from breakfast baps for all to games, prizes, live music, speeches, champagne toasts and a cocktail hour to thank our staff for helping us get to where we are today.

Plus, we all had a good laugh pranking the Managing Director by filling his office with 500 balloons…check it out over on our TikTok.

We’ll have to get our thinking caps on for how we’re going to top that for our sweet sixteenth birthday next year…

Walk to Scotland

In October, the Mango team hopped aboard the Stena Line boat from Belfast to Cairnryan to ‘Walk to Scotland’ in support of NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust.

NI Children to Lapland and Days to Remember Trust is a charity which gives terminally ill, life-limited and deserving children from across Northern Ireland a magical, memorable day that they and their families can cherish forever.

The annual Walk to Scotland event is an essential part of the charity’s fundraising efforts to facilitate an annual trip to Lapland, bringing 100 young children from Northern Ireland to visit Santa in his homeland.

To support the charity in co-ordinating its annual trip to Lapland, the team raised over £1,000 in the run-up to the sponsored walk, which contributed to the incredible £14,000 total raised at the event!

From this, Mango and NI Children to Lapland Trust have now initiated a new corporate partnership aimed at broadening our social impact and expanding the reach of the charity’s impactful work for children.

We can’t wait to see what this new endeavour will bring in the new year!

Watch the video of our walk to Scotland here.

Bangor Business Awards

In October, the team attended the local Chamber of Commerce’s acclaimed Bangor Business Awards 2023, having been shortlisted for several awards.

Our longest-serving fundraiser, June Cowan, was nominated for ‘Employee of the Year’ – a win we were crossing our fingers extra tight for before her retirement next year!

With her 13 years at Mango, June’s commitment to charity work has seen her raise an incredible 1.5 million pounds for our clients – an amazing achievement that we were ecstatic to see her win the coveted ‘Employee of the Year’ award on the night!

With plenty of dancing and singing had, we were delighted to give June a well-deserved celebration for all her hard work. Check out the video over on our TikTok.

Achieving ISO Certification

Becoming ISO certified had been a goal of ours for years and years. So, in 2023, we decided to make it happen!

Not only this – we didn’t just go for one ISO certification – we set ourselves the challenge of going for both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 at the same time!

After several process optimisations and audits over the course of Q3 – as well as top tips from the teams at Quadra Consulting and Auva Certification – in Q4 we were overjoyed to receive certification for both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

With our international industry-approved quality and environmental standards, we can’t wait to see what new opportunities these will bring to Mango in the future.

Here’s to 2024!

It’s hard to believe another year has been and gone. That’s why it’s so important to give yourself a moment to see how far you’ve come – no matter how big or small the achievement.

With so many successes under our belt this year, we’re excited to rethink our goals for 2024 and make these ideas a reality. Watch this space…

We would also love to know your 2023 highlights – so please feel free to give yourself a shout-out in the comments!

If you’re strategising for 2024, you can also talk to Mango today about any and all things Contact Centre related. Whether it be customer services, telephony, email management, fulfilment or response handling – we can help you regardless of your needs.

Customer Experience Trends for 2024

Posted on 14 December 202314 December 2023 by Mango

Providing a memorable, positive customer experience is what sets us apart from competitors. It really is make or break when it comes to creating customers for life – something the Mango team know a thing or two about!

As we look towards 2024 (after the quickest year ever!) – we expect a lot of new focuses and mindset shifts when it comes to servicing customers. We’re thinking cutting-edge technology, having a better understanding of customer needs, and leveraging these to redefine how we engage and retain for the long-term.

With that being said – here’s our top four customer experience trend predictions for next year!

Mango’s Top 4 Customer Experience Trends for 2024

The contact centre environment is becoming more dynamic each year, embracing new strategies that satisfy the needs of today’s customers when it comes to efficiency, ease and personalisation.

We’re talking real-time analytics, omnichannel offerings, and security-first approaches which are transforming the art of customer service as we know it, for the better!

