4 Ways Post-Call Conversation Analytics Demonstrate Intent & Validate Conversions

Advertisers today should be leveraging new developments in voice recognition speech-to-text technologies to glean key insights and identify important trends across their inbound caller base. Post-call conversation analytics are most effective in determining which ads or SEM campaigns are driving quality inbound phone leads and drilling into key caller intelligence. When combined with pre-call analytics […]

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Advertisers today should be leveraging new developments in voice recognition speech-to-text technologies to glean key insights and identify important trends across their inbound caller base. Post-call conversation analytics are most effective in determining which ads or SEM campaigns are driving quality inbound phone leads and drilling into key caller intelligence.

When combined with pre-call analytics and real-time call data, companies can evaluate the full lifecycle of a caller and determine which ads, campaigns, conversation topics and keywords are ultimately resulting in sales.

IStock 000007094038XSmallAre Ad Programs Driving Lead Conversions?

Using call measurement tools to record and analyze consumer conversations is a scalable and efficient way to track overall lead quality and determine whether callers are actually planning to make a transaction, such as booking an appointment or placing an order over the phone.

Viewing this conversation data in aggregate helps prove your advertising programs’ value with tangible conversion rates.

The data also reveals which media types, distribution partners, markets, categories, locations and demographic segments are driving quality lead generation.

By instantly transcribing consumers’ calls to businesses and tracking the phrases and words most commonly spoken, speech-to-text technology can help identify a caller’s intent and the quality of the lead. It also enables a business to match call dialogue to paid keywords to measure the effectiveness and value of keyword campaigns and online/offline lead sources.

If a certain term keeps coming up in calls but isn’t present in ad copy, the company can immediately optimize the ad copy with additional relevant terms. Or, if the company notices callers increasingly describing their business with different terms, they can begin using these keywords in ad copy to maximize content for better traction.

Determine & Track Key Terms Indicating Purchase Plans

To yield the most impactful results from post-call conversation analytics, companies should identify a unique set of key buying or action terms – words that indicate the consumer intends to make a transaction – so these words and phrases can be proactively monitored for conversion tracking.

Relevant “buying” words and converting phrases vary by type of business, examples:

  • “schedule oil change” for an auto repair business
  • “book cut and color” for a hair salon
  • “get estimate” for a landscaper

Additionally, companies should ensure their call measurement tools are employing dual channel audio to differentiate between words spoken by the consumer or advertiser. This is imperative to both capturing keywords spoken by the consumer as well as maintaining conversion rate accuracy.

For example, a consumer using the words “make an appointment” indicates their intent to transact, versus an advertiser who might state the same words as a question to gauge a caller’s interest in an appointment.

Glean Key Caller Intelligence for Sales & Marketing Optimization

Another benefit is the ability to collect and share market research with a company’s sales and marketing departments regarding which topics and trends are generating customer response. Sales teams can then use this data for proof of performance in showing that a certain percentage of calls resulted in booked appointments or requests for estimates.

Marketing teams can categorize or score calls based on varying dispositions, e.g., new/existing customer, specific service request, etc., so they can measure the volume of calls within each category and proactively engage in more targeted follow-up.

As an example, a chain of veterinary clinics was able to use post-call analytics to identify a trend of callers inquiring about booking appointments for flea vs. heartworm issues on a seasonal basis. They also determined that “husband” came up frequently and therefore determined that most callers were married females. The company immediately took action and modified its online ad copy to reflect these seasonal buying trends with a female slant in mind.

Support & Measure Sales Execution

By using call measurement tools to record and analyze call conversations, companies can gather insights for optimal sales execution on leads, as well as identify whether competitors’ names came up. Additionally, they can collect operational insights on how well individual locations or franchises are nurturing inbound leads through to conversion.

National advertising accounts are especially interested in this issue as corporate marketing departments often spend on campaigns designed to drive leads to specific geographic areas or locations. Thus, it is helpful to know whether the corresponding agents or franchises are mentioning the relevant promotions to make the most of every lead.

With all pieces of the call measurement puzzle in place—pre-call insights, real-time call data and post-call conversation analytics—companies can tap into a comprehensive blueprint of valuable customer response data that reveals whether their ad programs are delivering quality leads that ultimately convert.

Equally as important, it offers a wealth of real-time data on how to improve ad programs and SEM campaigns for the greatest returns, as well as which topics about the company are resounding strongest with buyers.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Bill Dinan
Contributor
Bill Dinan is president of Localogy, a not-for-profit trade association comprised of technology, marketing and media service providers and multi-location brands that help small businesses thrive in an increasingly localized world. Bringing deep expertise on how local commerce industries are evolving with new technology and business approaches, Dinan has successfully led and grown companies over the last few decades, including WEB.com, Acquisio, Telmetrics and others.

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