You’ve probably seen a button that says “Call Us!” on websites that you visit. This is the click-to-call functionality at work, and it provides customers with an easy way to make contact with a business. Click-to-call (click-2-call, click-to-dial, click-to-call-out, click-to call-in, call-me-now, etc.) is a feature that is unique to VoIP. It basically removes the need to remember, copy and paste, or write down the phone number on a website. The customer can just click and get through to you.

It also allows businesses to route incoming calls to the correct department. All the customer needs to do is click the button on the website using their mobile device to make contact with the business. Contact is made mainly using a traditional VoIP phone call, but SMS messaging is also an option. Business VoIP providers with click-to-call functionality available help businesses improve customer relationships.  

 

 

How Click-to-Call Works

Click-to-call uses a hyperlink that sends a command to initiate two phone calls at once—one to the VoIP subscriber’s phone, and the other to an outbound number, usually a customer. A click-to-call widget can be used by either the VoIP subscriber or by a potential or existing client visiting a website.

what is click to call

How click to call works, courtesy of Twilio

Click-to-call is made possible because of the Session Initiation Protocol and often doesn’t require you to download software. A click from a hyperlink on a website initiates a session, and the command is sent to dial your SIP address and the outgoing number. The SIP proxy sends out an invite to the two users, and then the proxy drops out of the call once the connection is made.

In the case of a VoIP subscriber using click-to-call from the web portal, the subscriber already has a few numbers programmed into the account. They must pick which phone they want to use or enter a new one as well as the outbound number. Much like a softphone, your call is being routed through your main number. Some VoIP service providers let you ring your primary phone from their web portal or desktop software, but this is not the case with all providers. 

If it is a customer using the click-to-call widget, the customer enters their phone number into the dialog box. The command goes out to call the VoIP subscriber or their call center, and then the command goes out to dial the customer. If the VoIP subscriber does not have an unlimited plan, the billing may reflect the specific numbers that are being called during each billing cycle. Usually, a SIP-to-SIP call is free, a PSTN-to-SIP call is metered as regular minutes, and a PSTN-to-PSTN call is metered as double the number of minutes.

 

Who Should Use Click-to-Call?

VoIP subscribers who use click-to-call do more than just save money on phone calls. Outgoing calls have the caller ID of the company, so customers see and recognize the name. As compared to a softphone, click-to call lets VoIP subscribers use home or hotel phones, which can be more comfortable for long conversations.

One of the main industries that will use a click-to-call model is sales and marketing. This allows the agents to contact the customer in a much quicker fashion, especially when they are making outbound calls. CRM VoIP integration with solutions like Salesforce can greatly increase the prospective sales for a single day, which will only increase productivity overall.

Some of the businesses that benefit the most from click-to-call include:

  • Local Services – This could mean a hairdresser or a spa that has a click-to-call feature on their website. It allows customers to set an appointment for services without them spending time looking up their number to contact them. 
  • Automotive Industry – When a customer has an issue with their car, they will be able to quickly and efficiently make a connection with your garage to get the repairs done that are required or their vehicle towed.
  • Tech Industry – When a computer has an issue, not all customers will have the knowledge to fix it without talking to an IT representative. This allows them to connect without spending hours waiting in the queue.
  • Travel Industry – For travel agents, the click-to-call functionality is a time saver that will allow vacations to be booked or at least reserved with the click of a button. Callbacks will need to be made to finalize the sale, but if the customer is interested in taking a vacation, they are more likely to take the steps to get the process started.

 

How Click-to-Call Benefits Business

Click-to-call is used to convert web traffic into phone calls. As a method of initiating customer contact, it helps businesses overcome barriers that are preventing agents from making sales. Click-to-call gives you the option of passively generating leads you never knew you were missing when the customer is simply browsing the company website. There is even the option to enable click-to-call on mobile devices so that customers can make use of this feature when they are not near an actual computer. In fact, according to Statista, 53% of online traffic across the globe is done on mobile devices.

Companies that use click-to-call widgets on their website have been shown to have lower website abandonment and increased conversion rates.  In addition, customers who have your website in front of them are more informed and ask more detailed questions than other types of inbound sales calls. Click-to-call works 24/7, so customers will always have access to the information that they need. The calls that cannot be addressed by an agent will either go to a voicemail box when the office is closed or a callback will be rescheduled with the customer in the future.