Missed DMs and slow replies: what they cost and how to fix it

Every unanswered DM is someone who wanted to buy, book or ask, and went somewhere else. Speed isn't good manners. It's revenue.

The evidence

• 73% of social users say they'll buy from a competitor if a brand doesn't respond (Sprout Social Index 2025, vendor data).
• About three-quarters expect a reply within 24 hours. Same source.
• 72.4% say messaging makes them more likely to buy from a brand (Meta / Kantar, 2025, vendor data).
• Leads answered within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to reach a real conversation as leads answered an hour later (HBR, 2011).

Why messages get missed

• They arrive in four apps: Instagram, Facebook, Google reviews and email.
• Notifications get buried, and the same question is answered twice or not at all.
• The answer needs a fact you have to look up, so the reply waits.

The fix: one inbox, ten answers, three rules

• One inbox. Pull every channel into one list, sorted by what needs a reply.
• Ten answers. Write down your ten most common questions and answers: prices, hours, delivery, booking, returns.
• Three rules. Decide what can be answered automatically, what needs your approval and what is always personal.

Let AI do the first draft

With your ten answers saved as business facts, an AI draft is accurate as well as fast. AeroReply scores each message for buying intent so the hottest ones come first, drafts the reply and waits for your approval (how it works). Try the free AI reply generator on your own messages.

Measure it

Track your median reply time each week. Under an hour on weekdays is a strong target for a small team.