When someone fills out your contact form, they’re interested right now—not in two hours and definitely not in two days. If your team takes too long to reply, that lead is already talking to someone else.

Lead response time is the clock that starts ticking the moment a prospect reaches out. In sales, every minute matters.

In this post, we’ll look at what lead response time means, why speed makes a huge difference, and how to reply faster without piling more work on your team.

What Is Lead Response Time?

Lead response time is the amount of time between when a lead reaches out (via form, email, or chat) and when someone on your team replies. It’s a simple metric, but it says a lot about how prepared your sales team is to convert interest into action.

For example, if a prospect fills out a “Request a Demo” form at 2:00 PM and a sales rep replies at 2:20 PM, your lead response time is 20 minutes. Sounds decent—but if your competitor replied in five minutes, they may already have the lead’s attention.

Quick follow-up makes a difference. It shows you’re paying attention. A slow reply? That gives the lead time to forget you or start talking to someone else.

What Is an Ideal Lead Response Time?

The ideal lead response time—often called the “golden window”—is under five minutes. That’s when your chances of reaching and converting a lead are at their highest. Responding quickly signals that your team is attentive and ready to help, while delays can cost you the deal.

Even if you can’t always reply in five minutes, sooner is still better. According to a Harvard study, businesses that respond within an hour are seven times more likely to have meaningful conversations with leads compared to those that wait longer.

But what does this look like in the real world?

RevenueHero tested 1,000 B2B websites and found the average response time was 1 day, 5 hours, and 17 minutes—a major gap from what today’s buyers expect.

Here’s what they saw:

• Under 5 minutes – 172 companies

• Within 1 hour – 31 companies

• Within 24 hours – 109 companies

• Within a week – 41 companies

• After a week – 12 companies

• Did not respond – 635 companie

That means over half of the companies missed the first-day mark—leaving leads waiting and likely looking elsewhere.

If your team struggles with a slow lead response time, you're likely losing leads, and fixing that one issue can change your entire sales pipeline.

How to Calculate Lead Response Time

Lead response time shows how quickly your team follows up when someone expresses interest. Tracking it helps you spot delays, improve workflows, and respond faster moving forward.

Here’s how to calculate it:

Let’s say a prospect fills out a form at 9:45 AM, and a rep responds at 10:00 AM. That lead’s response time is 15 minutes.

To find your average response time, just follow this formula:

For example:

If a sales rep follows up with three leads in one day, and the response times were:

• First lead – 2 minutes

• Second lead – 9 minutes

• Third lead – 7 minutes

Then your average lead response time for the day would be:

(2 + 9 + 7) ÷ 3 = 6 minutes

Once you start measuring this important lead response time metric regularly, you can set goals and build better systems to support faster follow-ups.

Tools like Truva track lead response time automatically, so you don’t have to pull reports manually. It captures when a lead comes in, when your team replies, and helps you spot delays—without the usual busywork.

9 Lead Response Time Statistics That Prove Speed Wins Deals

Fast follow-ups don’t just make a good impression—they give you a serious edge. These lead statistics show how timing can make or break your chances of closing the deal.

1. Only 37% of companies respond within an hour

Even though speed clearly works, most companies still take too long. If your team replies within an hour, you’re already faster than nearly two-thirds of your competitors. That small effort leads to big gains and helps you handle inbound leads before they cool off.

2. Responding in under 5 minutes makes you 100x more likely to connect

Those first five minutes matter more than you think. Reaching out fast means you're far more likely to start a conversation, book a meeting, or answer their question before anyone else does. It’s a huge difference for such a small window.

3. Companies with fast lead response see 21% more revenue on average

This isn’t just about replies—it’s about results. Teams that move quickly tend to close more deals and bring in more revenue. Fast follow-ups keep momentum going and help you turn more leads into paying customers.

4. 44% of all leads come in outside of working hours

Leads don’t follow a 9-to-5 schedule. Many come in at night, on weekends, or during holidays. If you’re only responding during office hours, you’re likely missing high-quality opportunities. Automation helps you stay in the game—even when your team’s offline.

5. After 30 minutes, your chances of qualifying a lead drop by 21x

That window closes quickly. If you wait more than 30 minutes to follow up, the chances of turning that lead into a real opportunity shrink fast. It’s not just about being responsive—it’s about striking while the interest is still there.

6. 82% of consumers expect a reply within 10 minutes or less

The bar is high. Most people don’t just want a fast response—they expect it. If you can reply within 10 minutes, you're meeting expectations and showing the lead that you’re serious about helping them.

7. Every 10-minute delay decreases conversion chances by up to 400%

Time matters more than most teams realize. For every 10 minutes you wait to respond, your chances of converting a lead drop sharply. Companies that reply within the first 10 minutes can see up to 4x more conversions compared to slower responders. That delay doesn’t just slow you down—it costs you real opportunities.

