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Speed to lead

Speed to lead is the time between a new lead reaching your business and the first real reply from a person, ideally under 5 business minutes.

Also called
  • speed-to-lead time
  • lead speed
  • time to first response

The clock starts when the lead arrives (a web form, a booking request, a text or a missed call) and stops at the first human reply: a call that connects, a typed text or email, or a booked appointment. An automatic "we got your message" does not stop it.

It matters because homeowners usually contact several companies at once. A widely cited Harvard Business Review study found that companies which tried to reach a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as those that waited longer. The full research and how to measure it are in the speed to lead guide.

Measure it in business hours, so a lead that arrives at 11 PM is counted from when the office opens, and track the share of leads answered within your target as well as the median.

Formula

speed to lead = time of first human reply − time the lead arrived (in business minutes)
share on target = leads answered within 5 business minutes ÷ leads answered

Example

A form arrives at Palmetto Exterior Care at 4:50 PM on a Friday. The office closes at 5 PM and the first reply goes out at 8:07 AM on Monday. Speed to lead is 17 business minutes (10 on Friday, 7 on Monday), even though the customer waited nearly three days.

Track it in Birdy

Leads, quotes, jobs and invoices on one customer record, set up with your own data.

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