Guides · Leads and phones
Call Log Template: What to Write Down From Every Call
By Josh Croom · October 27, 2026 · 11 min read
A good call log gives every call one line: the date and time, how the caller found you, what they needed, what kind of call it was and what happened next. Fill it in during the call, not from memory on Friday, and at the end of the month you'll know where your customers came from.
The question nobody could answer
4:40 PM. It's the last Thursday of the month, and the owner leans into the front office with a simple question: how many of this month's new customers came from Google? The office manager scrolls back through the desk phone's call history, which shows phone numbers and times and nothing else.
So the answer is a guess, and the ads report says one thing while everyone's gut says another. A call log settles the question for about a minute of effort per call, because the person on the phone writes down what only a person can hear: how the caller found you and what they wanted.
The call log template
Copy these seven columns into a shared spreadsheet and give every call its own row. The first three rows show one call of each kind, filled in the way your team would actually write them, and the blank rows are yours to start with.
| Date and time | How they found us | What they needed | Kind of call | What happened next | Words they searched | Taken by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Oct 6, 10:14 AM | Google search | Quote on a leaking water heater | New | Booked Thu, 9 AM. Showed up. | water heater leaking from bottom | Dana |
| Tue, Oct 6, 11:30 AM | A friend | Saturday hours | Info | Told her 8 to noon. Got her first name. | (didn't search) | Dana |
| Tue, Oct 6, 1:05 PM | Google search | A different company | Wrong | Told them who we are. Wrote down what they wanted. | (the other company's name) | Luis |
| ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
| ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ | ____ |
What each column is for
Each column answers a question your boss or your board will ask at the end of the month.
- Date and time let you find the line again later without writing down anyone's name, which keeps private details out of a shared file.
- How they found us holds the caller's own answer, written the way they said it. Mark Google search, Google Maps, a friend, social media or other, and count "Google" as a full answer, since many people can't tell an ad from a map listing.
- What they needed shows which services people call about most, so you know what to put first on your site and in your ads.
- Kind of call sorts each line into New, Info or Wrong, so the monthly count can separate real customers from wrong numbers.
- What happened next says whether the caller booked, whether you sent them somewhere else or whether they decided not to come. When a booked visit happens or falls through, go back to the line and add it.
- Words they searched catches the exact phrases real people type into Google when they need you. Our search terms study shows how many different ways people word the same need.
- Taken by records who answered the phone, so a question about a line weeks later goes straight to the person who remembers the call.
The one question to ask every new caller
Near the end of every new call, say: "Before I let you go, how did you first hear about us?" Then write down the answer in the caller's own words instead of translating it into yours.
Keep the question open, because "Did you find us on Google?" gets a polite yes from most people and tells you nothing. An open question lets the caller tell you about the friend, the yard sign or the search that actually brought them to you.
If they say Google, ask one more thing: "Do you remember what you typed in?" Their words show you how real people describe what you do. Those words make better ads and better page titles than anything you'd write at a desk, and they're the questions to answer on your site if you want AI tools to find you, as our guide to generative engine optimization explains.
What calls from ads really look like
We pulled the calls from Google ads on 6 church and nonprofit accounts we manage. Many calls are short, and most come in during office hours, when only your front desk can hear why they called.
- 31%ended in under 10 seconds6 church and nonprofit accounts
- 87%came Monday to Friday, 8 to 5local time, on the same 6 accounts
- 24%lasted a minute or moreon the same 6 accounts
What call tracking sees
Call tracking records every call from your ads automatically, along with the time, the length and the ad or page it came from. We pooled 367 calls from Google ads to 19 pregnancy center and nonprofit accounts over four weeks, and 25% got through and ended in under 30 seconds. Google saw every one of those calls, but it never saw who walked in.
Calls and forms
Your log and your tracking see different halves
Where we track calls from both the ad and the website, 64% came straight from the call button on the ad, before any website visit. Tracking counts those calls, but only your question catches the person who called a week later from memory.
What call tracking sees
- The time and length of every call from your ads.
- Whether the call came from the ad itself or from your website.
- Which ad and which search led to the call.
- Nothing about what the caller wanted or whether they came in.
What your call log sees
- How the caller says they first heard about you.
- What they needed, written down in their own words.
- Whether they booked an appointment, and whether they actually showed up.
- The friend, the yard sign or the memory that sent them your way.
Your count won't match your ad report, because each one catches calls the other misses, so look at both every month.
Sort every call into one of three kinds
Some calls from your ads aren't people you can help, and a quick question about parking often comes from someone planning a visit. One word in the Kind column keeps those calls apart when you add up the month.
