It’s hard to believe that we’ve been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic for over half a year now. During these past several months, we saw businesses and consumers change their behavior drastically based on public safety precautions and personal confidence, but the behavioral data might surprise you.
CallRail found that businesses experienced a 26% drop in call volume on average at the start of the pandemic up until mid-April. This was largely due to the shutdown of in-person businesses, with essential businesses scrambling to optimize their services and non-essential businesses migrating online.
However, SMBs actually saw a major increase in call volume and duration in mid-May as states and counties loosened lockdown restrictions. By then, we had adapted to the realities of the pandemic, and one-on-one phone interactions helped facilitate this new normal. Today, consumers call businesses more often than ever to ask for product and service information, safety and sanitation procedures, and changes in store hours. Let’s take a peek into the data on a more granular level across different industries.
COVID-19’s effect on call data in marketing and advertising
The marketing and advertising industry took a major hit as their customers closed their businesses down. Call volume dropped as a result. However, as lockdown restrictions were lifted, many SMBs turned to marketing and advertising agencies to communicate better with their customers.
The first order of business was to reach out to customers and make them feel safe. Businesses relied on marketing and advertising to convey changes in safety and sanitation practices. Meanwhile, this helped the marketing and advertising industry rebound, resulting in a 30% increase in call volume for these types of businesses.
COVID-19’s effect on call data for home services
Shutting down the economy also led to a decrease in call volume for the home services industry. Homeowners had less money to spend, which meant discretionary repairs or construction were held off until confidence was gained again. That couldn’t be any more different than today.
With homeowners spending more time at home, many are interested in calling local contractors and utility companies to have work done on their homes. Other homeowners have turned to DIY projects as well, and they end up calling local experts for advice. Call volumes for home service businesses have rebounded to 49%, higher than February’s numbers as a result.
But why is this data important? What seems like common sense now was unprecedented pre-COVID. COVID has shown that businesses armed with call data are better equipped to adjust their customer experience and marketing strategies based on consumer behavior.
Using CallRail call tracking to optimize marketing and customer service
Businesses using CallRail’s call tracking software receive insights that help them correlate their marketing campaigns’ success based on where inbound calls originate from. Assigning unique phone numbers to your business’s website, Facebook ads, Google results, or even specific marketing campaigns allows you to track calls and determine which strategy results in the most calls from customers.
CallRail’s call tracking software also allows your business to record calls so you can monitor your customer service efforts. The company even offers Conversation Intelligence features to help you determine the nature of your customers’ calls. Using this call data will help you better understand your customers’ needs, behaviors, and satisfaction, which is imperative if you run a customer service-driven business.
Businesses need to adapt to changing customer needs and preferences to stay ahead of the competition. The best way to do this is by making them feel safe and providing an excellent experience that encourages them to return. CallRail’s call tracking software helps businesses understand customer needs so that they can tailor their service accordingly. It’s an affordable solution that will arm you with the best call tracking and analytics in the industry, so your company is positioned to grow, even amidst a pandemic.
