Tool
Speed-to-Lead Self-Check: How Fast Does Your Firm Reach New Leads?
Check how fast your personal injury firm reaches new leads against two-to-three-minute and 72-hour intake guidance. Six questions, free, nothing stored.
The short answer
This self-check compares how your personal injury firm handles new third-party leads with the guidance Sanguine Legal Solutions uses when it vets intake: a first call within two to three minutes, three to four attempts a day for the first 72 hours, follow-up that continues for weeks, and trained after-hours coverage. Answer six questions to see where you're on track and where you're losing leads.
How does the Speed-to-Lead Self-Check work?
You answer six questions about how your intake team handles new leads today. The check rates each answer as on track, close or a gap, then gives you an overall result and the changes to make first. It takes about two minutes.
The check runs entirely in your browser. It asks only about your firm's process, never about clients or prospective clients, and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
What is speed to lead?
Speed to lead is the time between a lead arriving and your firm's first call to that person. For web form leads, the first call should go out within two to three minutes.
It matters because a third-party lead has no loyalty to your firm. The person who filled in a form is often talking to another firm within minutes. As Anthony Bux said on Personal Injury Mastermind, "When a web form lead comes in, you have to get a call out within two to three minutes, preferably sooner, but immediate."
What does the self-check measure against?
The check uses operational guidance, not performance benchmarks. Each question is rated against what Sanguine looks for when it reviews a firm's intake before introducing a lead source.
| Area | On track | Close | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| First call to a web form lead | Under 3 minutes | 3 to 15 minutes | Over 15 minutes, or not tracked |
| Call attempts per day, first 72 hours | 3 to 4 or more | 2 | 1, or it varies |
| Follow-up with leads you haven't reached | Several weeks or longer | 1 to 2 weeks | Stops within 72 hours, or no set cadence |
| Evening and weekend coverage | Trained intake staff who can sign clients | On-call staff who call back within the hour | An answering service or voicemail |
| Live transfers answered | Every time | Most of the time | Some go to voicemail |
| First call to a new signed retainer client | Within the hour | Same day | Next day or later |
Questions about live transfers and signed retainers are skipped if your firm doesn't use those delivery models.
What do the results mean?
Your result is based on how many answers are rated as gaps. It tells you whether your intake is ready to take on more third-party leads, or whether to fix the process first.
- Ready for third-party leads: No gaps and no more than one "close." Your intake is set up to work cold leads well.
- Close, with fixes to make: One gap, or two or more "close" answers. Fix these before you add a new source or more volume.
- Fix intake first: Two or more gaps. More leads will expose these gaps rather than grow your caseload.
The result is a guide to your process, not a prediction of results. A firm that's on track can still struggle with a weak lead source, and a firm with gaps can fix them quickly.
What should you fix first?
Fix the first call before anything else. Speed to first contact has the biggest effect on whether you reach a third-party lead at all, and every other step depends on it.
Then fix the follow-up cadence, then after-hours intake. Our intake playbook for third-party leads covers each step. If you take live transfers or signed retainers, see live transfer leads for personal injury firms and signed retainer leads.
Frequently asked questions
How fast should a personal injury firm call a new web form lead?
Within two to three minutes, and sooner if possible. A third-party lead has no loyalty to your firm, and the person who filled in the form is often talking to another firm within minutes.
How many times should we call a lead we haven't reached?
Make three to four call attempts a day for the first 72 hours, then keep following up for weeks where your team has capacity. Firms that keep following up longer reach more leads.
Is an answering service enough for after-hours leads?
No. An answering service can take a message, but it can't build trust or sign a client. Injured people who call in the evening or on a weekend and hear nothing until the next business day often hire someone else.
Does the self-check store my answers?
No. The check runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. It asks only about your firm's intake process, not about clients or prospective clients.
Why are some questions skipped?
The questions about live transfers and signed retainers only apply if your firm uses those delivery models. If you choose "We don't take live transfers" or "We don't take signed retainers," that question is left out of your result.
What should I do if my result shows gaps?
Fix the first call to new leads first, then the follow-up cadence, then after-hours coverage. Fix these before you add a new lead source or more volume, because more leads will expose the gaps rather than grow your caseload.
Want a second opinion on your intake?
Book a call and we'll walk through your result and how it affects which lead sources fit your firm.
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