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How Did You Hear Documentation

Menu Location: Reports > Acquisition > How Did You Hear

Access Level: Customer Service / Manager

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

Overview

The How Did You Hear page tracks customer acquisition sources by analyzing responses to the "How did you hear about us?" question during signup. This report helps you understand which marketing channels are most effective and where to focus your marketing efforts.

Primary Functions:

  • View acquisition source data and trends
  • Generate visual charts showing acquisition channels
  • Filter by date range to analyze specific periods
  • Export data for further analysis
  • Track marketing campaign effectiveness

Page Layout

Header Section

  • Page Title: How Did You Hear with Summary Graphs link
  • Revenue Button: View revenue by acquisition source
  • Date Range Filters: From/To date selectors

Two View Modes

Summary Graphs Mode (click "Summary Graphs" button):

  • Pie charts showing acquisition sources
  • Category breakdown (Friend/Family, Google, Social Media, etc.)
  • "Other" responses breakdown

Detailed List Mode (default view):

  • Table of individual customer responses
  • Date, customer name, acquisition source, expanded text
  • Sortable and searchable

Acquisition Source Categories

Standard Categories

The system provides predefined categories customers select from:

  • A friend told me! / Friend/Family: Word-of-mouth referrals
  • Google: Search engine discovery
  • Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
  • Living Social / Groupon: Deal sites
  • Media Promotions: Advertising campaigns
  • Other: Free-text entry

"Other" Responses

When customers select "Other", they provide free-text explanation. These are tracked separately and shown in the detailed breakdown charts.

Using the Report

Date Range Selection

Default Range: Last 3 weeks

Custom Range:

  1. Enter "From" date (MM/DD/YYYY format)
  2. Enter "To" date
  3. Click "Search"
  4. Charts and table update to show selected period

Use Cases for Date Ranges:

  • Week-by-week to track trends
  • Month-by-month for reporting
  • Campaign duration to measure specific marketing efforts
  • Year-over-year comparison

Summary Graphs View

Left Chart: How Did You Hear By Category

  • Pie chart of main acquisition sources
  • Shows percentage of each category
  • Includes count for each source
  • Edit categories via link at bottom

Right Chart: How Did You Hear By 'Other'

  • Breakdown of free-text "Other" responses
  • Helps identify patterns not covered by standard categories
  • May reveal need for new category options

Table Below Charts:

  • Row count and category name
  • Exportable to CSV
  • Use for detailed analysis

Detailed List View

Table Columns:

  • Date: When customer signed up
  • Customer: Name and link to account
  • How: Category selected
  • Expanded: Full text entered (for "Other" responses)

Features:

  • Click customer name to view full account
  • Search/filter capabilities via DataTable
  • Export to CSV for spreadsheet analysis
  • Sort by any column

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Measure Marketing Campaign Effectiveness

Goal: Determine if a Facebook ad campaign drove signups

Steps:

  1. Note campaign start and end dates
  2. Go to How Did You Hear page
  3. Set date range to campaign period
  4. Click "Summary Graphs"
  5. Check "Social Media" percentage and count
  6. Compare to typical percentage for Social Media
  7. If significantly higher, campaign was effective

Example: Normal Social Media = 15% of signups. During 2-week Facebook campaign, Social Media = 35% of signups. Campaign drove significant traffic.

Use Case 2: Identify Top Acquisition Channel

Goal: Understand primary customer source for budget allocation

Steps:

  1. Set date range to last 3-6 months
  2. View Summary Graphs
  3. Note highest percentage category
  4. Click "Revenue" button to see which source has highest customer value
  5. Allocate marketing budget to top-performing channels

Tips:

  • Word-of-mouth (Friend/Family) = focus on referral program
  • Google = invest in SEO and search ads
  • Social Media = increase social presence and ads
  • Combine percentage with revenue per source

Use Case 3: Clean Up "Other" Responses

Goal: Add new category based on common "Other" responses

Steps:

  1. View Summary Graphs
  2. Check "Other" breakdown chart
  3. Identify repeated responses (e.g., "Podcast" appearing frequently)
  4. Click "Edit Categories" link
  5. Add "Podcast" as new standard category
  6. Update signup form to include new option
  7. Future customers can select "Podcast" instead of "Other"

Revenue Analysis

Click "Revenue" button to view revenue attribution by acquisition source.

