Call Tracking

Many call centers handle inbound calls. While not as common for inbound customer service applications, call tracking is a feature that can be quite valuable for inbound sales calls. Depending on how the feature is implemented, call tracking can provide the call center (and its clients) with a wealth of information about each call and each caller, allowing inbounds sales campaigns to be closely tracked, managed, and improved.

Brief Overview of Call Tracking

Call tracking is a technology that allows businesses to identify where their calls are coming from, offering valuable data about the caller and the effectiveness of various marketing campaigns. With this feature, call centers can accurately attribute calls to specific sources, analyze customer interactions, and utilize this information to make data-driven decisions.

Call tracking helps you answer questions about: what caused this caller to respond? (was it a specific marketing campaign? a particular TV or radio ad? a specific web page? a specific on-line ad?), how much did I spend to acquire this customer? etc. These call tracking metrics can help marketers and call centers improve the cost effectiveness and efficiency of their campaigns.

How Call Tracking Works

Phone call tracking operates by assigning unique call tracking phone numbers (also known as tracking numbers) to different advertising channels or customer segments. When a customer dials a tracking number, the call tracking software captures data about the call, including the source, the caller's geographic location, and the time and duration of the call.

Call tracking can be as simple as assigning a unique phone number to each marketing campaign (for example, assigning a specific toll free number to a TV ad will allow you to track the response and conversion rate from that specific TV ad).

Call tracking can also be complex. For example, dynamic number insertion allows unique phone numbers to be assigned to individual website visitors, allowing you to track highly-specific response information. Dynamic number insertion is a great way to track response and conversion rates for higher value prospects (such as for SaaS purchases, automobiles, real estate, etc.). This technique is commonly used to track Pay Per Click campaigns (also known as PPC call tracking).

Dynamic Number Replacement (DNR), also known as Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI), is a technology used in call tracking to display different phone numbers to different website visitors, allowing businesses to track the source of inbound calls. The process works in conjunction with a pool of virtual phone numbers and is driven by a snippet of JavaScript code embedded on the website.

Here's a step-by-step breakdown of how it works:

1. Setup: To start with, a business acquires a pool of virtual phone numbers from a call tracking provider. Then, a piece of JavaScript code provided by the call tracking software is embedded into the website's code.
2. Visitor Interaction: When a visitor lands on the website, the JavaScript code triggers and communicates with the call tracking software.
3. Data Collection: The software collects relevant information about the visitor, such as their geographic location, the referral source (e.g., organic search, paid ad, social media), and any other relevant data that might affect which number to display.
4. Number Replacement: The JavaScript code then dynamically replaces the default phone number on the website with a unique tracking number from the pool based on the rules set up in the call tracking software. These rules could be based on the visitor's location, the marketing campaign they're associated with, or other parameters.
5. Call Attribution: When a visitor dials the dynamically inserted number, the call tracking software recognizes the unique number and attributes the call to the appropriate source or campaign.
6. Data Analysis: The software then collects, records, and analyzes data from the call, providing valuable insights into the visitor's journey and the effectiveness of various marketing channels.

This process happens instantaneously and is invisible to the website visitor. The end result is that different visitors see different phone numbers, and the business can accurately track where calls are coming from, even down to the specific visitor level. This granular data can provide powerful insights into marketing effectiveness and customer behavior.

Types of Call Tracking

There are several types of call tracking:

1. Single-Channel Call Tracking: This involves assigning unique phone numbers to individual advertising channels (e.g., a particular TV ad or a specific online campaign). It's an effective way to measure the performance of individual marketing efforts.
2. Multi-Channel Call Tracking: This involves assigning unique phone numbers to multiple touchpoints across a single campaign, allowing businesses to track a customer's journey through various channels. This type of call tracking is particularly useful in understanding the complex paths customers take before deciding to make a call.
3. Visitor Level Call Tracking: This type of call tracking assigns a unique phone number (typically using dynamic number insertion as discussed above) to each website visitor. This allows businesses to track the specific journey of an individual user on the website, providing a granular level of data about the actions taken before a call is made.
4. Campaign Level Call Tracking: This approach assigns a specific phone number to a whole marketing campaign, irrespective of the channel. It helps in measuring the overall effectiveness of a campaign in driving calls.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Call Center Software with Call Tracking

When selecting call center software with call tracking, consider the following:

1. Integration: The software should integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, such as CRM and marketing automation tools.
2. Scalability: As your business grows, your call tracking needs might expand, too. Choose a software that can grow with you.
3. Reporting and Analytics: Look for software that offers comprehensive reporting and analytics features, providing detailed insights about your calls and marketing campaigns.
4. Ease of Use: The software should be user-friendly, enabling your team to easily set up and manage call tracking.

Benefits of Call Tracking

Call tracking offers numerous benefits:

1. Improved ROI Tracking: Call tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of different marketing campaigns, helping you allocate resources more effectively and improve ROI.
2. Enhanced Customer Experience: By understanding how and why customers are reaching out, you can tailor your services to meet their needs better.
3. Data-Driven Decisions: The data gathered through call tracking can inform strategic decisions, leading to better outcomes for your business.

Example Call Center Software Providers with Call Tracking

Several call center software providers offer robust call tracking features:

1. Revenue.io: Offers an end-to-end suite of sales engagement tools, including call tracking and analytics for Salesforce.
2. CallRail: Provides call tracking and analytics solutions to understand what makes your phone ring, including dynamic number replacement and visitor level tracking.
3. Nextiva: Offers a unified communication suite with call tracking to improve marketing and sales efforts.
4. Invoca: Provides AI-driven conversation intelligence and call tracking to capture caller data, along with features for dynamic number replacement and campaign-level tracking.
5. Free Call Tracking: There are also free call tracking scripts available. For example, this script allows you to easily create and deploy sophisticated call tracking using Twilio.

How to Effectively Implement Call Tracking in Your Call Center

Here are a few steps to help implement call tracking effectively:

1. Define Your Goals: Understand what you want to achieve with call tracking. This could be improving ROI, gaining a better understanding of your customers, or enhancing the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
2. Set Up Tracking Numbers: Assign unique tracking numbers to the specific campaigns or channels you want to monitor. If implementing visitor level tracking, ensure your system is set up to dynamically assign numbers to each website visitor.
3. Integrate with Existing Systems: Make sure your call tracking software integrates with your CRM and other relevant systems to ensure data flows seamlessly across your tools.
4. Train Your Team: Ensure your team understands how to use the call tracking software and how to interpret the data it provides.
5. Analyze and Optimize: Regularly review the data from your call tracking software and use these insights to optimize your marketing campaigns and improve customer interactions.
6. Ensure Compliance: Remember to comply with all relevant laws and regulations when recording calls. Always inform callers if their call is being recorded, and ensure data is stored securely to protect customer privacy.

Implementing call tracking can help you better manage your call center operations and track your (or your client's) marketing campaigns.