Let’s get into it…

Focus on the Customer Journey

Nowadays, it is essential to prioritise relationships over transactions. Rather than solely focusing on standalone interactions, organisations are making greater efforts to tailor their customer journey as a whole.

The customer journey is all-encompassing, looking at how people experience an organisation from the initial awareness stages right through to retention.

It helps you see things from a customer’s perspective to understand expectations and needs. By thinking about the overall process, you’re more likely to optimise internal operations, customer communication and sales potential!

The key to achieving this in 2024 is being prepared and versatile. Consider how your customers see you, how they can learn about you and how they can reach you. By being readily available, your customer journey is already off to a good start!

With customers having plenty of options to find out about you, get in touch with you and stay up-to-date with what you’re doing – this means you’re being inclusive and providing them added value from the get-go – something which won’t go unmissed.

From IVR messaging to scriptwriting, outbound calls to follow-up emails – at Mango, our services cover each and every stage of the customer journey. For more on how we achieve this – check out our blog on customer service, written by our very own inhouse experts! Customer Service Tips – Hear it From the Experts!

Being More Security-Centric

Personal data is precious to customers, so showing that you recognise and honour this will help instil greater trust and confidence in your organisation.

Ensuring information is safely stored and protected is key. For example, 63% of customers say they are happier dealing with businesses that make it easy to see how their data is used – so we expect this to only get higher as the years go on.

Not only this, but enhanced security and privacy safeguards are non-negotiable for meeting regulatory compliance as well as boosting consumer loyalty as the industry continues to evolve in 2024.

Our advice is: make sure you have clear data and privacy policies in place, as well as strong security measures. At Mango, our security measures revolve around:

Encryption: A security method where information is encoded and can only be accessed or decrypted by a user with the correct encryption key.
Access Control: Strict access controls which ensure that only authorised individuals can access sensitive data.
Multi-Factor Authentication: 2FA adds an additional degree of protection by requesting many different forms of identification before providing access.

Opt for Omnichannel

How we provide customer experiences is always adapting. With so many new methods now available, it is essential that you cater to your audience across multiple touchpoints, as this opens up so many new opportunities!

Whether it’s over the phone, or via email, social media or live chat – we say the more, the better!

When thinking about 2024, what will make an even bigger and better difference is having a unified identity across all these channels. By delivering a coherent and personalised experience across the board – this is what will catapult service quality and help customers feel even more supported.

It’s this added value that an omnichannel approach brings to ensure a customer’s journey is always continuous, regardless of whether they start a conversation through chat and move to a phone call afterwards.

That’s one of the main perks of having an inhouse IT team like we do. Thanks to their technology know-how, they are always looking to create new, innovative solutions to streamline customer experiences and optimise client campaigns. From message automation to real-time analytics and everything in between – they really are modern day superheroes when it comes to staying ahead of the customer service game!

If you don’t have the resources readily available to implement bespoke IT solutions, you can speak to us or find out more here: The Benefits of an Inhouse IT Team

Continuous Upskilling

As we get ready to kick-start 2024, we are continuously striving to strengthen customer experiences, which involves consistently developing the skills of those on the frontline – our agents.

After all, the main reason the Contact Centre industry evolves so much when it comes to customer support is because of the people pioneering this change!

With the sector now being so technology dependent, this means staff must be empowered to manage these advancements at expert level so they can provide first-class services.

Prioritising training and upskilling means agents can be better prepared to:

Problem-solve with ease by thinking with a solution-first attitude
Handle customer conversations with professionalism and sensitivity
Spot opportunities for upselling/upgrading
Build relationships with customers and nurture their experience

Whether it be through independent microlearning, group training or team leader-agent one-to-one sessions, the more effort that is put into upskilling staff, the more we all reap the rewards, including:

Enhanced competence
Sustained motivation
Greater employee satisfaction
Improved performance
Career milestones and opportunities for progression

Customer Service in 2024 in a Nutshell

As we learn to accept new changes, implement smooth, secure solutions and invest more in people – we believe a firm focus on innovation, protection and staff development will help us achieve more positive customer experiences in 2024.

