Contributions to Profit: Track Call-to-Order Conversions
The goal of your contact center should be to turn every call into an order. Thus, it’s mission critical to track your call-to-order conversion (CTO) ratio so as not to leave any dollars on the table.
I’m surprised at how many companies don’t track this metric. Not only should it be examined in total, but also it should be done for every customer service rep (CSR) you employ. Set up tracking methods so you can analyze the reasons people call but don’t buy. Most call center software allows for the CSR to enter a numeric code into the contact history if a call doesn’t result in an order. That numeric code ties into a specific reason for not purchasing. Your system should be able to generate reports based on your CSRs’ input.
Jim Gilbert has had a storied career in direct and digital marketing resulting in a burning desire to tell stories that educate, inform, and inspire marketers to new heights of success.
After years of marketing consulting, Jim decided it was time to “put his money where his mouth was" and build his own e-commerce company, Premo Natural Products, with its flagship product, Premo Guard Bed Bug & Mite Sprays. Premo in its second year is poised to eclipse 100 percent growth.
Jim has been writing for Target Marketing Group since 2006, first on the pages of Catalog Success Magazine, then as the first blogger for its online division. Jim continues to write for Total Retail.
Along the way, Jim has led the Florida Direct Marketing Association as their Marketing Chair and then three-term President, been an Adjunct Professor of Direct and Digital marketing for Miami International University, and created a lecture series, “The 9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing,” which he has presented across the country at conferences and universities.
