Incoming call volume: Do you know your numbers?

You do a lot to increase your incoming call volume, but what happens when there’s no one there to answer the phone? Among car dealerships, the number of inbound calls is increasing but the pickup rate isn’t, according to a recent survey of 117 top car U.S. dealership conducted by CallSource. The details of the study concluded that 39 percent of dealerships experienced a five to ten percent increase in calls, while 49 percent experienced an increase of more than 15 percent.

Why is this happening?

Smartphones are driving this trend as more and more people are using “near me” searches on Google and clicking “call now” buttons from social media. When searching for services nearby, consumers are ready to take action and they value relevancy in their searches. And even though they’re using smartphones, calling is still the easiest way for them to get what they need. Additionally, both Facebook and Twitter now have a “Call Now” button, which you can include in your advertising to drive more call conversions from mobile users.

How can you capitalize on this trend?

Whether you own a car dealership or not, it’s time to take advantage of this increase in inbound phone calls. After all, your best leads are calling you, so don’t undermine your marketing efforts by failing to have adequate customer-response staff. Train your teams to effectively handle calls so you can start converting these leads into quality customers. When your sales teams are busy, decide who will answer the incoming calls.

What else can you do?

Get the most out of your incoming calls when you use tools like call recording, call announcement and call tracking, and online account management. Along with a customized vanity toll-free number, Custom Toll Free offers a number of different tools you can use to maximize your inbound leads. These tools allow you to run call reports, set up your voicemail and forward calls to ensure you’ll never miss an incoming call.

Upgrade your business by successfully monitoring your inbound leads with a vanity toll-free number. Learn more about boosting your brand at customtollfree.com.