Why Your Leads Don't Answer the Phone (And What to Do About It)

"I'm getting leads but nobody picks up."

This might be the most frustrating complaint I hear from service business owners. You're paying for ads, the forms are coming in, and then... voicemail. No callback. Ghost.

What's going on? And more importantly, what can you actually do about it?

The Speed-to-Lead Problem

Here's the most important stat in this entire article:

Leads contacted within 5 minutes are 21x more likely to convert than leads contacted after 30 minutes.

That's not a typo. Twenty-one times.

Why? Because the person who just filled out your form is still thinking about their problem. They're sitting on their phone. They're motivated. Five minutes later, they're back to watching TV. Thirty minutes later, they've submitted forms to three other companies and taken a call from whoever was fastest.

Most service businesses I talk to have response times of 2-4 hours. Some check leads once a day. That's not a marketing problem. It's an operational problem disguised as a marketing problem.

The first fix: Measure your actual response time. From form submission to first call attempt. You might be shocked.

Why People Don't Answer Unknown Numbers

It's 2025. Spam calls are relentless. Most people don't answer calls from numbers they don't recognize.

According to industry data, about 75% of calls from unknown numbers go unanswered. That means even if you're calling immediately, three out of four leads won't pick up.

What you're competing against: - Spam calls about car warranties - Political robocalls - "Medicare benefits" scams - Unknown numbers from area codes they don't recognize

Your legitimate business call looks exactly like spam to someone who doesn't have your number saved.

The Text Message Advantage

Here's what changes everything: text messages have a 98% open rate. Not answer rate. Open rate. People at least look at texts.

The protocol that works:

1. . Lead comes in
2. . Immediately (within 60 seconds): Send text introducing yourself
3. . Within 2 minutes: Attempt phone call
4. . If no answer: Send follow-up text letting them know you called
5. . If still no response in 30 minutes: Second call attempt
6. . If still no response: Text with alternate contact method

The text that gets responses:

Bad: "Hi this is ABC Plumbing calling about your inquiry"

Good: "Hi [Name], this is Mike from ABC Plumbing. I saw you're dealing with [specific issue from form]. I'm available right now if you want to call me back at this number, or just reply here and I'll text back."

The second text: - Uses their name - References their specific problem - Offers multiple ways to respond - Sounds like a human, not a bot

The Local Number Problem

If your business number has a different area code than your customers, you're at a disadvantage.

Someone in Phoenix is more likely to answer a 602 or 480 number than an 800 number or an out-of-state area code.

Solutions:

1. . Use a local number for outbound calls. If you're using a VoIP system, get a local number for each area you serve.

1. . Caller ID name registration. Some phone systems let you register your business name to appear on caller ID. "ABC PLUMBING" is more likely to be answered than "UNKNOWN."

1. . Reference the local connection in voicemail. "Hi, this is Mike from ABC Plumbing in Scottsdale, returning your call about your water heater..."

The Voicemail That Gets Callbacks

Most service business voicemails are terrible:

"Hi, this is ABC Plumbing calling about your inquiry. Please call us back at 602-555-1234."

That message gives no reason to call back. It sounds like a sales call. It goes to the voicemail graveyard.

The voicemail framework:

1. . Name and company (2 seconds): "Hi Sarah, this is Mike from ABC Plumbing"
2. . Why you're calling (5 seconds): "I saw your form about the water heater making strange noises"
3. . Value proposition (5 seconds): "I've got a tech who can come out today if you need"
4. . Easy next step (5 seconds): "Just text me back at this number or call whenever's convenient"
5. . Repeat number (3 seconds): "Again, it's Mike, 602-555-1234"

Total: under 25 seconds. Long enough to be helpful, short enough to be listened to.

The key insight: Reference their specific problem. Generic voicemails get ignored. Specific voicemails get callbacks because they prove you actually read their form.

Lead Quality vs. Lead Quantity

Sometimes the problem isn't your follow-up. It's the leads themselves.

