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Appointment setting produces a flood of activity data — dials, talk time, callbacks. Most of it is noise for a contractor. A short list of numbers tells you whether the program is healthy, where it's leaking, and whether it's making money.
The funnel in one line
Dials → conversations → appointments booked → appointments that sit → sales → revenue.
Every KPI below measures one step of that line. Read them in order and the problem usually reveals itself.
Activity metrics (the setter's side)
1. Contact rate
Conversations ÷ dials. Low contact rate points to bad numbers, poor calling times, or caller ID problems. Fix it with list cleaning and testing calling windows before touching the script.
2. Set rate
Appointments booked ÷ conversations. This reflects the opener, the offer, and targeting. A falling set rate in one ZIP code while others hold steady usually means that area doesn't need your service right now.
3. Qualification pass rate
Appointments that meet the written criteria ÷ appointments booked. Measured by reviewing a sample of recordings against your qualification sheet. If this slips, show rate and close rate will follow.
Handoff metrics (where most programs leak)
4. Show rate (sit rate)
Appointments that happened ÷ appointments booked. Track no-shows, same-day cancellations, and advance reschedules separately. Show rate responds quickly to booking windows and confirmation habits — see how to reduce no-shows.
5. Booking lead time
Average days between booking and appointment. Not a success metric on its own, but a powerful diagnostic. Show rate typically drops as lead time grows.
6. Speed of feedback
Hours from appointment to outcome reported. Setters learn only as fast as you report. Same-day feedback should be the norm.
Money metrics (what you actually care about)
7. Cost per sit
Total program cost ÷ appointments that happened. The fairest way to compare sources, because it ignores appointments that never occur. Compare it with your other channels using the method in cost per appointment vs. cost per lead.
8. Close rate by source
Sales ÷ sits, split by where the appointment came from. If one source closes far worse than others with the same reps, it's a quality problem. If everything closes poorly, look at the sales process first.
9. Revenue per appointment
Sold revenue ÷ appointments booked (or sits, if you prefer). This single number captures show rate, close rate, and job size together.
A worked example
Illustrative numbers for one month:
| Step | Count | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Dials | 4,000 | — |
| Conversations | 480 | 12% contact rate |
| Appointments booked | 60 | 12.5% set rate |
| Appointments that sat | 48 | 80% show rate |
| Sales | 14 | 29% close rate |
| Revenue | $168,000 | $12,000 average job |
If the program cost $9,600 that month, cost per sit is $200 and revenue per sit is $3,500. Whether that's good depends on your gross margin — the break-even cost per lead guide shows how to find your ceiling.
How to read the numbers together
- High set rate, low show rate: homeowners are agreeing to get off the phone. Tighten qualification and confirmation.
- High show rate, low close rate: the appointments are real; look at pricing, presentation, and follow-up.
- Low contact rate: fix data and timing before anything else.
- Good numbers, still unprofitable: your cost per sit is above what your margins support. Renegotiate, change models, or improve close rate.
How often to review
Weekly for activity and show rate, monthly for close rate and revenue (sales take time to close), and quarterly for strategic decisions like adding territory or changing vendors. Fold these into your broader sales KPI dashboard.
At RunsForYou we monitor lead quality, appointment set rate, and close rate to keep improving campaigns, with monthly performance reviews for clients — see how it works.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good show rate for appointments?
It varies by trade, source, and booking lead time. Compare against your own history by source and work on the segments that lag rather than chasing an industry average.
What's the difference between set rate and close rate?
Set rate measures how many conversations turn into booked appointments — the setter's job. Close rate measures how many appointments that sit turn into sales — mostly the sales rep's job.
What is cost per sit?
Cost per sit is total program cost divided by appointments that actually happened. It's a fairer comparison than cost per appointment because it excludes no-shows and cancellations.
Which appointment setting KPI matters most?
Revenue per appointment comes closest to a single answer, because it combines show rate, close rate, and job size. Use the other KPIs to find out why it's moving.
RunsForYou Team
Written by the team that runs outbound calling, homeowner qualification, and appointment booking for home service contractors at RunsForYou (Runs For You LLC).
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