Time to Switch CallSling to Call Tracker or CallRail

Recently, I have been doing some research to replace the call tracking system I currently use (CallSling) for my local lead generation websites.

I have been using CallSling to track phone calls and leads through my lead gen websites. Each phone number costs $15/month, but little support is provided.

It can be an easy start to use CallSling when you start your local lead gen business in the early stage. As I have been growing my business, I worry that the lack of support using the system may cause trouble. For instance, if there is ever a call service interruption, I may not be able to find any support from CallSling instantly.

I have been narrowing down to two call tracking service providers after extensive research online.

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The Two Call Tracking Service Providers to Compare: Call Tracker and CallRail.

I am only comparing the starter plan of the two companies.

The starter plan of Call Tracker is $37/month, and the starter plan of CallRail is $45/month. Both of the plans include 10 local numbers, 500 local minutes and 100 texts.

Actually, CallRail has a cheaper plan – Lite, which does not show on the website. The Lite plan costs $30/month, and it includes 5 numbers and 500 minutes. I will discuss this plan in the last section.

For additional usage, CallRail is slightly cheaper, but the cost of Local Minutes are the same. As I will generate calls mostly from local, I prefer to go with Call Tracker if only considering the number and minutes cost.

Both of the plans offer 14-day free trial. I will start the trial with both companies to see how they work.

One feature for Call Tracker is that it gives my clients access to a dashboard of their tracked phone numbers under my brand, so the clients can track the advertising results. However, this feature is only available to the Pro plan, which costs $87/month, way beyond my current budget. CallRail can create different companies under one account and create new users for each company too. Even though this feature is not branded, it is available throughout all the plans.

Here is a link to CallTracker. If you are interested, feel free to give it a try. I will earn a small commission if you decide to continue after the 14-day trial. I will also update my reviews after the trial.

Here is a link to CallRail.

Have fun doing local lead generation business!

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Reviews – Update from CallRail and Call Tracker Trial

I have signed up with CallRail and Call Tracker 14-day free trial and tested the function of both of them.

The Must-have List for Virtual Numbers for Local Lead Generation Business (LLGB)

For the local lead gen business, you may want a phone number that can direct all the calls you generate to your service partner or contractors. You may need the following features of the phone numbers for each of your LLGB.

1. The number should be local, or toll-free. Local numbers are preferred.
2. The number can be forwarded to your partners.
3. The number should have a “whisper” feature, which tells your partner that the calls are sent from you.
4. You should be able to record the phone calls so you could see the quality of the leads you generate.
5. You should be able to hide the caller id from your contractor/partner when you have not built trust.
6. It would be nice to send/receive texts using the virtual number.

The first four features are must-haves to me.

Both CallRail ($45/m) and Call Tracker ($37/m) offer the first four features.

To me, the Call Tracker setup and user experience are more intuitive and easy-to-use. But CallRail has a nicer and more natural robot recording message – “the call may be recorded for quality assurance” that type of message.

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CallRail can also hide the caller id (feature 5), which is quite important to me when I just start working with someone. Once you have established a solid working relationship with your partners, this feature does not matter so much.

Call Tracker has a very nice UI to send and receive messages. It makes it so much easier to communicate with the caller, your leads. With Call Tracker, you can even build the auto TEXT reply to your call flow. Think about it, when a call cannot be connected, your caller receives a text message to which he/she can reply directly. This will for sure boost the lead conversion rate.

However, CallRail does not allow you to reply to messages on the website unless you pay an “add-on” service – Lead Center, or download their app.

The messaging function is a huge factor I tend to use Call Tracker. It is quite easy to send and receive messages using Call Tracker – the interface feels like Facebook Messenger.

I will continue to the trial with both of the companies and update my thoughts after one week.

At the same time, feel free to sign up your trials and start your journey!

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Decision – Which Call Tracking Service To Choose?

Before I dive into Blahblahblah, here is the winner: CallRail!

I have to say, it is a very tough decision. Both have their pros and cons.

To summarize, I have put the key plan features in the table.

	Price	Tracking Numbers	Minutes	Texts	UI	Assign Users to Different Numbers	Hide Caller ID
Call Tracker	$37/month	10	500	100	Simple and Friendly	No	No*
CallRail Essentials	$45/month	10	500	100	Complicated	Yes	Yes
CallRail Lite	$30/month	5	500	0	Complicated	Yes	Yes

*According to Call Tracker Support, they are developing the function to hide caller ID now, and it should be available within two weeks.

I have highlighted in green the factors that play a big part in my decision-making process.

1. Assign Users to Different Numbers

• As a lead generation business, we work with our partners to answer phone calls. Our partners should be able to check the calls we generate and to listen to the recordings if they’ve missed some key information.
• Both of the companies allow you to create users and give them access to the numbers. The difference is that with a plan under $50/month, Call Tracker cannot assign a user to a specified tracking number, meaning the user will get access to all the numbers you’ve created.
• CallRail, on the other hand, allows you to group the numbers by different company names and assign users to companies.

2. Hide Caller ID

• The benefit of hiding caller ID is that the destination number, our partner, will know the number comes from us and it could be a potential lead.
• Depending on your business model, it can also help to reduce the potential dispute with your partners or contractors as regards to if a certain number is a lead generated by you.
• Though Call Tracker is developing this feature, I am not sure whether it can roll out within a month. If it can, then it surely makes its plan more appealing.

3. Pricing

• I am glad CallRail has a $30/m plan. Compared to CallSling, $15 per number per month, I feel $30/month for five numbers is so worth it.
• After five numbers, it costs $4/number. Simple math tells that as long as we don’t send texts and keep the tracking numbers we use under eight (30+3*4=42), we can stay with the Lite plan.
• Of course, an Essential plan provides more analysis and data points for you to better track your marketing campaigns.
• Call Tracker offers great value with the $37/month plan as well. If you don’t care for hiding caller ID and assigning users to different numbers, by all means, go for this $37/month plan!

So, as for now, I will go with the CallRail Lite plan.

Which call tracking service do you use? Leave a comment and make a recommendation.

Have fun with your digital enterprises!