78% of Customers Buy From Who Answers First: The Speed-to-Lead Data

The Race You Don't Know You're Running

Every time a potential customer calls your business, you're in a race. The problem? You might not even know you're competing.

Here's the data that should keep every contractor up at night:

78% of customers buy from the first business that responds to their inquiry.

Not the cheapest. Not the best reviewed. Not the most experienced. The first.

The Harvard Business Review Study

Harvard Business Review conducted a landmark study on lead response times. The findings were stark:

• Companies that contact leads within 1 hour are 7x more likely to qualify them
• After 24 hours, the odds drop by 60x
• The difference between 5 minutes and 30 minutes can determine who gets the job

For contractors, this is especially critical. When someone's AC breaks in July or their pipe bursts at 6pm, they're not waiting around. They're calling until someone answers.

What the Data Actually Looks Like

Let's follow 10 homeowners who need an HVAC repair:

1. Homeowner calls Contractor A → Goes to voicemail
2. Homeowner calls Contractor B → Busy signal
3. Homeowner calls Contractor C → AI answers in 2 seconds, books appointment
4. Homeowners 1-2 give up and call Contractor C

Contractor C gets 3 jobs. Contractors A and B get zero. Not because C is better—but because C answered.

Now multiply this by every call, every day, for a year. The compounding effect is enormous.

The Real Cost of "I'll Call Them Back"

Let's do the math on delayed response:

Scenario: You miss a call at 2pm while on a job. You call back at 5pm.

In those 3 hours:

• The customer called 2 other contractors
• One answered and booked the job
• They're no longer interested in your callback
• You spent time calling someone who's already gone

The hidden costs:

• Lost revenue from the job (~$750)
• Wasted time on the callback (~15 minutes)
• Opportunity cost of what you could have done instead

Multiply by 10-20 missed calls per month and you're looking at $7,500-15,000 in monthly losses.

Why Contractors Struggle with Speed-to-Lead

It's not that contractors don't care about answering calls. The job makes it nearly impossible:

• You can't answer while running equipment
• You can't answer while talking to a current customer
• You can't answer while driving between jobs
• You can't answer while up on a roof or under a house

The physical nature of contracting work creates an inherent conflict with phone availability.

How Top Contractors Solve This

The contractors winning the speed-to-lead race aren't superhuman. They're using systems:

1. AI Phone Answering

AI answers every call in under 2 seconds, 24/7. It qualifies leads, books appointments, and handles routine questions.

Result: 100% answer rate, regardless of where you are or what you're doing.

2. Missed Call Text Back

If a call somehow goes unanswered, an automatic text goes out within seconds: "Sorry we missed your call! How can we help?"

The data: Businesses using missed call text back see a 25% increase in lead conversion.

3. Speed-Optimized Follow-Up

New leads get immediate automated responses. Not hours later—seconds later.

Why it works: Text messages have a 98% open rate with 90% read within 3 minutes.

The First Responder Advantage in Different Trades

HVAC

When someone's AC dies in summer, they're calling until someone answers. A 2024 study found HVAC companies that respond within 5 minutes close 40% more emergency calls than those who respond within an hour.

Plumbing

Plumbing emergencies are time-sensitive. Every minute a pipe is leaking, damage is accumulating. Homeowners will pay a premium for whoever can get there fastest.

Electrical

Electrical issues feel dangerous to homeowners. They want reassurance NOW. The first electrician to answer provides that reassurance—and books the job.

Pool Service

Seasonal businesses like pool service have compressed decision windows. When a homeowner decides to open their pool, they want it done soon. First responder wins.

Implementing Speed-to-Lead

Here's a practical rollout:

Week 1: Measure Track your current metrics:

• What percentage of calls do you answer?
• How long until you respond to missed calls?
• What's your booking rate from inbound calls?

Week 2: Implement AI Phone Answering This single change will likely have the biggest impact. 100% answer rate means you're always first.

Week 3: Add Missed Call Text Back For any edge cases where calls slip through, automatic text backup captures them.

Week 4: Optimize Review call recordings, refine scripts, and improve booking rates.

The Competitive Reality

Right now, most contractors are still operating like it's 2010:

• Calls go to voicemail when they're busy
• Callbacks happen when they "get a chance"
• Leads slip through the cracks constantly

This is your opportunity. While competitors are losing 50%+ of their calls, you can capture nearly all of yours.

The first responder wins 78% of the time. Be the first responder.

Take Action Today

Get a free AI audit to see your current speed-to-lead metrics and build a system that makes you first, every time.

Sources: Harvard Business Review Lead Response Study, InsideSales.com Lead Response Research