The telemarketing KPIs that matter are dials, connect rate, conversations, meetings per 100 dials, show rate, meeting-to-opportunity rate and cost per qualified meeting. In Nousu call data, 14% of dials reached a live person and onshore callers booked 1.3 meetings per 100 dials. Treat talk time, calls per hour and meetings booked that never happen as diagnostics, not results.
Telemarketing KPIs should tell you two things: whether the calling is working, and whether it is producing pipeline at a fair cost. This guide explains each metric, gives the benchmarks from our own calling where we have them, and finishes with a weekly report template you can use with any team or provider.
Which telemarketing KPIs matter most?
Seven telemarketing KPIs cover the whole funnel, from the first dial to a sales opportunity. Read them together, never alone.
| KPI | What it measures | How to calculate | Nousu reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dials | Calling effort | Total outbound call attempts | 218,000+ dials in our dataset |
| Connect rate | List quality and timing | Live connections divided by dials | 14% of dials reached a live person |
| Conversations | Real exchanges with the right person | Count of calls where the target person engaged | Track your own |
| Meetings per 100 dials | Overall calling yield | Meetings booked divided by dials, times 100 | 1.3 onshore, against 0.3 offshore |
| Show rate | Quality of booking and qualification | Meetings held divided by meetings booked | Measure your own (see below) |
| Meeting to opportunity | Quality of meetings | Opportunities created divided by meetings held | 50% of phone-booked meetings |
| Cost per qualified meeting | Value for money | Total monthly cost divided by qualified meetings held | Depends on your fee and results |
The Nousu figures come from 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, November 2024 to April 2026. Our B2B SDR metrics benchmarks post covers the wider set of outbound measures.
What is a good connect rate in telemarketing?
In Nousu call data, 14% of dials reached a live person. Treat that as a reference point, not a target.
Connect rate is mostly a data and timing metric. It rises with more direct dials and verified mobiles, cleaner lists and calls placed when your buyers are at their desks. It falls when lists are old or full of switchboard numbers. If connect rate drops, check the list before blaming the callers. Calls must stay inside the hours set by the Industry Standard: weekdays 9am to 8pm and Saturdays 9am to 5pm, with no calls on Sundays or national public holidays. This is general information, not legal advice.
How many meetings per 100 dials should you expect?
In Nousu call data, onshore callers booked 1.3 meetings per 100 dials, against 0.3 for offshore teams.
Meetings per 100 dials is the best single measure of calling yield, because it combines data quality, caller skill and message strength in one figure. Track it by caller, by segment and by message, and compare weeks rather than days. The gap between onshore and offshore teams in our data is the clearest sign that caller location and market knowledge change telemarketing campaign performance.
How do you measure show rate?
Show rate is meetings held divided by meetings booked for the same period. We do not publish a benchmark for it, so measure your own and watch the trend.
To make the number honest:
- Count held meetings only when the right person attended. A junior stand-in is a different meeting. Our guide to defining a qualified meeting has wording you can use.
- Log rescheduled meetings separately. Count them once they are held, and only once.
- Measure by caller, segment and lead source. Averages hide the weak spots.
- Confirm before the meeting. A confirmation call or email the day before is a simple habit that helps.
- Watch the gap between booking and meeting date. Meetings booked far ahead tend to slip.
A falling show rate usually means weak qualification: people agreed to a meeting to end the call. Fix it at the booking stage, not with more reminders.
What is a good meeting-to-opportunity rate?
In Nousu call data, 50% of phone-booked meetings became sales opportunities.
This is the KPI that links telemarketing to revenue. It depends on your sales team as much as the callers, so agree in writing what counts as an opportunity and record it in your CRM soon after the meeting. Our guide to calculating pipeline conversion rate shows how to track it through to closed deals.
How do you calculate cost per qualified meeting?
Divide the total monthly cost of the programme by the number of qualified meetings held that month.
Total cost should include the provider fee or salaries, data, dialler and CRM seats, and the management time your team spends. Use meetings held against a written definition, not meetings booked. Then compare the result with the value of the pipeline those meetings create. Our guide to measuring ROI on an SDR agency walks through that calculation, and our telemarketing cost guide explains what drives the fee.
Which telemarketing KPIs and metrics should you ignore?
