Different types of call tracking: Unlock intel on your customer journey

When your pipeline depends on conversations, knowing what drives every call is a game-changer. That’s where different types of call tracking can help you understand which marketing activities get potential customers picking up the phone.

Call tracking software shows you exactly where your phone leads are coming from and how they connect to your wider marketing activity. It’s especially useful for marketers in call-centric industries like automotive, financial services, travel, healthcare, or utilities, where phone calls are often the highest intent touchpoint.

But not all call tracking is created equal. There are different types of call tracking that offer varying levels of visibility. In this blog, we’ll break down the four main types, from basic to fully granular, so you can find the right fit for your goals.

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What are the different types of call tracking?

Marketers typically use four main types of call tracking, each offering different levels of insight across the customer journey:

• Basic call tracking
• Campaign-level call tracking
• Session-level call tracking
• Visitor-level call tracking

Let’s dive into what each type means, how it works, and what it’s best used for.

Basic call tracking: One number per channel

This is the most straightforward form of call tracking. Basic call tracking assigns one phone number per marketing channel. For example, you might use one number on Google Ads, another on Facebook, and another on print.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Useful for offline or external sources
• Gives you a broad idea of which channel drove the call

Cons:

• Doesn’t track campaigns or user behaviour
• No insight into the customer journey
• Can’t connect calls to ROI

Best for: Offline campaigns or websites where you can’t change the code (e.g. third-party listings).

Campaign-level call tracking: One number per campaign

Campaign-level tracking builds on the basic model by assigning a unique phone number to each marketing campaign. It’s a popular choice for tracking performance across multiple ads, offers, or print campaigns.

Pros

• More granular than basic tracking
• Helps attribute calls to specific activities
• Ideal for tracking offline campaigns

Cons:

• Relies on last-click attribution
• Misses earlier touchpoints in the customer journey
• Doesn’t capture how users engaged before calling

Best for: Flyers, print ads, outdoor advertising, and other static campaigns.

Session-level call tracking: One number per visit, per user

Session-level tracking takes things further. Each website visitor is assigned a dynamic phone number that lasts for the duration of their browsing session. This enables you to see which page, channel, or keyword prompted the call as long as they call before leaving the site.

Pros

• Dynamic and personalised
• Offers more context around each call
• Better insight than static tracking

Cons:

• Limited to single sessions
• If the user leaves and returns, you lose continuity
• Doesn’t reflect long-term or multi-touch journeys

Best for: Businesses looking to track which sessions drive the most calls from different channel like paid or organic search.

Visitor-level call tracking: Full journey visibility

Visitor-level tracking is the most sophisticated option. It assigns a unique phone number to each website visitor and captures every interaction they have with your site – across all sessions, sources, and keywords – before they call.

Visitor-level call tracking gives you unmatched attribution depth, helping you understand the full journey from first click to final call.

Pros

• Full visibility across multiple sessions and touchpoints
• Connects calls to specific keywords, channels, and campaigns
• Proves marketing ROI and makes it easier to allocate budget to drive better results

Cons:

• Requires dynamic tracking setup
• Works best when integrated with other MarTech tools like your CRM or bidding tools

Best for: Marketers who need deep attribution insights to optimise spend, increase ROAS, and show the true value of the marketing campaigns they deliver.

Call tracking comparison table

We’ve put together a quick comparison to help you choose the right type of call tracking for your needs:

Choosing the right type of call tracking

Still wondering what are the different types of call tracking best suited for your team?

Here’s a quick rundown:

• Basic tracking is best for quick wins on offline channels.
• Campaign-level tracking will help you test individual ad creatives or assets.
• Use session-level tracking when your business depends on same-session conversions.
• Visitor-level tracking will give you full-funnel insight to help you prove marketing performance across channels and campaigns.

The more complex your marketing mix, and the more accountable you need to be, the more value you’ll get from moving up the ladder to more advanced forms of call tracking.

Ready to make more good calls?

The different types of call tracking each offer unique advantages, depending on your goals, channels, and level of insight you want or need. For marketers aiming to reduce budget waste, maximise ROI, and connect digital efforts to real-world results, the more advanced visitor-level tracking is where the real power lies.