The problem: homeowners do not wait
A homeowner with a leaking roof or a dead air conditioner does not ask one contractor. They call or message several, and they tend to hire the one who answers and books first. Every hour of delay and every call that goes to voicemail is a chance for someone else to win the job.
What the research says
- Slow response is common. A 2011 Harvard Business Review audit of 2,241 U.S. companies, as summarized by Workato, found that among firms that replied to an online lead at all, the average response time was 42 hours, and 23 percent never replied. Some summaries give a range of 42 to 47 hours. This audit covers online sales leads, not phone calls. Source: Workato.
- The famous multipliers are shaky. The “21 times more likely to qualify within five minutes” figure traces to a study led by James Oldroyd with InsideSales.com, a company that sells speed-to-lead software. The “391 percent” figure traces to a 2012 Velocify report, and some blogs have merged these numbers. Read them as directional. Source: Workato.
- Roofing vendors report slow contractors. Roofing software vendors say the average roofing contractor takes about 42 hours to respond to a new lead and that homeowners typically contact three to five companies at once. We could not trace these to a primary study. Sources: JobNimbus, Roofr.
- Responsiveness matters to buyers. Roofr reports that 74 percent of homeowners in its survey say responsiveness and communication matter more than price. Source: Roofr.
The honest summary: precise multipliers are unreliable, but several independent sources agree that fast response wins jobs and slow response loses them.
Where contractors lose the race
- Missed calls. Published studies put unanswered home-service calls between 14 percent and about three in four, depending on how they count (our summary).
- After-hours inquiries. Nobody is there to answer, and the lead moves on.
- Estimates with no follow-up. A quote sent on Monday and never chased is a quote that expires.
- Overloaded offices. Storms and temperature swings send a spike of calls that one or two people cannot handle.
The fix: NOVA answers instantly and follows up
NOVA is a 24/7 AI receptionist built for home service businesses:
- Answers every inbound call immediately, before it reaches voicemail, at any hour.
- Books the appointment on the call, so the caller does not need to keep shopping.
- Follows up on estimates and unconverted leads, so a quote does not go cold.
- Transfers urgent calls live to a person you choose, on a phone number you define.
- Connects with tools like ServiceTitan and AccuLynx, so leads land in your system.
- Speaks multiple languages and keeps your current number.
Try NOVA free for 30 days. No credit card. Plans start at $297 a month after the trial, with no setup fee. Start your free trial
Sources
- Workato, lead response time study (summarizing the 2011 HBR audit and later studies): https://workato.com/the-connector/lead-response-time-study
- JobNimbus, speed to lead for roofing (vendor): https://jobnimbus.com/blog/speed-to-lead-the-simplest-way-to-win-more-roofing-jobs-without-more-leads
- Roofr, roofing sales metrics (vendor): https://roofr.com/blog/roofing-sales-metrics-to-track