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How Did You Hear - By Customer Documentation

Menu Location: Reports > Acquisition > How Did You Hear (detailed view)

Access Level: Customer Service / Manager / Administrator

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The "How Did You Hear - By Customer" report provides a detailed, customer-by-customer breakdown of acquisition sources. Unlike the summary graphs view, this detailed table shows exactly which customer came from which marketing channel, allowing you to look up individual acquisition sources and analyze patterns at the customer level.

Primary Functions:

  • Look up how specific customers found your business
  • View acquisition data for all customers in a date range
  • Filter by customer to see their referral source
  • Export detailed acquisition data for analysis
  • Track marketing effectiveness at the individual customer level

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Page Title: "Reports \ Acquisition \ How Did You Hear"
  • Date Range Filter: Select start and end dates for customer acquisitions
  • Toggle Views: Switch between "Summary Graphs" and detailed customer list
  • Revenue Button: Quick link to revenue analysis by acquisition source

Main Content Area

A searchable, exportable table displaying individual customer acquisition records with:

  • Customer signup dates
  • Customer names and IDs
  • Acquisition channel categories
  • Detailed acquisition source text (what they actually typed)

Filter Controls

Date range selectors allow focusing on specific time periods for acquisition analysis.

Date Range Filtering

Setting Date Range

Steps to Filter:

  1. Click in the "From" date field
  2. Select start date from calendar picker
  3. Click in the "To" date field
  4. Select end date from calendar picker
  5. Click "Search" button

Default Behavior:

  • From: 3 weeks ago
  • To: Today
  • Automatically adjusts to midnight start and 11:59pm end of selected days

Tips:

  • Use wider date ranges for trend analysis
  • Use specific date ranges to evaluate campaign performance
  • Reset to defaults by clearing dates and clicking Search

Report Data & Columns

Column Description Source
Date When customer created their account Customer signup timestamp
Customer Customer name with ID number Customer database record
How Acquisition category selected during signup Dropdown selection ("A friend told me!", "Google", etc.)
Expanded Detailed text entered by customer Free-text field if they selected "Other" or typed a name

Search and Navigation

The report includes a built-in search box (top right of table) that filters results in real-time.

Search Tips:

  • Type customer name to find specific customers
  • Search by acquisition channel (e.g., "Google", "friend")
  • Search expanded text to find specific referrer names
  • Clear search to see all results again

Table Features

  • Sortable columns: Click any column header to sort
  • Real-time filtering: Search box filters all columns instantly
  • Pagination: Browse large datasets page by page (if enabled)

Export Options

Export Formats:

  • CSV: Download spreadsheet-compatible file with all filtered data
  • Print: Generate printer-friendly version of current view

Export Process:

  1. Apply any desired date range filters
  2. Use search box to filter results if needed
  3. Click "CSV" button to download spreadsheet
  4. Click "Print" button to generate print view

What's Included: All visible rows and columns based on current filters and search terms.

Actions & Operations

Look Up Individual Customer Acquisition

Purpose: Find out how a specific customer heard about your business

Steps:

  1. Navigate to How Did You Hear page
  2. Use search box to type customer's name
  3. View their row in the table
  4. Check "How" and "Expanded" columns

Example: Search "John Smith" to see if he came from a friend, Google, or another source.

Access Customer Account

Purpose: Go directly to a customer's full account from acquisition record

Steps:

  1. Locate customer in table
  2. Click their name/ID link in the "Customer" column
  3. Customer account page opens in same window

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Verify a Customer's Referral Source

Goal: A customer claims they were referred by someone, and you need to verify

Steps:

  1. Navigate to How Did You Hear page
  2. Type customer's name in search box
  3. Check the "Expanded" column
  4. Verify the referring customer name matches
  5. Cross-reference with Referrals page if needed

Example: Customer Sarah says "My friend Emily told me about you." Search for Sarah, see "Emily Johnson" in Expanded column, confirm the referral.

Use Case 2: Analyze Acquisition Sources for Recent Signups

Goal: See where your new customers came from this month

Steps:

  1. Set "From" date to first day of current month
  2. Set "To" date to today
  3. Click Search
  4. Review "How" column to see distribution
  5. Note patterns in acquisition sources

Tips:

  • Export to CSV for deeper analysis in Excel
  • Count how many customers came from each source
  • Identify if specific channels are performing better

Use Case 3: Find All Customers from a Specific Campaign

Goal: Identify which customers came from a particular marketing effort

Steps:

  1. Set date range to campaign period
  2. Click Search
  3. Use search box to filter by campaign name (e.g., "Instagram")
  4. Review list of customers from that source
  5. Export for follow-up campaigns

Example: Ran a Facebook ad in January. Set dates to Jan 1-31, search "Facebook", see all 23 customers who mentioned Facebook in their signup.

Use Case 4: Identify Customers Who Need Referral Linking

Goal: Find customers who mentioned a friend but aren't linked yet

Steps:

  1. Search for "friend" in search box
  2. Review "Expanded" column for specific names
  3. Note customer IDs who need linking
  4. Navigate to Referrals page
  5. Link these customers to their referrers

Tips:

  • This is a good way to catch missed referral connections
  • Some customers might type a name that needs investigation
  • Cross-check names against your customer database

Goal: Compare how acquisition sources change by season

Steps:

  1. Run report for Q1 (Jan-Mar), export CSV
  2. Run report for Q2 (Apr-Jun), export CSV
  3. Run report for Q3 (Jul-Sep), export CSV
  4. Run report for Q4 (Oct-Dec), export CSV
  5. Compare distribution of "How" categories

Example: Notice summer shows more "friend" referrals while winter shows more "Google" searches, suggesting seasonal marketing adjustments.

