Some find that making a call is simply easier and more effective than filling out one of those uniquely complicated website forms or engaging in a lengthy live chat that may or may not resolve the matter at hand. Forbes reports that – in spite of all the modern technological advancements we enjoy and the phone-shaped computers we all carry around – many people prefer to call companies directly when they have issues or inquiries. Small businesses can benefit from call tracking, which can afford you valuable information regarding your overall performance and can help you mine unique opportunities to grow your business.
Call Tracking?
Call tracking is a means of keeping careful track of the calls generated by your marketing efforts, which is a strong indicator of your current and potential clients’ interest levels. The information gathered can prove invaluable in relation to future marketing strategies and has the added benefit of providing you with personalized data that can be used for direct marketing purposes and for gauging customer satisfaction. In short, call tracking can improve your ability to make carefully considered marketing decisions that are data driven.
Yeah, but How Does It Work?
When a potential customer out there in the wild decides to give your business a buzz, call tracking routes the call through a proprietary phone process that both monitors and tracks it. Relevant call information is collected and recorded, including all the following:
- Where the call originated from
- Whether or not the call was answered
- Whether the caller is a first-time or repeat customer, including any purchase history
- The length and quality of the call
- The reason for the call
- Caller information, such as their full name, location, purchase history, and beyond
Perhaps most importantly, call tracking pinpoints the specific marketing endeavor that prompted the caller to take time out of their busy day and give your business a call in the first place.
A Boost for Small Businesses
There are a range of important ways that call tracking can boost your small business’s bottom line.
Honing in on Marketing ROI
You spend time, effort, and money on marketing because you’re going for a return on that investment, and call tracking can help you pinpoint exactly which marketing efforts are working for you. Marketing strategies that motivate consumers to call have gravitas, which can inspire future campaigns that keep that buzz going. The more strategic you are about pay-per-click ad spend, the better, and call tracking can play an important role in your strategizing.
Making Missed Calls a Thing of the Past
When a customer takes the time to give your business a jingle, hanging on the line and failing to get through can be a real disappointment that leaves them far less likely to ever try again. With call tracking, your call agents will receive real-time notice – via voicemail or email – every time a call is missed, which sets the stage for taking immediate action once an agent becomes available. This level of consumer care can go a long way toward endearing yourself to potential customers who have already shown interest in what it is that you have to offer.
Better Understanding Customer Experience
It’s hard to know what the customer experience is from the inside looking out but call tracking can afford you a bird’s-eye view. The better your understanding of how your customers and potential customers interact with your sales process, the better prepared you’ll be to gain increased purchases.
Call tracking can provide you with useful information about all the following:
- The days of the week that you’re most likely to receive customer calls
- The hours of the day that you’re most likely to receive customer calls
- How effective your team members are at handling calls and which ones need additional training
- Which team members are most likely to field customer calls
- How frequently leads – in the form of calls – are converted to sales
- The primary intent of most of your callers
By weaving this information together into a holistic perspective, you improve your ability to connect with repeat customers and potential customers alike, which is the name of the marketing game.
Pinpointing Conversion Metrics
When you use call tracking, you assign a unique phone number to each digital marketing campaign, which allows you to analyze the unique impact of that unique campaign. This is a far more effective approach than attempting to interpret which marketing endeavor led to what – based on circumstantial evidence.
Improving Your Call Agents’ Phone Skills
Whether you employ call agents, or your team members answer phones on an as-needed basis, it’s important to recognize that not everyone has impeccable phone skills and that the phone skills needed for successfully handling customers are unique unto themselves. First and foremost, your call handlers should be friendly, helpful, and patient with customers, but they also need to be effective problem solvers, need to know your products and services well, and need to project the kind of confidence that callers are looking for.
In other words, it’s a tall order, and most of us can use a refresher course on the finer points of providing excellent customer service over the phone. The data generated by call tracking can help you get a better feel for where each employee’s strengths and weaknesses lie in relation to their phone skills and can help you formulate a plan for bolstering those strengths and minimizing those pesky weaknesses.
Turn to a Savvy Digital Marketing Pro to Get Started with Call Tracking
At The Web Guys, we know our way around a solid call-tracking system, and we’re well-prepared to help you take advantage of this highly effective marketing tool. When a customer or potential customer reaches out by picking up the phone and making a call, they send a powerful message that translates to powerful data points, and we can help you put that information to excellent use. Learn more by contacting or calling us at (317) 805-4933 today.
