Did you call back
fast enough?
Leads contacted within 5 minutes are 8x more likely to convert. Enter your typical callback time and see if you're fast enough to win the job, or if your competitor is getting there first.
Your response times
Your response time grade
Average
Revenue impact
*All figures are estimates based on research showing faster response times correlate with higher contact and conversion rates. Actual results vary based on your market, competition, and service quality. These projections are for illustrative purposes only.
What the research says
Leads contacted within 5 minutes are 8x more likely to convert
Source: Lead Response Management Study, InsideSales.com / MIT
Responding within 5 minutes is 21x more effective than responding at 30 minutes
Source: Lead Response Management Study
After 30 minutes, your odds of qualifying a lead drop 21x
Source: Harvard Business Review / InsideSales.com
50% of sales go to the vendor that responds first
Source: Drift 2022 State of Conversations
The average contractor takes 5.7 hours to respond to a new lead
Source: HomeAdvisor industry data
Your rescue plan
Your response
30 min
Industry average
5.7 hours
Top contractors
Under 5 min
With Turnkey
Under 1 sec
The fix
An AI receptionist answers every call within 2 rings, captures the lead info, and texts it to you instantly. Even if you can't call back for hours, the customer already talked to someone and feels taken care of. That alone moves your effective response time to under a minute.
What to do next
more likely to connect with a lead if you respond within 5 minutes vs 30 minutes
more likely to qualify a lead if you respond within the first hour
of callers who hit voicemail leave a message. The rest call your competitor.
Response time benchmarks
| Response Time | Grade | Contact Rate | What Happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 min | A+ | ~95% | Customer is still on the phone or just hung up. You're the first call back. Almost guaranteed contact. |
| 1-5 min | A | ~90% | Customer is still thinking about their problem. You're likely the first to respond. |
| 5-15 min | B | ~60% | Customer may have called 1-2 other companies by now. Still a strong chance. |
| 15-30 min | C+ | ~40% | Multiple competitors have likely responded. You're in a price war now. |
| 30-60 min | C | ~25% | Customer may have already booked someone else. You're a backup option. |
| 1-4 hours | D | ~10% | Job is probably gone. Customer has moved on. They might not even remember calling you. |
| 4+ hours / next day | F | ~5% | You might as well not have gotten the lead. Job is gone. |
Frequently asked questions
Why does response time matter so much? +
When someone has a plumbing emergency or their AC breaks, they call 2-3 companies. The first one that picks up or calls back gets the job. Research from MIT shows that responding within 5 minutes makes you 100x more likely to reach the lead compared to waiting 30 minutes. After an hour, your chances drop dramatically.
I can't answer the phone when I'm on a job. What do I do? +
That's exactly the problem most contractors face. You're elbow-deep in a repair and the phone rings. An AI receptionist answers instantly, gets the caller's info, asks about their issue, and texts you the details. The customer feels heard, and you get the lead when you're ready to call back.
Does a faster callback really improve close rates? +
Yes. Harvard Business Review found that companies responding within one hour were 7x more likely to qualify a lead than those responding after one hour. In home services, where the customer is often dealing with an urgent problem, the effect is even stronger. Being first creates a trust advantage.
How accurate is this calculator? +
The revenue estimates use a model based on published research about how response time affects contact rates. Actual impact varies by trade, market, and competition level. The directional insight is solid: faster response = more jobs. The exact dollar amounts are estimates for illustration.