Pages on lead response time repeat the same few figures. Many give the wrong source. This page lists the studies we could read: who ran each, the sample and the date. It leaves out anything we could not trace.
Last checked: 18 October 2026.
The 21-fold figure comes from the Lead Response Management Study. Oldroyd of MIT ran it with InsideSales.com data on over 15,000 leads. It compares 5 minutes with 30 for qualifying a prospect. The 2011 HBR article is a separate piece.
1. The studies we could read
| Study | Year | Run by | Sample | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Response Management Study | Undated on its own page | Professor Oldroyd of MIT, with data from InsideSales.com | Three years of data from six companies: over 15,000 leads and over 100,000 call attempts | The odds of qualifying a prospect fell 21-fold when response stretched from 5 to 30 minutes |
| Workato lead response study | Page dated 19 March 2026 | Workato, a workflow automation vendor | 114 B2B companies, tested with a demo request each | 1 of 114 sent a personalised email within 5 minutes. The average took 11 hours 54 minutes. No company phoned within 5 minutes. |
Workato also reports a lead routing tool gap. Users averaged 3 hours 32 minutes to respond. Others averaged nearly 13 hours. Workato sells automation, so read this as a vendor result.
2. Where the most-quoted figure comes from
The "21 times" figure comes from the Lead Response Management Study above. It compares 5 minutes with 30, for qualifying a prospect.
Some pages credit it to Harvard Business Review. Some call it "Harvard/InsideSales". The HBR article is a separate piece. It is by Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington: The Short Life of Online Sales Leads, March 2011. Only its opening is free to read, so we quote none of its figures. Check them in the full article before you use one.
3. Why the figures disagree
- Some measure any reply. Others measure a qualified contact.
- Samples differ in size, industry and year.
- Vendor platform data is not a controlled trial.
- The study's own page is no longer reliable to link, so we quote only the 21 times figure above and none of its other ratios.
4. What not to quote
- A figure with no named study behind it.
- A benchmark with no publication date.
- The 21x figure credited to Harvard Business Review.
- Figures from a page's own study when it gives no method you can check.
5. Measure your own
Your own numbers beat anyone's study. See how to measure response time in Salesforce and routing for a response SLA.
6. Put a price on it
See how to put a number on the leads your routing loses. The calculator on the home page turns your own figures into an estimate.
The free scan cannot count response times on your leads. It checks the setup behind it.
Have it checked every night instead.
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The free scan cannot count response times on your leads. It reads your routing setup in your browser. Scan your Salesforce or HubSpot routing. The nightly check, open to design partners, counts it.