01The research on response time
Harvard Business Review looked at how 2,241 US companies answered web leads in 2011. Firms that tried to reach a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited an hour longer. And 23% of the companies never responded at all. The study covers web leads in general, not trades.
For movers there's a trade number. In SmartMoving's 2026 State of Moving Report, a survey of 484 movers, 38% replied to a lead within five minutes, so most of the movers surveyed took longer.
Calls coming in get missed too. In Invoca's July 2026 report, 52% of calls to home services businesses reached a person, so a lead who returns your call may get voicemail as well.
02The first few minutes
A homeowner who fills in your quote form at 9pm can fill in the next company's form at 9:02. The first company to call gets to ask the questions, offer a time and book the estimate. The others ring someone who has already booked.
Speed matters less for a project months away, or when you're the only company nearby that does the work. For a local move next month, a burst pipe or a door that won't open, the caller wants a time today.
03A fast call-back in each trade
Moving companies
Call, take down the move date, both addresses, the home size and the big items, then book the in-home or video estimate on the same call. If you want a trade benchmark, SmartMoving's survey is the only one we know of.
Water damage restoration
A form that says water damage still gets a call straight away, because it may be an emergency. Ask whether water is still coming in, get the address and alert your on-call tech. Old damage that's already dry can go on the calendar as an assessment.
Garage door companies
Call, find out whether a car is stuck inside and put that job first, then quote your service call fee and book the visit.
04How to call back faster
- Send every form to a phone someone answers as well as to the inbox.
- Decide who calls back on nights and weekends, and write it down.
- Call first, then text if nobody picks up. You can book the estimate while you're talking.
- Keep your calendar open on the call, so you can offer a time instead of promising to ring back.
- Measure it for a week. Compare the time on each form with the time of your first call.
Soltrack's desk calls web quote requests back, takes down the job and books the estimate or visit on your calendar. See how it works for moving companies, water damage restoration and garage door companies.
05Questions
How fast should a contractor respond to a quote request?
Within five minutes if you can, and within the hour at the latest. Harvard Business Review found that firms trying within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify a web lead as firms that waited an hour longer.
What is speed to lead?
It's the time between a lead reaching you, through a form, a call or an ad, and your first real attempt to reach that person. The shorter it is, the less time the lead has to book someone else.
Should I call or text a quote request back?
Call first, because you can book the estimate while you're talking. If nobody picks up, send a text with your name and when you'll try again.
Is calling back within an hour good enough?
It beats waiting longer, but it's slow. In SmartMoving's 2026 survey of 484 movers, 38% replied to a lead within five minutes, so a mover who takes an hour is slower than more than a third of the movers surveyed.
Can an answering service call back web leads?
Ask before you sign. Some answering services only take incoming calls. Check whether they call form leads back and whether they can book on your calendar.
Does Soltrack call back quote requests?
Yes. The desk calls web quote requests back, takes down the job and books the estimate or visit on your calendar. You pay nothing until it has booked five jobs.