Lead routing can be a tricky and confusing business; there’s no way around it. Setting up a lead routing system requires working with complex filter sets, ever-changing technology, shifting business practices, and more. As you get your lead routing system setup and get that cash flowing in, here are a couple of common mistakes to avoid.
5 Lead Routing Mistakes
Not routing in real-time
Lead generation is a fast-paced business, and it is easy to get left behind. If you’re using a system that only works through a manual review process, you may want to reconsider. Research has shown that contacting a lead within an hour of receiving their information makes you 700% more likely to qualify the lead. A successful lead company simply does not have the time to work in anything other than real-time. Act accordingly.
Filtering too broadly
Much like your college love life, not every lead is going to be right for you; it’s sad, but it’s true. Don’t bog down your clients with too many leads. Coming up with good filter sets is a difficult process (unless you use our filter set guide, of course) but giving your team a flood of leads that they can’t use spells disaster for your bank account. Our tip? Don’t be afraid to make multiple filter sets for each source. Every hour you put into optimizing your filter sets is money in the bank in the long run.
Filtering too narrowly
On the other hand, you can’t be too picky. It would be nice to have your leads hand-picked straight from your zip code and delivered to your door, but how many times a day could that happen? Keeping a healthy number of leads in the system is key to a happy sales team and a happy bank account. InsightSquared recommends 25-30 open sales opportunities at a time per member of your sales team, per selling period. You may not hit that number right away, but small tweaks every so often can make sure it happens quickly.
Not paying attention to when
If you’re running a call center 24 hours a day, then you may not have to worry too much about when you’re taking in leads. But for those who aren’t, remember our statistic from before: it’s best to get in touch with a lead within the hour. Remember to filter your leads to only show up when you or your clients have the means to reach them quickly. This means generally during business hours and for an hour or so beforehand.
But when’s the best time to call? A recent MIT study shows that, when qualifying leads, early in the morning or just before the end of the day is best. If you’re going for the sale, the end of the work day or shortly after gives the best results. Keeping this in mind will ensure your conversion.
Treating every source identically
Your sources are important, and it’s important to treat them that way. Varying how your sources go through the system has a couple of benefits. First, it enables you to optimize. A/B testing isn’t just for ad space. Try varying some settings, like ring timeout or profit margins, to see if you can optimize how your sources work for you. Another benefit of varying your sources is if you’re using a lead system that offers a quality checker like leadQC. Instead of running leadQC on every single lead, costing time and money, run it on each source on a set schedule for just a short time. By not lumping all of your sources into one category, it becomes much easier to make sure all of them running at their highest potential.
Whether brand new to the lead business or a seasoned veteran, it’s easy to make small mistakes with lead routing. The number one way to fix these mistakes is by using a lead routing software that is both intuitive and supportive. boberdoo has live customer support, extensive documentation, free videos, and more! Give us a call today to give it a spin and see how boberdoo will improve your lead business.