As fast as you reasonably can, ideally within minutes. Someone who has just sent an inquiry is usually comparing a few options, and the business that answers first is the one they talk to first.
An inquiry is a moment of intent. The visitor found your site, decided you might be the right fit and took the time to write. Every hour that passes is an hour in which they can message someone else, or get pulled into something else entirely.
Most owners don't reply slowly because they don't care. They are on a job, with a client or away for the weekend. That is the real problem to solve.
It doesn't need to be long. It needs to do four things.
Confirm you got it. A short acknowledgement tells the visitor their message didn't disappear.
Set an expectation. Say when they will hear from a real person.
Give a next step. A booking link is the easiest, because it lets them act straight away.
Ask for what's missing. One or two questions, such as the date or the type of project, so the real conversation starts further along.
Manual follow-up works until you are busy, which is exactly when inquiries tend to arrive. Evenings, weekends and busy days are when a reply is most likely to slip.
Automation can cover the first reply without replacing you.
Instant reply. Every inquiry gets an immediate confirmation with the next step.
Owner alert. You are notified straight away, so a person can follow up fast.
Booking link. The visitor can pick a time without waiting for a back-and-forth.
An AI Receptionist for questions. A chat assistant trained on your business can answer common questions around the clock and capture the visitor's details.
Anything that needs your judgment, like a custom quote or a sensitive question, should still reach you quickly. Automation handles the first minute; you handle the conversation.
For an event business, the first question is usually whether you are free on a date. For a coach or consultant, it is whether a conversation is worth booking. The first reply should answer that question first.
On the sites I build, every inquiry can get an instant reply, an alert to you and a booking link, and the AI Receptionist can connect to your booking system. If you would like to see what that would look like for your business, book a free 30-minute discovery call.
Within minutes is the aim, and the faster the better. That is why an instant automatic first reply is so useful: it confirms the inquiry and gives a next step while you get to the real answer.
It doesn't have to. Keep it short, in your own voice, and make clear that a real person will follow up. The goal is to confirm and give a next step, not to replace the conversation.
It is an AI assistant on your website, trained on your business information. It answers visitor questions around the clock, captures leads, and can connect to your booking system. Anything that needs your judgment should still reach you.