A trade should answer a new enquiry as fast as it possibly can: pick up live calls in working hours, and reply to every missed call, web form and message within an hour at the very latest. The first trade to reply usually gets the conversation, and the conversation usually gets the job. Speed also counts with Google: its UK Local Services Ads help says your responsiveness to enquiries affects how your ads rank.
The problem is that the phone rings when you are up a ladder or driving between jobs. Here is how fast is fast enough, and how a small team can reply quicker without hiring.
Why does reply speed decide who wins the job?
When someone needs a plumber, roofer or electrician, many ring or message more than one business from the search results and go with whoever gets back to them first with a sensible answer. Being a better tradesperson does not help if a competitor has already booked the visit.
The best-known research on this is still a study published in Harvard Business Review in 2011, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads” by Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington. It audited 2,241 US companies and found:
- Only 37% responded to a new lead within an hour.
- The average response time, among companies that replied within 30 days, was 42 hours.
- 23% never responded at all.
- Firms that contacted a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited even an hour longer, and more than 60 times as likely as firms that waited 24 hours or more.
It is an older US study, but the principle still holds: the first useful reply has the advantage.
Do UK customers really notice slow replies?
Yes. In research for HomeServe carried out by Opinium in March 2023 (2,000 UK adults), 41% said they had been ghosted by a tradesperson after requesting a quote, and 38% said that after a quote was requested they never heard back, despite chasing. London (51%), Leeds and Liverpool (both 48%) were the top ghosting hotspots.
In a market like that, simply replying quickly and clearly makes you stand out.
Does Google reward trades that answer quickly?
For Local Services Ads, Google says so directly. Its UK help page About ad rankings lists “your responsiveness to customer enquiries and requests” as a ranking factor and adds: “Missed calls may negatively affect your responsiveness.” The same page lists average response time as part of your profile quality, alongside your rating, number of reviews and verification checks.
So if you run Local Services Ads with the Google Verified badge, answering the phone is not just good manners. It feeds straight into how often your ad is shown. Our Local Services Ads management service covers this as part of setting trades up properly.
What response time should a trade aim for?
These are the targets we suggest to the trades we work with. They are practical goals for a small business, not rules from Google.
| Enquiry type | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Phone call in working hours | Answered live | A caller who reaches voicemail often rings the next number on the list. |
| Missed call | Called back within 15 minutes | They are probably still searching, so catch them before someone else picks up. |
| Web form or email | A real reply within an hour | The HBR study above shows how quickly a lead goes cold after the first hour. |
| Out-of-hours enquiry | Instant acknowledgement, then first thing next morning | Set expectations so the customer does not keep shopping overnight. |
| Written quote after a visit | Within one to two working days | A quote that arrives a week later competes with quotes already accepted. |
Where do trades lose enquiries without realising?
When we look at how enquiries reach a trade business, the same leaks come up again and again:
- Calls on the job. You cannot answer while you are on a roof, so the call goes to a voicemail nobody checks until the evening.
- Full or generic voicemail. “Leave a message” with no promise of when you will call back gives people no reason to wait.
- Forms going to the wrong inbox. Website forms that send to an old address, or land in spam, are invisible until a customer complains.
- Slow quotes. The visit goes well, then the written quote takes a week because paperwork waits for the weekend.
- Evenings and weekends. Many homeowners search after work. If nobody responds until Monday, they have often booked someone else.
How can a small team answer faster without hiring?
- Test your own enquiry routes. Ring your number from another phone, fill in your own website form and email your listed address. Time how long each takes to reach you.
- Set a voicemail that makes a promise. Say who you are and when you will ring back, for example “within the hour, Monday to Saturday”.
- Send an automatic reply to every form. Confirm it arrived, say when you will be in touch and give the number to call if it is urgent.
- Block two short call-back slots a day. A ten-minute window at lunch and at the end of the day clears missed calls before they go cold.
- Turn on message or booking leads in Local Services Ads where available. Google’s ranking page notes these give customers more ways to reach you, especially at nights and weekends when you cannot answer the phone.
- Get call answering cover. A family member, a call answering service or an AI receptionist can take details while you work. Our AI receptionist guide for UK service businesses compares the options. One of them is Unavoidable CRM, made by our sister company Unavoidable Studio Ltd, which answers calls, books jobs and chases follow-ups, with a 14-day free trial.
Speed wins the first conversation, but trust wins the job. If you are a home improvement trade, it is worth reading our explainer on Approved Code and trusted payments alongside this.
How do you measure your response time?
Keep it simple. For two weeks, note the time each enquiry arrived and the time you first replied, plus how many calls you missed. Most trades are surprised by the gap. Then link enquiries to booked work, because the number that really matters is what each booked job costs you. Our guide to cost per booked job shows how to work that out from your ad spend.
Frequently asked questions
Is replying within 24 hours good enough?
Usually not for new enquiries. By the next day most customers have spoken to someone else. Aim for the same hour in working time.
Should I answer the phone while I am on a job?
Only if it is safe and does not hold up the customer you are working for. It is better to have cover in place, or a clear voicemail promise and a fixed call-back slot, than to rush answers from the top of a ladder.
Do missed calls hurt my Local Services Ads?
Google’s UK help says missed calls “may negatively affect your responsiveness”, which is one of the factors in how your ads rank. Answering more calls is one of the simplest ways to protect your position.
Want to stop losing enquiries?
If you want a plain-English look at where your enquiries are leaking, from missed calls to forms and ads, book a free 30-minute strategy call with Unavoidable Marketing. We will look at how customers find and contact you, and show you what to fix first. Let’s make you Unavoidable.
About the author: Andrew Heppinstall is the founder of Unavoidable Marketing, a Leeds agency that helps UK trades and local service businesses win work through Google Local Services Ads, SEO and paid search. His article “What makes Google ads effective?” appeared on the Business Matters page of PHAM News in September 2026.