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Simple to set up. Easy to use. Powerful integrations.
Get startedNever underestimate the essence of calls to business growth and success. Click-to-call, or click-to-talk, is a means of communication whereby a person clicks a button so as to connect to another different person in real time.
These connections are possible and can be supported through a phone call, SMS or Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP). Nowadays, almost every website has click–to-call links in the form of call buttons. In most cases, click-to-call works with hyperlinks over emails and videos.
It has been a simple task and easier for customers to reach you as they are directly in touch with the company.
This is after they have visited and viewed your marketing materials such as websites, paid search ads and any other type of digital content. Again, a customer does not have to download any software other than standard plugins.
Click-to-call: how does it work?
In the recent days, mobile proliferation has been seen and most of the population access the internet through their mobile phones, while a lesser number uses the desktop computers.
Due to their immense prevalence, the cell phones are now in the midst of reshaping how individuals use the internet as a tool for searching and interaction. Almost everybody does this; browsing to get details on the solution to a given problem. For faster access, at anytime and anywhere, most users prefer mobile phone.
This is why click-to-call buttons have become not only popular but also essential for businesses to employ for their transactions.
Statistics on the use of click to call
To have a clear image of the importance of click to call in the business world, we will consider some of the figures collected on the same. In the year 2013, Google commissioned Ipsos to carry out a study on their click-to-call buttons. During the study a sample size of 3000 mobile searchers was selected.
The primary consideration in mind was that, the people to be chosen had to have recently made some purchases so as to have an understanding of the role played by the click- to- call in making decisions on their purchases.
From the results, the following conclusions were made:
70% of those mobile searchers use click-to-call, and that calls are an important channel for consumers
61% of the searchers found click-to-call “Extremely/Very Important” in the purchase phase of decision making
On business perception:
47% of the searchers described feeling “frustrated or annoyed” or “more likely to explore other brands” when they were not able to directly call the business
35% felt “disappointed in the brand or company.” This means that if there is no click to call button in the search results, it will have an adverse impact on most of the customer’s perception of business
On comparison between a customer making a call and checking the company’s website or other means, the result was that correspondents felt calls were the most effective for:
59% – Quickly getting an answer/accomplishing a goal
57% – Getting in touch with a real person
54% – Asking more questions/getting more information than was available on the company website
As per the goals the customers needed to achieve through the calls, most of the respondents were looking to:
52% – Check for business hours
51% – Schedule an appointment/make a reservation
47% – Inquire about inventory/availability/booking information
43% – Inquire about pricing
As per this study by Google, it was revealed 95% of small-to-medium sized businesses do not use click-to-call features, yet almost half of all mobile searchers stated they would search somewhere else if this element was not present.
From the above data, you can see how important click- to- call is to the customers. It means that not having the click-to-call component available is significantly harming your business’s sales. It also shows how companies relate to the click- to- call feature.
Customer experience related to the Click-to-call feature
How does the click-to-call feature relates to the customer experience? Bare with us and find out how it contributes to business growth.
Customer Satisfaction
As the numbers of Internet users continue to grow as the days go by, people still prefer to gain answers from human beings instead of sifting the same information online. A 2014 study, showed that 75% of the people preferred to contact a business by phone.
This is because everyone appreciates communicating with a real person. Most of the customers communicate with the companies by phones, and they find it the most efficient way towards resolving an issue. For a brand to optimize its online potential, click-to-call buttons must be present. Their presence should also be accompanied by the maps of store locations, hours of operation, and other useful information.
Increased Sales and Brand Loyalty
It is obvious that the happier the customers are, the more they will regularly seek help or assistance from your business. With the today’s mobile era, consumers expect to have a click-to-call button present on your company’s site, so why do you hesitate to have one? Looking the facts at hand, some of other businesses have considered this option, and this means you should not lag behind, but instead keep in pace with the era.
The click-to-call feature is important in improving your sales and eCommerce in general. Roughly 20-45 per cent of potential consumers prefer to make purchases over the phone while another 20-35 percent call to reserve an item for purchase at a later date. The lack of a click-to-call button will therefore negatively impact on your business, as it is missing out on scads of potential customers.
Lead Identification
It is evident that a significant part of the individuals make calls to the companies so as to have more information on the kind of products and services offered. This is yet another simple way to identify inbound prospects that could potentially be dragged and converted into valuable customers.
The people who do this, I mean, calling your company for information are hot leads as they have already shown interest in, and knowledge of, your brand. Click-to-call buttons are an excellent tool for easily gaining potential sales opportunities for your business.
Benefits of click to call
There are hundreds of benefits to click to call, but I will combine most of these.
Maximise online sales opportunities
The primary goal of each and every business is to drive sales, and this is one of the strongholds of click- to- call technology. This is possible as it:
Allows your web site visitors to have a fast and an easier way of contacting you
With this, you encourage them to call you in case they want further elaborations.
Overcomes consumer reluctance to trade online
You reduce abandoned purchase as the customers can readily and effectively get help when they need it.
Operates at any time of the day in a week
This, therefore, means that you will not miss out on the sales opportunities. Callers can schedule their calls in cases the offices are closed. You will be able to take their scheduled calls, capture them and retain their details.
