The first quarter of 2026 tells a clear story of improvement and adaptation. While January presented challenges with routing concentration leading to a high volume of missed calls, the team responded decisively. The February routing optimization redistributed call volume across a wider contractor network, and the results were immediate and sustained.

Positive Indicators Going Into Q2:

Opportunity Area: Despite the strong improvement trend, 106 calls still went unanswered during Q1. Every missed call is a potential customer choosing a competitor. A dedicated call answering solution — ensuring every inbound call is picked up, qualified, and routed — would maximize the return on the marketing investment driving these calls and help close the gap between inbound volume and booked jobs.

The first quarter of 2026 saw 210 inbound contacts routed to contractors across the Chicagoland service area. While the overall answer rate of 49.5% reflects early-quarter routing challenges, the quarter showed a dramatic improvement trajectory — answer rates climbed from 21% in January to 79% in March, and the job close rate nearly tripled from 17% to 47%.

A routing optimization implemented in February redistributed call volume more evenly across the contractor network, which proved to be the turning point. March finished as the strongest month of the quarter with 35 verified jobs and the highest answer rate recorded.

January was the most challenging month with 94 contacts but only a 21.3% answer rate. The high call volume was concentrated through limited routing paths, resulting in significant missed opportunities. February marked a turning point after a routing optimization redistributed calls across the contractor network — answer rate jumped to 61% and the close rate more than doubled. March continued the upward trend, reaching a 78.7% answer rate and 46.7% close rate, the best performance of the quarter.

20 contractors received routed calls in Q1 2026. Among contractors with 3 or more calls, Goodberlet led with a 100% answer and close rate, followed by Johns Service & Sales (66.7% close rate) and Berwyn (63.6%). Aleck handled the highest volume among consistently-performing contractors, closing 18 jobs from 30 calls — the most jobs of any contractor in the quarter.

The monthly detail reveals a significant shift in call distribution after January. In January, a single routing path handled over half of all calls (48 of 94), which overwhelmed capacity. After the February routing optimization, calls were distributed across a broader contractor network — 16 contractors received calls in March compared to just 8 in January. This broader distribution correlated directly with improved answer rates and job conversion.

Standout trend: Aleck's volume and job closures grew each month (2 → 4 → 12 jobs), demonstrating consistent capacity growth. Berwyn achieved a perfect close rate in both February and March. New contractors entering the rotation in February and March (Bishop, HT Strenger, Terry, Goodberlet) all contributed verified jobs.

Q1 2026 calls originated from over 50 distinct cities and communities across the greater Chicagoland area, demonstrating broad regional reach. The top markets by inbound call volume are shown below.