Answer the Phone in 5 Minutes or Lose the Job: Speed-to-Lead for Contractors
Why this matters
Leads go cold fast. Studies show the odds of making contact and qualifying a lead collapse after the first few minutes. Teams that respond in five minutes win more work and waste less ad spend. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
The numbers that should change your process
- Contacting a lead within 5 minutes vs 30 minutes: 100x higher odds of contact, 21x higher odds of qualification. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
- Conversions are 8x higher when follow-up happens in the first 5 minutes vs 6+ minutes. (InsideSales)
- Responding within 1 hour makes you 7x more likely to qualify than waiting longer. Most firms still take hours. (Harvard Business Review)
- Only a tiny fraction of inbound leads get a response inside five minutes, and many never get a response at all. (InsideSales)
What happens at 5, 30, and 180 minutes
- 0–5 minutes: Peak intent. Easiest to reach, easiest to book. Your contact and qualification odds are at their highest. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
- 6–30 minutes: Sharp drop. You still have a shot, but it is already much harder to reach and qualify. (InsideSales)
- 30–60 minutes: Interest fades. You are far less likely to connect, and price shopping kicks in. (cdn2.hubspot.net)
- 1–3 hours: You are late. Expect low connect rates and more no-shows. (Harvard Business Review)
The contractor playbook to hit 5 minutes, every time
1) Route every call to a human first
- Ring group to on-call techs and office line at the same time.
- Set a 20–30 second failover to the next person.
- Add Google Ads call extensions and call-only ads during service hours to drive more live calls.
Result: more first-touch conversations.
2) If you miss it, trigger an instant callback workflow
- Missed call text back: “Sorry we missed you. This is [Company]. Can I call you right now?”
- Auto-create a task, push mobile notification to the on-call person, and redial within 5 minutes.
- If they do not answer, call again at 15 minutes, then 60 minutes, then same-day end-of-day.
This cadence mirrors what high performers do. (InsideSales)
3) Use Voice AI as the safety net, not the crutch
- When no one can pick up, have Voice AI answer, confirm service area, problem type, urgency, and preferred time.
- It should “slow the buyer,” set expectations, and promise a near-term callback.
- Hand off to a human fast. The goal is to buy time, not replace the call.
4) Tighten your form-to-call motion
- Auto-call the rep as soon as a web form submits, then bridge the rep to the lead.
- Fire a confirmation SMS and an email with a booking link if they cannot talk.
- Use a one-tap “call me now” button in the email.
These steps keep you inside the 5-minute window. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
5) Measure like a hawk
Track these KPIs daily:
- Median response time to new leads
- Percent of leads contacted within 5 minutes
- Contact rate by source
- Booked jobs per 100 leads
- Revenue per answered call
Improve the bottleneck you see first.
Suggested tech stack
- Call routing and tracking: your current phone system or call tracking with instant alerts
- CRM and automations: GoHighLevel or similar for missed call text back, tasks, and sequences
- Voice AI: native Voice AI or a trusted add-on for after-hours coverage
- Reporting: dashboards for response time and contact rate
Scripts you can deploy today
Missed call text back
“Hi, this is [Company]. Sorry we missed your call. I can call you in the next 2 minutes. Is now good?”
AI answer opener
“Thanks for calling [Company]. I can get you scheduled. What is your address and the issue you are seeing today? I will have a tech call you back within 5 minutes.”
Callback opener
“Hey [Name], saw your call come in about [issue]. I can help. Are you at the property now or later today?”
Common objections and quick responses
- “I already called someone else.”
“Totally understand. If they cannot get to you today, we can. I have [time]. Want it?” - “Just need a price.”
“Got it. A fast call lets me give you a real number. It takes 60 seconds. Can I call now?”
The business case
Shaving response time from 30 minutes to 5 minutes increases contact odds up to 100x and qualification up to 21x in published studies. For contractors spending on Google Ads or Local Services Ads, that can mean thousands saved and more booked jobs from the same budget. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
Sources
- InsideSales.com and MIT, Lead Response Management Study: 100x contact odds and 21x qualification within 5 minutes vs 30 minutes. (cdn2.hubspot.net, InsideSales)
- XANT/InsideSales, Lead Response Management 2021 infographic: 8x conversion in first 5 minutes and low same-day follow-up rates. (InsideSales)
- Harvard Business Review, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads”: 7x more likely to qualify if you respond within 1 hour, widespread slow responses. (Harvard Business Review)
