Response time

How quickly should contractors respond to missed calls?

The short answer
37% of callers contact a competitor within 60 seconds of not getting an answer. You do not need to answer every call in a minute, but the caller needs to hear from you that fast. Here are realistic targets and how automatic texting makes them possible.

TextApprentice is a Canadian missed-call textback service for trades businesses.

The 60-second window

When a caller does not get an answer, the clock starts immediately. 37% contact a competitor within 60 seconds. That number surprises most contractors, because it feels impossibly fast. But think about the last time you called a business and got no answer. You did not sit and wait. You called the next one.

Emergency trade work compresses the window further. A burst pipe, a dead furnace in February, a panel sparking after a storm: these callers are not browsing. They are working down a list, and the first business that responds usually gets the job.

Why speed wins the job

Responding first does more than beat competitors. It sets the tone for the whole job. The contractor who replied in seconds looks organized, reliable, and eager for the work. The one who called back four hours later starts the relationship apologizing.

Speed also changes what the caller tells you. A caller who just got your text replies with fresh details: the address, the problem, how urgent it is. A caller you reach hours later has often calmed down, called around, or partly solved it. Fast response gets you better information, not just faster jobs.

Realistic response targets

Nobody can answer every call in 60 seconds while doing trade work. The targets below are honest about that.

First touch: under a minute. This is the automatic text. It is the only target that truly needs to be instant, and it is the only one a machine should handle.
Personal callback during work hours: within 30 minutes. The text bought you this time. The caller knows you saw their message and will call.
After-hours missed calls: first thing in the morning. The 9pm caller got a text at 9pm. A 7am callback feels like excellent service.
Quote requests: same business day. A reno inquiry can wait hours, not days. Next-day quotes lose to same-day quotes.

Notice what is missing: no target says answer every call live. That was never realistic for a working contractor. The system is the text first, then you.

How automatic texting buys you time

The text does two jobs at once. For the caller, it is proof you are responsive, which stops the 60-second drift to a competitor. For you, it converts an interruption into a task you can schedule. Instead of dropping your tools to take a call, you finish the job in front of you, glance at the reply, and call back knowing the address and the problem. You respond faster by not responding instantly.

What to do on the callback

Use what the reply told you. Open with the job, not with an apology: I got your text about the furnace, I can be there at 11. Callers do not need to hear how busy you are. They need to hear that you understood the problem and have a plan. The text gave you a head start. Spend it.

Response time

Response time questions, answered.

Do I really lose jobs in the first 60 seconds?

Not every job, but 37% of callers contact a competitor within 60 seconds of not getting an answer. Across a month of missed calls, that is a real number of jobs.

I cannot step away from the job I am on. What then?

That is exactly what the automatic text is for. It answers in seconds while you keep working, and you call back when you are free, with the details in front of you.

Does a text really count as responding?

To the caller, yes. They asked for help and got a reply in seconds from your business. That is what they were waiting for.

What if I am booked out for weeks?

Say so fast. A same-day text saying you are booking three weeks out keeps far more callers than silence. Many will wait for the contractor who answered.

Should I text back outside business hours?

The automatic text already did. A personal callback can wait until morning. The caller knows you will call, which is what keeps them from calling around.