6 Things You Can Learn From Measuring Inbound Call Stats
In the lead generation/appointment setting world, outbound calls are measured closely. Managers and owners want to know how many conversations reps have had, the number of voice mails they’ve left, how many calls resulted in a meeting or a sale, and how many calls did not result in moving forward through the sales process. Though outbound call metrics have their place, inbound calls are rarely measured and tend to be overlooked. Here are a six good reasons to measure them and what you can learn when you do:
1. Is Voice mail Working? - If your lead generation rep is pounding the phones and leaving voice mail on top of voice mail daily, is he getting return calls? On subsequent calls, are prospects remembering and mentioning his mini-commercials? If not, it may be time to measure the effectiveness of leaving messages, which includes retooling the message, finding better times to leave voice mail, or even deciding to abandon leaving voice mails all together. I know voice mail is working when I receive an enthused return call from a prospect or from someone who received my forwarded message. I also know it’s working when the prospect tells me she remembers my message (but for whatever reason didn’t get a chance to call me back). In my world where I probably leave about 40 voice mails per day, getting 5-10 return calls in a month is great! When I’m not getting them, I know I need to go back to the drawing board.
2. Are We Getting Referrals? - What a pleasant surprise it is when you receive a “cold call” from a prospect. Getting inbound calls from them lets you know that you’re doing such a good job that your customers are willing to brag about you. When I receive a referral, I know I have a much better chance at closing the deal than I would have if I placed a cold call because my happy customer has already spoken highly of my company.
3. Is Traditional Advertising Working? - If prospects are viewing your advertising and taking action by picking up the phone to learn more about your products or to make a purchase, congratulations! You know that traditional advertising is working. To truly measure the effects of advertising, it would be wise to attach your ads to a unique product code, provide a unique phone number and website for each marketing channel, or to make sure your reps ask how prospects hear about your company.
4. Are We Getting Repeat Business? - With the right software, it’s easy to determine if the same customers are calling repeatedly to purchase your products. Repeat inbound calls from happy customers is a dream come true for many companies. CRM software, telephony software, or even a simple Excel spreadsheet can let you know just who it is that calls you over and over again.
5. What Is the Level of Customer Satisfaction (and Dissatisfaction)? - Inbound calls from satisfied and dissatisfied customers are both a blessing. Since many customers who are unhappy with a particular service simply go away without telling you, a customer who complains allows you take corrective action and still keep them as a customer. They also allow you to be more proactive in preventing future problems. If the same customers are complaining over and over, you know to take drastic measures to ensure total quality for the future.
6. Are Reps Overworked? - Many lead generation reps wear several hats. Some have account management roles and call on current customers to sell new products. Others receive a multitude of inbound calls from current customers placing orders (and prospects requesting quotes) leaving little time to focus on developing new business. If inbound calls are at maximum capacity, it can give managers visibility into why reps are not developing new business, why stress and attrition rates are high, and why there may be a need to hire more help.
Inbound calls are a seldom viewed metric, especially from the lead generation perspective. Knowing what to measure and how to use the data to your advantage are the keys to success.
Warm regards,
E. R. Carpenter
