Connected TV (CTV) Final Expense Calls

What connected TV means on this desk

Connected TV, usually shortened to CTV, is television delivered over the internet. The screen is a smart TV or a television with a streaming device. The viewer picks a show the way they would on a broadcast or cable channel, and an ad can run in the break. For a final expense agent, the only event that matters is what happens next: the person sees a phone number and dials it.

InboundHQ campaigns run on broadcast and streaming. We do not split those impressions into two products. There is no CTV price, no CTV buffer, and no CTV seat. The call that rings in the softphone is the same final expense TV call, at $70 after the buffer and $0 under it. If you are comparing screens, start with final expense TV calls. This page explains the screen. It does not create a second invoice.

Why agents search for CTV final expense calls

A lot of final expense advertising has moved onto streaming television because that is where daytime viewing went. Agents hear that CTV calls are newer, more targeted, or easier to close. Those are vendor claims. InboundHQ does not publish a share of calls that start on streaming versus broadcast, and we do not publish a close rate for either screen. Inventing either number would not help you staff a desk.

What you can know is the path. The number on the streaming ad is a number the viewer chooses to dial. The call is inbound. It is routed to one agent who is online and licensed in the caller's state. You answer in the browser. The call is exclusive. A short call under the buffer costs nothing. Those are the operating facts, and they are the same facts as a call that started on a broadcast commercial.

The caller does not arrive labeled by screen

You will not get a stamp on the softphone that says this person watched a broadcast spot and that person watched a streaming app. The portal shows the call, the state, the connected time, the charge, and the recording. The caller still wanted a price for burial or final expense coverage. The age range we describe for these television callers is 60 to 80, mostly retired, often at home during the day.

Treat the conversation the same way you treat any other TV inbound. Say your name, say the state you are licensed in, and ask one question. They were told a licensed agent in their state would pick up. They were not told they were a data record. The difference between a live call and a lead you have to dial is covered with final expense inbound calls.

What does not change when the ad is on streaming

• The billable event is still the buffer, which is connected time shown in the portal before you go online.
• Under the buffer is still $0. At the buffer, and after it, the call is still $70.
• Ring time, hold, never-connected calls, calls sent to another agent, and setup test calls are still not billed.
• Hours are still 9am to 8pm ET, Monday through Friday.
• The seat is still $97 a month per agent, first 30 days free, on the card rather than the wallet.
• The minimum top-up is still 5 calls, $350, then 5 calls or more after that.

Read the buffer guidelines once. They apply to every television call, including a call that began on a connected TV. The buffer is not longer because the ad was streamed, and it is not shorter either.

How a streaming ad becomes a ring

The viewer is watching on a television. The ad runs. The number is on the screen. The viewer dials from their own phone. That last step matters. CTV is not a click that drops a form into your CRM. The person has to place a phone call. If they do not dial, you do not get a lead to chase. InboundHQ does not turn non-callers into a list.

From the dial forward, routing checks the state and finds one online agent licensed there. Your softphone rings in Chrome. A headset is the audio. Your cell phone stays quiet. If you miss the ring, the next online licensed agent gets it, and you are not billed for the miss. One agent per call. The call is not shared and not resold.

What you need on the desk

A life license in each state you turn on. Hours inside 9am to 8pm ET on weekdays. Chrome, a headset, and a funded wallet. Training is passed before the first live call. The TV training is five minutes and a quiz. Spanish-language calls are not available at launch. An offline switch pauses routing when you leave the chair. A daily cap can be set once you are live.

Approval takes within one business day because a person reads the application. Most agents take a call the day they are approved, once training is passed and the wallet holds at least the minimum top-up. Credits do not expire while the account is active. If you close the account, unused credits are refunded within five business days. The pricing page notes the processor fee on that refund.

Billing, disputes, and the recording

A connected call that reaches the buffer is billable even when the caller was not a fit for what you sell. That is what the dispute is for. File from the call row within 48 hours. A person listens and replies in writing within one business day. Approved credits return to the wallet. A dispute is a review, not an automatic refund. Both sides are recorded, with a consent notice before connect. Recordings are kept 12 months. Disputed calls are kept 24 months. The pay-per-call shape of this rule is explained on pay-per-call final expense.

Nothing in the streaming path adds a second charge. You will not see a CTV surcharge in the wallet. You will see $70 or $0, the same as any other TV call that day.

Transfers, agencies, and the rest of the map

A live transfer is not a CTV call with a different name. A transfer is a handoff, often after a screener has already talked to the caller, billed on that vendor's trigger. We do not sell live transfers, and we do not claim that a streaming call outperforms a transfer. live transfers vs inbound calls is the fair comparison.

Agencies put more than one agent on the same calls. The owner dashboard is $147 a month plus $97 per agent, first 30 days free. Calls remain $70 after the buffer, from the wallet. Volume rates start only above a monthly minimum agreed in writing. See final expense TV calls for agencies. The whole folder is final expense calls.

How to describe this call to a buyer or an upline

If someone asks whether you bought CTV leads, the accurate sentence is narrower than the ad jargon. You bought the right to answer inbound calls from people who saw a final expense ad on television. Some of those ads run on broadcast and some run on streaming. You are not told the split. You are not given a list of viewers who did not dial. You pay $70 for a call that reaches the buffer and $0 for one that does not.

That sentence is also the right one for an agency meeting. Do not forecast a streaming close rate we have not published. Do not staff Saturday on a hope. The published window is weekdays, 9am to 8pm ET. Do not promise Spanish calls. They are not available at launch. Do tell the room the seat price, because $97 a month per agent after the free 30 days is part of the cost even when the wallet is quiet.

Keep the desk the same as any other television call. Chrome, a headset, the states you are licensed in, and the online switch. A connected-TV caller is not routed to a different softphone, and a broadcast caller is not routed to a different wallet. If you are offline, neither one can ring you. If you miss the ring, neither one is billed to you. The next online agent licensed in that state gets the call. That is the whole routing rule, and the screen the ad ran on does not edit it.

The practical test is the log. After a week you can see how many rows reached the buffer, how many were $0, and how many you disputed. Those are your numbers, from your calls. They are not a benchmark we print, and they are not a reason to treat a streaming row as a different species of call. The charge on a billable row is $70 either way. The recording is there either way. The license requirement is there either way.

What to ask a vendor who says CTV

1. Is the streaming call a different price from the broadcast call? Here, no.
2. Do you receive the live dial, or a list of people who saw the ad? Here, the live dial.
3. Will you be shown what share of calls came from streaming? We do not publish that share.
4. Does a short call cost $0? Here, yes, under the buffer.
5. Is the call exclusive? Here, one agent.

Sourcing and the callback practices are on the compliance page. This isn't legal advice; talk to your compliance team or attorney. When the desk matches the way you work, apply for final expense calls.

Questions