Why minutes matter
Customers shop around. Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading tells people to “always get at least three written quotes”, so assume every lead has rung at least two other businesses. The one that gets back first, while the customer still wants it done, has the best shot.
The research on speed is old and mostly American, but it all points the same way. In the Lead Response Management study (Dr James Oldroyd with InsideSales.com, 2007, 15,000+ leads), the odds of qualifying a lead were 21 times higher when it was contacted within 5 minutes rather than 30, and four times higher at 5 minutes than at 10. Harvard Business Review’s 2011 study “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads” found most companies respond far too slowly.
Customers expect it too. In Jobber’s 2026 survey of US home service businesses, more than 55% of customers expected a reply within an hour and more than 70% the same day. Closer to home, 45% of Australian construction businesses in OpenAI-commissioned research reported in September 2026 said they had lost work because of slow response times.
Where a tradie’s leads leak
| The enquiry | What usually happens | What your AI staff do |
|---|---|---|
| A missed call | Goes to voicemail, and the caller rings the next business | Anna answers it, 24/7, and takes the details |
| A web form | Sits in your inbox until tonight | Emily follows it up within minutes |
| An ad enquiry | Paid for, then answered hours later | Emily follows it up within minutes, while the customer is still keen |
| A text | Read on site, forgotten by knock-off | Anna answers texts as well as calls |
| A lead that went quiet | Never chased | Emily keeps following up until it’s a yes or a no |
| A quote you’ve sent | Never chased | Emily follows up every quote you’ve sent |
Qualifying the lead and booking the site visit
Emily asks the qualifying questions you’d ask, so you don’t drive across town for a job you’d never take. You set the questions. For example:
- What’s the job, and how big is it?
- Where is the property, and is it in your service area?
- When do they want it done? Is anything urgent?
- Is it their own home, a rental or a business?
- When can someone be there for a site visit?
Then she books the job or site visit straight into your calendar. Confirmation and reminder texts are part of the follow-up today, and Rachel, a dedicated appointment confirmations staff member, is rolling out on Growth and up.
Following up inside the rules
Fast isn’t the same as pushy. Whoever does the follow-up, these are the rules it has to meet.
- Spam Act 2003: a commercial text or email needs consent, must say who it’s from and must have a free, working opt-out. Opt-outs must be honoured within 5 business days. Someone who asked you for a quote has usually given consent for that job.
- Calls: the telemarketing industry standard allows calls from 9am to 8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, and not on Sundays or national public holidays, unless the customer agreed to that time.
- When the customer says no, the follow-up stops.
This is general information, not legal advice.
What lead follow-up costs
Most AI receptionist apps, at about A$49 to A$399 a month, answer the call that comes in and book a time. Few ring the lead back or chase the quote. An answering service takes a message for $2.60 to $4.10 a call and leaves the follow-up to you.
Growth is 5 AI staff for $950 a quarter or $3,040 a year + GST. Paid yearly that’s about $253 a month. Paid quarterly it’s about $2.08 a day per AI staff member. That covers Emily following up enquiries and quotes, Anna answering every call and text, SAM, Carol and Jenny. Growth includes 6 to 8 outbound hours a month, and past that outbound calls are $0.55 a minute, billed per second.
Where your AI staff stop, and you stay in charge
- Emily never writes, sends or prices a quote, and never offers a discount.
- Emily never scopes technical work or promises work you haven’t approved.
- You decide which jobs and areas you want. Anything outside your rules comes back to you.
- Anyone who says no or asks to opt out is taken off the follow-up.
- Urgent calls are texted to you straight away.