Signs your lead quality might be the issue:

You're getting form-fills but fake information: - Phone numbers that are disconnected - Email addresses that bounce - Names like "Test Test"

You're getting wrong-fit leads: - DIYers looking for advice - People outside your service area - Price shoppers with no budget

Your forms are too easy:

A form that asks only for name and phone number attracts everyone, including people who aren't serious. Adding friction (specific service needed, best time to call, urgency level) reduces volume but improves quality.

Consider this: Would you rather have 20 leads where 2 answer, or 10 leads where 5 answer? The math often favors fewer, better leads.

The Follow-Up Sequence That Works

One call and done is not a follow-up system. Here's what persistent (but not annoying) looks like:

Day 1: - Minute 0: Form submission triggers immediate text - Minute 2: Phone call attempt #1 - Minute 3: If no answer, leave voicemail + follow-up text - Hour 4: Call attempt #2 (if first was during work hours, try evening; vice versa) - End of day: Text summary: "Tried to reach you twice today. Reply when you're free."

Day 2: - Morning: Call attempt #3 - Afternoon: Email if you have it

Day 3: - Single call attempt - Text: "Still hoping to help with your [specific problem]. Is there a better way to reach you?"

Day 5: - Final attempt - Text: "I'll assume you've found another solution, but if you still need help, just reply anytime."

After 5 days and 4-5 call attempts, you've done your due diligence. Any more and you're annoying.

Automating Without Losing the Human Touch

The sequence above sounds like a lot of work. It is, if you're doing it manually for every lead.

Tools that help:

• CRM with automation: HubSpot, Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro
• SMS automation: Podium, Kenect, Hatch
• Call tracking/routing: CallRail, CallTrackingMetrics

What to automate: - Initial text response (immediate) - Text after missed call (immediate) - Reminder texts (day 2, day 3, day 5) - Status updates in your CRM

What NOT to automate: - The actual phone call (obviously) - The voicemail message - Texts that require reading the form details

The goal is: humans for conversation, automation for consistency.

When the Problem Is Actually the Offer

Sometimes leads don't respond because your offer isn't compelling.

Red flag: High form submission rate, low callback rate from voicemails.

This might mean people are casually interested but not motivated enough to prioritize calling you back.

Questions to ask:

• Is there urgency in your offer? ("Same-day service" creates urgency; "contact us for a quote" doesn't)
• Are you differentiating from competitors? (If every plumber says "free estimates," that's not a reason to call YOU back)
• Is there a reason to act now? ("Book this week and save $50" vs "call whenever")

Adding urgency to your follow-up can help:

"Hi Sarah, I've got a tech in your area tomorrow morning. If we can't get you on the schedule today, it might be next week before we can come out."

Real or manufactured urgency works. No urgency loses to competitors who create it.

Tracking What Actually Matters

You can't fix what you don't measure. Here's what to track:

Lead-to-contact rate: What percentage of leads do you actually speak with? - Below 30%: Major problem - 30-50%: Room for improvement - Above 50%: Doing well

Speed-to-lead: Average time from form submission to first contact attempt - Under 5 minutes: Excellent - 5-30 minutes: Acceptable - Over 30 minutes: Problem

Contact attempts per lead: Before you give up - Under 3: You're giving up too early - 3-5: Reasonable - Over 7: Probably wasting time

Answer rate by time of day: When do people actually pick up? - Might reveal that 6 PM calls get 40% answer rate vs 10 AM calls at 15%

The Action Plan

If leads aren't answering, here's where to start:

Week 1: Measure - Track response time for every lead - Track contact rate - Track which follow-up attempts actually connect

Week 2: Speed - Get response time under 5 minutes - Implement immediate text upon form submission - Set up alerts so leads aren't sitting in an inbox

Week 3: Sequence - Build out 5-day follow-up sequence - Create voicemail script - Create text templates

Week 4: Optimize - Review which leads are connecting vs ghosting - Adjust form to improve quality - Test different times for call attempts

Most service businesses can double their contact rate within a month just by getting faster and more persistent.

Getting leads but not connecting? [Let's build a follow-up system](/contact) that actually gets people on the phone.