Leads into estimates
How fast do you have to call back a tree service lead?
By Zachary Spencer, founder of Zenith Co.
Published
Within a few minutes. The homeowner who just filled out a form or called about a tree is still holding the phone and often asking other companies at the same time. The first company to answer and offer a time usually gets the visit. After an hour, your odds of even reaching them drop sharply.
Most tree company owners know this already. The problem isn't knowing it. The problem is that the leads come in while you're forty feet up an oak or running the chipper, and by the time you call back on your lunch break, the homeowner has booked someone else.
Why tree leads go cold so fast
A homeowner who reaches out about a tree is looking at the problem right now. A limb is hanging over the driveway. An oak is leaning toward the house after a storm. Nobody fills out a tree estimate form on a whim. They do it at the moment the tree worries them, and that is the moment they want an answer.
They also rarely ask just one company. It takes a minute to fill out a form or tap a number, so many homeowners contact two or three at once and go with whoever gets back first with a time. Price and reviews matter, but only for the companies still in the conversation. A slow callback takes you out of it before price comes up.
What the research says
The most cited study is from the Harvard Business Review, "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads" (Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, 2011). The authors audited how more than 2,000 US companies responded to web leads. Companies that tried to contact a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to have a meaningful conversation with the person as companies that waited even one hour longer, and more than 60 times as likely as companies that waited a day or more. The average company in their audit took about 42 hours to respond.
That study covered all kinds of businesses, not tree work. If anything, tree work is tighter. A homeowner comparing software vendors can wait a day. A homeowner with a tree on the fence wants it handled this week and has three numbers in their phone.
Why you can't do it yourself from the job
You can't safely answer a phone with a running saw in your hand, and you shouldn't try. The owner of a small tree company is usually the most skilled person on the crew, so the owner is exactly the person who can't stop. Calling leads back at the end of the day means calling them back four to eight hours late, after they've talked to someone else.
The answer is to have something or someone respond for you in those first minutes, in your company's name, and book the estimate while the homeowner is still interested.
Ways to answer every lead in minutes
| Option | How fast | What it does well | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call back yourself | Hours | The homeowner talks to the owner | Late every time you're on a job |
| Missed-call text back | Seconds | Keeps a missed call from going to voicemail | Starts the conversation but doesn't book it |
| Office help or a family member | Minutes, during their hours | A real person who knows your schedule | One person, set hours, and they have other work |
| Answering service | Minutes | Picks up calls | Usually takes messages instead of booking |
| Text, call and book for you | Under a minute is the aim | Reaches the homeowner and puts a time on your calendar | Needs access to your calendar and current open times |
The last row is what we do for the companies we run ads for. Every lead gets a text and a call in your company's name, aiming for under a minute, and the homeowner books a time from your open calendar. Here's how that works step by step.
What the first message should say
Speed only helps if the first message moves things forward. A text that says "Thanks for reaching out, we'll be in touch" wastes the moment. A good first text does three things:
- Says who it is. Your company name, so they know it's the company they asked.
- Mentions their job. "Got your request about the oak over the driveway." It shows a person read it.
- Offers two times. "We can come look Thursday at 9 or Friday at 2. Which works?" A choice between two times gets an answer. "When are you free?" gets a maybe.
Then a call right behind it, for the homeowners who would rather talk.
What about leads that come in at night?
Plenty of homeowners fill out forms after dinner, when they're home and looking at the tree. The same rule applies: whoever answers first and offers a time usually wins. A homeowner who gets a text at 8 PM offering Thursday morning will often book it then and there. One who hears nothing until 10 AM the next day has had all night to ask someone else.
Questions about lead response
How quickly should a tree service company respond to a new lead?
Within a few minutes. The homeowner is still holding the phone and often contacting other companies at the same time. Research on web leads found that responding within an hour made companies nearly seven times as likely to have a real conversation with the person as responding an hour later.
Is a text or a call better for a new tree lead?
Both, in that order. A text arrives instantly and the homeowner can answer it anywhere. A call right behind it reaches the people who would rather talk. The text should name your company, mention their job and offer two specific times.
Does missed-call text back replace calling leads back?
No. It keeps a missed call from turning into a voicemail and starts the conversation in seconds, but someone still has to answer the reply and book a time. It is the first step, not the whole job.
How can a tree company owner answer leads while working?
By having someone respond in the company's name in the first minutes and book the estimate onto the owner's calendar. That can be office help, or a service that texts, calls and books every lead for you. Calling back at the end of the day is usually too late.
What happens to leads that wait until the next day?
Most have already booked someone else or stopped answering. In the Harvard Business Review study of web leads, companies that responded within an hour were more than 60 times as likely to have a real conversation with the person as companies that waited a day or more.