Ignore any metric that measures effort without outcome. These numbers are useful for diagnosing problems, but they should never headline a report or set a fee or bonus.
- Talk time. Useful for spotting list problems, but long calls are not good calls. Some of the best calls are short.
- Calls per hour. Rewards speed over research and pushes callers to dial poor records.
- Raw dial counts on their own. Dials matter only alongside connect rate and meetings per 100 dials.
- Meetings booked on their own. Only meetings held against your definition count as results.
- Leads without a definition. A lead nobody has defined cannot be checked.
- Emails and LinkedIn touches sent. Activity, not results.
The same applies to most call centre KPIs carried over to B2B work, such as average handle time. They suit high volume consumer and service calling, not meeting-led B2B programmes.
What should a weekly telemarketing KPI report include?
A good weekly report fits on one page and moves from activity to outcome to next actions. Use this template with any team or provider.
| Section | What to show | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Activity | Dials, connect rate, conversations, against last week | Shows effort and list health |
| Yield | Meetings booked, meetings per 100 dials, by segment | Shows what is working |
| Meetings | Meetings held, show rate, any not qualified and why | Keeps the definition honest |
| Pipeline | Opportunities created from meetings, meeting-to-opportunity rate | Links calling to revenue |
| Cost | Cost per qualified meeting, month to date | Keeps value in view |
| Call notes | Common objections, quotes from prospects, market signals | Feeds messaging and product |
| Changes | What the team will test or change next week | Shows the programme is being managed |
Read the report on a set day each week with the person who runs the calling. Agree one or two changes, then check next week whether they moved the numbers.
How does Nousu report telemarketing campaign performance?
Nousu sends weekly reporting built around meetings held and opportunities created, with call notes and a weekly call review of outcomes, objections and next changes. Every meeting goes to your team with a handover brief.
Our senior callers all work in-house in Sydney, calling into Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Programmes start at $7,000 a month (ex GST), with the exact fee quoted after a 30-minute call. The initial term is 3 months, then rolling monthly, and first calls go out 2 weeks from sign-off. From month two, an agreed meeting floor applies, with a credit for every meeting short. See our B2B telemarketing service.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most important telemarketing KPIs? Track dials, connect rate, conversations, meetings per 100 dials, show rate, meeting-to-opportunity rate and cost per qualified meeting. The first four show whether the calling works. The last three show whether it produces pipeline at a fair price. Report them weekly, side by side, so you can see where the funnel leaks.
What is a good connect rate for B2B telemarketing? In Nousu call data from 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, 14% of dials reached a live person. Use that as a reference point rather than a target. Connect rate depends on data quality, the share of direct dials and mobiles on the list, calling times and how many attempts each contact gets.
How many meetings per 100 dials is good? In Nousu call data, onshore callers booked 1.3 meetings per 100 dials, against 0.3 for offshore teams. Your figure depends on the offer, the list and the caller. Track it weekly by caller and segment, and look for steady improvement as messaging and targeting are refined.
How do you measure show rate for telemarketing meetings? Divide meetings held by meetings booked for the same period. Count a meeting as held only when the right person attended. Track rescheduled meetings separately and report show rate by caller, segment and lead source. A falling show rate usually means weak qualification or meetings booked too far ahead.
Which telemarketing metrics should you ignore? Ignore metrics that measure effort without outcome: talk time, calls per hour, raw dial counts on their own, emails sent and meetings booked that never happen. They are useful for diagnosing problems but should never be the headline of a report or the basis of a fee or bonus.
How do you calculate cost per qualified meeting? Divide the total monthly cost of the programme, including fees, data, tools and management time, by the number of qualified meetings held that month. Use meetings held against a written definition, not meetings booked. Compare the result with the value of the pipeline those meetings create, not just with other providers.
Sources
- Federal Register of Legislation, Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2017L00323/asmade/2017-03-28/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
- Do Not Call Register, Industry guide (washing lists, business numbers, permitted calling times): https://www.donotcall.gov.au/media/1212/dncr-industry-guide.pdf
- Nousu call data: 218,000+ dials into Australian businesses, November 2024 to April 2026, published in Inside 200,000 Cold Calls.
Book a 30-minute call
Want a telemarketing report that shows pipeline, not just activity? Book a 30-minute call with Harry Constant and we will walk you through the KPIs we would set for your programme.