Shows:

  • Total revenue per acquisition channel
  • Average order value by source
  • Customer lifetime value by source

Use for:

  • ROI calculation on marketing spend
  • Identifying highest-value customers
  • Budget allocation decisions

Editing Categories

Link at bottom of Summary Graphs: "Edit Categories"

Leads to: Settings page for how_did_you_hear_cats table

You Can:

  • Add new acquisition source options
  • Edit existing category names
  • Disable outdated categories
  • Reorder options in signup form

After Changes:

  • Update signup form to match new categories
  • Communicate changes to marketing team
  • Historical data remains unchanged

Export & Reporting

CSV Export

All tables have CSV export button (via DataTables plugin):

Exports Include:

  • All visible rows
  • Current date range filter
  • All columns shown in table

Use Exports For:

  • Executive reports and presentations
  • Detailed analysis in Excel
  • Sharing with marketing team
  • Historical tracking and trends

Troubleshooting

No Data Showing

Check:

  • Date range includes period with signups
  • Customer signup form includes "How did you hear" question
  • Data is being captured in database

Solutions:

  • Expand date range
  • Verify signup form configuration
  • Check that question is not optional/hidden

Charts Not Loading

Symptoms: Pie charts show as blank or don't render

Solutions:

  1. Refresh page
  2. Check browser console for JavaScript errors
  3. Ensure date range has data
  4. Verify Frappe Charts library is loading

Inaccurate Data

Symptoms: Numbers don't match expectations or known campaign results

Check:

  1. Date range is correct (including time zones)
  2. Filter logic excluding certain responses
  3. Duplicate entries in database
  4. Test vs production data
  • Referrals (admin-referrals.php) - Manage friend/family referrals
  • Customers - View individual customer acquisition source
  • Revenue Report (how-did-you-hear-revenue.php) - Revenue by source
  • Edit Categories (admin-edit.php?table=how_did_you_hear_cats) - Manage options

Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Customer Service or higher

All levels can:

  • View reports and charts
  • Filter by date range
  • Export data
  • Access revenue information

Best Practices

Regular Monitoring

  • Review weekly to spot trends
  • Track month-over-month changes
  • Set up regular export cadence for records

Data Quality

  • Keep categories current and relevant
  • Periodically review "Other" responses
  • Update signup form when adding categories
  • Train team on importance of data quality

Marketing Insights

  • Combine with revenue data for ROI
  • Share insights with marketing team
  • Use to justify budget requests
  • Test and measure all campaigns

Things to Avoid

  • Don't change categories mid-campaign (skews data)
  • Don't delete historical categories (breaks reports)
  • Don't ignore "Other" patterns
  • Don't make decisions on short date ranges

Quick Reference Card

Task Action/Location
View acquisition breakdown Summary Graphs button
Set date range Enter From/To dates > Search
Export data Click CSV button on table
See revenue by source Click Revenue button
Add new category Edit Categories link > Add new
View customer details Click customer name in table
Compare time periods Run report twice with different dates
Share with team Export CSV > Email

FAQs

How far back does data go?

As far back as customers have been signing up and answering the question. No historical limit.

Can we track UTM parameters?

This page shows self-reported acquisition. UTM tracking requires additional analytics setup.

What if customers skip the question?

If optional, blank responses won't appear in report. Make question required for complete data.

Can we segment by other factors?

This report focuses on acquisition source. Use customer filters or custom reports for segmentation by route, plan, etc.

How accurate is self-reported data?

Generally reliable but has limitations. Customers may not remember exact source or may be influenced by most recent touchpoint.

Change Log

2026-03-01

  • Initial documentation created
  • Documented chart views and detailed list
  • Added export and analysis guidance
  • Included marketing use cases

End of Documentation

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