- Interest is highest in the minutes after someone asks for a quote, and it cools fast.
- In the best-known study, only 37% of companies replied within an hour, and 23% never replied.
- Speed gets you into the conversation; price and persistence win the sale.
- Call within five minutes, text when they don't answer, and keep trying for five days.
- A message that lands in seconds, from a person or AI, keeps people warm until you can call.
What speed to lead means
Speed to lead is the time between a person submitting an enquiry and a human being starting a real conversation with them. Not an automatic email. Not a thank you screen. A person, on the phone or by text, who can answer questions.
- An automatic email
- A thank you screen
- A missed call with no message after it
- A no-reply message
- A person on the phone
- A text from a person who can answer questions
- A real conversation started
- Timed from the moment they press send
What the research says
The study everyone quotes is from Harvard Business Review in 2011. It looked at how fast US companies answered web enquiries. Most were slow, and the fast ones were far more likely to qualify the lead.
It's old, American and measured qualifying a lead, not a sale. But every study since points the same way: minutes beat hours, by a lot.
Why the first minutes matter so much
Think about what the person just did: they decided they want a quote and filled in a form. Right now the job is in their head and the phone is in their hand. Every minute after that, something else gets their attention, or another company gets through first.
- The moment they press sendAt their keenestPhone still in hand, the job still on their mind.
- Within minutesStill easy to reachHappy to talk, nothing else has got in the way yet.
- Within the hourComparingLooking at other options, maybe already spoken to someone.
- The next dayGone coldBusy again, harder to reach, the moment has passed.
What we've seen
Speed gets you into the conversation. It doesn't win the sale on its own. One installer's prices sat far above other installers nearby; another buyer changed nothing about the leads they bought from us, only their own process.
A follow-up plan that works
This is the plan we give the installers and firms who buy from us. It fits in a normal working day.
- 1Call within five minutes
In working hours, the first call goes out within five minutes of the enquiry. Treat fifteen minutes as the limit.
- 2Text if they don't answer
Straight after a missed call, send a text from your business: your name, your company and when you'll try again. Many people won't pick up a number they don't know.
- 3Try again the same day
Call again in an hour and early in the evening, when people are home.
- 4Keep going for five days
Twice on day two, then once a day on days three to five. About six tries in all; most people who can be reached are reached by then.
- 5Cover evenings and weekends
An evening enquiry gets a text straight away and a call first thing next morning.
Text, WhatsApp or a call?
Some people would rather message than talk, especially at work. A message that lands in seconds keeps them warm until you can call.
AI can now reply to texts and WhatsApp messages instantly, any time, answer simple questions and book a call. Used well it closes the gap at night and at weekends.
- Lands in seconds, any time
- Good for people at work or wary of unknown numbers
- Keeps them warm until you can call
- Needs consent and a quick hand-over to a person
- Fastest way to qualify and book
- Builds trust in one conversation
- Best in working hours
- Back it up with a text when they don't answer
Fast follow-up, from the ad to the call
On our own branded campaigns, a text and an email go out in the installer's name within a minute, saying who will call and from which number, so the call gets answered.
This is how we follow up in the UK: WhatsApp in the first minute, then a person on the phone. In the US we do the same by text, because far fewer people use WhatsApp there.
- 1The adOne clear offer, in the firm's own name.
Your Windows CoDraughty windows? Get your price in 60 seconds
- 2The pageThe opt-in names the business and the channel.Your Windows CoNew windows for your Leeds home?Question 1 of 3
How many windows?
1 to 34 to 78 or moreNext - 3WhatsAppAn automated first reply in seconds, then a person calls.YYour Windows Coonline
New enquiry, 12:01
AI assistantHi Jo, I'm the automated assistant for Your Windows Co. Thanks for your quote request. Sam from our team will call you in the next few minutes from 01632 960123.
In a meeting till 1. Can he call after?
AI assistantOf course. Sam will call at 1:05pm. Is this the best number?
Yes, thanks
Call booked for 1:05pm. Sam takes it from here.
It needs the person's consent to be messaged, it must say it's automated where the rules require it, and it should hand over to a person quickly. WhatsApp also needs an approved template to start the chat.
Live transfers: the fastest response there is
A live transfer removes the gap altogether. The person is on the phone with a qualifier, agrees to be connected, and your team picks up while they're still engaged. There is no queue and no race.
- Your team speaks to the person as the enquiry comes in
- No queue and no race
- Priced higher than a web lead
- Your team must be ready to answer
- A text lands in seconds, then you call
- Lower price per lead
- Works around the hours you can pick up
- Better if you can't staff the phone when calls come in
Speed does not replace quality
A fast reply to a poor lead is still a poor lead. The first five minutes won't rescue it.
That's why the checks before delivery matter. They are what make a fast call worth making.
- The contact details are wrong
- The person never asked about your product
- The same enquiry went to four other firms
- Phone number verified
- Duplicates removed
- The person's consent recorded
How to measure it
Most firms are surprised by how long their real average is, and by how big the drop is between the first group and the rest. Small changes in response time tend to show up quickly in the contact rate.
- 1Pull your last 200 leads
The time each was submitted and the time of the first call attempt.
- 2Group them by response time
Under 5 minutes, 5 to 30, 30 to 120, over 2 hours.
- 3Count reached and sold
For each group, how many you reached and how many turned into a sale.
- 4Change one thing
Such as a text sent automatically on delivery, or a rota for evenings.
- 5Measure again in a fortnight
Same groups, same counts. Keep the change if the contact rate moves.
