Increasing inbound leads is a win in any business playbook. And catering directly to your clients’ needs is one of the fastest ways to do so. Via a simple icon or button on your website, customers can connect with your support or sales teams from the convenience of your site. That’s the magic of click-to-call, and we’re here to walk you through it.
We’ll also explore how click-to-call works when your own team can easily click any number on their desktop browser and dial. By the end, you’ll know exactly how to set up click-to-dial functionality with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone system. Let’s get started.
What is click-to-call?
Click-to-call (also known as click-to-dial or click-to-text) is a link commonly embedded as a website button, but also available as a hyperlink. When your customers click the button or link, they can initiate phone calls or SMS text messages powered by their device’s default calling or texting app.
Click-to-call is considered a kind of direct-response marketing. Immediately after viewing product information and other web page content, users can contact your company directly and hassle-free.
Click-to-call features are a great tactic to boost your lead numbers and effectiveness, and can increase your return on investment (ROI). Sales teams can also use this feature to quickly dial a number off any website by using their VoIP provider’s app.
How click-to-call works
Click-to-call technology at its simplest looks like this: Your prospective client or customer clicks a number on a website using their computer or mobile device. Then their default calling app gives them the option to call that phone number. For your team, they can enable click-to-call to be able to dial numbers listed on most websites from their VoIP app.
Inbound sales and customer service
The main purpose of click-to-call is to connect high-priority leads to your team at the click of a button. Although click-to-call uses a callback model, it still provides a nearly instant connection with live customer support.
Your customers could be calling about business hours, asking for more details about a product, or experiencing a technical difficulty. Whatever their needs, by promptly addressing the pain point, your sales and customer service teams will earn brownie points in your customers’ eyes.
Customers using click-to-call are already interested in your product or service. As a result, when you learn how to add a click-to-call button to your website, your conversion rates could soar.
Outbound sales from a phone system like OpenPhone
If you do outbound calls, click-to-dial could be an even more valuable tool for your business. When integrating your CRM with click-to-call technology and enabling your VoIP platform as the default calling app from your browser, your sales team can dial more hot leads faster than ever before. Say goodbye to cold calls and manually dialing each prospect’s phone number.
With OpenPhone as your VoIP provider, it’s easy to streamline your inbound and outbound sales processes. In just a minute or two, you can make OpenPhone your default calling app to enable click-to-call on websites. Once everything is set up, you can sit back, relax, and watch the leads roll in.
What are the benefits of click-to-call for teams?
Your sales and support teams are the first lines of interaction between your company and your clients. That makes supporting your team one of the best things you can do for your organization. You can show your support by giving your team tools to help them excel. Click-to-call is full of benefits, and can help your team:
Be more productive
Your team can prioritize existing customers and interested prospects when they use click-to-call. Call tracking and other click-to-call features allow you to capitalize on fresh leads and improve the customer experience instantly. Targeting an audience you know is much easier than guessing about one you don’t.
Take calls with more context
With click-to-dial enabled, all your conversations with leads automatically log into your CRM and VoIP platform (if you’re using a great VoIP provider). OpenPhone makes it easy to contextualize each phone call from your computer (or smartphone) you make and receive.
You’ll have access to any notes and previous communication associated with a contact while placing a call. That makes it easy to get right down to business and personalize your chat. It also makes teamwork a breeze, since sharing contact notes with colleagues has never been easier.
Encourages your team to use your business phone system for all outbound communication
A business phone system works best when it’s used only for work-related communication. Your teammates will never have to fret about using their personal phone numbers for work, while you can ensure your team is on the same page and everyone’s doing their part.
Click-to-call systems also work with your VoIP phone system. They’re a way of integrating your inbound marketing prospects with the rest of your business communication, all in one central hub.
What are the benefits of adding click-to-call to your website?
When you add click-to-call to your website, you’ll enjoy a range of benefits. Some of the top advantages of using click-to-call include:
Improve your customer experience
Customers can get frustrated when they don’t get the answers they need in a timely fashion and understandably so. Some companies make it difficult to get in touch with a human, putting customers through multiple rounds of dial menus. Others have no live support at all. Your customers will appreciate faster access to your team more than you know.
Plus, your teams can use dedicated numbers for different campaigns, locations, or services, giving them effective insight into where your customers come from.
Boosting your conversion rates and customer contact rates
By following the customer journey, you’ll gain a better understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences, from geographical location to purchasing habits. Your sales team will also have access to a complete list of potential and interested contacts. The more points of contact you have with a lead, the higher your chances of securing a conversion.
Solving customer problems in real-time
When customers call, it’s often because they want an on-the-spot answer. Maybe they can’t find the information they’re looking for on your website or they need to contact you for a quote. Either way, you can address their requests instantly, boosting your company’s reputation.
With access to expanded customer information, your website becomes a gold mine of useful data like your customer’s feedback and most pressing questions. Adding click-to-call to your website is a business opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.
How to set up click-to-call in OpenPhone
Now that you’ve seen all the benefits to using click-to-call to complete outbound calls, here’s how you can set this feature up from your Mac or PC.
For outbound calls on your Mac, you’ll want to make OpenPhone your default calling option. Here’s how to set up click-to-call in OpenPhone in just a few simple steps:
- Install OpenPhone’s Mac app.
- From the Applications menu, select “FaceTime.”
- Then, choose “Preferences.”
- Toward the bottom of the window, you’ll see an option called “Default for calls.” Select OpenPhone from the dropdown menu.
To make OpenPhone the default calling app on a PC, follow these directions:
- Download OpenPhone’s Windows app.
- Enter the bottom toolbar and search for “default app.”
- Press “Default apps System settings.”
- Then, scroll down and select “Choose default apps by protocol.”
- Finally, scroll until you see “TEL” and select OpenPhone.
Now, anytime you click a website or client’s telephone number, you’ll see a prompt to start the call via OpenPhone. Pretty fancy, right?
How effective is click-to-call?
Can click-to-call really make such a big difference? We think so — and the facts back us up. The global market for click-to-call solutions weighed in at $14.7 trillion at the start of the pandemic, and experts project it to reach $47.2 trillion by 2027, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 18%. But the practice is still not universal, making it an impressive website feature.
When you make it easy for customers to access business information or speak with a live representative, you earn their trust. Plus, those click-to-call leads are high-value when compared to cold calls.
But don’t just take our word for it. With mobile phone searches and Google now dominating the inbound traffic funnel, there’s no time like the present to test the effectiveness of click-to-call for yourself.
Try out OpenPhone’s click-to call-feature today
Click-to-call is just one of the many features you’ll enjoy when you sign up for OpenPhone’s VoIP phone service. Along with our stand-out customer service and flexible pricing plans, our click-to-call functionality makes choosing OpenPhone a no-brainer. Sign up for your free trial today to learn more about what OpenPhone is all about.
Click-to-call software is a type of technology that allows users to make calls directly from their computer or mobile device by clicking on a phone number displayed on a website, email, or other digital platform.
A click-to-call dialer is a feature within click-to-call software that automatically dials the selected phone number once it is clicked, connecting the user directly to the desired contact without having to manually enter their number.