So you are ready to take your marketing analysis to the next level and track phone calls in addition to online conversions?
Congratulations, you are WAY ahead of the curve. Your competitors will never know what hit them and you’ll be optimizing your campaigns based on true ROI while others are left guessing about how to allocate their budgets.
The hard part is picking a vendor. Each specializes in different types of call tracking. Some are great at tracking PPC and SEO campaigns. Others focus on tracking and qualifying affiliate leads. Some cater to the small business market by offering turnkey solutions, while others focus on enterprise-level integrations with data warehouses and proprietary analytics tools.
This checklist will help you define your needs and objectives so you can pick the right partner.
Step 1: Assess your needs
What type of calls do you need to track? Online, offline, both?
What level of granularity do you need? Will campaign-level data suffice, or do you need keyword-level tracking?
What do you need to know about your callers? Location? Demographics? Traffic source?
How do you want to analyze the data? In a dashboard or integrated with your existing web analytics and CRM tools?
Write down your objectives and the features you’ll need to accomplish them. Keep this checklist handy as you start to compare vendors.
Step 2: Narrow the field
Chances are, you won’t want to pay for a Ferrari when a Chevrolet will suffice. Similarly, you won’t want to pick a vendor that only provides 80% of what you need simply because they are a few bucks cheaper.
I’ve compiled a list of features offered by the most popular vendors on our call tracking vendor comparison table. Start by eliminating the vendors that don’t meet your needs.
The best recommendations come from colleagues and peers, so ask around and look for testimonials or case studies by people you know and trust.
Finally, a few web searches for call tracking + your desired features may turn up a few niche vendors that you can explore.
Once you’ve got a short list, visit the vendors’ websites and see if their marketing materials pass the “sniff test”. If it sounds too good to be true, or they don’t provide screenshots, demos or have an actively updated site, they may be over-promising and under-delivering.
Step 3: Go shopping
Start contacting the companies on your short list. Most vendor websites have contact forms and phone numbers to get in touch with a sales rep.
Once you’ve made contact, don’t be afraid to ask tough questions. You want a partnership with a vendor that is going to respond to your support questions and help you grow your business. If you don’t get a positive vibe from a vendor, move on.
Schedule a time to see demos. Most vendors will provide access to a test account or set up a webex-style meeting so you can get a feel for the admin interface, ease of configuring campaigns and reporting options. This is the best way to test-drive their solution to see if it fits your needs.
Ask to see case studies for other companies in your industry or that have similar needs to yours. Finally, ask about support and customer service. Are tech support options available to assist with implementation or troubleshooting?
Step 4: Negotiate terms
Finally, ask about costs. Some vendors charge a per-number rental fee and/or a usage fee per minute of phone time used. Ask about volume discounts and the ease of renting and returning numbers. Also ask about required monthly minimum spending levels. Some vendors have them, others don’t.
Some vendors require a longer-term contracts, while others offer month-to-month flexibility. Either way, ask for an early termination clause or trial period (at least 60-90 days to give your campaigns time to gain traction).
Take your time, get it right
It’s important to note that switching between call tracking vendors is not easy. It’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to port numbers from one vendor to another. If you have to switch vendors mid-campaign, your existing call tracking numbers will no longer work and you may miss out on some valuable leads.
The right vendor can be an extremely valuable business partner. Pay attention to their sales pitches, and invite them to suggest ways to improve your campaigns tracking and analytics. A small time investment in learning and preparation will help you create and manage more profitable campaigns for years to come.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve had a great experience with a call tracking company called KeyMetric. They not only track calls, but can link them back to the original keyword someone typed on the search engines that led to the phone call. I don’t have to guess anymore on where I should be spending my monthly marketing budget.
Ive been using Call Tracking Metrics for the past few months.. I went with them because they have very easy to understand pricing. They also do keyword tracking and they have a call log that allows me to keep notes about my clients. I am going to check out some of these others you have listed here to compare!