The 43Leads platform was created with small businesses in mind, and was designed to specifically address the form submission types, website traffic profiles, and data retention requirements of small, nimble organizations. To that end, we’ve added a new set of functionality that provides automated lead qualification within our hosted contact forms and lead capture pages.
What’s Automated Lead Qualification?
Simply put, our lead qualification mechanisms can be added to any 43Leads hosted form and provide an automated way for a user’s information to be filtered out when appropriate. Based on the information provided by users, our system determines if they are a lead worth keeping or if they should be filtered out.
Here’s how it works. Based on criteria you provide, the system determines if the user’s submitted information meets your minimum requirements and is a good fit for the services you provide. If it’s a good lead, we store the information and notify you as usual. If not, we prevent the user from completing the submission process, we explain why, and you’re not bothered with any of it.
Who Benefits from Automated Lead Qualification?
When done correctly, both your company and your website users benefit from the interaction that our automated qualification process provides. Here’s what it does for you:
- Minimizes unproductive distractions, saves your staff time, and allows them to stay focused on cultivating productive leads
- Our platform allows you to tweak the rules over time to get better and better at keeping the good leads and filtering out the ones that aren’t worth your time
Your website visitors benefit from automated lead qualification as well. Here’s how. When their submitted information doesn’t meet your minimum requirements, or indicates that your services aren’t a good fit for their needs, we communicate that to them, on-screen, and in real-time. By doing so, we’re creating transparency with users and helping to educate them about what your company does and doesn’t do. Being transparent is important for two reasons. First, it helps them to understand why you’re not the right company for them. But secondly, it also lets them know right away that you won’t be responding to them. This sets the correct expectation and prevents issues later on (like when they get angry at your lack of response and leave a scathing review on Yelp).
When Does it Make Sense to Implement Automated Lead Qualification?
Most small businesses don’t need to filter out leads in real time, so automated qualification isn’t a feature that’s used by everyone. But there are times when it can be a gamechanger. Here are a few examples:
- If you have a service company that doesn’t provide a particular service that is traditionally offered by similar companies, your company could be a good candidate for automated qualification. For example, some electricians provide service for commercial and residential customers, but don’t perform specific work like electric vehicle charging station installations. It benefits website visitors to know this to prevent them from requesting services not offered, and it saves the company time.
- Anytime you maintain strict minimums, automated qualification is a winner. Even when you clearly explain your minimums on the website, users will still try to request a quote that falls below them. By preventing those users from completing the form, they understand that your minimums really are enforced and saves you time having to explain this to them on the phone or via email.
- Service companies can reduce the number of contacts they receive (and have to respond to) from those who are outside of their service area by automatically notifying users when they fall outside of the company’s boundaries.
What’s Next?
Do you have questions about our hosted contact forms, how our approach is vastly different from online form builder tools, why our completely managed solutions are great for growing your business, or how we can implement spam prevention and automated lead qualification for your website? Contact us today so we can discuss your unique lead gathering needs.