Key points
- Many inquiries are made on impulse. In our records, more than 60% arrive after 6 p.m. or on weekends. If nobody answers quickly, the person moves on to the next business.
- Messages now arrive from many places at once: Meta ads, Facebook and Instagram, Xiaohongshu, WeChat, calls and web forms.
- A staffed concierge that replies in minutes, qualifies the inquiry and books the visit turns more of the same ad spend into appointments.
Why reply speed decides bookings
Most businesses spend far more effort getting a message than answering it. Yet the reply is where the sale is usually won or lost.
In a study published in Harvard Business Review in 2011, researchers sent test inquiries to 2,241 U.S. companies. Thirty-seven percent replied within an hour, 23% never replied, and among the companies that replied within 30 days, the average reply took 42 hours. A related analysis of lead data found that companies that contacted a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as those that waited even one hour longer, and more than 60 times as likely as those that waited 24 hours or more. The study is old, but buyers have only grown less patient since: they now message several businesses from the same phone in the same evening.
Many of these messages are made on impulse. Someone sees an ad for a procedure, a cruise or a new class at ten at night, taps the button and asks a question. At that moment they are interested and paying attention. By the next morning they may have booked with a competitor who answered first, or simply lost interest.
Where inquiries arrive now
| Channel | How inquiries arrive | What goes wrong without fast replies |
|---|---|---|
| Meta ads | Click-to-message ads open a conversation in Messenger or Instagram Direct; lead ads collect a form | You pay for the click, then the conversation goes cold |
| Facebook and Instagram | Direct messages and comments on posts and ads | Questions sit unanswered in a shared inbox |
| Xiaohongshu (RedNote) | Comments and direct messages on posts | Public questions without answers discourage other readers |
| One-to-one chat after a QR code, referral or link | The most interested people wait longest | |
| Google and your website | Calls, forms and messages | After-hours calls go to voicemail |
Facebook and Instagram business profiles can show visitors how quickly the business typically replies. A slow average is visible before anyone writes in.
When the messages come
In our own concierge records, more than 60% of inquiries arrive after 6 p.m. or on weekends, when people have time to browse and most front desks are closed. Speed pays off: inquiries that go on to book do so in under two hours on average from the first message. Many of these are people with jobs and families who research after the day is done. A reply the next business morning reaches them after the moment has passed.
What a 24/7 concierge does
- Replies within minutes, in the customer’s language, on the channel they used.
- Answers first questions from answers the business has approved: services, process, availability, price ranges where the business shares them.
- Qualifies the inquiry: what the person needs, when, where they are, and whether they are a fit.
- Moves the conversation to the right place, for example from a Xiaohongshu comment to WeChat, within each platform’s rules.
- Books the appointment, or offers times and hands the booking to your staff.
- Sends reminders and follows up with people who have not booked yet.
- Logs every inquiry with its source, so you can see which ads and posts produce bookings.
People, chatbots and the front desk
| Option | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| AI chatbot | Instant, any hour, handles simple repeat questions | Struggles with nuanced or high-value questions, and many customers can tell they are talking to a machine |
| Your front desk | Knows the business best and closes the booking | Busy with customers on site, and closed evenings and weekends |
| A staffed concierge | Fast at any hour, uses judgment, follows your approved answers, hands off a qualified customer | Needs a clear briefing, approved answers and access to booking |
The three can work together. A chatbot can answer “What are your hours?” A person should answer “Am I a candidate, and what will it cost me?” Your front desk should meet the customer who has already decided to come in.
Setting it up well
- Approved answers. A short library covering services, process, typical questions and what not to say.
- Pricing policy. Decide what can be shared in messages and what is discussed in person.
- Booking access. Real availability, or a fast way to confirm it with your staff.
- Escalation rules. Which questions go to a doctor, a manager or a licensed professional.
- Handoff notes. Each booking arrives with the customer’s needs and history, in English if your staff need it.
- Privacy. Agree with your compliance adviser what personal or health information may be discussed in social messages, and keep sensitive details out of them.
What to measure
| Measure | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Time to first reply | The single biggest lever on whether a conversation continues |
| Response rate | Every unanswered message is ad spend lost |
| Inquiry-to-booking rate, by channel | Shows which ads and posts bring customers, not only clicks |
| Show rate | Reminders and clear expectations reduce no-shows |
| Follow-up conversions | Many bookings come from the second or third message |
How RedNexus runs it
Our concierge team replies in Chinese around the clock on Xiaohongshu, WeChat, Facebook, Instagram and the other channels a client uses, including conversations started by Meta ads. For IQ Laser Vision, more than 2,000 leads and patients have come through the WeChat concierge. The scope is agreed client by client, and we report every month on inquiries, bookings and where they came from. See our case studies for details.
Common questions
How fast should a business reply to messages?
As fast as you can, ideally within minutes while the person is still on their phone. Research on web leads found that contact within the first hour is far more effective than contact even an hour later.
Can a chatbot do this instead?
A chatbot can answer simple, repeated questions instantly. Questions about suitability, risk and cost, especially for high-value services, are better handled by a person who can use judgment and build trust.
Does the concierge replace our front desk?
No. The concierge handles the first conversation, qualification and booking, often outside business hours. Your staff handle the visit, the consultation and the sale.
Which channels can be covered?
Any channel where customers write to you: Facebook and Instagram messages from ads or posts, Xiaohongshu comments and direct messages, WeChat, and web forms.