Despite Digital, Call Time Increases

When local searchers find what they are looking for online, they tend to visit a brick-and-mortar location and purchase within a day

When people have more questions than what they can find themselves, however, they expect to be able to pick up a phone and speak with someone on the other end. In fact, RingPartner found that so far in 2017, consumers have spent an average of 113 percent more time on the phone learning about products and services than they did in 2016. This indicates that customers of every type are actively increasing their offline interactions with brands even as digital usage continues to rise. 

To find this information, RingPartner analyzed hundreds of thousands of calls every month to understand how today's buyers want to engage with brands over the phone. Other findings from RingPartner's report ( open PDF here) include some industry-specific takeaways:

  • Top Overall Service Industry Call Times: Dating, legal, insurance and home repairs.
  • Real estate had the highest conversion rates during each quarter of 2016, averaging between 73 percent and 84 percent.
  • Home service calls enjoyed respectable, but comparatively smaller, conversion rates throughout the year such as 39 percent for window installations in Q1 and 45 percent for roofing during Q2.
  • Lawyers had impressive numbers throughout the year but saw quite a jump between Q1 and Q4 which indicates that as the year ends, people need their attorneys.