Estimate Follow-Up Statistics 2026: Speed, Touches & Win Rates

How fast should you reply to a quote request, how many other contractors is the homeowner talking to, and does a second follow-up make a difference? This page collects the numbers that have a traceable source: platform data from Thumbtack, Jobber and Angi, homeowner research from the Home Improvement Research Institute and Housecall Pro, and secret-shopper studies of how companies actually respond.

Each figure shows its source, year and method, and vendor studies are labelled as such. We found no study that measures "the percentage of estimates won after a follow-up" for home services, so we say so instead of using the blog numbers that fill that gap. Nothing here comes from LeadDuo or customer data.

What you’ll get from this guide

Pros who reply to a lead within 30 minutes are 25% more likely to get hired than those who reply within 3 hours (Thumbtack platform data, 2025).
Homeowners who hire a pro contact one to two on average, and just over half contact only one (Home Improvement Research Institute, 2023). The first to reply well often has the field to itself.
68% of homeowners seek additional quotes when pricing comes in higher than expected (Housecall Pro survey of 1,100+ U.S. homeowners, 2026).
In a secret-shopper test of 466 home service companies, 85% never tried a second call and 40% never responded at all (Valve+Meter, about 2018).
Proposals with automated reminders were 10% more likely to close, but only 7% of senders used them (Proposify, 1.28 million proposals, 2024).

Headline numbers

25%

More likely to be hired when replying within 30 min vs 3 hours (Thumbtack)

1–2

Pros contacted by homeowners who hire; just over half contact one (HIRI)

68%

Homeowners who get more quotes when the price is higher than expected

85%

Home service companies that never tried a second call (older study)

37%

In-home sales that convert on the spot (ServiceTitan data)

10%

Higher close rate for proposals with automated reminders (Proposify)

51%

Consumers who expect a reply within an hour (Twilio, global)

91%

U.S. adults who own a smartphone (Pew, 2026)

Reply speed

Finding	Figure	How it was measured	Source
Hire rate when replying within 30 minutes vs within 3 hours	25% more likely to be hired	Thumbtack platform data; no sample size given	Thumbtack, 2025
Pros who reply to leads the same day / within the hour	60% / 20%	Survey of 1,050 U.S. home service business owners, Dec 2025 (owners' own answers)	Jobber, 2026
Consumers who expect a reply within an hour	51%	Survey of 3,900 consumers in several countries, June–July 2024	Twilio, 2024
Consumers who left a brand over slow replies in the past year	46%	Same Twilio survey	Twilio, 2024
Home service companies that didn't respond within a day	55%	Secret-shopper requests to 466 U.S. home service companies, tracked 5 days. Older study (about 2018)	Valve+Meter

Platform figures (Thumbtack, Jobber, Angi, ServiceTitan) come from each company's own customers and don't publish a method, so read them as that platform's experience, not an industry average.

Follow-up attempts and persistence

Finding	Figure	How it was measured	Source
Home service companies that never tried a second call	85%	Secret-shopper test, 466 U.S. home service companies. Older study (about 2018)	Valve+Meter
Home service companies that never responded	40%	Same test, 5 days of tracking	Valve+Meter
Companies that didn't respond to a web lead	47%	Secret-shopper web leads to 9,538 companies in many industries, 2013. Older study	InsideSales.com, 2014
Median number of contact attempts	1 (average 2.2)	Same InsideSales test	InsideSales.com, 2014
Effect of a second call on reaching the homeowner	45% more likely to connect	Angi's statement to its pros; method not stated	Angi, 2026
Proposals closed with automated reminders	10% more likely to close; 7% of senders use them	1,280,657 proposals sent through Proposify in 27 industries, mostly B2B	Proposify, 2024

How homeowners shop for quotes

Finding	Figure	How it was measured	Source
Pros contacted by homeowners who hire	One to two on average; just over half contact only one	HIRI 2023 Homeowner Monthly Activity Tracker and Project Decision Study	HIRI, 2023
Homeowners who seek more quotes when the price is higher than expected	68%	Online survey of 1,100+ U.S. homeowners, 2026; read directionally	Housecall Pro, 2026
Why homeowners who considered a pro did it themselves	Too expensive 70%; able to do it 60%; timelines too long 20%; lack of response from the pro 10%	HIRI 2023; homeowners who considered hiring but did the work themselves	HIRI, 2023
In-home sales that convert immediately	37%	ServiceTitan platform data; no sample given	ServiceTitan, 2026
Pros who report winning more than half their quotes	69%	Jobber survey of 1,050 owners (self-reported); Jobber data: top performers win over 60%	Jobber, 2026

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Text vs email

Finding	Figure	How it was measured	Source
Consumers likely or very likely to switch to a business that offers texting	40.5%	Survey of 1,000+ consumers in the U.S. and Australia; Podium sells business texting	Podium, 2022
U.S. adults who own a smartphone	91%	Survey of 5,511 U.S. adults, Jan–June 2026	Pew Research Center, 2026

What the numbers mean for your estimates

Reply inside the first half hour when you can. It's the one speed figure with platform data behind it.
Assume you may be the only contractor they call. Half of hiring homeowners contact just one, so a fast, clear quote often wins without a bidding war.
Follow up at least once more. Most companies in the secret-shopper tests stopped after one attempt or none, which leaves the job to whoever calls back.
Send the follow-up as a text as well as an email. Almost every customer carries a smartphone.
Write the follow-up in seconds with the free estimate follow-up email and text generator, or let LeadDuo Recover draft it for you when a quote goes quiet.

Numbers we couldn't verify

These are repeated on many sales and contractor blogs. We tried to trace each one to an original study and couldn't, so they aren't used on this page:

"80% of sales require 5 follow-ups" and "44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up." Usually credited to a sales association or a marketing newsletter, with no original document.
"78% of customers buy from the first company to respond." Credited to a survey with conflicting years and no report, sample or link.
"Firms that respond within an hour are 7 times more likely to qualify the lead." From a 2011 Harvard Business Review article we couldn't open to check the exact wording.
"Following up within 24 hours closes 60% more estimates." Attributed to a field service software company, but not in any of its published reports.
"Most homeowners get three quotes." The traceable data (HIRI 2023) says just over half of hiring homeowners contact only one pro.

Methodology and sources

Every figure was checked against its original source on October 31, 2026. Vendor surveys and platform data are labelled with the company that published them. Older studies are marked with their year. Nothing is projected or estimated by LeadDuo.

FAQ: estimate follow-up statistics

How fast should a contractor reply to a quote request?▼

As fast as you can, ideally within 30 minutes. Thumbtack's platform data shows pros who reply within 30 minutes are 25% more likely to be hired than those who reply within 3 hours.

How many contractors do homeowners contact?▼

Fewer than most people think. The Home Improvement Research Institute found that homeowners who hire a pro contact one to two on average, and just over half contact only one. Housecall Pro found 68% look for more quotes when the price comes in higher than expected.

How many times should you follow up on an estimate?▼

No study measures the ideal number for home service estimates. What the data shows is that most companies stop too early: in one secret-shopper test, 85% of home service companies never tried a second call, and Angi says a second call makes connecting with the homeowner 45% more likely.

What percentage of estimates are won after a follow-up?▼

We found no published study that measures this for home services. Figures like "80% of sales need 5 follow-ups" can't be traced to an original source. Jobber's owner survey found 69% of pros win more than half their quotes.

Should I follow up by text or email?▼

Both. 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone (Pew, 2026), and in Podium's survey 40.5% of consumers said they were likely to switch to a business that offers texting.

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Estimate & Quote Follow-Up Statistics (2026)