8. 78% of buyers purchase from the first company that responds

If you want to win the deal, be the first. Almost 8 out of 10 buyers go with whoever replies first—not because they’re the cheapest or flashiest but because they were ready to help when it mattered most.

9. The average B2B lead response time is 42 hours

This one’s tough to believe. Most companies take almost two days to respond to a new lead. By then, the deal is probably gone—or worse, the lead forgot they ever reached out. If you can move faster, you’ll stand out right away.

Ways to Improve Lead Response Time

You don’t need to hire a bigger team or work late hours to improve lead response management. A faster speed-to-lead approach is all about working smarter and removing delays from your follow-up process.

Use Smart Automation to Respond Instantly

Auto-replies, meeting links, or basic follow-up messages can go out the moment a lead reaches out. Even a short, immediate response like “Thanks—we’ll be in touch soon” keeps the lead warm until your rep steps in.

Set Real-Time Notifications for New Leads

Leads shouldn’t sit unnoticed in your CRM. Use tools that send alerts to reps through Slack, mobile push, or email as soon as a lead lands. This kind of setup helps your team respond to leads quickly without needing to constantly check the CRM.

Prioritize High-Intent Actions

Not every form fill is equal. A demo request? That deserves faster attention than a newsletter signup. Use lead scoring or behavior-based triggers to sort urgent leads from casual ones.

Build a Clear Follow-Up Plan

A defined playbook removes guesswork. Decide in advance—first touch is a call, then email, then calendar link. That way, reps don’t waste time deciding what to do next.

Keep Your CRM Clean and Easy to Use

Messy systems slow everyone down. Use a simple CRM setup that connects to your email, calendar, and automation tools. That way, reps can act faster with less friction.

Train for Speed and Confidence

Sometimes, reps hold back because they’re unsure what to say. Show them that a short, helpful reply is better than waiting to perfect a message. Confidence comes with action.

Prepare for After-Hours Leads

Since almost half of leads come in after hours, automation matters. Tools that respond or assign leads outside business hours help you keep momentum going.

Set a Clear Response Time Goal

Pick a number, either 5 or 10 minutes, and aim to hit it consistently. Then, track performance each week to see what’s working, where the delays are, and whether you need to distribute leads properly to avoid slowdowns.

Making Lead Response Time Faster and Smarter With Truva

Speeding up lead response doesn’t mean working longer hours or juggling more tasks—it means working smarter. That’s exactly what Truva helps sales teams do.

Truva removes manual busywork like CRM updates, meeting summaries, and follow-up reminders, so your team can focus on building real connections and closing deals.

It tracks activity, pulls out key insights, and keeps your CRM accurate without slowing anyone down.

Key Features

• Automated sales activity tracking - Automatically records emails, meetings, voice notes, and in-person conversations—so no lead interaction gets lost.

• Real-time CRM updates - Syncs your data immediately, removing the need for manual entry and keeping records clean and current.

• Smart data extraction - Pulls out key info like goals, pain points, or custom fields using standard frameworks or team-specific tags.

• Meeting summaries and transcripts - Instantly delivers notes, summaries, and full transcripts so follow-ups are fast and easy.

• AI-powered follow-ups - Suggests next steps, drafts personalized messages, and helps your team re-engage without delays.

• Sales performance analytics - Tracks engagement, speaking time, and sentiment to show what’s working (and where to improve).

• Seamless integrations - Works with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, Slack, Gmail, and more—so everything stays connected.

Whether you’re responding in real time or following up later, Truva makes sure you’re ready. No delays. No dropped leads. Just faster, smarter sales conversations.

Pricing Plans

• Pro – $30 per seat/month. Adds unlimited team members, analytics, and collaboration tools.

• Enterprise – Custom pricing for larger teams, including advanced security, custom integrations, and dedicated support.

Try Truva for free today or book a demo.

Respond Faster. Sell Smarter. Close More With Truva.

When your response time improves, your conversion rates go up. It’s that simple.

The faster you reply, the more likely your team is to book that meeting, win the deal, and build a lasting relationship.

And with Truva handling the follow-up busywork, you don’t have to choose between speed and sanity.

Ready to shorten your lead response time without adding extra work? Try Truva for free today or book a demo.

FAQs About Lead Response Time

What is a good lead response time?

A good lead response time is under 5 minutes. That’s when you’re most likely to hear back from the lead and keep their interest. The faster you reply, the better your chances of booking a call or closing the deal.

What is the lead time of response?

A lead time of response means how long it takes for someone on your team to reply after a lead reaches out. If a lead fills out a form at 1:00 PM and you reply at 1:10 PM, your lead response time is 10 minutes.

What is response lead time?

Respond lead time is just another way of saying how quickly your team replies to a lead. It's the gap between when they contact you and when you respond. Shorter times usually mean better results.

What is the lead response time in KPI?

Lead response time is a key metric (or KPI) that shows how fast your team follows up with new leads. It helps you see if you’re reaching out quickly enough—and where you can improve to win more deals.