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VSA Case Study: Rising from the COVID-19 Ashes

Dec 30, 2020 | Appointment Setting, Call Center, Cold Calling, Lead Generation

Though 2020 was a year in which many companies faced unprecedented challenges, VSA and many of our clients were able to rise to the task. In some cases, we even helped sales teams emerge from the summer’s economic slowdown even stronger than before.

One case in point is an employee health services company that first partnered with VSA in January of 2020—almost exactly a year ago. The company’s business model was to send mobile representatives to meet in-person with employees at their workplaces, helping them utilize a little-known benefit that’s often already covered in most company health insurance policies.

At the time, it seemed that generating new business would be as easy as spreading the word. After all, their service came at no cost to the employer; it was a win-win-win for everyone involved. When the company first partnered with VSA, their program seemed ripe for success. And successful it was.

Shortly after launching, VSA’s team was identifying interested prospects at a dizzying pace—and setting a steady stream of appointments. The client was thrilled with our results.

All was going swimmingly—and then COVID hit. Offices, factories, and warehouses were suddenly closing down en masse. Almost overnight, all market demand for this client’s on-site service had evaporated. Like several others, they were forced to pause their campaign with VSA.

However, realizing the value in VSA’s service (and that the shutdown wouldn’t last forever), they didn’t give up. Instead, the company’s sales team went back to the drawing board, focusing on developing the messaging and market positioning for a version of their service that could be offered entirely online. In October—more than six months after they’d initially paused their program—the client came back to VSA.

And when they did, we were ready. At the onset of the pandemic VSA quickly transitioned from an in-house call center to a remote environment; we’d retained virtually all of the business development representatives (BDRs) on our team. Therefore, we were able to restart the client’s program swiftly, as if nothing had changed. After collaborating on a few more refinements to the messaging, we immediately started getting through to decision makers using the same lists we’d developed in January. As a matter of fact, we were reaching even more of them, since these personas were less preoccupied with the distractions of a busy office and more likely to pick up the phone. As it turns out, there’s still a lot of interest in the client’s virtual offering—maybe even more so now.

To date, VSA’s team has set over 25 appointments for this client in the less than 2 months since restarting this campaign. The client hasbeen following up on those leads and have already closed several sales. VSA has even been able to set the client up on conversations with insurance brokers who can expand the number of health plans that will cover their service—and hence expand their overall growth potential—in 2021 and beyond.

VSA’s partnership with this particular client perhaps best epitomizes the whirlwind ride that was 2020. No one could’ve anticipated how quickly they’d go from reaping the rewards of a thriving lead gen campaign to shutting down entirely. Even more unexpected, though, was how dramatically they rose from the ashes. Whether they’re brand-new clients or are returning after an absence, a plethora of companies have approached VSA this fall, intent on rebounding and seeking our assistance. No matter how the pandemic has affected your business, we can help.