What is speed to lead for a car dealership?
By the Hammer team · Reviewed August 18, 2026
Speed to lead is the time between a new inquiry and the first human-sounding reply. Hammer texts back in under 5 seconds, on every connected channel, and logs it in the CRM your desk already uses.
OEM programs and chargeback fights care about this number. Buyers do not wait. A Marketplace ping that sits until morning is a sold car at the store that answered.
What "fast" actually is
Minutes is not fast. Under 5 seconds is fast. That is first reply, day or night, including after hours.
Hammer timestamps the reply in your CRM. You can see it. So can a GM who is tired of "we called them back."
Where the clock starts
- Facebook Marketplace and Messenger
- Facebook and TikTok ad leads
- CarGurus, AutoTrader, Cars.com, CarFax, Edmunds, TrueCar, OEM feeds
- OfferUp, Craigslist, webchat, SMS
- Inbound calls: transcribed, then a text follow-up so the caller is not a dead lead
What happens after the first text
The first reply is the start. Hammer re-reads every open conversation daily and picks the next follow-up from context. You can edit any follow-up and any time in the dashboard. When they are ready, the appointment writes into VinSolutions, DealerSocket, eLead, CDK, Reynolds, DriveCentric, Tekion, or whatever you already run.
Speed, go-live, price
- First reply: under 5 seconds
- Live in under 48 hours, 100% hands-off
- Starting at $99/mo
- 2,500+ independent and franchise stores, US and Canada
- 4.6 stars across 266 Google reviews
FAQ
What is a good speed to lead?
Under 5 seconds. Same morning is already late.
Does Hammer show response time in the CRM?
Activity writes into the CRM you already use. You also get a Hammer dashboard.
Does this work after hours?
Yes. See after-hours leads.
How long to go live?
Under 48 hours.
How much does it cost?
Starting at $99/mo.
Also: After-hours leads · AI lead response · Onboarding
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