Home Services Benchmarks 2026: Quote Turnaround, Close Rates, and Travel Time for Small Contractors

Krib Team · 2026-03-29

How fast should you send a quote? What close rate is "good" for your trade? How much drive time is too much? Practical benchmark data for 1-10 tech home service contractors.

What is a good close rate for home service contractors?

A healthy quote-to-job conversion rate for small contractors is 30-40%. Referral leads close at 50-70%, while marketplace leads (Angi, Thumbtack) close at 10-20%. On-site quotes close 30-50% higher than email or phone quotes.

How fast should I respond to a new lead?

Within 5 minutes. Research shows 78% of customers buy from the first company to respond. After 30 minutes, lead contact rates drop by over 100x compared to responding within 5 minutes.

How quickly should I send a quote after visiting a job?

Within 24 hours. Contractors who send quotes same-day or next-day close at roughly double the rate of those who take 3+ days. Every day of delay drops your close rate by approximately 7%.

What is the average revenue per lead for HVAC contractors?

HVAC contractors typically see $200-500 in revenue per lead, depending on the mix of service calls versus installations. Plumbing averages $150-400 and handyman $80-200.

How much does travel time cost a small contractor?

If the average trip is 30 minutes and you run 4 jobs per day, that is 2 hours of unbillable drive time daily. Reducing average drive time by 10 minutes per trip can free up roughly one extra job per tech per week.

What is a good callback rate for home service work?

Top-performing contractors keep callback rates under 5%. Each callback costs $150-$300 in wasted labor and travel. Callbacks above 10% signal systematic issues with diagnosis, parts inventory, or technician training.

Sources

  1. InsideSales / Kellogg Speed-to-Lead Study — 78% of customers buy from first responder
  2. ServiceTitan Fall 2025 Benchmark Report — Close rates and revenue benchmarks for home services
  3. NetSuite Field Service KPIs — Industry KPI definitions and targets