Are Marketers Using Insights Gleaned From Phone Calls?

April 16, 2015

EconsultancyResponseTap-Use-of-Phone-Channel-Data-Apr2015Few marketers and e-commerce professionals (predominantly based in Europe) agree that they use insight from phone calls to tailor on-site content (40%) or off-site advertising (27%), according to results from an Econsultancy study [download page] produced in association with ResponseTap. The survey data also shows that fewer than half track the sales or lead value of the call (44%) or how callers have engaged online (43%).

The only area in which a majority of respondents (and a bare one at that) leverage their phone channel is to use insight gleaned from calls to enhance their websites and services, with 51% agreeing that they do so.

While the study’s authors note that organizations can gain a competitive advantage by understanding their callers’ website behavior and using that knowledge to elicit a desired response, just 30% of respondents agreed that their call center staff can see how known customers have engaged with them online.

These appear to be missed opportunities, particularly as 8 in 10 respondents feel that joining up online and call center activity is either very or quite important (although company respondents tend to lean more towards this being very important). The authors suggest that the gap between importance and action may be related to inertia, this being a lesser priority, or a lack of authority to take action on the part of respondents who find this to be a critical endeavor.

Separately, the survey examines the different ways in which client- and supply-side respondents join the dots to map and track website visitors and customers who are engaging both online and offline, finding that:

  • Roughly one-third of company respondents use tracking codes generated online for use offline, while slightly fewer use point of sale data collection (29%), telephone call tracking (28%) and offline codes or coupons redeemable online (28%);
  • While these are among the top methods agencies say their clients use, agencies were far more likely than company respondents to report the use of loyalty card schemes (33% vs. 15%); and
  • Fewer than 1 in 10 from each group are joining the dots by using in-store geo-targeting technology such as Beacons.

About the Data: The results are based off a survey of almost 2,000 client-side professionals (including marketing and e-commerce professionals) and supply-side respondents (including agencies and consultants). More than 7 in 10 respondents are based in Europe. Some 53% of company respondents are B2C-focused (versus 28% B2B and 19% B2C and B2B equally), while agency respondents were more evenly distributed between B2C (35%), B2B (27%) and a mix (38%). Company respondents came from a range of company sizes, while agency respondents tended to be from companies with less than 10 million pounds in annual turnover.

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