The State of SMS Lead Engagement 2026
Data-backed methods to make texting your most effective channel in 2026
Every year, Verse handles hundreds of millions of leads for our clients.
Because text has proven to be the highest-read channel, the vast majority of these leads are contacted via text message.
Backed with real examples and data, this report demonstrates how texting can work for lead engagement, qualification, and follow-up.
This report uses millions of lead interactions to uncover:
- SMS open rates compared to email and phone (and what happens when you combine them)
- What time of day leads are most likely to reply to text messages
- How qualification via SMS really works: how long it takes and reply rates
- Average reply and qualification rates for re-engagement campaigns
Download now
Winner of over 100 awards for value, performance, and support
Verse allows us to stand out in a crowded marketplace. We can make a connection via Verse, bring those clients back into our call center where they can have a human interaction with our team, and then we can really sell them on our services, set good appointments, and go on to sell those appointments. And that to me is a win, win, win.”
– Joe Tankard, CMO, Maverick Windows