Call tracking is often something that many small businesses assume only big businesses need. Even if you are getting hundreds of calls a month, you might not think that they are that difficult to keep track of or that you really need to be recording every call that you get. The truth is, however, that there is lots of great information that can be gleaned from using a call tracking service, and more data about your customers and their behavior is always a good thing.
Most businesses have an insatiable appetite for information about their business and their customers, and call tracking is often an untapped well of information. Don’t be put off by stories of how call tracking has failed other businesses. In general, if you are using call tracking the right way, it will only improve your business. Here are just some of the benefits of using a call tracking tool for your local business:
1. It Keeps You Accountable
Call tracking is one of the best ways to determine, first, where your calls are originating from (more specifically, which marketing efforts are sending those calls your way), and second, to keep you accountable when it comes to customer service. Call tracking is just as much about tacking your customers or clients as it is about tracking and evaluating the people in your business who answer the phone. Call tracking can help you make sense of some of the more amorphous or difficult to track marketing tactics, like SEO, by showing you which websites are being visited and how many of those people are calling you.
2. Provides You With Better Metrics.
In any type of digital marketing campaign, there are a lot of metrics. All of them are going to be important, but it can be difficult to determine which are most important and which you should be concerned about right now. Call tracking provides you with a high dosage of the most important metrics for your business. Call volume, for example, will tell you exactly how successful your marketing strategies are. Looking at the data from the calls themselves will help you decide which marketing tactics are connecting with the right people and which need to be adjusted.
3. Lots of Features
Call tracking is not just recording the calls that come in and providing you with a suite of different phone numbers that you can assign to each of your campaigns. It also allows you to analyze the information you are given. Most call tracking software helps you route and track your calls more efficient, helps you train your customer service representatives, gives you the opportunity to set up a menu that automates some of your customer service, and reduces that amount of time that your employees spend answering the same questions over and over. It’s difficult to find another tool that provides you with such a wide variety of features to help you improve not just your marketing, but every aspect of your business.
4. Enables You to Evaluate the People Who Answer Your Phones.
Most very small businesses will not have a dedicated customer service department to handle phone calls. Many of these calls will be routed through your secretary and to the staff member who will ultimately best be able to answer the question or make the sale. Even if you do have customer service reps, you might still not have a good way of evaluating their performance, unless you are able to constantly stand over their shoulder, listen in on their calls, and listen to their responses to the people who call in to your business. Being able to find drop off points in your sales conversations or to identify specific people who might be driving business away from you is an important part of call tracking.
5. Provides Better Customer Service to Your Customers or Clients
No matter what you sell, what your business is designed to do, or how you do it, you are probably looking for ways to provide better or more professional customer service to the people who give you their money. Call tracking allows you to do just that. Whether it is through a menu that plays before they ever have to talk to a person, allowing them to route their call to the right area and minimize wasted time, or simply the ability for a customer service rep to look up past interactions with a customer and make sure they handle the current situation properly, there are endless benefits of call tracking for local businesses who want to improve their customer service.
Call tracking is often something that many small businesses assume only big businesses need. Even if you are getting hundreds of calls a month, you might not think that they are that difficult to keep track of or that you really need to be recording every call that you get. The truth is, however, that there is lots of great information that can be gleaned from using a call tracking service, and more data about your customers and their behavior is always a good thing.
Most businesses have an insatiable appetite for information about their business and their customers, and call tracking is often an untapped well of information. Don’t be put off by stories of how call tracking has failed other businesses. In general, if you are using call tracking the right way, it will only improve your business. Here are just some of the benefits of using a call tracking tool for your local business:
1. It Keeps You Accountable
Call tracking is one of the best ways to determine, first, where your calls are originating from (more specifically, which marketing efforts are sending those calls your way), and second, to keep you accountable when it comes to customer service. Call tracking is just as much about tacking your customers or clients as it is about tracking and evaluating the people in your business who answer the phone. Call tracking can help you make sense of some of the more amorphous or difficult to track marketing tactics, like SEO, by showing you which websites are being visited and how many of those people are calling you.
2. Provides You With Better Metrics.
In any type of digital marketing campaign, there are a lot of metrics. All of them are going to be important, but it can be difficult to determine which are most important and which you should be concerned about right now. Call tracking provides you with a high dosage of the most important metrics for your business. Call volume, for example, will tell you exactly how successful your marketing strategies are. Looking at the data from the calls themselves will help you decide which marketing tactics are connecting with the right people and which need to be adjusted.
3. Lots of Features
Call tracking is not just recording the calls that come in and providing you with a suite of different phone numbers that you can assign to each of your campaigns. It also allows you to analyze the information you are given. Most call tracking software helps you route and track your calls more efficient, helps you train your customer service representatives, gives you the opportunity to set up a menu that automates some of your customer service, and reduces that amount of time that your employees spend answering the same questions over and over. It’s difficult to find another tool that provides you with such a wide variety of features to help you improve not just your marketing, but every aspect of your business.
4. Enables You to Evaluate the People Who Answer Your Phones.
Most very small businesses will not have a dedicated customer service department to handle phone calls. Many of these calls will be routed through your secretary and to the staff member who will ultimately best be able to answer the question or make the sale. Even if you do have customer service reps, you might still not have a good way of evaluating their performance, unless you are able to constantly stand over their shoulder, listen in on their calls, and listen to their responses to the people who call in to your business. Being able to find drop off points in your sales conversations or to identify specific people who might be driving business away from you is an important part of call tracking.
5. Provides Better Customer Service to Your Customers or Clients
No matter what you sell, what your business is designed to do, or how you do it, you are probably looking for ways to provide better or more professional customer service to the people who give you their money. Call tracking allows you to do just that. Whether it is through a menu that plays before they ever have to talk to a person, allowing them to route their call to the right area and minimize wasted time, or simply the ability for a customer service rep to look up past interactions with a customer and make sure they handle the current situation properly, there are endless benefits of call tracking for local businesses who want to improve their customer service.
Published on April 20, 2016
About the Author: Ashley Bardonaro
