Homeowners contact three to four companies when something breaks. The first one to respond with a real answer usually books the job — regardless of price or reviews.
The five-minute rule
Conversion drops sharply after the first five minutes and falls off a cliff after an hour. Your goal is a meaningful reply, not just an autoresponder that says thanks.
Build the response stack
A working stack has three layers: instant acknowledgement, qualification, and booking.
Instant text-back on every missed call
AI qualification asking job type, address, and urgency
Live calendar links for the right crew and service area
Escalation to a human when the job is high value or unusual
Close the loop
Every lead should end in a defined state: booked, disqualified, or scheduled for follow-up. Leads without a state are leads you will lose.
Key takeaway
Cut your average response time first. It costs less than more ad spend and improves every lead you already pay for.