As we prepare to say goodbye to another year in the Contact Centre industry – one thing remains the same – customers will always be at the heart of all success stories.

For more top tips on mastering customer services for 2024 and beyond, talk to Mango today!

Giving Back to the Community – Why it Matters

Posted on 28 November 20238 February 2024 by Mango

Supporting the local community is becoming a growing priority for companies both big and small.

Why? Because giving back to the community – whether it be through volunteering or fundraising – comes with lots of benefits for all involved. In this blog, we dive deep into these many advantages, and detail why it matters to play an active part in helping your local area flourish!

Why is it Important to Give Back to the Community?

Whether it be donating time or raising funds – even the smallest of tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals and organisations in need.

Not only that, but another pro of being community-focused is the positive impact it makes on staff morale and future business prospects.

Without further ado, let’s get into what you can expect from upping your CSR efforts…

Encourages Team Bonding

Regardless of the size of your company, making a team effort to support a local cause or improve your surroundings will instil a sense of reward and unity among your staff.

We know from experience that coming together as a team over a meaningful purpose (e.g. for the betterment of something/benefit of others) has created lifelong memories and friendships within our team.

Some highlights include challenges like Tough Mudder, sponsored head shaves and a 10-mile walk from Holywood-Bangor in aid of local charities, volunteering at nearby animal shelters and food banks, as well as doing beach cleans to reduce pollution and protect the environment.

With taking part in events like these regularly, we see closer bonds among the team, as well as with other like-minded people from the community. It also helps employees feel greater satisfaction in their job, and embeds a stronger sense of company pride and advocacy.

mango giving back to the community volunteering at The Barn Animal Rescue - two woman and one man holding puppy — *The Mango team volunteering at The Barn Animal Rescue*

Learn More About the World

Getting your team to spend time enriching the community and meeting new people is a brilliant way to broaden their perceptions and learn new life skills.

Immersing in a community and serving others in need helps your employees better understand people’s circumstances, gives them a more open-minded perspective, improves their communication skills and teaches patience and empathy – all of which will enhance other areas in their life.

What’s more, is that giving back to the community may even help your staff unlock a new passion, hobby or interest – something they will appreciate and reflect upon positively in the future. So, not only are you contributing to their professional development, but their personal development, too!

*Mango’s 10-mile walk from Holywood-Bangor for charity*

Helps Those in Need

Without volunteers or sponsors, a huge portion of the help our communities receive would not be so readily available.

By spending time assisting at local shelters or food banks, or even doing a whip-round of donations in the office, this support not only gives those offering a sense of accomplishment, but it most importantly provides an essential service to less fortunate neighbours.

With more resources helping those in need, this combats and reduces the key issue being experienced in the community. The more people feel a sense of reward, the more momentum is spread, and the more positive differences are made to make the community a better place.

Improves Company Reputation

These days, more and more people are making conscious choices to work for and work with companies who share their values and have a strong CSR strategy in place.

For example, businesses with a strong community presence often attract top talent. Plus, engaged employees who participate in community initiatives are more likely to remain, fostering a positive, stable workplace culture.

Long-term involvement in community development also builds credibility and reputation. Businesses that invest their time and resources become genuine collaborators in community development, making significant positive impacts that create lasting impressions to local and national onlookers, which can help with securing new business.

Where to Start with Giving Back to the Community?

There are so many important causes out there that always need fundraisers, volunteers or sponsors to support the work they’re doing. Many towns and cities have community centres, which can be a great place to start to search for new opportunities to give back.

To get your staff invested, you can ask for their suggestions via focus groups or questionnaires. At Mango, we make this a focus each quarter, so everyone gets a chance to put their ideas forward and contribute to something they’re passionate about.

You can also check websites like local Chambers of Commerce or councils for opportunities that fit your goals. Another alternative is joining local groups on Facebook so you can easily engage with others nearby and get feedback on where is in need of help.

No matter how big or small your efforts are in giving back to the community, we can guarantee you and your team will reap lots of social, professional and personal rewards.

Whether you want more pointers or have more questions on how to get started, feel free to talk to the Mango team today!