Most small businesses have no idea how their communication channels are performing. They know they’re busy, but they can’t tell you their response time, missed call rate, or SMS open rate. Here are five metrics worth tracking.
1. Missed call rate. What percentage of incoming calls go unanswered? Industry benchmarks suggest that businesses miss 20-40% of calls. If your rate is above 30%, you’re likely losing significant revenue.
2. Average response time. How long does it take you to respond to a missed call, text, or email? Harvard Business Review found that companies responding within one hour are 7 times more likely to qualify a lead than those responding even an hour later.
3. SMS delivery and open rates. If you’re using SMS marketing, track delivery rates (should be 95%+) and click-through rates on any links. Low delivery rates might indicate carrier filtering issues.
4. Email campaign engagement. Open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates tell you whether your email content is resonating. A rising unsubscribe rate is an early warning that you’re sending too often or missing the mark.
5. Customer acquisition cost by channel. How much does it cost to acquire a customer through phone, SMS, email, or your website? This tells you where to invest more and where to cut back.
Start simple: pick one or two metrics, track them for a month, and use the data to make one specific improvement. Small, measured changes compound over time.
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