I have often talked about the power of managing call back periods in the lead management process to enhance Internet lead contact rates and conversion. This discussion has often yielded special data on how leads submitted by consumers on specific days of the week (i.e., on the weekend) tend to be contacted and convert at a higher rate.

Now there is a quantitative contact and qualification study, conducted on Internet leads outside of the mortgage industry, that seems to reflect similar observations. Here are a few of the key findings of Franklin Covey’s study of their Internet leads outbound (telemarketing) contact center’s findings:

• Follow-up must happen within the first 24 hours from inquiry
• Contact rates and qualifications are highest between 3-6 p.m. local
  • Interestingly, 3:30-4:25 is peak for conversion, yet 5:15-5:25 is peak for contact
• Best contact rates are found on Friday (note: this call center did not operating on Saturday or Sunday)

This obviously shows the criticality of being able to manage these call back periods and prioritizing sales activities based on these optimal times and frequency. This is true sales force automation.

Tags: internet leads, call back periods, conversion, lead management, contact rate, sales force automation, telemarketing, franklin covey, marketing sherpa