I buy the part about antiquated equipment. The RNC has always split its phoning between the in-house operation and outside vendors. Probably the in-house staff was not measuring up. Bad equipment will do that. The question is, does the business warrant a major reinvestment to retool. Apparently the current finance director thinks not.
Another factor, however, is changing technology. More and more people are giving up land lines or doing call screening. It's been awhile since I've chatted with anyone in the business but my impression is that contact rates are way down. That will affect how you structure your phone operation. If you outsource it, you can pay straight commission so it doesn't cost anything if results are poor.
Good observation, sphinx. When the RNC Spokeswoman says one thing and the fired phone solicitors say another, it’s not always easy to tell where the truth lies.
But I thought it was an interesting article, worth discussion.
I’m sure they need better technology, but they also need to hire people who care about the party — Republicans — as phoners. This is not the kind of thing that can be outsourced. It’s important for the donor to have a positive experience with the call, feel the phoner “gets it,” etc. This isn’t just about money; it’s also about party building. Admittedly, the latter concept may be too sophisticated for the RNC “suits,” who probably understand business better than politics.