Call tracking for plumbers

Why plumbers need to count calls

For most plumbing firms, the phone is where work is won. A website might bring a handful of form enquiries a week and many more calls, but unless you count those calls you cannot tell whether the site is earning its keep. That makes it hard to decide whether to spend more on the website, on a directory or on ads.

You do not need sophisticated software to get a useful answer. This guide starts with the simplest methods and works up, with the privacy points that come with each.

Method one: ask every caller

The cheapest method is to ask, "How did you find us?" and write the answer down. It is imperfect, because people forget or say "Google" when they mean your Business Profile, a directory or your website. But for a small firm it costs nothing, and over a few months the pattern is usually clear enough to act on.

Keep the record somewhere simple: a column in your job book or spreadsheet with options such as website, Business Profile, directory, referral, van or repeat customer.

Method two: count taps on the call button

When someone taps a tap-to-call link on a phone, the website can record that tap. It does not prove the call connected, but it shows how many people tried to call from each page. That tells you which pages are working and which are not.

This needs some form of analytics. A privacy-friendly analytics tool that does not set tracking cookies, or a tool relying on the new statistical exception for cookies, can do this with minimal intrusion. The rules on analytics cookies changed in February 2026, so read the cookies guide before choosing a tool.

Method three: a dedicated website number

Use a separate phone number that appears only on your website and forwards to your normal phone. Every call to that number came from someone who saw it on the site. Most business phone providers can supply extra numbers that ring through to your mobile or office line and report how many calls each received.

Choose the type of number with care. A local geographic number looks familiar. An 03 number also works well: Ofcom says calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national-rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards inclusive minutes in the same way.^[1] Avoid premium-rate numbers, which put customers off and which Google does not accept on a Business Profile.^[2]

The main drawback is consistency. If the website shows a different number from your van, Business Profile and directory listings, customers may wonder whether they have the right firm. A sensible compromise is to keep your main number on the Business Profile and elsewhere, and use the tracked number only on the website itself.

Method four: dynamic number insertion

Dynamic number insertion shows different phone numbers to different visitors depending on how they arrived, for example one number for visitors from Google search and another for visitors from an ad. It can tell you which channel or even which search produced a call.

It is more complex than most small plumbing firms need. It relies on scripts and usually on cookies or similar technologies to remember which number each visitor was shown. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, storing or accessing information on a user's device needs consent unless an exception applies. Exceptions for some statistical and preference uses came into force on 5 February 2026, with conditions including clear information and a simple, free way to object.^[3] Whether a particular call tracking tool fits an exception depends on exactly what it does, so check the provider's documentation and the ICO's guidance before switching it on.

Recording calls

Some call tracking services offer recording, which can help with training, disputes and checking how enquiries are handled. A recording of a call is personal data. The ICO's guidance on the right to be informed says people must be told why their data is being used, how long it will be kept and who it will be shared with, at the time it is collected.^[4]

In practice that means telling callers at the start of the call that it may be recorded and why, explaining the recording in your privacy notice, keeping recordings only as long as you need them and storing them securely. If you do not have a clear reason to record, do not.

What to measure

Divide cost by jobs won and you have the cost per job for each channel. That one figure settles most arguments about where to spend.

Reading the numbers honestly

Call figures can mislead if you read them in isolation. A few habits keep them honest:

• Compare like with like. Plumbing demand is seasonal. A cold snap brings a surge of heating calls whatever the website does, so compare a month with the same month last year where you can, not only with the month before.
• Separate new and repeat customers. A repeat customer who used your website to find your number is not a new lead from the website. Note the difference in your records.
• Count jobs, not just calls. Ten calls that turn into nine jobs are worth more than thirty calls that turn into five. Track the outcome as well as the call.
• Watch missed calls. If many tracked calls go unanswered, the problem may be availability rather than marketing. A callback promise on the website and a quick return call can recover many of them.

After three months you will usually know which pages and channels bring the work you want, which is the whole point of tracking.

Keeping it proportionate

A sole trader does not need the same tracking as a firm with a dozen vans. Start with asking callers and a dedicated website number. Add tap counts if you want to know which pages perform. Only consider dynamic numbers and recording if you are spending meaningful sums on several paid channels and need the extra detail.

Whatever you use, be open about it. Mention call tracking and any recording in your privacy notice, and choose tools that collect the least data needed to answer your question.

Common questions