After-Hours Lead Study: When Do Homeowners Actually Request Service?
We analyzed 10,000+ home service inquiries to understand exactly when leads come in. The results will change how you staff.
January 20, 2024 · Updated February 19, 2026
When Do Home Service Leads Actually Come In?
We analyzed 10,847 home service inquiries across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and roofing to understand exactly when homeowners request service. The data reveals a massive opportunity that most contractors are missing.
The Big Picture
62% of all home service inquiries come outside traditional 9-5 business hours.
Let that sink in. If you're only staffed to respond during business hours, you're missing the majority of your leads.
Hour-by-Hour Breakdown
Weekday Distribution
Key Insight: Saturday is just as busy as a weekday. Sunday is only slightly slower.
Peak Hours by Industry
HVAC
- Peak hours: 7-9am, 5-8pm
- Emergency spike: Weekend afternoons in summer (AC failures)
- After-hours share: 64%
Plumbing
- Peak hours: 6-8am (morning routine issues), 6-10pm
- Emergency spike: Any time—plumbing emergencies don't wait
- After-hours share: 58%
Electrical
- Peak hours: 5-9pm (when people are home and notice issues)
- Emergency spike: Evening (lights out scenarios)
- After-hours share: 61%
Roofing
- Peak hours: 9am-12pm, 7-9pm (research/quote requests)
- Emergency spike: During/after storms (any hour)
- After-hours share: 52%
- 68% of after-hours leads are described as "urgent" or "emergency"
- vs. 34% of business-hours leads
- Average after-hours ticket: $847
- Average business-hours ticket: $612
- 38% premium on after-hours work
- After-hours lead-to-booking time: 4.2 hours (when responded to immediately)
- Business-hours lead-to-booking time: 18.6 hours
The After-Hours Lead Profile
After-hours leads aren't just more numerous—they're different:
Higher Urgency
Larger Job Value
Faster Decision-Making
Why After-Hours Leads Are Better
1. Higher urgency = more willing to book immediately 2. Less comparison shopping = fewer competitors 3. Evening/weekend = homeowner is present for appointment 4. Problem is top-of-mind = less likely to "think about it"
The Competitive Gap
Here's where it gets interesting:
Response Time by Hour
The gap between average and top performers grows dramatically after hours.
During business hours, everyone's somewhat responsive. After hours, most contractors go silent—creating a massive opportunity for those who don't.
What Homeowners Do When You Don't Respond
When a lead comes in at 8pm and doesn't get a response:
- 23% call another company immediately
- 34% search for another company online
- 28% fill out forms for multiple companies
- 15% wait until morning (often booking with whoever responds first)
Translation: You have about a 15% chance of getting an after-hours lead if you don't respond until morning.
The Financial Impact
For a Typical Home Service Company
Current state:
- Monthly after-hours leads: 31 (62% of 50 total)
- After-hours response time: 14 hours
- After-hours conversion rate: 12%
- Leads converted: 3.7
- Revenue (at $700/job): $2,590
With 24/7 response capability:
- Monthly after-hours leads: 31
- Response time: Under 5 minutes
- Conversion rate: 38%
- Leads converted: 11.8
- Revenue: $8,260
Monthly improvement: $5,670 Annual improvement: $68,040
How to Capture After-Hours Leads
Option 1: Extended Staffing
- Cost: $3,000-5,000/month for evening/weekend CSR
- Coverage: 7am-10pm weekdays, limited weekend
- Gap: Still missing 10pm-7am (22% of leads)
- Cost: $500-1,500/month
- Coverage: 24/7 phone answering
- Gap: Takes messages, doesn't qualify or book
- Cost: $200-400/month
- Coverage: True 24/7/365
- Capability: Qualifies leads, books appointments
- Gap: None for website visitors
Option 2: Answering Service
Option 3: AI Chat Agent
The Hybrid Approach (Best Results)
1. Daytime: Human CSR handles calls and complex situations 2. After-hours: AI chat agent captures and books website leads 3. Urgent: Text/call notification for true emergencies
Implementation Checklist
Immediate Wins
- [ ] Add chat widget to website (captures after-hours web traffic)
- [ ] Enable text messaging for your business line
- [ ] Set up auto-response for form submissions
- [ ] Create after-hours voicemail that directs to website chat
- [ ] Implement AI chat agent for 24/7 response
- [ ] Train chat agent on services, pricing, availability
- [ ] Connect chat to calendar for direct booking
- [ ] Set up alerts for high-urgency leads
- [ ] Analyze lead timing data monthly
- [ ] Adjust staffing based on peak hours
- [ ] A/B test response approaches
- [ ] Calculate ROI of after-hours capture
Medium-Term
Long-Term
The Bottom Line
The data is clear: 62% of your leads come outside business hours, and those leads are 38% more valuable than daytime leads.
Most contractors are leaving this money on the table. The ones who capture after-hours leads effectively will have a massive competitive advantage.
The question isn't whether you can afford 24/7 coverage. It's whether you can afford not to have it.
Head of Industry Research
Leads industry research at RapportAgent. Analyzes lead response data across 27 home service categories.
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