Call tracking
Assigning unique phone numbers to marketing sources so a team can tell which ad or listing produced each inbound call, usually with recording attached.
Use this definition in team training or when clarifying a sales note.
Definition
Call tracking gives each advertising source its own phone number, so the team can tell which calls came from search ads, from a directory listing, from a mailer or from the main line. The service typically records the calls and reports volume, duration, answer rate and abandoned calls.
Tracking numbers only work if they are deployed and maintained carefully. Old numbers left on stale listings produce attribution that quietly stops matching reality.
Why it matters
Call tracking is how a manager separates a marketing problem from a handling problem. If a source produces plenty of calls that never become appointments, the advertising is working and the phone is not, which is a completely different conversation with a completely different fix.