Define the records before counting
Choose one dated inquiry cohort and track its known states. Preserve unsuitable and unknown-suitability requests as separate categories. Confirm that bookings and completions refer to those same inquiries rather than mixing this month’s calls with older jobs completed this month.
A worked example
Fictional cohort: twenty inquiries contain twelve confirmed suitable, four unsuitable and four unknown. Six suitable inquiries book and five complete. Booking per all inquiries is 6/20 = 30%; booking per confirmed suitable inquiry is 6/12 = 50%; completion per booking is 5/6 = 83.3%. The larger percentage does not mean the underlying business improved; the denominator changed.
Resolve the gap in evidence
Select the rate for the decision. Use all-inquiry figures to understand the full received cohort and suitable-request figures to inspect downstream handling, with unknowns visible. Do not exclude unknown outcomes selectively to improve the headline. If a denominator is zero, show not available rather than zero percent or infinity.
Check whether it worked
Display the raw counts beside every percentage and preserve the definition between periods. When a definition changes, restate the comparison or mark it discontinuous. Check whether the cohort has had enough time to resolve scheduled work. A higher rate with fewer useful jobs may still represent a weaker business result.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Cohort dates and eligibility
- Numerator definition
- Denominator definition
- Unknown states
- Counts, rate and comparison limitation
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
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