How lead-to-sale matching works
Updated
Matching is how Agency Edge decides that a lead you paid for and a sale you wrote are the same customer, so the sale counts for the vendor that sent the lead.
What makes a match
Agency Edge compares the name on the lead with the policy name on the sale, then checks the dates and the place. It does not use phone numbers or email addresses.
- Names are tidied first. Capitals, accents, hyphens and punctuation are ignored, a suffix such as Jr is dropped, and word order does not matter.
- The sale must be written on or after the day the lead was received.
- ZIP codes count only when they are identical.
When two words of the name agree, usually the first and last name, that is normally enough on its own, however long after the lead the sale was written.
A known nickname counts as the same first name when the last name agrees and the ZIP or the state is the same. So does a short form, such as Alex for Alexander, when the state is the same.
Three near misses are also accepted, but only with the same ZIP and a sale within 365 days of the lead, or the same state and a sale within 120 days:
- a first name a letter or two off, with the same last name;
- a last name a letter or two off, with the same first name;
- a different first name with the same last name and ZIP, which is someone else in the household. This needs the sale within 30 days of the lead, or within 120 days with the lead's vendor as the sale's source.
A lead is left out when it is not billable, is a duplicate, has no name, or arrived as "Unknown Caller".
Matching is done one office at a time, against that office's sales only.
When more than one could match
A sale is matched to one lead. A lead can have several sales.
When several leads could claim a sale:
- The strongest evidence wins. A name that agrees beats a misspelling, and a misspelling beats a household match.
- Between equals, the lead received most recently wins.
- If the most recent leads came on the same day from two vendors, the sale goes to the one its source names. Otherwise it is left unmatched.
When matching runs
- At the end of every sales upload.
- Just after every leads upload.
- On a schedule in the background, a few times a day, for any office that still has a lead with no sale against it.
A sale you record by hand does not start matching on the spot. The next upload or scheduled run picks it up.
Each run works the automatic matches out again, so one can move to a different lead when new leads or sales arrive. Links and unlinks you make by hand are kept.
See a match
Match Details puts the Internet Lead on the left and the Sale on the right, with the days between them underneath. Zip match and Source match show whether the ZIP and the source agreed. A link made by hand is tagged Manual. On the Leads Log tab, a matched lead carries a SOLD badge.
What the relationship words mean
Above the table, beside All matched, each matched lead is counted under one word. Click a word to filter the tab.
- Fresh — the first sale came within 90 days of the lead, and any others within 60 days of the first.
- Repeat — the first sale came within 90 days, and the customer bought again more than 60 days after it.
- Aged — the first sale came more than 90 days after the lead.
- Aged + Repeat — both.
In Match Details, under Customer Journey, the word is a badge: Aged Conv., Repeat or Aged + Repeat. A fresh lead has none.
When to link by hand
Automatic matching cannot help when the policy name shares no word with the lead (a business name, say), when the sale is dated before the lead, when the lead was left out, or when two vendors tie. For these, see Link or unlink a lead and a sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Agency Edge match on phone number or email?
No. It matches on the name, the ZIP or state, and the dates. The sale's source helps settle a tie.
I recorded a sale by hand. Why does its lead still show no sale?
Recording a sale does not run matching. The next upload or four-hour run does. If the lead is still unmatched after that, link it by hand.
Why did a sale move to a different lead?
Each run works the automatic matches out again, and between equals the most recent lead wins. Link the sale by hand and matching leaves it alone from then on.