Why do customer calls still matter?

It’s true that digital marketing and customer service goal posts are changing. We talk a lot about shifting customer communication to social media or email campaigns and phone calls are considered pretty outdated by many. However, the reality is that verbal interactions with customers have a 30-50% conversion rate and that’s too high to ignore. Although a few more resources might be required to implement this kind of service there are some very good reasons why it’s worth the investment to give your customers the option of calling you.

High end products require human interaction

If you’re in the business of selling something expensive or complex then it’s essential to give your customers the option of getting in touch. Reassurance is a key part of converting a high-end transaction and that’s hard to deliver via a website. Google says that 61% of UK mobile searchers think click-to-call is the most valuable point of sale shopping. If there’s a question that goes unanswered online then you either provide the customer with the opportunity to call you and ask it – or they could just go elsewhere.

Calls can provide valuable marketing data

If you’re using advertising and marketing that features a phone number then you have the potential to gain valuable data. Using call tracking software will give you the opportunity to identify what the origin point of that call is i.e. which marketing campaign has successfully generated the lead. With this kind of marketing attribution information you can make better decisions about where to allocate marketing spend to get the best results.

We are living in a mobile era

The number of smartphone users in the world is forecast to grow to 2.1 billion in 2019. These figures are usually cited in the context of mobile internet usage but the reality is that we still use smartphones for making calls so your customers are literally walking around with the opportunity to be a lead for your business in their pockets. Click-to-call conversions are increasingly significantly. It’s no surprise that there is plenty of research to suggest that we would rather click and call to make contact with a business than laboriously fill out an online form that might capture data we’d rather it didn’t.

Customer experience is key

Customer experience is one of the biggest digital marketing trends for 2018. And there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that customers still want to talk to the businesses that they’re planning to buy from. If your current website isn’t optimised for mobile then you’re already missing a trick. And if you haven’t optimised it for click-to-call conversions then you’re potentially being passed over for those who have. It’s important to give customers the opportunity to get the specific answer that they’re looking for – and sometimes there’s no substitute than to do that over the phone.

We are all becoming very focused on digital marketing metrics and measures. However, telephone interaction has a lot to add to that. From boosting customer experience to providing valuable marketing data there are many reasons to support and maintain this part of the customer service platform.