You should follow up with a franchise lead within 5 minutes — ideally under 60 seconds. FranFunnel Franchise Lead Response Time Study, Q1 2025 · 500+ brands · 14 franchise categories found that the majority of franchise leads who don't hear back quickly either go cold or move on to another brand. Every minute you wait, your odds of starting a real conversation drop.
The data in franchise is stark: according to the FranFunnel Franchise Lead Response Time Study, Q1 2025 · 500+ brands · 14 franchise categories, the average email response time across 500+ brands was 8.8 hours — and 35% never responded at all. That's not a sales problem. It's a structural one. Leads are most engaged in the first few minutes after they submit a form. A response 8 hours later lands when the moment has already passed and a competitor has already started the conversation.
Text is the right channel for that first touch. It's immediate, it doesn't require the lead to be at a desk, and it signals that your brand moves fast. A short, direct text within the first minute of inquiry creates a conversation. A voicemail left the next morning creates a task the lead never gets back to.
See how FranFunnel responds to every lead in under 60 seconds — book a demo. Or see the speed-to-lead data behind the benchmark.