Answer the phone with your full business or church name, so a wrong caller realizes right away that they've reached someone else. For a wrong number, say: "Thanks for calling (your full business name). Sounds like you want (what they said). What did you search?"
- New means someone you can actually help with what they asked for. Write what they needed and what happened next, and come back to the line when they book or show up.
- Info means a question like "What time are you open?" or "Where do I park?" That caller is planning a visit, so answer, then ask for a first name so you'll know them when they arrive.
- Wrong means they wanted someone else with a name like yours. Ask "What were you looking for?" and write their exact words, because a pattern of wrong calls shows what people mix you up with.
How to run the log, step by step
The log only works when everyone on the phones keeps it the same way, and these seven steps take about one short team meeting to set up.
Step 1
Use one log
Pick one sheet that everyone can open, or use your customer system. Then whoever takes the next call can see who already called, and nothing lives in one person's notebook.
Step 2
Fill it in during the call
Write the line during the call or right after it, because by Friday nobody remembers which caller mentioned the yard sign.
Step 3
Ask how they found you
Ask "How did you first hear about us?" on every new call, and write down the caller's own words rather than the answer you expected to hear.
Step 4
Log every call
Short calls, hang-ups and wrong numbers go in the log too, because they show which searches bring the wrong people, and whoever runs your ads can stop paying for those searches.
Step 5
Close the loop
When a booked visit or job happens or falls through, go back to that line and add it. A booking that never shows up still counts as a booking until someone writes it down.
Step 6
Keep the same phone number
Don't change the phone number on your ads, your Google listing or your website without telling whoever runs your tracking, because a quiet change can break the call count.
Step 7
Add it up each month
Count calls, bookings and the people who came in, then set them next to last month and next to your ad report, since the trend over several months tells you more than any single week.
What to look for each month
Once a month, read the whole log in one sitting, because a few useful patterns show up quickly once every line sits in one place.
- See which answers to "How did you first hear about us?" come up most, and whether Google is growing or shrinking from last month.
- Note which needs show up most often, so your website and your ads can lead with the services people actually call about.
- Look for wrong callers who keep asking for the same place, and if you find them, make sure your Google listing and home page say plainly who you are.
- Find the long calls that didn't end in a booking. Those callers talked for a minute or more, so a short note in the log tells you which ones are worth a call back.
Is your call log working?
Answer five quick questions. Your answers aren't sent anywhere.
Does everyone who answers the phone write in the same log?
Do you ask every new caller how they first heard about you?
Do short calls and wrong numbers go in the log too?
Do you go back and mark whether a booked caller showed up?
Do you add up the log once a month?
Your log is doing its job. Set this month's count next to your ad report, and look at which needs show up most.
You're close to a log that works. Fix the first question you answered No this week, because each one leaves a hole in your monthly count.
Start small tomorrow morning: open one shared sheet, add the seven columns, and ask the one question on every new call.
Set up your call log this week
Tick each one off as you go. Your ticks stay on this device.
0 of 6 done
How we help with calls from ads
We track every call and form our ads bring in, and your portal lists each one with the time it arrived and what it cost. Your log adds what each caller told you, so you can see which ads bring the customers you want. We do this for local trades and for churches and other nonprofits.
If you'd like help lining up your log with your ads, book a call with Miguel. He'll walk through how calls reach you today and what you're tracking now.
Questions people ask
What should a call log include?
Give each call one line with the date and time, how the caller found you, what they needed, the kind of call, what happened next and the words they searched. Keep names and health details out of any log that several people share.
How do I make a call log in Google Sheets or Excel?
Open a blank sheet and type seven column names in the first row. Use date and time, how they found us, what they needed, kind of call, what happened next, words they searched and taken by. Share it with everyone who answers the phone, and add one row for each call.
Should I log wrong numbers and hang-ups?
Yes, because those calls tell you something too. On our church and nonprofit accounts, 31% of calls from ads ended in under 10 seconds. A line for each short call shows which searches bring the wrong people, so you can stop paying for them.
Why doesn't my call log match my Google Ads report?
They measure different halves of the same month. Your ad report counts the calls it can trace to an ad, while your log catches people who heard about you from a friend or called a week later from memory. Expect the two counts to differ, and look at both.
What's the best question to ask a new caller?
Ask "How did you first hear about us?" because an open question gets the caller to tell you what actually happened instead of giving a polite yes. If they say Google, follow up by asking what they typed.
See how we track every call and form our ads bring in
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