The Comprehensive Voice Stack Analysis from Agencies and Consultants

The Comprehensive Voice Stack Analysis from Agencies and Consultants

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We're here with an extensive analysis of how marketing agencies work with thier clients voice / VOIP / call / reception / chat stack... and the results uncovered opportunity...

The voice technology providers we work with here at Partnerprograms work closely with their agency partners on all areas of the business – helping them with internal operations as well as helping them to setup/sell new services for their clients. These tools range from virtual reception, to call tracking and VoIP tools. We left out chat as a category as we were genuinely curious what level of knowledge and influence these agencies had over their clients voice stack.

To find out, we surveyed consultants, marketing agencies and MSPs to determine: “What experience do you have working with your clients voice stack?

Let’s meet some of these agencies who replied:

Boyd Wason, and Engaging Partners – a Marketing Agency which is Agnostic – their services can be used by any industry/vertical.

Boyd and team use just about everything:

Boyd’s agency uses:

But, he typically see’s his clients using:

Brad Golchin of Markezing, an agency focused on B2B marketing services, also have a huge influence over their clients’ voice stacks. They help their clients with all of the following:

Ryan Jones is the founder of Refuel Creative – an agnostic Marketing Agency in Australia who uses CallRail has this purview over his clients’ voice stack:

The first thing we asked these agencies was:

How critical is having a voice strategy in helping clients achieve performance metrics?

And the answer was surprising:

How critical is having a voice strategy in helping clients achieve performance metrics?

This means that marketing agencies (the majority of the surveys were submitted by marketing agencies) really do try and influence their clients phone systems and analytics in order to convert the traffic/calls they are bringing.

What is your business’ current voice solution?

What is your business’ current voice solution?

What voice solution do you typically see your clients using most often?

What voice solution do you typically see your clients using most often?

Which, if any, of the following tools & services are in your clients’ voice stack?

Which, if any, of the following tools & services are in your clients’ voice stack? Select all that apply.

But wait… how could this be possible??

How could 77% of agencies surveyed agree voice is highly-relevant for performance, but 54% of respondents have no idea what their clients voice stack includes?
This seems to be an opportunity for agency services…

Let’s sidebar that for now and hear from the agencies who use software to track and convert calls:

Which of these (if any) call tracking and analytics platforms have you implemented or managed for your clients?

Which of these (if any) call tracking and analytics platforms have you implemented or managed for your clients?

What other VoIP, reception, or call tracking products are you aware of your clients using?

Let’s hear from the agencies who use software to track and convert calls:

Mike Belasco, founder of eCommerce marketing agency Go In Flow has used:

And believes:

A voice strategy is critical is having a voice strategy in helping clients achieve performance metrics?
- Mike Belasco

Ryan Ruud of LakeOne, a B2B marketing agency partnered with HubSpot says:


While we use a local internet/phone service provider (i.e. Comcast or AT&T), our clients are vastly on a cloud-based SaaS solution (i.e. Ring Central or Phone.com). And we help our clients with everything including: Call tracking, Vanity numbers, Call recording, Click-to-text phone numbers, Calls are logged in CRM…

- Ryan Ruud

Our friend Salvatore Tringali, founder of Pro Echo Solutions, a great vertical agnostic marketing agency, uses Ring Central on top of Smith.ai, but we’re trying to convert him to Cradle.io on top of his HubSpot instance ;)

And if you thought voice has no place in SEO, you are mistaken. One of the best SEO agencies out there, White Hat SEO, does a lot to help with their clients voice stack:

And let’s hear from agencies who use cloud-based phone systems for their agency, but their clients are still vastly on local phone providers:

Bashfoo, a Brick/Mortar business marketing agency, is ahead of the curve with their cloud-based phone system while most of their clients are still on local phone service providers.

And Mark from GNGF, an award winning local marketing agency, uses a VoIP system to power their agencies but sees most of their clients using a local service phone provider.

Clay and Bostic Heller are in the exact same boat – knowing and loving cloud-based, but servicing clients who are on local…

Conclusion and Pivot Tables

45.95% of those surveyed believe their clients’ voice stacks are ‘Very’ important to their growth KPIs:

How important is the voice stack for your client’s KPIs?
Of total:
Somewhat = 18.92%
Very = 45.95%
Critical = 32.43%
Not at all = 2.70%

…the vast majority of Marketing Agency’s clients (85%) use a local internet or phone service provider!

This is the opportunity for you marketing agencies out there – don’t let MSPs come in and take your clients who need help choosing and setting up their voice systems and stack.

The saas we mention in this article and below are (a) dead simple to work with, and (b) supply marketing with the CRO and analytics you need to increase budgets or optimize campaigns.

So, if I were a marketing agency, I’d strongly consider the following steps to add a new revenue stream to my business:

  1. Take this course on White Label Virtual Reception services for agencies (in our agency community so simply request access) >>
  2. Book some time with the partnerships team at Smith.ai to hear how their solution can be everything your clients need for answering chat/calls.
  3. Book time with CallRail.com to hear how to add tracking and analytics to that.
  4. IF your are HubSpot – definitely grab one of Cradle.io’s free agency accounts and see what that can do for your and your clients VoIP.
  5. And if you are in professional services, automotive or doing anything offline, check out Ringboost.com for vanity numbers for increased conversion and branding of your clients.
  6. After learning from each and hearing how they work together, start determining hours and purview so you can decide on a service to go back to your clients who are a fit.
  7. Ask your new partners for collateral to email out about the platforms or use case.
  8. Send out a nurturing email campaign to all of your prospects and clients talking about why and how of voice systems.

If you are in need of peer support for this and other services: