Huge Call Tracking Discussion over on Screenwerk

Greg Sterling's Screenwerk has a hot conversation going on a dispute between Seattle-based HelpHive and a local merchant. The original post and comments are here.

I jumped into the fray and (of course) agreed that if a Merchant fails to meet a publisher's quality of service standard or worse, doesn't pay their bills; the publisher should redirect their calls. [Note: I would council my publisher clients to cover call redirection in their terms of service so that advertisers would have to agree to these terms when they sign the insertion order.]

FastCall411's TryAnother application was designed for this type of call redirection.

Mobile local search has many challenges, and for better or worse, call tracking offers many solutions. In June I wrote in response to Greg's post on pay-per-call: “Will Local Market Ultimately Reject PFP/PPC”

I have argued many times that customer service is the key to success in mobile local search. Consumers expect immediate availability when hiring a local merchant.

FastCall411 research confirms what most of us have experienced: merchants don’t always answer their phones or are otherwise not available.

From the publisher's POV is it a better consumer experience to connect the calling consumer to the merchant's voicemail, or is it a better consumer experience to offer to connect the consumer to other available merchants and redirect the call?

Yes, in this scenario some merchants will lose leads, but others will win. More importantly, the consumer is served.

By tracking calls we are able to identify merchants who are more likely to be available and responsive. This rewards merchants who deliver better customer service. So while merchants should be hyper diligent about who is controlling their identity and reputation, they can find solace in the potential to be rewarded for their good service.