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SMS has a 98% open rate and most texts are read within 90 seconds. Email averages 20% open rates and sits in inboxes for hours. Phone calls go to voicemail 85% of the time. For contractors managing lead response, the channel you use to reply determines whether the lead sticks around.
Does it really matter what channel I use to respond?
Yes. And the gap is larger than you’d expect.
SMS messages are read by 95% of recipients within 3 minutes (industry messaging research, 2024). Email open rates for home services businesses average around 20–25%. Most contractor emails land in a promotions tab or get scanned and ignored.
That’s not a judgment on your email quality. It’s how people use email now. They batch-process it, often hours later. They filter it. They unsubscribe. Text messages interrupt.
For a lead who texted three contractors and is going with whoever responds first, the channel you use to follow up isn’t a branding decision. It’s a speed decision. And SMS wins on speed.
What do homeowners actually prefer?
It depends on their age, but the trend is clear.
Millennials now represent 37% of home buyers (Angi, 2025). Most of them text more than they call. They’re less likely to leave voicemails, less likely to check email from contractors, and more likely to book with someone who communicates the way they do.
The Housecall Pro survey of 1,040 homeowners found that 97% say response time influences who they hire. You can’t have fast response time via email if your leads are checking SMS every five minutes.
Older homeowners often prefer phone calls for complex conversations. Baby Boomers are more likely to leave voicemails and expect callbacks. But they’re also more patient about timing — a same-day callback from a plumber doesn’t feel slow to a 65-year-old the way it might to a 34-year-old who just texted three contractors at lunch.
The shift is generational and it’s already happening. What works in 2026 is meeting people where they are, and most people under 50 are on their phones texting.
What’s the actual open rate on contractor emails?
Lower than most assume.
Email open rates for home services businesses typically run in the 20–25% range (SMS and email benchmark research, 2024). That number gets worse if the email goes to a homeowner’s personal Gmail — modern spam filters are good at routing commercial email away from the inbox.
More importantly, “opened” doesn’t mean “replied within 90 seconds while the lead was still comparing contractors.”
Email makes sense for longer communication: contracts, invoices, detailed project summaries. It’s a poor channel for time-sensitive lead response where you’re competing against two other contractors who may already be texting.
Does the phone still work for contractors?
For inbound leads, it’s becoming unreliable as a first-touch channel.
80% of phone calls now go to voicemail (multiple tracking sources). Even when you call a lead back promptly, there’s no guarantee they’ll pick up a number they don’t recognize. You’ve now played phone tag with someone who had enough interest to call you originally.
Phone is strong for: qualifying complex or high-value projects, handling genuine emergencies, and closing jobs where the estimate was close but the homeowner needs to talk it through.
Phone is weak for: first-touch response to inbound leads who aren’t sure who you are yet. They’re comparing you with two other contractors and may not pick up a callback from an unknown number.
The data from lead tracking studies backs this up. A combined approach — auto-text within 60 seconds followed by a phone call — outperforms phone alone because the text re-establishes contact before you call.
What’s the best channel combination for lead response?
Text first, then call.
The research supports a specific sequence: an automated text within 60 seconds, followed by a phone call within 5 minutes if the lead doesn’t reply. Companies using this multi-channel approach see 45% higher conversion than single-channel (Speed-to-Lead research compilation, multiple sources).
Why does text-first work better than call-first?
Because the text re-establishes contact on their terms. You’re a number they don’t recognize. An unknown call might get ignored. But a text that says “Hi, this is [Name] from [Company] — you called a few minutes ago. What can I help you with?” reads in 5 seconds and gives them a reason to pick up when you call.
The text isn’t a replacement for the call. It’s a setup for it.
Why does SMS outperform email for lead response specifically?
Speed and visibility.
90–98% of SMS messages are read, and most are read within 90 seconds (SMS benchmarking research, 2024). Email sits in an inbox for 3 to 8 hours on average before it’s opened — if it’s opened at all.
For lead response, that immediacy is everything. The window where a homeowner is still undecided — still comparing, still on their phone — is short. Research shows it closes hard at the 5-minute mark and almost completely by 30 minutes.
An email sent in response to a lead lands in the same inbox as newsletters and receipts. A text arrives as a notification on the lock screen.
The homeowner who texted you is already on their phone. Reply in the same channel, within 60 seconds, and you’re the first voice they hear.
What about after the job is done — does channel matter for reviews?
Yes, and this is underappreciated.
Homeowners who move through a smooth, text-based experience — confirmation texts, “on my way” updates, post-job SMS follow-up — leave more reviews than those who interacted only by phone.
The Elevate Skilled Trades study found that 88% of homeowners say clear communication builds trust more than anything else (1,200+ homeowners, 2025). A contractor who texts a job summary and asks for a review via SMS will get more responses than a contractor who calls to ask.
The channel you use for lead response sets the tone for the whole relationship. Start fast, stay in their preferred channel, and the review usually follows.
Should I make it easier for people to text my business?
Absolutely. And most contractors still haven’t done it.
Put your text-able business number on your website, your Google Business Profile, your truck, your invoices. Make it obvious that texting is an option. The homeowner who preferred to text but only saw a phone number may have called a competitor instead of bothering to find out whether you accept texts.
A Madalena number is designed for this — it goes on your marketing material and handles every inbound text and missed call with a response under 60 seconds, so you never have to wonder whether someone tried to reach you.
We covered the full picture of what happens when a lead texts and gets silence in what happens when a homeowner texts your business and nobody replies. And the broader numbers on what slow response costs in how many leads contractors actually lose to slow responses.
Try what your leads experience at madalena.co.
FAQ
What open rate does SMS have compared to email for contractors? SMS open rates are typically reported at 90–98%, with most messages read within 90 seconds. Email for home services businesses averages 20–25% opens, often hours after sending. For time-sensitive lead response, that gap is the difference between a warm lead and a lost one.
Should contractors use email or text to follow up on estimates? Text. Estimates that get a text follow-up within 24 hours have higher response rates than email. Text is harder to ignore and most homeowners read them within minutes. Use email for documentation — contracts, invoices, detailed proposals. Use text for anything time-sensitive.
Do older homeowners prefer phone over text? Often, yes. Baby Boomers are more comfortable with callbacks. Gen X is mixed. Millennials, who now represent 37% of home buyers, default to text. Meeting each customer in their preferred channel — which you can identify from how they first contact you — makes the interaction feel more natural.
What’s the best channel to reply when a lead called but didn’t leave a voicemail? Text back within 60 seconds: “Hi, missed your call — what can I help you with?” It reaches them immediately, doesn’t require them to pick up an unknown number, and opens a two-way conversation. Follow up with a call once they reply.
Sources
- SMS and email benchmark research, 2024 — industry open and engagement rates for service businesses
- Angi State of Home Spending, 2025 — homeowner demographics and generational shift data
- Housecall Pro homeowner survey, 2025 — 1,040 homeowners on contractor response expectations
- Elevate Skilled Trades Study, 2025 — 1,200+ homeowners on trust and communication preferences
- Speed-to-Lead research compilation — multi-channel lead response conversion benchmarks