Click-to-Call: Why and How?Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 12:30pm
Geek Lab @ IPDI Politics Online ConferencePresented By: Julie Blitzer, New Projects Coordinator
Hi! I’m Julie Blitzer. I work for Advomatic.Advomatic is a (Drupal!) web development and strategy consulting firm
based in New York City. We were founded by two Dean for America alums.
And I’m Globey!
What does Advomatic do?
Web Development
Hosting
Web Design
Drupal Maintenance
Site Planning & Information Architecture
Online Communications Strategy
Click-to-Call Tool
This is Amy.* She works for Rep. Nadler (NY-08).
*Amy does not actually work for Rep. Nadler, photo for demonstration only.
Amy’s job is to track constituent opinion in Rep. Nadler’s district. Each day she follows:
Snail Mail
Phone Calls
Amy
This is Mark. He lives at 29 Broadway* in New York, NY.
*This is Advomatic’s office, not a residential address.
Mark and a friend discuss government funding of healthcare over drinks one
night when talking about the recession.
Without Click-to-Call, Part 1An organization emails its members, asking them to make phone calls to Congress. The email may include the direct phone number for his or her representatives’ offices on The Hill.
Without Click-to-Call, Part 2
What’s wrong with this method?
• No metrics
• Limited Reach
• No Reporting
• Call Cost
With Click-to-Call, Part 1Health Care for America NOW! emails its supporters, asking them to make a phone call in support of Obama’s budget using its exciting new tool. There is no phone number in the email, just a button/link to click on.
With Click-to-Call, Part 2
Click-to-Call Widget for BlueAmerica PAC posted to
DailyKos, November 2008
Advomatic makes an embeddable widget for the “Support Obama’s Budget!” campaign.* HCAN sends this widget and link to its list of bloggers and contacts, who then post the widget on their own blogs, reaching millions of readers, who are all potential callers.
*This campaign did not use widgets.
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
1. Mark opens the email from Health Care for America NOW! and clicks on the “Call” button.
Mark
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
2. The link takes Mark to a webform where he is asked to enter his address, zip code and callback number.
Mark
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
3. The next page displays call instructions and Mark’s representatives in congress: Nadler, Gillibrand and Schumer. Mark chooses to call Rep. Nadler. He clicks “Call Now!”
Rep. Nadler
Call Instructions
Mark
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
4. The next page Mark reads a call script. He also sees a response form where he can report Rep. Nadler’s position on Obama’s budget. He clicks the “Place Call” button.
Call Script
Response Form
Mark
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
5. Mark’s phone rings, it’s the Executive Director of Health Care for America NOW! thanking him for calling and giving instructions on what to do after the office of his representative answers.
Mark
With Click-to-Call, Part 3
6. He is then patched through to Rep. Nadler’s office. Mark tells the staffer (Amy) that Rep. Nadler should vote in favor of President Obama’s budget because of its dedication to healthcare reform.
Click-to-Call ToolAmyMark
Back to Amy, the staffer for Rep. Nadler (NY-08)Over 100 of Rep. Nadler’s constituents, like Mark, use HCAN’s Click-to-Call tool in one afternoon alone.
Problems: Solved!
• No metrics: # of calls placed and call times
• Limited Reach: Widgets and a unique URL
• No Reporting: Representative’s positions
• Call Cost: No outgoing call fee for supporter
A By-Product: Orgs <3 Data
Your organization gets to keep all of the identifying data from the web form.
Turn your list of email addresses into a list of email addresses, phone numbers and mailing addresses.
Grow your list!
Who uses this thing?
How does Click-to-Call work?
• PHP coding language
• VoIP: Voice-Over Internet Protocol
• Asterisk Server
• TIGER/Line files from U.S. Census Bureau for district lookups
• Electeds’ contact information verified twice
• Google Analytics
• Custom color scheme and header for your organization
(the geeky version)
The Results*
HCAN: Support President Obama’s Budget!• Calls made: 1,354 calls• Total call time: 4,221 minutes, 57 seconds• 1 minute, 33 seconds average call length
All Campaigns to Date• Calls made to targets: 26,503 calls• Total call time: 64 days, 23 hours, 49 minutes & 1 second• Average Call time: 1 minute, 45 seconds
*Call data as of 4/17/2009, 2:00pm EST
The Facts
• First created by Advomatic Partner Aaron Welch for Chris Dodd for President in October 2007.
• Unlike texting solutions, Click-to-Call uses land and mobile phones
• Currently Available for:
– House, Senate, President– Governors of all 50 states– Legislatures in NY, CA and CO (more coming soon!)
The Facts (cont.)
• Costs:– $500 one-time setup fee (not charged on subsequent
campaigns)– 10¢/min during MP3 recording– 20¢/min when connected to Congress (3-way call)– Average 30¢-50¢ total cost per call– Whitelabel is $300 setup + $300 monthly fee
• Setup turnaround time is only 2 hours.
What’s next for Click-to-Call?
• More State Legislatures• Custom Target Lists – e.g. Local Town Officials• You Tell Us!
Last but not least…We just finished an awesome new website!
(our own) Please visit http://advomatic.com and take a look.
Q & A
Thanks!
http://[email protected]
Twitter: @advomatic
http://advomatic.com/[email protected]
Twitter: @zhuli