---
source: "niche-automation-prospecting"
date: "2026-03-13"
tags: [research, pest-control, pest-control-spring-2026, niche-automation-prospecting, market-data, lead-response, field-service, source-claude]
---

# Hidden Economics of Missed Calls in Urgent Home Services

Economic analysis of missed calls in pest control, plumbing, HVAC, and locksmith businesses. Covers speed-to-lead compression, emergency caller behavior, interim engagement research, CAC/LTV by vertical, and true cost of unanswered leads. Source: Claude Compass artifact.

## Speed-to-Lead: The Window Has Compressed

Historical MIT/InsideSales benchmark (2007): contact within 5 min vs 30 min = 100× more likely; qualify = 21×. HBR (2011, 2.24M leads): 78% of sales go to first responder; firms responding within 1 hour = 7× more likely to qualify.

More recent evidence shows the window has compressed further:

Driven Results (2025) — most trade-specific data available (2,847 contractor leads, 38 businesses):
| Response time | Booking conversion | vs. baseline |
|---|---|---|
| <60 seconds | 47% | baseline |
| 2–5 minutes | 31% | −34% |
| 10–30 minutes | 11% | −77% |
| 30+ minutes | 4% | −91% |

LeadConnect (2023): optimal window for home services has shrunk from 5 minutes to **90 seconds**.

Velocify (3.5M leads): responding within 1 minute boosts conversion by 391%; that lift is cut by more than half at the 2-minute mark.

## After-Hours Is Where the Economics Are Most Punishing

Housecall Pro: 41% of online bookings arrive after business hours; significant demand between 1 AM and 4 AM.

Driven Results: 67% of home services leads arrive outside 9–5; only 12% of service businesses can respond instantly.

Evening leads (5–9 PM): 3.2× higher purchase intent than midday. Late-night leads (9 PM–midnight): 4.1× higher intent; 73% conversion when answered instantly. Weekend leads left until Monday: 87% likely already booked a competitor.

Industry actual performance: 95% of home service companies fail to respond within 5 min; 55% fail within a full day. Average response time by trade: HVAC 4.2h, plumbing 5.1h, electrical 6.3h. Top 10% of HVAC businesses respond in <5 minutes; top 10% of plumbers in <3 minutes.

## Emergency Callers Don't Shop — They Book Whoever Answers

85% of callers who can't reach someone immediately move on to the next listing (NextPhone/Suzee AI, plumbing call data). 66% immediately move to another contractor if the first call goes unanswered (Angi).

Emergency calls: <10% contact more than 3 companies. Average companies contacted:
- Emergency plumbing/HVAC: 1–2
- Emergency locksmith: 1
- Active pest infestation: 1–3
- Planned services: 2–3

Emergency services convert 73% higher than routine maintenance inquiries.

## Interim Engagement: "While You Wait, Do X"

No home-services-specific A/B tests exist, but convergent evidence is strong:

Harvard Business School (Ryan Buell, 2025 field experiment, 393,036 customers): operational transparency → 20.5% lower cancellation rate + 9.9% higher monthly spending.

Healthcare: no-show rate dropped from 8% to 2.3% with pre-appointment instructions (71% reduction, Eisenhower Health). Systematic review of 26 studies: reminded patients 23% more likely to attend.

Six mechanisms: occupied time perception, pre-process to in-process conversion, anxiety reduction, reciprocity activation, commitment escalation, operational transparency. Conservative estimate for home services: 15–25% cancellation reduction.

Existing automated appointment reminders already show 50–60% reduction in missed appointments. Adding actionable preparation instructions on top is the under-studied, high-upside move.

## CAC and LTV by Vertical

| Vertical | CAC | CPL (LSA) | CPL (PPC) | LTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $296–$350 | $45–$85 | $100–$250 | $15,340 |
| Plumbing | $100–$300 | $40–$75 | $76–$100 | $3,000–$5,000 |
| Pest control | $100–$250 | $20–$70 | $30–$98 | $2,500–$3,600 |
| Locksmith | $130–$200 | $20–$30 | ~$66 | $500–$1,500 |

LSA leads convert at 31% vs 5–12% for traditional PPC (Home Service Direct, 2026).

## True Cost of a Missed After-Hours Call

Using conservative model (30% conversion probability, 50% uncertainty discount on future value):

| Vertical | Lead cost wasted | Realistic total loss/call | Annual impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC | $56–$85 | ~$2,400 | $50,000+ |
| Plumbing | $56–$75 | ~$710 | $50,000–$60,000 |
| Pest control | $30–$50 | ~$520 | $25,000–$40,000 |
| Locksmith | $20–$66 | ~$220 | $15,000–$25,000 |

Suzee AI analysis (2025): typical plumber misses 168 calls/month → ~143 lost prospects → ~43 lost jobs → ~$50,000–$60,000/year in lost revenue.

ServiceTitan: 5% improvement in booking rate ≈ $100,000 in additional annual revenue for a typical contractor. Industry average booking rate: 42%.

## Key Novel Findings (Combined)

1. Speed-to-lead window is 90 seconds for home services — not the commonly cited 5 minutes — and conversion drops from 47% to 4% between instant response and 30-minute delay
2. Emergency callers functionally don't shop: <10% contact 3+ companies — first-response capability is the single highest-leverage investment
3. "While you wait" interim engagement is an untapped gap — no home services company appears to be systematically deploying this despite strong evidence from healthcare (71% no-show reduction) and behavioral science (20.5% cancellation reduction)
