How long it takes a business to respond to a new enquiry. It is measured from the moment the lead arrives to the first real reply from a person or a useful automated answer.
Example
Meera's Instagram ads send enquiries to WhatsApp. When staff replied only after the store closed, about 5 hours later, 20 of 200 enquiries ordered in a week. When someone answered within 15 minutes during store hours, 34 of 200 ordered. The numbers are illustrative.
How you'll hear it
“Our speed to lead on WhatsApp is over four hours; the ad money is fine, the follow-up is slow.”
What it helps you decide
Whether to staff enquiry channels during ad hours, add an automated first reply that actually answers common questions, or pause ads at times nobody can respond.
Where people misread it
People count an instant 'Thanks, we'll get back to you' as a response. The customer still waits. Measure time to the first useful answer, and look at the spread, not just the average.
The story
Meera runs click-to-WhatsApp ads on Instagram. Enquiries come in all day, but her staff check WhatsApp only after closing.
| Enquiries | 200 |
| Orders | 20 |
| Sales at ₹2,000 per order | ₹40,000 |
|---|
Week B: she sets an auto-reply with prices and sizes for the five most-asked items, and one staff member answers new chats within 15 minutes during store hours.
| Enquiries | 200 |
| Orders | 34 |
| Sales at ₹2,000 per order | ₹68,000 |
|---|
Same ad spend, same number of enquiries, +₹28,000 in sales.
What the old view hid. Meera had been judging the ads by enquiries. The ads were working; the delay was losing buyers who had moved on to another shop.
What to watch. Time from the first message to the first answer that addresses the question, by hour of day. If evenings show long gaps, either cover them or run fewer ads then.
All figures are fictional and illustrative. One fortnight is not proof; keep comparing over several weeks.
Don't confuse it with
- Average handling time: how long a conversation lasts once it starts, not how fast it starts.
- Auto-reply: an instant acknowledgement; it starts the clock for the customer but does not answer the question.
In India: For many Indian small businesses the enquiry arrives on WhatsApp, not a web form, so the clock starts in the chat inbox.
Related terms
Sources
- The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, Harvard Business Review, 2011
- About the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta for Developers