Lead response playbooks for home service pros
Platform rules, speed-to-lead research and practical guides for Yelp and Thumbtack, from the team that answers these leads every day.
Latest from the blog
Platform rulesHow Thumbtack Leads Work in 2026: Leads, Preset Jobs and Opportunities
Thumbtack sends pros leads, preset jobs and opportunities, each paid differently. What each means, when you pay, and what reply speed does. Per Thumbtack Help.
Speed to leadSpeed to Lead: What the Research Actually Says for Home Service Pros
HBR found firms contacting leads within an hour were nearly 7x as likely to qualify them. What Yelp, Thumbtack and Google say about reply speed.
OperationsThumbtack Instant Reply vs. AI Auto-Responder vs. Answering Service vs. Replying by Hand
Four ways to answer Thumbtack leads compared: what each does, where each wins, and when a flat monthly fee beats a per-lead price. Checked September 2026.
Speed to leadThumbtack Response Time: The 1-Hour Rule Behind Pro Rewards and Top Pro
Thumbtack Pro Rewards: Gold needs replies within 1 hour 65% of the time, Platinum 75%. Ratings, points, qualifying periods and what a first reply should say.
Speed to leadWhy Yelp and Thumbtack Leads Go Cold: Six Failure Points and How to Fix Each
Six places home-service pros lose Yelp and Thumbtack leads, from evening silence to photos nobody reads, with the fix for each and what it costs to ignore it.
Platform rulesWhat Happens After a Yelp Request a Quote: The Three Replies, Notifications and the 7-Day Rule
Yelp gives businesses three ways to answer a Request a Quote: estimate, need more information, or unable to service. What each does and where to reply.
Platform rulesHow Yelp Calculates Response Time and Response Rate
Yelp response time is your median reply time over 30 days, excluding 6pm–8am. How response rate works, where it shows, and when messaging turns off.
Platform rulesNearly Half of Thumbtack Leads Come With Photos. Most Auto-Responders Can't See Them.
We measured 1,275 Yelp and Thumbtack leads: 46% of Thumbtack and 22% of Yelp leads arrive with photos. Here is why that breaks most auto-responders.
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