Who here likes a quick win? While they aren’t always possible this is very much a quick-win story that I love because:
A. It happened.
And
B. The impact was huge.
In this article, I’ll share a real-life example of how call tracking led to a significant boost in profits for a client. I’ll also discuss why monitoring call volume and improving customer interactions should be a priority for all businesses.
This is a story about one of the first companies I worked with and convinced of the importance of call tracking. To protect the innocent I’ll call them XYZ Industrials and say they are headquartered in Austin.
First some background…
I had been working with XYZ Industrials for years — but until this point we generally looked at web rankings, site security and email leads from the website as the key focus of our efforts.
However, I had begun to suspect that inbound calls that originate from customers finding their business on the web were a huge source of value we had very little information about since we hadn’t been tracking calls.
Basically, call tracking is the act of using unique numbers in different locations to better get a handle on where your calls (and customers) come from.
I shared why I thought this was so important and the client agreed to allow me to set this up so we could see what calls were coming from the web.
It came as no surprise that the call volume was substantial. They work in the industrial repair space and all equipment, rental, parts, service and admin calls from people who found them on the web were substantial.
But something stood out.
Lots of hangups.
After I had a few weeks of data I quickly saw a pattern of hangups equalling roughly 50% of their inbound call volume.
Now, let me state that it’s not uncommon to have a few hang ups here and there. But literally 50% of their inbound calls would hang up within 8-10 seconds of their phone greeting.
How do I know? The call tracking allows us to see listen to the recorded calls and after checking a few it became clear that we were losing those who hung up at the same spot.
And then I heard it…
See, the client started off in a single city years before. While they were still headquartered there, they expanded to several other areas.
As soon as the voice greeting said “You’ve reached XYZ Industrials of Austin…” half of them would hang up immediately!
I instantly knew why.
XYZ Industrials had expanded its territory substantially over the years. But they never changed their inbound phone greeting to include all of the new cities they served. In fact, they’d do better just to remove the mention of the city altogether.
So when people would call — they’d hear “Austin” and many would think that was too far away. People almost always want the local option and for a huge chunk of prospective customers Austin was hours away.
We are talking about thousands of lost calls. And it’s not hard to connect the dots between customer calls and money earned so this cost a lot in revenue opportunities.
Fortunately, the problem was quickly identified, and a solution was implemented. The client’s voicemail prompt was updated, and the incoming greeting was revised to accommodate the company’s expansion to multiple cities.
Literally overnight, the hang-ups ceased, resulting in a doubling of connected calls.
This simple fix led to a significant increase in service calls and, ultimately, profits.
That one simple fix overnight eliminated the hangups doubling their connected calls.
The Lesson Learned:
While this particular issue may be rare, the story emphasizes the importance of tracking and analyzing call volume. Calls remain a primary source of new inbound business for many service companies.
And while we obsess about volume and caller quality, it’s equally crucial to understand what the customer experiences when they call you from your phone greeting, how they are treated once connected to your team and how they react!
By monitoring call metrics such as: hangups, call duration, wait times, call abandonment rates, and the quality of interactions, businesses can uncover areas for improvement and capitalize on untapped opportunities for quick wins.
Take Action and Reap the Rewards:
Analyzing call volume and optimizing customer interactions can yield substantial benefits for your business. Don’t miss out on the low-hanging fruit waiting to be discovered through call tracking.
By implementing a call tracking system and analyzing the data it provides, you can increase awareness of the importance of effective communication, improve call volume, enhance the overall customer experience and increase profits.
Conclusion:
Tracking call volume and analyzing customer interactions can have a profound impact on a business’s bottom line. The real-life example discussed in this article demonstrates how a simple adjustment to a phone greeting led to a significant increase in connected calls and subsequent profits. Remember, calls remain a vital source of new business for many companies. By investing in call tracking and analysis, you can identify areas for improvement, capitalize on missed
Don’t hesitate to take advantage of this valuable tool and start reaping the rewards of optimized call volume and customer interactions today.
If you’d like a free analysis of your website or further assistance in increasing your exposure — getting more customers and addressing your online challenges, click the link below and request contact. Let’s have a huddle and discover how tracking phone calls can unlock new opportunities for your business.
