The hidden costs of cheap call tracking tools

The Gist:

• Cheap call tracking solutions can lead to: low productivity, clunky platform integration, and limited data storage. These so-called cheap solutions may have hidden costs that you will only find after implementing.
• Investing in comprehensive call tracking solutions can offer: application integration, complete data storage, and evolving technology.

Call tracking tools give valuable insight into which ads, campaigns, and keywords are driving the best results — so you can learn where to spend money on the marketing strategies that work and stop wasting time on those that don’t.

With so many call tracking tools on the market, in addition to evaluating attribution, reporting, and communication features, you’ll also want to look at pricing. While it can be tempting to flock towards the cheaper end of the spectrum, the truth is that cheaper is not always better. Opting for a lower-priced call tracking solution straight out of the gate may end up costing you more in the long run.

Here, we break down the pitfalls of going the cheap route and outline what a bit of spending can offer you in the world of call tracking.

3 pitfalls of cheap call tracking tools

When you opt for the lowest cost on the market, you may inadvertently lose out on many call tracking features. Functionality and data storage options fall by the wayside when you opt out of app integration and unlimited data storage options.

Loss in features and functionality

Instead of managing all aspects of source tracking, visitor tracking, team performance, and operational reporting from one single dashboard, inexpensive call tracking tools may require you to toggle between applications to find and review data.

Cheap plans include basic functionality, like tracking keywords and integrating web analytics tools such as Google Analytics. Because they often lack app integration and data storage, low-cost plans lead to a reduction in productivity.

Reduction in productivity

Navigating between platforms to aggregate complex data is inefficient. Teams can’t be as productive when they’re not able to track access data storage or streamline workplace efficiency. According to a study conducted by Pega, which focused on the implications of workforce intelligence on technology and employee productivity, the average employee switches between 35 job-critical applications more than 1,100 times every day."

While cheap call tracking tools may allow you to synchronize call queuing and call recording and take advantage of very basic app integration, you’re missing out on more complex features that allow you to aggregate data across the platform to analyze the performance of your marketing campaign.

Lack of customer service & ongoing support

With a cheap tool, you may not get the support you need, including ongoing support as your business grows. Without live communication, live rep contacts, and collaborative user forums, it can be difficult to troubleshoot or optimize features, including call tracking metrics and IVR with efficiency.

Call tracking tools with robust customer service and ongoing support keep lines of communication open so you’re never left to solve issues on your own. Use email, chat, and phone support to help you get set up, implement dynamic tracking numbers, and customize the application to suit your individualized needs.

A better alternative: comprehensive call tracking solutions

The good news: Comprehensive call tracking solutions manage all your call tracking needs in one place. Choose from affordable solutions that pay back in dividends as you increase productivity and integration capabilities. When looking for call tracking tools, here are a few of the features and key pieces of functionality you should look for.

App integration

With app integration, it’s easy to connect all of your most-used tools, from social media advertising, to chat and notifications, workflow automation, and website optimization. You can call on data visualization software, search advertising, bid management, and CRM all from one single location. See which keywords are driving conversions, track your data, and streamline your schedules all from one central location.

Unlimited data storage

As you build your lead generation and get to know what your customers search for as it relates to your product or service, you’ll start to accumulate more and more data. Data storage solutions that feature an extended data retention period give you the peace of mind that your information is secure and retrieving specific data sets is easy to do.

CallRail gives you the added benefit of owning your data so that you can revert to historical data to observe patterns and make informed decisions about marketing strategy moving forward. See which calls were deemed strong leads, listen back on calls, explore which PPC campaigns brought the most callers, and compare data based on various data points.

Easily save your findings as an Excel spreadsheet or PDF document so that you can showcase your results. Get a comprehensive look at what’s driving ROI and how you can continue to move in that direction.

Innovative technology

To keep up with customers’ needs and expectations, make sure you consider how innovative the call tracking provider and technology are by looking at how often improvements, bug fixes, and new features are released.

In just the last few months, CallRail has worked diligently to provide customers with the best possible experience by adding new, easy-to-use features. As of June 2021, the team upgraded its automated source detection for NextDoor Ads so it’s easier to measure and optimize your sponsored content. Our form tracking tool is also new and improved.

When you receive a form submission notification, it will include a URL to the webpage where the form was initially filled out, streamlining the process of form tracking for all. Just this month, CallRail rolled out new updates to its Lead Center, a business communication solution. You can now assign a primary agent to a contact and see agent names on the interaction history list.

Small businesses often struggle because they don’t have the resources they need to single-handedly facilitate reports, attribution, and communications. By choosing a tool like CallRail, businesses stay on the cutting edge. They’re able to focus on functionality from a platform dedicated to evolving and incorporating the next generation of features and tools.

Want to learn more about call tracking as it applies to businesses? Download our Buyer’s Guide to Call Tracking

When it comes to finding an affordable yet effective call tracking tool, we don’t want to leave you in the dark. You shouldn’t have to guess who’s calling and which marketing strategies are yielding results. CallRail is here to assist. You can get everything you need to get started for free right now by testing out our 14-day trial.