The data behind first-response speed, and what changes when you cut it from hours to minutes.
When enquiries are not converting, the reflex is to buy more of them. The data usually points somewhere cheaper: the leads you already have are going cold before anyone calls.
The first hour decides most of it
Contactability falls sharply within minutes of an enquiry, not days. A prospect who filled a form is at their desk, thinking about the problem, and comparing options right then. An hour later they are in a meeting and have three other quotes.
Volume hides the problem
Doubling lead volume with the same response time doubles the number of leads going cold, which looks like a lead quality problem and is reported as one. Cutting response time from hours to minutes on existing volume usually produces a larger lift than a campaign, at no media cost.
Make the first response independent of a person
Route on arrival by territory or product, alert on a channel that gets seen, and send an immediate acknowledgement that sets a callback expectation. Cover evenings and weekends explicitly, because that is where the longest delays hide.
Report median and ninetieth-percentile time to first contact alongside conversion rate. The relationship between the two will make the case on its own.
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