With click to call, it is easier to access than Freephone, faster than email and delivers higher conversion rates than either medium. As it is designed to capture serious inquiries, you can be sure that every call has substantial sales potential. So as to ensure that the potential is realized, an action should be taken on the call.
Sharpen online marketing effectiveness
With the click to call, this is possible as it does the following:
Captures the customer intelligence
This happens through the carefully designed response forms which you yourself configured and fine-tuned.
Identifies any form of campaigns, promotions and sales approaches which will work best and deliver the highest conversion rates
Reveals the web pages which prompt the most inquiries and also generate most sales
Captures customer data for analysis and future targeting
With the click to call, you will not only talk to your clients, but also engage them about their interests and what prompts them to buy a particular product. It also provides management information which is important in designing long-term web strategies and tactical campaigns which are aimed at delivering the maximum outputs.
Boost customer retention
Customer retention is a key factor for the growth of any business. Click to call does the following for you:
Presents the human face behind your website
This is vital as it makes you accessible, welcoming and proactive.
Allows the customers to contact you on their terms and at their convenience, without any delay
Provides informed service by agents who were preemptively briefed with caller information
With this, you will or can route the call to the most appropriate agent.
From the statistics, 65% of consumers are more likely to stay with a company that offers excellent customer service, even if they can get a better financial deal somewhere else. Most customers need immediate access to a well-informed agent.
This amounts to a service quality as you provide immediate answers to their needs. Click to call is the most positive demonstration of customer responsiveness imaginable.
Maximise efficiency & effectiveness
Click to call is important due to the following facts:
Prompts web visitors and customers to make a call when their interest is at its height; hence every contact represents a genuine sales opportunity.
It provides a seamless cross-channel service, ensuring that your low-cost web channel is as effective as possible. Note that sales opportunities are never lost at any point.
With the management information, the click to call will allow you to forecast and plan on your call handling provision. This helps to identify when call demand is the highest.
Supports any time 24-hour sales and service operations by routing to your locations when home offices are closed
Click to call is different and unique compared to most of the other technologies which demand significant upfront capital investment.
Click-to-call: which professionals should use it?
The following are some of the professional target groups who should consider click to call:
Call centre managers
Click to Call technology enables the customers to browse the Web site of a particular business and then click on a link which redirects the call to the call centre, putting the consumer in touch with a live agent. From the live agent, the consumer is in the position to obtain all the details he or she may need.
Some of the unique features are that
The application enables the agent and the consumer to browse through the Web site together. In this case, the agent acts as the guide.
Besides the customer service element that Click-to-Call provides, it also enables the call centre to streamline any of the call that comes into the centre. Usually, calls come in to a central location, then are rerouted according to pre-set rules.
Calls come directly from a particular page and go directly to the available agent. The agent then will be in a position to tell the page the customer is calling from and more efficiently handle the call. There is no need to route this call and thence no reason to keep the client waiting on hold.
Click-to-Call has become a fundamental aspect of the consumer-focused Web sites of today. The companies lacking the click to call will suffer as the visitors to their sites will be leaving to look for the competitor who offers a direct line to live agents. Hence, the click to call is invaluable to call center managers.
Sales representatives
To understand this, let’s consider the following:
Click-to-call for Inbound Sales
Many companies use this click to call technology to enable customers to request an immediate call from a sales rep. A customer using click-to-call can demonstrate high demand for a company’s offerings and warrant immediate follow-up. Since click-to-call solutions aim to connect the sales ready prospects with reps in real-time, they can have a dramatic increase in inbound sales.
Click-to-call for Outbound Sales
Inside sales reps can adopt the click to call technology in making outbound phone calls. Inside sales solutions that integrate with a CRM tool are important to help reps to click to dial prospects directly from a CRM lead. This enables reps to dial without manually dialing a lead. With this, an inside sales reps can contact more prospects within a day.
Customer experience managers
Click-to-call lets customers experience the same service on a desktop as they could on a mobile device. This is possible by transmitting telephone calls over an IP network such as VoIP.
As a manager, you must provide your users with a smooth, streamlined process for activities like making a purchase on your website, completing a form, or contacting your office. Click to call can take care of all of that. The consumers always need an immediate service from your business.
To meet their expectations, provide a quick and seamless entry point to get in touch. As click to call is mobile friendly, the mobile conversions stand to increase by 200%.
Some of the points the customer experience managers should ensure include:
Reduced customer effort
Create a seamless experience to help your clients to access the services, data or information they need, using their preferred channels.
Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty
Customers are more inclined to become loyal brand advocates once you improve on their experience. This contributes to their continued patronage and encourages others to try your products and services.
Increase customer lifetime value
Consider increasing the positive Customer lifetime value by making the most of every customer engagement either in person, online, or over the phone.
All this can be possible if the managers consider the click to call.
Tips and best practices on the click-to-call
Use a large click-to-call button and ensure its contrasting in colour to the rest of the page
Place the button in a way that it is visible without scrolling.
Use a short and concise headline that is easy to read copy
Display your ‘lines open’ hours
This will enable the mobile visitors to know you are available to call.
Optimize the images and graphics to reduce their file size, to allow for a fast loading of your page
Click to call buttons are easy to implement and have a bucket full of benefits to help your business achieve its goals. Therefore let it help boost your sales, customer satisfaction, leads, and ultimately, your bottom line.
Published on September 12, 2016.
