Speed to lead for plumbers: answer every enquiry while you're on the job.

Why plumbing enquiries go cold

Most people who need a plumber contact two or three firms at once and go with whoever gets back to them first with a sensible answer. That's especially true when water is coming through a ceiling. The trouble is that the enquiry usually lands when you're under a sink, isolating a supply or driving between jobs, and by the time you've read it at 7pm the customer has already booked someone else.

It isn't just a feeling. In a 2022 Fix Radio survey of more than 220 UK tradespeople, 34% said they believed they had lost work because they couldn't answer the phone. An older but widely cited study in Harvard Business Review looked at web enquiries to 2,241 US companies and found an average reply time of 42 hours, with 23% never replying at all. Plumbing firms are not the exception.

The enquiries a plumbing firm actually gets

Not every enquiry needs the same reply. Part of the job is sorting them quickly, so the urgent ones are dealt with now and the rest get the right questions instead of a phone tag.

• Leaks and emergencies. A burst pipe, water through a ceiling, no water at all, or the only toilet blocked. These need a fast, calm reply and a time, not a quote form.
• Repairs. Dripping taps, running cisterns, low pressure, a leaking shower tray. Photos and a postcode are usually enough to give a slot and a call-out price.
• Installs and refits. Bathrooms, kitchen sinks, outside taps, water softeners. These need a survey visit, a rough budget and a realistic start date.
• Landlords and agents. Repairs at tenanted properties, where you need the tenant's contact details, access arrangements and who's paying.
• Directory leads. Checkatrade, MyBuilder and Bark enquiries that several firms see at the same time, so the first decent reply matters most. Our guide covers how to reply to each platform's leads.
• Not a fit. Out-of-area postcodes, work you don't do, and sales pitches. These shouldn't take up your evening.

An example: enquiry in, reply ready for you

Here's the kind of reply we draft. The customer details and the business are made up.

Web form, Tuesday 16:52: "Water dripping through the kitchen ceiling from the bathroom above. Not loads but steady. Can someone come today or tomorrow? Bristol BS7."

Hi Priya, thanks for getting in touch, and sorry you're dealing with that. If the drip is steady, turning off the stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) will stop it until we get there, and it's worth keeping electrics near the drip switched off. We can be with you tomorrow 8–10am, or today after 6pm for an extra call-out charge. Our call-out is £80 including the first hour. Which suits you? A photo of the ceiling and the bath or shower above would help us bring the right parts.
Tom, Harbourside Plumbing

The customer had an email acknowledgement within seconds of sending the form. The reply above came to you to approve, with your call-out price, your slots and your booking link. You tap approve and it goes out in your business's name.

What we need from you

Setup is done by email, with a short written questionnaire and no calls needed. You'd tell us:

• The jobs you do and don't do, your area or postcodes, and your opening hours.
• Your call-out fee and typical price ranges, so replies never guess at a price.
• A booking link (Calendly, Google or Outlook booking page) or a daily "next free slot" line.
• 5–10 replies you've sent before, so we can match how you write.

You forward your form notifications, enquiry emails and directory alerts. We test every channel, and you're live within 5 working days, approving every reply until you're comfortable.

What it costs

Plans are flat monthly fees with no per-call charges. Most plumbing firms with directory leads would start on Speed-to-Lead. Smaller firms working mostly from their own website often start on Lead Rescue.