How to calculate speed to lead
Speed to lead, or lead response time, is one of the highest-leverage metrics in sales because it is both hugely influential on conversion and entirely within your control.
Measuring it precisely, and watching the average and the distribution, is the first step to shrinking it. Even a modest reduction can lift conversion substantially.
- First touch minus creation The formula
- Under 5 minutes The inbound target
- Fully controllable Why it is high-leverage
Short answer
Speed to lead is the elapsed time between a lead being created and your first contact attempt. Measure it per lead as first-touch timestamp minus lead-creation timestamp, then average across leads. If leads are contacted 22 minutes after arriving on average, that is your speed to lead. The target for inbound is under 5 minutes.
Step by step
Timestamp lead creation
Record when each lead is created or submitted. This is the start of the clock.
Timestamp first contact
Record the first genuine contact attempt, call, email, or message, for each lead.
Compute per-lead response time
Speed to lead per lead equals first-contact time minus creation time. Average across leads for the team figure.
Watch the distribution
Track the median and the share of leads contacted within 5 minutes, not just the average, since a few very slow responses can hide fast typical performance or vice versa.
Worked example
Over a week, 200 inbound leads were contacted at an average of 35 minutes after creation. But the median was 8 minutes; a handful of leads contacted hours later dragged the average up.
The more useful metric is the share contacted within 5 minutes, say 40 percent. Raising that share is what lifts conversion, because research shows the odds of qualifying drop sharply after the first few minutes.
How Ardovo handles it
Ardovo routes inbound leads instantly and measures speed to lead per lead, flagging any that sit past your target. Rook can trigger immediate follow-up, so the first-responder advantage is captured automatically rather than lost to a slow handoff.
Frequently asked questions
What is the speed to lead formula?
The time of first contact attempt minus the time the lead was created, per lead, averaged across leads. Track the median and the share contacted within 5 minutes too, since averages can hide slow outliers.
What is a good speed to lead?
Under 5 minutes for inbound leads. Conversion odds drop sharply as response time grows, so contacting a lead within minutes rather than hours can multiply the chance of qualifying it. Speed to lead is fully controllable.
Why track the distribution, not just the average?
Because a few very slow responses can inflate the average while most leads are handled fast, or vice versa. The share of leads contacted within 5 minutes is a more actionable target than the average alone.