This year I have received only 1 quote request via the phone. Every other request has come through email. I cannot remember a time when it was this off balance.
For instance last fall my phone rang off the hook. I would guesstimate I was 80% calls and 20% email.
Mine is right about 60% email & 40% calls. No difference over previous years.
Maybe it is just a fluke. For me there are times when one will dominate the other for a short time.
75% phone to 25% e-mail here. I would like to see more e-mails, it tells me more people are visiting our web site. Also our on line estimate request form provides a place for the customer to list their phone # which they usually do, that gives me the oppurtunity to call back and close the deal. Also it seems we seal the deal more on the e-mail generated estimares than we do on the phone requests.
I like the phone. They can speak with me on the spot. I can book them on the spot as well. I am almost always away from the office and my computer, so Email doesn’t really work well for me. Maybe I need a smart phone.
I have noticed a slight decline in emails since Sept 2008. I would like to think that people are finding my website and calling to schedule over the phone. Potential clients see the site and call the numbers to get a human to talk to. I frequently fish in the “BTW how did you find us” question. A good number of them will respond with “the internet” but im talking to them on the phone at the time. This is what seems to be happening in my market at least.