The Power of Sales Call Tracking in Salesforce

Modern sales reps have more communication channels available to them than ever before. SMS messages, email, social media, even video all provide a conduit to engage with contacts. However even today, the phone still prevails as the most effective sales communication tool.

The phone is still the only communication method through which sales reps can directly interact with leads, prospects, or contacts in a truly conversational manner. The key differentiating factor that makes phone conversations so effective is that they allow both the sales reps and prospect to both utilize and hear verbal communication elements like tonality, pace, pitch, and inflection in real-time. Furthermore, phone conversations facilitate instantaneous communication and sharing of ideas.

Phone call participants leave a call, regardless of its length, with a conclusion. Message exchanges via SMS, email, social, or chat cannot accomplish the same. In fact, message exchanges usually take place in order to generate a conversation over the phone.

The power of sales call tracking

So, we know the phone is valuable, but it also has faced a singular disadvantage, until now. Digital communication channels benefit from tracking. Cookies, integrations, and analytics tools allow sales and marketing to understand exactly how someone got to the point of engagement and what influenced them to do so. It also enables reporting, so teams can both increase the number of conversations, as well as improve the quality of them.

A phone call that takes place when a prospect simply sees a number has previously had no instantaneous, automatic, or reliable method of obtaining the true source of the phone call. Sales call tracking is the solution.

Sales call tracking grants the most valuable sales communication channel the same amount of measurability as the digital channels.

What sales call tracking does

Sales call tracking provisions unique phone numbers for specific sources, whether it be a web page, email, social profile, or even a business card, pamphlet, or signage. When the number is dialed, call tracking systems associate the prospect with that specific number, and therefore the campaign. In short, it allows sales and marketing teams to track and measure the effectiveness of sales materials.

More advanced call tracking systems add even more advantages. They can recognize the source of the call and use call routing to direct callers to a specific department, team, or person. For example, a call placed from a certain product’s webpage can be routed to reps who have an in-depth understanding of the product. Or, someone who dials the number from a flyer given out at a particular event can be routed to the only sales rep who attended it.

This provides several advantages. The first is that sales teams provide maximum value to their prospects because they direct them to the most knowledgeable and familiar sales reps. The seconds is that it allows for analysis of nearly every piece of marketing collateral to ensure the greatest possible ROI.

Sales call tracking grants the most valuable sales communication channel the same amount of measurability as the digital channels.

Optimizing Sales Call Tracking For Conversions in Salesforce

As marketers, we talk a lot about generating leads and driving ROI. However, revenue follows when customers receive the right messages across every touch point. Tracking the impact of marketing campaigns on inbound call activity in Salesforce.com is a powerful way for marketers to determine which campaigns create valuable customer relationships. This, along with tracking tradition metrics, allows marketers to invest more in the campaigns that offer the best returns.

Understanding call metrics can help every company answer Salesforce.com’s Questions to Becoming a Customer Company

The Power of the Marketing Cloud

Like our customers, we use Salesforce.com daily to manage our relationships. As someone with first-hand experience working as a sales rep and marketer in organizations without a CRM, I know how much easier it is to offer customers a great experience when you can see their purchase and contact history in Salesforce. It sure beats scrambling for customer data in email inboxes, spreadsheets, and, yes, on scraps of notebook paper. With several acquisitions, Salesforce is now giving marketers a reason to rejoice, offering robust marketing automation and social media marketing functionality. We’re impressed with what Salesforce has assembled, and Revenue.io gives marketers one more reason to make Salesforce the center of the marketing analysis engine.

The Benefits of Tracking Phone Call Conversions in Salesforce.com

Phone call conversion tracking in Salesforce.com can quickly give marketers key metrics that can help them maximize the impact of their marketing budget. By tracking call metrics in Salesforce.com, marketers can:

1. Know which efforts and keywords drive successful calls.
2. Get credit for every lead, opportunity, and dollar of revenue closed over the phone.
3. Share marketing data with sales reps in real-time so that reps will instantly know what to sell inbound prospects based on the marketing promotion, keyword, or URL that caused them to call.
4. Gain real-time feedback from sales reps into lead quality — Revenue.io enables sales reps to rate every call and instantly log those ratings in Salesforce.

