Lead response time calculator: what slow replies cost you

How the lead response time calculator works

The calculator takes the leads you currently answer slowly, applies the difference between your fast-reply and slow-reply booking rates, then your close rate and customer value, to estimate how much revenue depends on reply speed each month.

1. Slow leads = leads x (1 - share answered within 5 minutes).
2. Extra bookings = slow leads x (fast booking rate - slow booking rate).
3. Extra customers = extra bookings x close rate.
4. Revenue at stake = extra customers x customer value.

Why does this calculator ask for your own booking rates?

It asks for your own booking rates because published speed to lead multipliers come from specific studies in 2007 and 2011 and do not transfer reliably to every business. Your CRM data is better evidence of how reply speed affects your bookings.

To get the two rates, filter last quarter's leads by first-response time in your CRM and compare their booking rates. The original studies, with their limits, are in speed to lead statistics. To close the gap, see lead automation and speed up lead response.

Lead response time questions

What is a good lead response time?

Under five minutes for the first reply. Automation can send it within a minute, day or night, and a person can follow up once the lead engages.

How do I measure my lead response time?

Most CRMs record when a lead was created and when the first outbound call, text or email went out. The difference is your response time; report it as a median, not an average.

What if I do not know my booking rates?

Start tracking first-response time and booking outcome for a month. Until then, treat any result from this calculator as a rough illustration.

Written by Alpit Patel, founder of Autoesta. More free calculators are on the tools page.