Primary research
I wanted to know how fast insurance agencies actually respond to a warm inbound lead — so I tested it myself. I submitted real quote requests to 94 independent US agencies during business hours and timed every single response. Here is everything I found, nothing cherry-picked.
94 agencies · February–April 2026 · United States
94 independent US insurance agencies. Mystery shopper method — submitted genuine quote requests via contact forms. February–April 2026.
% of 94 agencies tested
Among agencies that responded
| Channel | Share | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62% | 40 min | 219 min | |
| Phone call | 30% | 99 min | 319 min |
| SMS | 8% | 9 min | 84 min |
SMS has an 11× faster median response than phone calls — but only 8% of agencies use it. Close Ratio builds the SMS automation so you're in the 8% from day one.
2020 AgencyZoom benchmark vs. 2026 Close Ratio study
This is the gap. Close Ratio exists to close it.
Most agencies know they have a speed problem. Almost none have solved it. I built the system that does it automatically — so you don't have to think about it.
How I ran it
94 independent US insurance agencies, chosen at random across multiple states.
Genuine quote requests submitted through each agency's own website contact form.
Business hours only — no nights or weekends, so slow replies have no excuse.
Measured the time to the first real human response, not an automated acknowledgement.
Logged the channel of every reply — email, phone, or SMS — and separated auto-replies from real people.
The takeaway is simple: the industry has barely moved in six years. Nearly 1 in 3 agencies still ignores a warm inbound lead entirely, and the average response takes nearly four hours — when the window that actually wins the deal is the first five minutes.
Start with the leads already in your database — and you only pay when it makes you money.
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