One of the questions we often get asked at TrackBack when talking to clients about tracking lead dealer follow-up by phone is, “If the customer misses the dealer’s call but then phones back, can that be tracked and recorded as contact being made?”. The answer now is that it can. TrackBack has introduced its unique Close the Loop product in order to do just that. And what we are discovering is that around 1 in 5 leads who miss a call from the dealer, will call back. It also demonstrates that around 4 out of 5 therefore need to be called again. Something many sales staff are reluctant to do having already left a message and then crossed their fingers believing their job is done.
Of those customers who do call back, how long does it usually take them? Interestingly 48% will phone back within 15 minutes and 67% within an hour. 84% will have responded within 5 hours. Over the years, TrackBack have learned a great deal about lead follow up best practice, which we share with our clients. We also provide a service called SCAN where skilled analysts listen to recorded conversations which they score according to performance criteria determined by each client.
TrackBack’s Close the Loop has taught us that if you want to contact a lead by phone, which is by far the most effective way to achieve a showroom appointment compared to emails and texts, and actually engage with a potential customer, you cannot rely on making one call and leaving a message. Being tenacious with your follow-up (but not being annoying) will pay off. And if the customer has not responded within 5 hours, they are unlikely to return your call, so don’t wait too long!