AI Lead Qualification for Yelp: Stop Wasting Time on Bad Leads
Not every Yelp inquiry deserves the same attention.
The customer who messages “how much for a full kitchen remodel?” at 11 PM needs a different response than the one who says “my pipe burst, water coming through ceiling.” One is an emergency job you can close in 2 minutes. The other is a long-sales-cycle prospect who may or may not ever pull the trigger.
Without qualification, you’re spending equal time on both. With AI qualification, the emergency gets an immediate response that captures the job. The longer-cycle prospect gets a nurture sequence that works on them over days—without any work from you.
The 4 Types of Yelp Leads (And How to Handle Each)
Type 1: Emergency / Same-Day
“My water heater isn’t working at all. We have no hot water.” “AC just stopped. 95 degrees outside.” “Toilet is overflowing and we can’t stop it.”
Correct handling: Immediate response, offer same-day service, push for a call. These convert at 70%+ if you respond in under 2 minutes. They convert at near 0% if you respond in 4 hours.
Type 2: Scheduled Service / Routine
“Looking to schedule a furnace tune-up before winter.” “Need my gutters cleaned—what’s pricing like?” “Want to get the carpets cleaned before the holidays.”
Correct handling: Respond helpfully with pricing range, propose 2–3 specific times. These are warm leads with lower urgency. A great response + a specific booking offer closes 45–60%.
Type 3: Quote / Planning
“Getting quotes for a bathroom remodel, trying to understand cost.” “Looking at roof replacement options. What do you charge per square?” “Planning a deck addition for next spring.”
Correct handling: Qualify their scope, gather details, propose an in-home estimate. These are longer-cycle leads. Most won’t close on first contact—they need consistent follow-up over 2–4 weeks.
Type 4: Tire Kicker / Low Intent
“How much would it cost to… [very vague question]” “Just curious” without specific project details Requests that fall outside your service area or capabilities
Correct handling: Quick, helpful response that either re-engages with a qualifying question or politely routes them elsewhere. Don’t chase these manually—let automation handle follow-ups.
How NZLeads AI Identifies Lead Type (And Why It Matters)
NZLeads reads each incoming Yelp message and classifies it before any response goes out:
Classification signals the AI looks for:
- Urgency words: “broken,” “flooding,” “not working,” “no heat,” “emergency,” “immediately”
- Timeline signals: “tomorrow,” “this week,” “ASAP,” “before winter,” “next month,” “planning for spring”
- Scope signals: Square footage, number of rooms, “full replacement” vs. “repair” vs. “quote”
- Decision stage cues: “getting quotes,” “already have one quote,” “ready to book”
What happens after classification:
| Lead Type | AI Response | Follow-Up Sequence |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Immediate, urgency-matched | Call within 2 hours |
| Scheduled | Helpful, booking-focused | 3-day, 7-day reminders |
| Quote | Qualification questions + estimate offer | 7-day, 14-day, 21-day |
| Low Intent | Short, re-qualifying response | 1 follow-up, then close |
Each message gets a response calibrated to what that customer actually needs—not a generic blast.
The Cost of Not Qualifying: Real Numbers
What happens without qualification:
A plumbing company owner gets 50 Yelp messages in a month. He reads and manually replies to each one. Here’s how his time breaks down:
- 8 emergency leads: 2 hours total (these close easily, high ROI)
- 15 scheduled service leads: 3 hours total (good leads, worth the time)
- 18 quote/planning leads: 6 hours total (need nurture, hard to close manually)
- 9 low-intent: 3 hours total (mostly wasted)
Total: 14 hours per month on Yelp messages
Of which 9 hours were spent on leads that either wouldn’t close (low intent) or needed nurture over weeks (quote stage).
With NZLeads qualification:
- Emergencies and scheduled service: AI captures them automatically, routes to your calendar
- Quote leads: AI qualifies and starts nurture sequences, surfaces them to you when they’re ready
- Low intent: AI handles them with minimal energy, auto-follow-up closes what it can
Total manual time: Under 2 hours per month. Same or better revenue.
High-Converting Qualification Questions the AI Uses
For each lead type, NZLeads AI asks targeted questions that gather the information you actually need:
Emergency qualification:
“Are you dealing with active leaking right now, or is this a system that’s completely shut down? I want to make sure we’re getting you the right urgency level.”
Scheduled service qualification:
“Is this for routine maintenance or do you have a specific issue you’ve noticed? That’ll help me make sure I send the right tech.”
Quote/planning qualification:
“To give you a useful estimate, a few quick questions: How old is the current [system/structure]? Are you thinking full replacement or repair? And roughly what size is the home?”
Each question moves the lead forward—gathering data, showing expertise, and setting up the next step.
The Qualification → Handoff Pipeline
When NZLeads AI qualifies a lead as high-intent (emergency or ready-to-book), here’s what happens:
- AI identifies qualification signals in the conversation
- Appointment is proposed and (often) confirmed directly in the conversation
- Calendar invite created, confirmation text sent to customer
- You receive a notification: customer name, job type, scheduled time, address, conversation summary
- CRM updated with all lead data
You arrive to a booked appointment knowing everything about the customer. No cold calls necessary.
Integrating Qualification Data with Your CRM
Every Yelp lead qualification conversation is logged automatically:
- GoHighLevel: Contact created, lead scored, pipeline stage auto-set, workflows triggered
- HousecallPro: Customer profile + job request created with qualification notes
- FieldPulse: Lead record created, job category and urgency pre-filled
- Workiz: Lead record with full conversation history attached
When the qualified lead becomes a booked job, it flows directly into your operations—no double data entry.
Setup: Getting Qualification Working
Step 1: Create NZLeads account and connect Yelp (5 minutes)
Step 2: Configure your service types and define what counts as an emergency vs. routine vs. quote for your business
Step 3: Review and adjust the AI’s qualification questions for your trade
Step 4: Set your routing rules — who gets notified and when for each lead type
Step 5: Enable follow-up sequences for quote and planning-stage leads
Total: 30–45 minutes. Our team can walk through configuration with you.
Stop spending hours on Yelp messages that aren’t ready to buy. Let AI handle the qualification while you work the leads that are.
Questions? Contact us at support@nzleads.com
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