TeleDirect Marketing Director, Rich Arroyo ultimately answers to thousands of customers. This high-pressure position requires a solid foundation 
(both personal and professional), a strong support network at home, sharp marketing intuition, endless inspiration and the ability to learn from failure. Arroyo embodies all of these characteristics and more. Since taking over the marketing department at TeleDirect, Arroyo has helped the company navigate the ultra-competitive business process outsourcing (BPO) industry while earning high praise from both new and existing customers.
How does Arroyo handle a significant workload? We sat down with him to discuss the pros and cons of the BPO sector, how family provides an unexpected measuring stick for professional performance, marketing techniques, why failure ultimately benefits any business, and much more.
1.Who has been your greatest inspiration?
My greatest inspiration has been my family. Seeing their hard work daily through their accomplishments at work and school, my spouse and daughter exemplify the true meaning of dedication coupled with an exceptional work-ethic. Their unwavering support and motivation has helped me keep focused on completing multiple deadlines during stressful workload months. It is through such support that I have always strived to keep learning and pushing myself to reach my fullest potential. From a professional standpoint, I don’t want to disappoint my customers. That same principle applies outside the office; letting down my family is one of my greatest fears, and I harness this emotion to strive for greater success.
2.What would you consider the best part of your industry?
Variety may very well be the spice of life, but it’s also one of the best parts of my position. Being able to communicate with various clients on a daily basis is the best part. Whether discussing business strategy or celebrating a graduation, the personal engagement allows me to be more than just a business partner and be fully invested into their success. Although our industry has been unfortunately portrayed as impersonal through increased offshore utilization, I believe clients still recognize the importance and value of a collaborative relationship focused on personal attention beyond just call statistics. There are very few things more satisfying than successfully handing a customer’s problem, or adding value to their business operations.
3.What piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to grow a business?
Know where you’re going – and perhaps more importantly, know where your industry is going. That’s why research is so critical for young entrepreneurs and CEOs. I would advise someone wanting to grow a business to focus on research. Although time-intensive and unappealing to most of us, being able to identify your different competitors, understand your target market and audience, and immediately connect with consumers through relevant information is invaluable. Having a full grasp of your business’s strengths and weaknesses will provide a wealth of information to be formulated into an effective strategy, turning prospects into engaged customers much faster. Because once you know what you have – and what you DON’T have – your business will be able to handle significant challenges with ease.
4.How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
Developing a comprehensive marketing strategy to execute across all customer touchpoints is always the first step. Effective website engagement with robust search engine optimization strategies, highly targeted email campaigns and strategic business partnerships are a few of the marketing channels we utilize to maximize our sales funnel. As a customer-centric organization, our most successful forms of marketing have been our people and our performance. We consider our staff in all departments brand ambassadors, constantly meeting with potential clients. Knowing that any business relationship begins with trust, such opportunities to learn more about them while describing our solutions usually creates a perfect match. Secondly, numbers don’t lie. By providing exceptional customer experiences for our current clients, they in turn are able to promote our services to their respective contacts and other businesses. In this regard, “word of mouth” advertising is still as strong as ever, even in our hyper-technological business climate. Bottom line: take care of your customers, and they’ll take care of you – by referring even more potential clients!
5.What was your biggest failure, and what have you learned from it?
My biggest failure was not taking advantage of the vast amount of knowledge and experience provided by others early in my career. Although constantly working with talented leaders, I focused solely on my individual work at the expense of taking time to learn from them to sharpen my business acumen. I have since learned that every day is a new opportunity to learn more things from everyone. Regardless of position or title, the availability of knowledge is everywhere; you just need to know to seek, learn and apply it to continually expand your thinking. Just when you think you have everything figured out, someone else creates a new and better way of doing something. Keep your ear to the ground, and always seek new knowledge. Keep a notebook. Jot down notes. Maintain a steady input stream, and you’ll be surprised at your output down the road!
Like many of the business leaders, innovators and CEOs we’ve interviewed, Rich Arroyo’s story offers plenty for aspiring entrepreneurs to consider. TeleDirect’s growing BPO presence illustrates how companies can fill a niche and “scale up” with additional products and services to meet ever-growing client demands. Thanks to Arroyo’s leadership, TeleDirect is one of the fastest-growing companies in the USA. To learn more about TeleDirect, please call (800) 776-1081 or visit their website.