Track Call Conversions & Become a Customer Company

Over the last year, Revenue.io has evolved into a robust communications platform with solutions for marketing and inside sales. Initially, we simply wanted to create an app that enables marketers to track conversions and ROI from calls on Salesforce.com. By using Revenue.io, marketers can track call conversion metrics in Salesforce.com automatically. If you’ve already invested in Salesforce, there’s no need to purchase software that makes guesses at call conversions based on vocal inflection. You can simply see, in real-time, which marketing campaigns drive leads, opportunities, and revenue over the phone. This enables marketers to make smarter investments and pivot messaging based on facts, not speculation.

As we gear up for this year’s Dreamforce, we’re excited about Salesforce’s theme of being a “customer company” because it aligns with our philosophy. When customers pick up their phones to call your business, it’s a moment of truth. There are few greater demonstrations of demand. That’s why knowing which messages are causing the right leads to call is vital. That’s why it is so important to track call conversions. By using Revenue.io to track phone call metrics in Salesforce.com, marketers can invest in efforts with messages that resonate with customers.

Why Marketers Use Salesforce for Call Tracking

More marketers are leading inbound sales teams, but even if your inbound sales team doesn’t report directly to Marketing, marketers still have the power and—in my opinion— the responsibility to help sales reps succeed. And one of the best ways to enable sales is by using a call tracking system. Call tracking software is routinely used by marketers to see the impact of their efforts on inbound calls. Call tracking tools can help marketers do a better job of investing in the campaigns and keywords that drive the best calls.

And by using a call tracking tool that integrates with Salesforce, marketers not only gain the ability to see which efforts drive calls that result in opportunities and revenue, but they can also share call tracking data with inbound sales reps in real time. The result is that sales reps can do a far better job of qualifying and converting inbound phone leads.

Are you thinking about trying a call-tracking solution? Here are some important reasons why our customers are waking up to the benefits of call tracking for marketers and salespeople alike.

Inbound Calls are On the Rise

I remember hearing talk a few years ago that the death of the business phone was imminent. But the opposite turned out to be true. According to BIA Kelsey, businesses spend 64.6 billion a year just to generate inbound calls! BIA/Kelsey also reports that inbound calls driven by mobile search alone are growing at a 42% compound annual growth rate! So if you haven’t already notice an upsurge in calls, you’re probably about to.

With increasing inbound call volume, it becomes more important than ever to be able to know, in real time, which campaigns are driving the best calls. Having access to real-time call tracking dashboards in Salesforce can enable you to see which efforts are driving calls that turn into opportunities and revenue. You can therefore do a far better job of investing in the right efforts.

Phone Leads Rule!

The same report from BIA/Kelsey also reveals that 66.4% of companies surveyed report calls as a high-quality lead source—higher than any other. I recently took some inbound sales calls and I have to say, the phone leads were fantastic. Sure, during your lead qualification process, you may find some phone leads to be unsuitable for one reason or another. But if you’re doing your inbound marketing correctly, most phone leads have already researched your offering and are reaching out to have a serious sales conversation. Think about it, most people don’t call sales reps for fun. When was the last time you called a sales rep and weren’t seriously considering purchasing? With a call tracking solution you can make every advertising dollar count in order to generate as many of those high-value inbound phone leads as possible!

Call Tracking Can Help Sales Reps Close More Revenue

One of my favorite things about using a call tracking system is that call tracking data not only helps me make smarter investments as a marketer, but it also can be used to influence the outcome of calls.

Our call-tracking solution integrates with an intelligent call-routing engine that automatically sends callers to the perfect specialist based on the campaign that triggered the call. For example, say you sell web hosting packages for enterprise clients and SMBs. Ads that are directed at enterprise clients could automatically route to a rep or queue of reps that specialize in selling your enterprise product. Then, that referral source data can be used to trigger a CTI screen pop that provides reps with smart talking points, contact history, and other valuable contextual details. The result is that reps can do a far better job of converting inbound callers into customers. And with our call tracking system, you’ll gain a real-time view of call outcomes in Salesforce.

How to Integrate Call Tracking with Salesforce

Integrating call tracking with Salesforce is easier than you might think, and the benefits are immediate. Most call-tracking solutions offer built-in Salesforce integrations that allow data from inbound calls to be automatically synced with your CRM. To get started, configure your call tracking system to pass key metrics—such as campaign source, keywords, and caller intent—into Salesforce fields.

With this data, Salesforce can generate real-time dashboards and reports, offering visibility into which campaigns drive the most valuable calls. Additionally, when integrated properly, call tracking can trigger automation workflows in Salesforce, such as assigning leads to the appropriate reps, updating contact records, or scheduling follow-up tasks. Seamless integration assures that your sales and marketing teams are aligned and can act quickly on valuable insights.