Contact rate is the percentage of leads that you successfully reach — meaning you have a live conversation with the consumer, either by phone, text, or another direct communication method. If you receive 100 leads and speak to 65 of them, your contact rate is 65%.
Realistic Contact Rate Benchmarks
For SMS-verified, exclusive, real-time leads in UK financial services, a realistic contact rate is 60-75%. This means that if you follow a proper follow-up sequence, you should expect to speak to roughly two-thirds of the leads you receive.
Several factors affect where in this range your results will fall:
Speed of first contact. This is the single biggest factor. Leads contacted within five minutes of delivery have significantly higher contact rates than those contacted after an hour or more. The consumer is actively engaged at the moment they submit their enquiry — delay erodes that engagement quickly.
Number of follow-up attempts. Many consumers do not answer on the first call. They may be at work, driving, or simply screening an unfamiliar number. A structured follow-up sequence — call, then SMS, then call again the next day, then email — will reach a much higher proportion of leads than a single call attempt.
Time of day. Contact rates vary by time of day. Early evening (5-7pm) tends to produce the highest answer rates for consumers, as many people are finishing work and checking their phones. Mid-morning (10am-12pm) is the second-best window. Avoid calling during the school run (3-4pm) or late evening.
Verification level. SMS-verified leads have substantially higher contact rates than unverified leads because the phone number has been confirmed as active and correct before delivery. Unverified leads may include wrong numbers, disconnected lines, or deliberately fake entries.
Why 100% Contact Rate Is Unrealistic
No matter how quickly you call or how many follow-up attempts you make, you will never contact every single lead. Some people screen all unfamiliar calls. Some submit enquiry forms and then have a change of circumstances. A small number may have been curious but not genuinely ready to speak to someone.
Accepting that some leads will be uncontactable is an important part of managing expectations. If you expect to speak to every lead, you will be perpetually disappointed. If you understand that a 65-70% contact rate represents strong performance, you can plan your pipeline and budget accordingly.
Contact Rate vs Conversion Rate
Contact rate and conversion rate are related but distinct metrics. Contact rate measures how many leads you reach. Conversion rate measures how many leads become clients. You need a good contact rate to have any chance of a good conversion rate, but reaching someone does not guarantee they will proceed.
Typical conversion metrics for financial services leads look like this: of 100 leads received, you contact 65-70. Of those, 25-35 book an appointment or express genuine interest. Of those, 8-15 proceed to a completed application or case. Understanding these ratios helps you calculate the number of leads you need to purchase each month to hit your revenue targets.
How to Improve Your Contact Rate
Call within five minutes. Set up real-time notifications so you know the instant a lead arrives. Make the call immediately. If you are in a meeting or unavailable, send a personalised SMS introducing yourself and letting the consumer know when you will call.
Use a recognisable number. Call from a number that shows a proper caller ID, not a withheld or unknown number. Many consumers will not answer withheld calls. If possible, call from a local geographic number matching the consumer's area.
Send an SMS if they do not answer. A brief, professional text message after a missed call significantly increases the chance of a callback. Something along the lines of introducing yourself in relation to their recent enquiry and suggesting they call back or reply with a good time to chat.
Follow up persistently. A good follow-up cadence is: immediate call, SMS if no answer, second call the next morning, email the next afternoon, third call on day three, and a final SMS on day five. After that, move the lead to a longer-term nurture sequence.
Vary your timing. If your first call was in the morning and went unanswered, try early evening for the second attempt. Different people are available at different times.
Track your results. Monitor your contact rate over time. If it is consistently below 60% for verified leads, review your follow-up process — the issue is more likely your approach than the lead quality.