Filters & Search Options

Date Range Filters

  • From: Select starting date for customer signups
  • To: Select ending date for customer signups
  • What it searches: All columns (date, customer, how, expanded)
  • How it works: Type in search box, results filter instantly
  • Case sensitive: No, searches are case-insensitive

Troubleshooting

Search Not Finding Expected Customer

Symptoms: Typing customer name returns no results

Solutions:

  1. Check date range—customer may have signed up outside selected dates
  2. Try searching by first name only or last name only
  3. Clear search and manually browse to find them
  4. Expand date range to "all time" by using very old start date

Common Causes:

  • Customer signed up before your selected date range
  • Typo in search term
  • Customer name spelled differently in system

"How" Column Shows "Other" But No Details

Symptoms: "How" says "Other" but "Expanded" column is empty

Check:

  1. Customer may not have filled in the text field during signup
  2. This is expected behavior if they selected "Other" but skipped the text
  3. Consider reaching out to customer to ask their source

Export Not Including All Data

Symptoms: CSV download has fewer rows than expected

Solutions:

  1. Clear any active searches before exporting
  2. Verify date range includes all customers you want
  3. Check if table pagination is affecting export
  4. Refresh page and try export again

If Problem Persists: Export may only include currently visible/filtered data. Remove all filters for complete export.

  • How Did You Hear Revenue (how-did-you-hear-revenue.php) - Revenue analysis by acquisition source
  • How Did You Hear Summary (admin-how-did-you-hear.php?r=1) - Pie charts and summary graphs of acquisition channels
  • Referrals (admin-referrals.php) - Manage customer referral linking and credits
  • Customer Info (customer_info.php) - Individual customer account details
  • Edit How Did You Hear Categories (admin-edit.php?table=how_did_you_hear_cats) - Modify dropdown options customers see at signup

Typical Workflow:

  1. How Did You Hear (detailed) → Identify referrals → Referrals page → Link customers
  2. How Did You Hear (detailed) → Export data → Analyze in Excel → Adjust marketing
  3. Customer account → How Did You Hear → Verify acquisition source → Update records

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Customer Service or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

  • Customer Service: View report, search, export data
  • Manager: All Customer Service capabilities plus date range analysis
  • Administrator: All Manager capabilities plus edit acquisition categories
  • Kiva Admin: All features plus system configuration

Best Practices

Data Quality

  1. Regularly review "Other" responses for common patterns
  2. Add frequently mentioned sources to dropdown categories
  3. Train customer service to ask about acquisition if field is empty
  4. Validate referral names against customer database

Analysis Workflow

  1. Start with summary graphs for overview
  2. Use detailed view to investigate specific patterns
  3. Export data monthly for historical tracking
  4. Cross-reference with revenue report to see which sources drive value

Marketing Optimization

  • Track which channels bring most customers
  • Monitor changes in acquisition sources over time
  • Use data to allocate marketing budget effectively
  • Test new channels and measure customer acquisition

Things to Avoid

  • ❌ Ignoring customers with blank or unclear acquisition sources
  • ❌ Assuming "Other" responses aren't valuable—they often reveal new channels
  • ❌ Forgetting to link friend/family referrals found in this report
  • ❌ Not exporting data regularly for historical comparison

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
View detailed acquisition list Reports > Acquisition > How Did You Hear
Switch to summary graphs Click "Summary Graphs" button at top
Filter by date range Set From/To dates, click Search
Search for specific customer Type name in search box (top right of table)
View customer account Click customer name/ID in table
Export to Excel Click "CSV" button above table
Print report Click "Print" button above table
Clear search filter Delete text from search box
Sort by column Click column header to sort
Edit acquisition categories Click link at bottom of summary graphs view

FAQs

What's the difference between "How" and "Expanded"?

"How" is the category they selected from a dropdown (like "A friend told me!" or "Google"). "Expanded" is the additional text they typed, usually a friend's name or specific source details. "Expanded" is often empty if they chose a non-"Other" category.

Can I see which acquisitions led to the most revenue?

Yes, but not on this page. Click the "Revenue" button at the top to access the revenue analysis by acquisition source. This page shows who came from where; the revenue page shows how much they spent.

Why do some customers show blank acquisition sources?

This happens if: (1) the acquisition question wasn't asked during signup (older customers), (2) the customer skipped the field, or (3) data wasn't properly recorded. Consider reaching out to these customers to update their records.

How often should I review this report?

Review weekly for referral linking opportunities, monthly for trend analysis, and quarterly for strategic marketing planning. Export monthly for historical comparison.

Can I change what shows in the "How" dropdown?

Yes, Administrators can edit the acquisition categories. From the summary graphs view, click the "Edit Categories" link at the bottom of the page. This changes what future customers see during signup.

What should I do with customers who typed unclear references?

If the "Expanded" field has a vague entry like "friend" without a name, consider: (1) calling the customer to ask for details, (2) searching your customer database for likely matches, or (3) marking it as unable to link if you can't determine the referrer.

Change Log

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created
  • All sections completed including detailed use cases and troubleshooting

End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.