How Fast Should You Reply to a New Enquiry? What the Research Says
Reply as fast as you realistically can, and acknowledge every enquiry within minutes if you can. A UK white paper reports that UK businesses average 47 hours to reply, with only 7% replying within five minutes, and agencies say the first business to respond usually wins. Use an instant automatic acknowledgement, then a personal reply the same working day.
Contents
- What the research says
- A realistic target
- How to meet it
- What to write in the first reply
- How to measure it
- Common mistakes
- Next steps
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
What the research says
- UK white paper. A white paper on lead response reports that UK businesses average about 47 hours to reply to an enquiry, and that only about 7% reply within five minutes. Check the paper’s method before relying on the figures.
- Vendor studies. CRM vendors report that replying within five minutes improves conversion, and that replying within an hour gives much higher qualification rates than replying later.
- A widely quoted line. The claim that 78% of customers buy from the first business to respond is repeated across many sites with no clear origin, so treat it as a rule of thumb.
- Not pushiness. CRM providers point out that a fast reply is less about closing at once and more about showing you are organised and easy to deal with.
These figures come mostly from white papers and software vendors, so they show a direction and not a measured UK average for your trade. The best evidence is your own: how fast do you reply, and what happens to enquiries that wait?
A realistic target
These are suggestions to adapt, not sourced standards.
| Enquiry type | Suggested target |
|---|---|
| Any new enquiry, any channel | Automatic acknowledgement within a minute |
| Phone call you miss | Text or call back within the hour |
| Website form or email in working hours | Personal reply within an hour or two |
| Enquiry outside working hours | Personal reply first thing the next working day |
| Urgent job | Immediate, by phone |
How to meet it
- Make sure every enquiry arrives where you will see it: one inbox or one CRM, not five.
- Turn on instant alerts on your phone.
- Set an automatic acknowledgement that says when to expect a reply.
- Prepare templates for the most common enquiries; see follow-up templates for quotes and enquiries.
- Decide who replies, and who covers when they cannot.
- Use reminders: tools can notify you if an enquiry has not been contacted within a set time. See CRM for small businesses.
Want a second pair of eyes? Clariti Digital can review your setup and show you what to fix first.
What to write in the first reply
Keep it short. Thank them, answer the question they asked, ask one question that moves things forward and suggest a next step with a time. Our templates give wording you can copy and edit.
How to measure it
Track three things each month: the time to first reply, the share of enquiries answered within your target and the share that become jobs. Moving all enquiries into one place makes response time measurable for the first time, as CRM case studies report. Use the speed-to-lead calculator to test what slower replies could be costing you, using your own numbers.
Common mistakes
- No automatic acknowledgement, so the customer hears nothing.
- A long essay when a short answer and a question would do.
- Promising a call-back you do not make.
- Ignoring messages on WhatsApp, social media and the contact form.
- Treating weekends and evenings as if they do not exist.
Next steps
If enquiries are not arriving in the first place, check nine things on your website. If they arrive and are lost, set up one place to track them: see CRM for small businesses in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly should I reply to a customer enquiry?
As fast as you realistically can. Acknowledge within minutes if possible, and send a personal reply the same working day. For urgent jobs, reply by phone at once.
Does replying faster really win more jobs?
Vendor studies and agencies say so, but the figures are from vendors and have unclear origins. Test it yourself by tracking reply time and conversion.
What if I cannot reply quickly?
Use an automatic acknowledgement that says when you will reply, and keep that promise.
Should I reply by phone or by message?
Follow the customer’s channel. If they phoned, call or text back; if they used a form, reply by email or text, and offer a call.
How do I stop enquiries getting lost?
Put them all in one place with a next action and date for each. See CRM for small businesses in the UK.
Sources
- Made Smarter, The lead response crisis: how poor response times cost UK SMEs billions, checked 11 October 2026.
- Teamgate, Lead response time study, checked 11 October 2026.
- Codafish, Lead response time is crucial, checked 11 October 2026.
- Bigin, Why small businesses should track 3 CRM metrics, not 30, checked 11 October 2026.
- Demand Local, CRM lead response time impact statistics, checked 11 October 2026.
Sam, Editor at Clariti Digital.
Related guides
- Speed-to-lead calculator: Test what slower replies could cost you using your own numbers.
- CRM for small businesses in the UK: What a small business CRM should do and how to start simply.
- Follow-up message templates: Copy and edit messages for enquiries, quotes and finished jobs.
Need help with this?
Clariti Digital is a UK digital growth agency for established local businesses. We start with a diagnostic, then fix what holds back visibility, enquiries and trust. Call +44 7435 063827 or email sam@claritidigital.com.