Just got out of a pretty interesting presentation for one of the features in DirectTrack that I think is a biggie, or at least has potential to be pretty quickly. If you run a per lead program or a high price point retail program that converts better with an in bound or outbound phone call, this is a feature you should definitely have a look at using.

There are actually 2 features to consider:

Call Direct- Merchant requests toll free numbers that are assigned to specific publishers on a private offer basis. An offer is then set up that pays the affiliate for each completed call to that number.

Click to Call- End-users complete online form and enters in their call back information to receive a call back from call center. Upon contact affiliate is given credit. In this scenario - a form is generated that allows a visitor to request a call from the merchants call center. Todd Crawford from Digital River had a pretty good suggestion that this is the type of action that would be great to use in an exit pop or similar situation where contact may otherwise be lost.

Both of these features have amazing potential in that in many situations, a phone conversation may deliver a higher quality lead and better probability for a close than a standard web form.

If a merchant is running a high value retail offer - say - time share sales, luxury auto’s real estate, or a lead program requiring info like Social Security numbers or other personally identifiable information that some web users may be hesitant to submit in a form, both of these reward types and tracking mechanisms could definitely be a plus for merchant and affiliate alike.

The Cons- as of now, there are some small but important additions that need to be made.

1. There needs to be control for the merchant to define what constitutes a valid call. Say, a minimum time spent online.

2. There is not currently a tool available to let a merchant go through their call list and administer which calls were 10 second hang ups and therefore invalid leads.

Concern was expressed and Mark and the team at Direct Response indicated that the information exists with the telcom provider and that these features will come.

So… I’d definitely look into this if your program fits the scenarios above, but proceed with caution and choose targeted partners with trusted traffic at this point.

I get the feeling these wrinkles will be quickly worked out.