·3 min read
Callback decay: the 5-minute rule and the 1-hour cliff
Return a missed call within 5 minutes and you book 78% of the time. Wait an hour and it's 22%.
We tracked callback timing against booking outcomes across 9,300 missed calls. The curve is brutal.
- Callback within 5 minutes: 78% booking rate
- Within 15 minutes: 61%
- Within 30 minutes: 44%
- Within 1 hour: 22%
- Same day, later: 9%
The customer has not changed their mind. They have called the next shop. The five-minute window is the only window that matters.