What is call tracking and how do you know which ads bring calls and orders
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
Call tracking is a way to see which ad brought which phone call. Each ad channel gets its own phone number (static call tracking), or each website visitor is shown a number of their own (dynamic). The number that was called tells you the source. Call tracking says where a call came from; an AI voice operator says what happened on it: it answers every call, asks your questions and records whether there was an order.
The two kinds of call tracking
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | One fixed number per channel | A temporary number per website visitor |
| Good for | Billboards, Telegram channels, OLX, print | Websites and online ads |
| What it shows | Which channel | Which ad, keyword, page |
| Numbers needed | One per channel | Depends on visitors on the site at once |
For a small business static is often enough: few channels, one number each.
Example: a kitchen furniture workshop in Tashkent
“Oshxona Usta” (name invented) makes kitchens to order and advertises in four places: Instagram, a Telegram channel, OLX and a billboard in Chilonzor. All calls used to go to one number, and the owner didn’t know which ad worked. With static call tracking, one month looked like this (numbers are an example):
| Channel | Ad spend | Calls | Orders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 million so‘m | 120 | 9 | |
| OLX | 1 million so‘m | 40 | 5 |
| Telegram channel | 2 million so‘m | 25 | 3 |
| Billboard | 4 million so‘m | 15 | 1 |
Cost per order: about 667,000 on Instagram, 200,000 on OLX, 4 million so‘m from the billboard. The owner dropped the billboard and moved the money to OLX and Instagram. But the table is only right if calls were answered: another 30 missed calls that month were lost along with the ad money (missed calls).
Call tracking and an AI voice operator
Call tracking names the source but not what was said. That’s where an AI operator for incoming calls helps:
- it answers every call in about a second, so no call your ads paid for goes unanswered;
- it asks your question “Where did you hear about us?” and saves the answer as a separate field;
- each call’s recording, transcript and outcome are in the portal, and results download to Excel;
- it calls Instagram and website leads right away (outgoing calls).
So you can keep simple records even without extra numbers. If you already use a call tracking service, the two complement each other: one gives the source, the other the outcome.
Asking for the source at the end of the call
Sado: Okay, Gulnora, the measurer will come on Thursday at eleven. One more question: where did you hear about us?
Caller: I saw your ad on OLX.
Sado: Thank you! The craftsman will call before coming. Have a good day!
The question comes at the end, once the order is written down, so it doesn’t get in the caller’s way.
How to start with call tracking
- List your ad channels: Instagram, Telegram, OLX, billboard, website.
- Get a separate number per channel, or a dynamic call tracking service for the website.
- Add “Where did you hear about us?” to the operator’s questions, also for channels without a number.
- At month end, build a table: channel, spend, calls, orders, cost per order.
- Cut the channel with the most expensive orders and move the money to the one that works.
With Sado you pay only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23. More answers: questions about Sado.
Questions
How many numbers does call tracking need?
Static: one per ad channel. Dynamic: it depends on how many people are on your site at once; the call tracking service works that out.
Can I know a call’s source without call tracking?
Roughly, yes: ask “Where did you hear about us?” on every call and record the answer. An AI operator never forgets to ask it.
Won’t calls to different numbers disrupt our work?
No, call tracking numbers are usually forwarded to your main line. Whatever number the customer calls, the same staff or operator answers.