Real-Time Call Data Yields Key Insights on Phone Leads

In my prior article, I focused on the value of pre-call analytics in determining which ads or SEM campaigns drove consumer calls, as well as identifying specific pre-call consumer behavior and engagement points.

Now we’re moving into the second piece of the call measurement puzzle—capturing real-time insights from consumer calls.

This step allows companies to get a behind-the-scenes look at their inbound consumer calls, including caller demographics, how calls are being handled and which media channels or even which keywords are driving the most quality leads.

Real-time call information is an invaluable component of the call lifecycle, providing a source of rich data on who is responding to which ad campaigns over time and how the business is (or isn’t) leveraging the leads. Companies can immediately apply this knowledge to optimize their online campaigns and customer service for more quality leads.

Caller Demographics & Call Duration Reveal Ad Effectiveness

Call measurement tools track the total number of calls that resulted from a company’s advertising and marketing campaigns, including a breakdown of call counts and unique leads by ad, distribution partner, media type, market or product.

Coupled with capturing the callers’ phone numbers, companies can retrieve valuable demographic data about the lead—including name, address, income level and gender—as call measurement tools automatically mine this data when a call comes into a business.

This information allows companies to view their ad program’s total geographic reach as well as confirm whether incoming leads match up to their target demographic profile.

Companies can also use call measurement to determine whether callers are responding better to a specific medium, e.g., SEM vs. Internet Yellow Pages, enabling them to immediately apply this actionable feedback for fine-tuning campaigns and creative copy. The aggregate data helps companies get to know their leads better by tracking specific trends across certain markets or locations.

Additionally, call duration—the length of calls—is a key indicator for evaluating whether an advertiser’s inbound calls reflect quality leads. By viewing call durations across multiple ad medium types, locations and demographic segments, companies can assess where quality leads are originating.

Companies should determine the ideal length of a call for their business before beginning benchmarking, as it will vary based on the advertiser’s industry and services/products offered.

For example, if an attorney’s office is seeing calls completed in less than 45 seconds, the callers are likely not moving to the next step. On the other hand, 45 seconds may be an appropriate length for quality lead calls to a bicycle shop where hours of operation or pricing can be relayed quickly.

At the end of the day, companies with full visibility into total inbound call counts and call durations can immediately apply the intelligence to modify ad campaigns, creative concepts and copy for maximized effectiveness and more quality leads within target demographic segments or markets.

Are You Maximizing Lead Potential During Phone Calls?

It’s great if your latest ad campaigns are targeting the right demographic and geographic segments, but what value do they deliver if the calls they drive are missed or mishandled?

Using call measurement tools, a company can track the number of unique leads that came into a business during a given period—including unanswered calls and the heaviest time of day for inbound calls—for a comprehensive look into ad ROI.

A large consumer truck rental company was shocked to learn that 20 percent of leads generated from a national advertising campaign resulted in missed calls to local franchises, translating to significant missed revenue opportunities. They were able to zero in on infringing locations, as well as determine peak-calling days and times, to correct the problem across the board.

When calls are answered, it is helpful to know whether the lead received quality customer service and the chances for a post-call purchase. Tracking duration of calls can be utilized for this purpose as well—if a business is receiving a multitude of shorter-than-normal calls, there may be a customer service quality issue.

Call measurement data can help determine whether better training is needed if consumers aren’t receiving the level of service or complete information they need during initial phone calls.

On the whole, with complete information about what occurred during every inbound call, companies can measure which categories, keywords, ads and franchise locations were highest performing in generating leads.

This data empowers marketers to improve their online and offline advertising campaigns, as well as optimize their bidding engines or distribution partners, to drive more quality targeted leads.

Stock image from iStockphoto, used under license.