The best way to get a definitive answer on whether or not your Internet dollars are hitting the intended targets is to use some form of phone call tracking service. Online phone tracking services will bring the power and immediacy of the Internet to the analysis of your out- and in-bound calls, and provide you with a program that will tell you exactly what is working in both directions.
Call tracking provides you ways to better serve your customers by understanding what each and every phone call leads to for your business, just as you probably have a system for updating the information from your website to discover where all those clicks originated from, etc. Online phone tracking will allow you to enhance service levels, listen to recorded sales calls on behalf of your advertisers and suggest ways for callers to improve performance.
From general to specific
The term “tracking service” is still broad enough, and new enough, to mean a few different things to different people and industries. Add the term “online” and things don’t get much better, although the reputable firms doing these “new metrics and analytics” are refining the definition to make it standard among all businesses.
The bottom line is the need for the best and the latest information about your firm’s business efficiency in the realm of telephone communications. This need extends, of course, to information about every customer, every prospect, every outbound sales call and every inbound call of every kind. With the computers available today, and the powerful software (much of it proprietary) being used by the call tracking firms, it is actually possible to review every day’s calls at close of business
The top 10 reasons to use it
There are probably many more related benefits, but the “Top 10” list here is a great place to start if you need convincing. The benefits extend throughout the company, with the major advantages, of course, being conferred on the sale and marketing effort. Not only can “aggregate” (total) data be analyzed for trends and results, specific calls can also be evaluated for important insights or answers.
Calls can be recorded for review, of course, and all of the analytical methods will be automated in software to a great degree. After a proper setup, you can begin realizing the benefits immediately from the opportunities provided by the call tracking service. These are in no particular order, but they are definitely the “Top 10” reasons to use an online call tracking service:
1. Sales Training: You can use recordings of both ideal and actual calls to coach individual sales people on phone skills.
2. Cross-Training: Non-sales employees can review and study a variety of in- and out-bound calls to learn enough skills to be adequate “back up” for vacations, etc.
3. Instant Feedback: Customers can be prompted to "stay on the line" after each call and rate the quality of the call. With a simple setup, calls getting poor ratings can automatically alert you with a call tracking number so you can discuss the issue with your staff.
4. Smarter Marketing: A good tracking program will provide you with critically important information about the prospects that call in response to your marketing and sales efforts, whether in print, broadcast or online media. You can then use that knowledge to better focus your marketing strategies as well as media buys. Validate marketing expenditures and show advertising Return On Investment (ROI) by tracking program-specific calls.
5. Improved Efficiency: Good tracking results will allow you to reallocate ad dollars to programs that generate top results, as you will know which programs can be cut without adversely impacting sales. You can test easy-to-remember numbers for increased response to your marketing efforts.
6. Capture New Customer Info: You will get more mileage out of every media campaign by downloading the names and addresses (and any other available data) of callers responding to your advertising. These new addresses can then be future, targeted direct mail or other campaigns.
7. Prove and Document Performance: Having immediate access to all of your historical marketing campaign data enables you to change both strategies and budgets as required. You will also be able to quantify your marketing success to company management, financial backers and others. Real-time, full color reports can be delivered on-demand by email or fax and used in spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations and budget meeting handouts.
8. Generate More Leads: When you can capture data on each and every call that comes into your office – even if the line is busy, there is no answer, the callers have call blocking or the incoming number is unlisted – you will never lose an opportunity for a sale. You will receive real-time data on calls for tracking every lead, even those that might have otherwise been lost.
9. Interface Everything: The term “interface” is definitely over-used, but you can automatically feed customer data into your customer records or lead management system. You will be able to track every prospect from the initial marketing source to each and every closed sale.
10. Refresh and Recycle Leads: You can continue to input, update and review captured data on prospects that have not yet made a purchasing decision, empowering you to reach out to them time and time again. With better and more precise information being added, you can more closely tailor each of your follow up sales calls as well, making for much more efficient use of time and more effective sales presentations.
Dial 800 Communications is a company that specializes in Marketing Optimization. Specializing in RapidRecall vanity numbers and call tracking that are the best in the industry based on your marketing goals, requirements and budget. |