AI prompts to speed up your follow-up
Copy these into ChatGPT or Claude and fill in the brackets with your own details. Each one gives you something to use this week. Check anything before it goes to a customer.
Build my response rotaWho calls each new lead within five minutes, every hour you're open.
You are an operations coach for small UK home improvement firms. Build a weekly response rota for [company], a [trade] business in [area]. About us: - People who can call leads: [names and roles, e.g. "me (owner, out on surveys most mornings), Kate (office, 9 to 3)"] - Our opening hours: [hours and days] - When leads arrive: [busiest hours and days, if known; otherwise say "not sure"] - Roughly [number] new leads a day Produce: 1. A table for Monday to Saturday, hour by hour, showing who makes the first call on a new lead and who is backup. 2. Cover for lunch, school runs, surveys and holidays, so no hour is left without someone. 3. What happens when a lead arrives and the caller is already on the phone (the backup calls within 5 minutes, or a text goes out saying when we'll call). 4. The gaps where a 5-minute call isn't realistic, and a text-first cover for each. 5. A one-line rule for the team to pin up, e.g. "New lead: call in 5, text if no answer, log it." Rules: keep it realistic for the team size I've given. Don't assume staff I don't have. Ask me for anything missing before you start.
Build my 5-day call and text cadenceEvery call, text and voicemail for a new lead, written out.
You are a sales manager for a UK [trade] firm that buys leads from people who asked for a quote. Write a 5-day follow-up cadence for [company] in [area]. We work [hours] and can make about [number] calls a day. Base it on this pattern: first call within 5 minutes; a text straight after a missed call; again in an hour and early evening; twice on day two; once a day on days three to five. About six tries in all. For each try, give: - the time to call, - the exact text to send if they don't answer (under 160 characters, from [your name] at [company], saying when we'll try again), - the voicemail to leave, if any (under 20 seconds: who we are, why we're calling, our number [number]). Also write: - the text for a lead that arrives in the evening or at the weekend (we'll call first thing next working morning), - the polite last message on day five that leaves the door open. Rules: keep every message about their quote request. No offers, discounts or fake urgency (an offer turns it into marketing that needs separate consent). Plain, friendly UK English. Stop at once if they ask us to.
Set up my out-of-hours replyWhat a lead gets at 9pm or on a Sunday, and the instructions for an AI assistant if you use one.
You are helping [company], a [trade] firm in [area], answer enquiries that arrive outside our hours ([hours]). Leads come in by [web form / phone / both]. Write: 1. An instant text and email for evening and weekend enquiries: who we are, that we've got their request, and exactly when we'll call (e.g. "between 8 and 9am tomorrow") from which number [number]. 2. If I use an AI assistant on text or WhatsApp ([yes/no]), the instructions to give it: - say in its first message that it's an automated assistant for [company], - answer only these simple questions: [areas we cover, how long a quote takes, what happens next], - offer a call time from these slots: [slots], - hand over to a person straight away when someone asks for one, is upset, or asks about price or finance, - stop messaging the moment they say stop, - never pretend to be a person, quote a price or promise savings. 3. Five test conversations I should try before switching it on, including someone who asks "are you a bot?" and someone who wants a price. Only message people who opted in to messages from [company] on that channel. This is not legal advice: check the setup with a compliance adviser before it goes live.
Find where my leads go coldPaste your lead export and see your real response times.
You are an analyst for a UK firm that buys leads. Below is an export of our last [number] leads with these columns: [date and time submitted], [date and time of first call attempt], [number of attempts], [reached yes/no], [sold yes/no]. [paste the data, or attach the file] Produce: 1. Our average and median time to first call, overall and by hour of day and day of week. 2. A table grouping leads by time to first call (under 5 minutes, 5 to 30, 30 to 120, over 2 hours), with the number of leads, the share reached and the share sold in each group. 3. The three hours or days where we're slowest. 4. One change to test for a fortnight, and how to measure it with the same table. Rules: use only the data I've given. If a column is missing or messy, tell me and ask rather than guess. Show the numbers behind every conclusion.
Mind the rules on calls and texts
Fast does not mean careless. Make sure the lead you are chasing came with consent that covers you, and respect calling hours.
- Covered by PECR and UK GDPR
- TPS-registered numbers need care
- The consent has to cover your business
- Calls and texts made with automated technology need prior express written consent under the TCPA
- The Do Not Call registry applies
- Respect calling hours
Common questions
How fast should I call a new lead?
Aim for under five minutes during working hours, and treat 15 minutes as the limit. The sooner the better, because interest fades quickly.
Is a text as good as a call?
A text right after a missed call works well, but the first move should be a call. A text alone is easy to ignore.
What if I get leads outside office hours?
Send a text straight away so the person knows you have them, then call at the start of the next working period. An evening rota is worth it if leads come in at night.
Does speed matter for every industry?
It matters most where people compare several quotes, such as home improvement, energy, insurance and legal. Where the buying cycle is long it matters less, but it still shapes the first impression.
Do live transfers fix speed to lead?
They remove the delay, because your team speaks to the person as the enquiry comes in. You need people ready to answer the phone.
Sources
- Harvard Business Review: The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (2011)
- ICO: direct marketing and privacy and electronic communications
- FCC: Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Send us your sector and how you follow up today. We'll tell you where leads are slipping, free.
Written by Sofia Abrantes, Co-founder and COO at Convrsion. Prices and figures come from the sources listed and were checked on 9 Nov 2026. Convrsion runs lead generation campaigns in the UK and US, so we buy, sell and follow up leads every day; this page is general information, not a quote or legal advice.