Trustworthy lead tracking means every enquiry is recorded once, with its source, its value and how it ended, in a place the owner actually looks. It suits any Coquitlam business spending money on ads, directories or sponsorships without knowing which of them produce paid work.
Who this is for
This fix suits owners who sign up for marketing because cancelling feels risky. It is just as useful to a roofer spending on search ads as to a tutoring centre near Coquitlam Centre paying for directory listings, or a physiotherapy clinic that relies on referrals from doctors and wants to know which ones.
You probably need it if:
- different platforms each claim credit for the same customers
- staff record leads in a notebook, a spreadsheet and a booking tool, or not at all
- you can't say what share of last month's enquiries became paying work
- the monthly report from a vendor shows clicks, not customers
What's included
- Source inventory. Every way a customer can reach you: each phone number, the website, the Google profile, social accounts, directories, referrals and walk-ins.
- Lead record. One simple log, usually inside your existing booking or job software, otherwise a shared spreadsheet, with fixed fields: date, source, service, estimated value, outcome and final value.
- Website events. Enquiry actions on the website, such as clicks on the phone number or the email link, set up as events in Google Analytics. Google's help pages on recommended events explain that these must be added on purpose rather than appearing by default.
- Call tracking, where useful. Tracking numbers on specific campaigns, never in place of your main number on your Google profile.
- Monthly review. A one-page summary: enquiries by source, paid work by source, and cost per paying customer for each paid channel.
A note on privacy
Lead records contain personal information. In BC, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner oversees the provincial law that applies to most private organizations, and the federal PIPEDA sets out principles such as limiting collection and safeguarding data. We design records to collect only what is needed, but we don't give legal advice, so please confirm your obligations with a qualified adviser.
Timeline
Lead tracking usually takes four to six weeks to set up, then needs two full months of data before the first useful comparison. Owners sometimes want answers in week two; resist that urge, because a fortnight of records rarely includes enough paid work to judge a channel.
How we measure results
This fix is measured by completeness and by decisions. Completeness: what share of new customers in the month have a recorded source? We aim to get that close to every customer. Decisions: after two or three months, which spending did you cut, keep or increase because of the record?
A worked example, with illustrative figures: a cleaning company spends $900 a month on a directory and $1,500 on search ads. The record shows the directory produced four paying customers and the ads produced fifteen. That is $225 against $100 per paying customer. Whether to cancel the directory depends on customer lifetime value, but at least the decision is now based on evidence.
Mistakes we see often
- Trusting platform conversions. Each ad platform counts in its own favour. Your own record of paid work is the referee.
- Too many fields. If logging a lead takes a minute, staff will skip it on busy days.
- Tracking numbers on the Google profile. They can cause listing inconsistencies; use them with care and only where they add something.
- Never closing the loop. Recording the source but not the outcome tells you who called, not who paid.
Related fixes
Tracking shows where the leaks are, so it often leads straight to missed-call recovery or faster quotes. The one-sheet lead log guide shows how to start a simple version yourself this week, and the results page explains how measured tracking underpins the outcomes from our HVAC work.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't Google Analytics enough?
It is a useful part, but it only sees website activity. Phone calls, walk-ins, referrals and repeat customers live elsewhere. Good tracking joins those together into one record.
Will call tracking change our phone number?
Only on the channels you choose. Your main number stays on your profile and signage. Tracking numbers are used where they add information, such as a specific ad campaign, and we explain the trade-offs before setting any up.
What about customer privacy?
Private businesses in BC handle personal information under provincial privacy law, and federal law also applies in some cases. We collect only what the record needs, and we recommend you confirm your obligations with your own adviser.
How much admin does this add for staff?
A few seconds per lead, if it's designed well. We build the record around what staff already do, with drop-down choices instead of typing, so it actually gets used.