Managed Agents at Previously $0.06 $0.03/minManaged Agents are Previously $0.06 $0.03/min.

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Speed to lead calls that turn missed leads into booked visits.

Call back every lead your team missed, book site visits, and save each result to your CRM.

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Turn leads nobody reached into booked visits

Every lead your team missed gets a call, and the result is saved to your CRM.

Your CRM rules pick the list and set the timing, such as a new form or a missed call waiting on a first call. The agent loads each inquiry before it dials.

What speed to lead measures, and who makes the first call

What is speed to lead?

Speed to lead is the time between a prospect's inquiry and your first real contact with them. Sales ops teams track it because interest fades, and whoever reaches a roof repair lead first gets the first conversation. Published speed to lead statistics vary, and your own CRM will tell you more.

  • Load the inquiry
  • Find estimator availability
  • Book a site visit
  • Save the result to CRM
  • Transfer to the estimator

Why do new leads sit without a call?

Forms land after hours, the estimator is up on a roof, and a missed call falls off everyone's list. Speed to lead software can alert a person faster, but an alert still needs someone free to dial.

get_lead_contextInes Calderón, new roof repair form

Hi, this is an AI assistant calling for Larkfield Roofing. Is this Ines Calderón?

Yes, that's me.

How does speed to lead automation work here?

Your CRM rules pick who gets called and when, so you set the delay. Each new form or missed call joins the list, and the agent loads the inquiry, opens with the repair the lead asked about, books a site visit on the estimator's calendar and saves the result to your CRM.

Next step agreed

Did the lead book a site visit or agree to a callback time before the call ended?

Can the agent quote a price or close the job?

No. It won't quote a price you haven't approved, and scope questions go to the estimator. Calls reach US numbers only, and consent rules such as the TCPA apply to AI voice calls, so dial only people you have permission to call. A call doesn't guarantee a booking either.

  • Load the inquiry
  • Find estimator availability
  • Book a site visit
  • Save the result to CRM
  • Transfer to the estimator

What sales ops gets when the first call stops waiting on a rep

Response time is a staffing problem wearing a metrics badge. These are the parts of it the agent takes off your team's list.

No lead waits for a free rep

Your CRM rules build the list of new forms and missed calls, and the agent works through it while your estimators stay on site and your reps stay on live deals.

The call opens with their request

Ines hears about the roof repair form she just sent. Nobody asks her to explain the job twice, and her flashing question reaches the estimator.

Site visits go on the calendar during the call

The agent offers the estimator's real open times and books the one the lead picks, with the flashing question attached for Ravi.

Every attempt shows up in your CRM

Booked, callback Friday, not now or no answer, each result lands in the fields you choose, so your response time reports reflect what happened.

A stop request sticks

If a lead says stop, the agent saves it to your CRM and ends the call, so the request sits on the record for your team.

Price and scope stay with your estimator

Without approved prices, the agent won't name a number or judge a roof. It books the visit or connects the estimator, who owns that conversation.

An outbound call a homeowner will stay on

A lead answering a strange number gives you seconds. Cartesia's speech models keep the opening natural and quick enough that they don't hang up.

  • $0.03per minute
  • #1on Speech Agent Arena and EVA-Bench
  • 24/7answers every call, at any hour

Backs off when they cut in

A lead who says "I'm at work" mid-sentence gets heard. The agent stops, takes the callback time and doesn't plow through a script.

The inquiry comes first

Choose the LLM, then give it the tools that load the inquiry, find estimator times, book the site visit and save the result to your CRM.

Sounds like your office calling back

Your voice library pick should fit the company. It says it's an AI assistant, then talks about their roof and not about itself.

Comparing the usual speed to lead tools

Shoppers for the best tools for speed to lead end up with three real options. Many teams run a text first and a call right behind it.

Cartesia agentRep working the listAutomated text or email
When contact happensWhen your CRM rule firesWhen a rep gets to itUsually right after the form
Lead wants to talk nowAlready on the phone with themYes, if the rep reached themNo, it waits for a reply
Handles a real scope questionPasses it to the estimatorYes, and the best reps close hereCanned replies at most
Booking the next stepDone on the callDone on the call, once they connectSends a link and hopes
CRM recordSaved after every callDepends on the repLogged, though replies need a person
Cost shape$0.03 per minute, LLM and telephony on topSalary and commissionUsually a monthly software fee

See which calls booked a next step

Every call is recorded and transcribed. See which leads booked a site visit, which set a callback time, and which asked not to be called.

Launch an AI lead follow-up agent in three steps

Start building

  1. Clone the lead follow-up agent

    Copy this agent, then write your own rules for prices, scope questions and who it represents.

  2. Connect your CRM and calendar

    Link the lead lookup, the estimator's calendar and the CRM fields, then set the rule that puts new forms and missed calls on the list.

  3. Fill in your own web form

    Load yourself as a lead, answer the call, ask a scope question and book a visit. Go live once the CRM record reads correctly.

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Lead follow-up FAQs

What is speed to lead?

Speed to lead is the time from a prospect's inquiry to the first real contact, as the speed to lead glossary entry explains. This agent calls back leads your team never reached, such as a web form or a missed call. Your CRM rules decide how soon it calls, so you set the delay.

What is AI lead follow-up?

AI lead follow-up is a voice agent that calls leads your team never reached, such as a web form or a missed call. It books a next step and saves the result to your CRM.

How is AI lead follow-up different from an AI SDR?

An AI SDR (sales development rep) asks qualifying questions. Follow-up calls people who already asked about a job and are waiting on a first call, then books the next step.

Is AI lead follow-up the same as AI outbound calling?

No. AI outbound calling works a campaign list with one offer. Lead follow-up calls back people who already asked about a job, opens with the repair they asked about and books the site visit.

Does AI lead follow-up update my CRM?

Yes. The agent saves each booked visit, callback time and stop request to the CRM fields you choose.

Can the agent answer price questions?

Yes, if you add approved prices to its instructions. Without them, it books a visit with your estimator, so it never invents a quote.

Can the agent call leads who haven't agreed to calls?

Only call people you have permission to call. Consent rules such as the TCPA apply to AI voice calls, and what counts as consent depends on your situation, so check with counsel. The agent saves every stop request to your CRM.

Can the agent transfer a lead to the estimator?

Yes. Scope and price questions go to the estimator, and the agent connects the call when the estimator is free. You control exactly when else it transfers.

How does speed to lead impact revenue generation?

A lead you never reach can't buy, so slow or missing follow-up shows up as lost revenue. The size of the effect varies by business. Check yours in your CRM by comparing close rates for leads contacted quickly against leads contacted late. This agent calls leads under your rules and saves every result to the record.

Can speed-to-lead tools increase booking rates?

They can, and there's no guarantee. A tool can only make sure leads hear from you sooner and more reliably, and the rest depends on the offer and the lead. Measure it. This agent scores each call on whether a visit or a callback time was agreed, so you can compare booking rates before and after.

What exactly does speed to lead mean?

It means how quickly you make real contact after someone asks about your business. The clock starts at the form or missed call and stops when a person or agent actually talks to them. An automated email usually doesn't count. Your CRM can report it if you log the first conversation.

How much does AI lead follow-up cost?

Each lead costs only the minutes the agent spends talking to them, at $0.03 per minute of call time, so a quick not now costs less than a booked visit. LLM usage is billed separately. A Cartesia phone number adds $0.014 per minute, or nothing if you bring your own Twilio account or SIP trunk. The free plan includes $1 of agent calls a month, so you can test the agent on your own number before you pay. See pricing.

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