You can have the fairest price and the best work in the area, but if you keep calling when people are at work, in the school run, or mid-dinner, you’ll get voicemail every time.
Here’s a practical guide to when UK customers are actually likely to answer.
The Key Difference From Office-Hours Calling
Most advice about “best times to call” is written for calling other businesses during office hours. That doesn’t really apply here — most of your customers are homeowners or small business owners with their own working day, not people sat at a desk waiting for calls.
That means the good windows are often different to what you’d expect.
Best Times of Day
Early Evening: 5:30pm - 7:30pm (Often the Best Window)
Most people with a 9-to-5 job are home, finished with work, but not yet mid-dinner or settled in for the evening. This is often your best shot at anyone who works full-time elsewhere.
Lunchtime: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Some people are on a lunch break and happy to take a quick call about a quote. Worth trying if evening hasn’t worked.
Mid-Morning: 9:30am - 11:30am
Good for retired customers, stay-at-home parents, or small business owners who work from home or run a shop — anyone whose day isn’t tied to a 9-to-5 elsewhere.
Avoid: Before 8:30am and After 8:00pm
Calling too early feels intrusive, especially for a quote rather than an emergency. Calling too late catches people winding down for the evening — both leave a poor first impression.
Avoid: The School Run (roughly 3:00pm - 4:00pm)
A lot of parents are unavailable around school pickup and the chaos straight after. Either side of this window tends to work better.
Best Days to Call
Tuesday to Thursday tend to be the most reliable — people are settled into the week but not yet in weekend mode.
Monday can be hit and miss, especially the morning, as people catch up after the weekend.
Friday afternoons are often the weakest — people are winding down for the weekend and less likely to want to think about booking a job.
Weekends can work well for a quick, low-key call about a quote, especially Saturday mornings — just avoid calling too early.
Your Ideal Calling Window
Putting this together, a sensible daily pattern for chasing quotes looks like:
- 9:30am-11:30am: Retired customers, small business owners, anyone home during the day
- 12:00pm-1:30pm: A second attempt for anyone not reached in the morning
- 5:30pm-7:30pm: Your best window for anyone with a regular day job
- Avoid: Before 8:30am, the school run window, and after 8pm
The Most Important Factor
Timing helps, but consistency matters more. Chasing quotes at a slightly less-than-perfect time every week will always beat waiting for the “ideal” moment and never quite getting round to it.
If evenings work better for you but you can only manage lunchtimes, do lunchtimes. Every week. Without fail.
The best time to call is whenever you’ll actually pick up the phone and do it.
Never wonder who you should be chasing today. DailyDial gives you a daily list of quotes to follow up on, so you just need to pick the right time to call. Try it free for 14 days — no credit card required.
Related reading: How to Follow Up After Sending a Quote · Customer Gone Quiet After You Quoted the Job?