Chapter 2

How do I use call tracking to measure the effectiveness of my marketing efforts?

Let's keep this simple for a minute and explain how call tracking measures marketing. Bill has two different marketing campaigns. The first is a direct mailer he is sending to potential prospects. At the top of his mailer it says, "Call us to schedule an appointment!" The other marketing piece is a newspaper article that finishes with the sentence, "We can help. Give us a call now!"

The direct mailer has one phone number; the newspaper has another.

These are call tracking numbers! When a potential client finds the newspaper article intriguing, s/he will dial the article's unique call tracking number. The call will then ring through to the office per usual, with the only difference being that we can now recognize which advertisement drove the phone call.

Where do I get multiple numbers?

Call tracking numbers are available to you within our online portal. Within minutes, you could grab a toll free or a local number, take it live, and use it on your marketing piece. We keep a deep inventory of numbers available so you can get the number you want when you want it.

Take a look at last month's data: the direct mailer drove 100 calls and the newspaper drove 12 calls. Call durations are a phenomenal way to measure the quality of your phone calls. Bill's phone calls with a new prospect will generally last a minimum of 4 minutes.

Bill now has a way to measure which lead sources are driving phone calls. Now he can calculate which of those marketing efforts produced the best return on his investment and adjust his marketing accordingly.

How do I access this information?

Need the information now? Our online reporting platform provides you with real-time reporting so you can see exactly what's happening on your phones. You can also set yourself up with email notifications, which send the call information to your inbox for review at your convenience.

How do I use call tracking to improve on the calls I do receive?

When you use a call tracking number, you have access to the recordings for every call. These call recordings are the best tool for evaluating your team's phone skills, conducting trainings, and providing feedback loops for continual improvement.

Bill has weekly meetings dedicated to helping his staff handle tough calls. The entire office learns what worked well, and where the team could have done better. Listening to calls with a coach or as a team provides valuable insight, and your team can brainstorm ways to better handle tough situations on the phone. There is nothing like hearing yourself on the phone for the first time. That alone will drive instant results.

Even if you think your staff is perfect on the phone, you might be surprised to learn that the biggest culprit for missed phone opportunities is simply not answering the phone. For the average business, 39% of phone calls go unanswered! That means all those marketing dollars you're spending to drive phone calls are wasted because you don't answer the phone.

Call tracking will minimize the amount of calls your office is missing and then help you salvage the opportunities that do go unanswered.

First, we'll provide reports on how often your team is picking up the phone and when calls are being missed. This information will provide insight so you can avoid these missed opportunities by shuffling the lunch hour, hiring a Saturday appointment setter, etcetera. What gets measured gets managed.

Secondly, we'll alert you as soon as we identify an unanswered prospect call. Your team can quickly call them back before they call one of your competitors.

• Introduction: Call Tracking 101
• Chapter 6: Website Tracking?
• Chapter 1: Why Do I Need It?
• Chapter 7: Will It Affect My SEO?
• Chapter 2: What Does It Do?
• Chapter 8: What If I Get A Lot Of Calls?
• Chapter 3: What Else Does It Do?
• Chapter 9: Arguments Against Call Tracking
• Chapter 4: Is It Right For Me?
• Chapter 10: How Are Others Using It?
• Chapter 5: What About Outbound?
• Chapter 11: Getting Started