Setting clear Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for the initial enquiry process is essential to ensure alignment with broader business goals. Objectives should be ambitious, yet achievable, such as increasing the number of qualified leads or improving conversion rates. Key Results are measurable indicators of progress towards attaining the objectives. The Objective and Key Results provided below serve as an example of what a business might want to achieve.
Objective
Increase lead generation and customer acquisition through efficient enquiry capture.
Key Results
Achieve a 20% increase in the number of enquiries captured within the first month.
Reduce enquiry response time to less than 24 hours to enhance customer experience.
Implement A/B testing on enquiry forms to optimise conversion rates by 15%.
The opportunity is in the obstacle
It’s great to set targets and plan for success, but it’s just as important to examine your actual circumstances. What hurdles do you need to overcome to attain the best results?
Inspired Business Design applies the theory of constraints to identify obstacles and bottlenecks that hinder the transition of new buyer enquiries into prospective leads. A systematic analysis of processes allows us to pinpoint areas where inefficiencies or limitations may exist. Addressing these constraints offers the opportunity to streamline and enhance the initial stages of customer interaction.
In our experience, these obstacles tend to fall under one of the following categories:
Processes
Many companies don’t have standardised enquiry capture processes in place, which leads to inconsistent data collection. In addition, there’s the added challenge of having to create online promotions and landing pages to align buyer needs with your solution and manage and respond to the enquiries promptly.
Tools & technologies
Often your tools and technologies aren’t adequate or appropriate for the task at hand. For this stage, you will require a CRM software platform that includes the ability to direct buyers to landing pages, capture forms and manage workflow processes without unnecessary delays.
Resources
Obstacles related to resources are incredibly common, and it’s easy to understand why. Finding the right skill sets, training programmes, service providers and the required budget is no easy task.
Hidden [psychological] obstacles
These are the obstacles that no one likes to talk about, but frequently present a major constraint for businesses. What isn’t being discussed openly? What do people choose to hide or gloss over? The fear of missing out on potential leads could lead to hasty decisions or inadequate follow-up.