New Invoca Data Finds the Best Leads Now Start in ChatGPT

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Jul 13, 2026, 09:00 ET

Analysis of 70 million conversations finds consumers referred by ChatGPT have the highest lead rate of any channel at 49%, as more buyers research with AI before they reach out

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Invoca, the AI-powered leader in revenue execution, today released the I nvoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026, an analysis of 70 million voice and SMS conversations across 10 industries, including healthcare, home services, financial services, telecom, and automotive. The report found that AI research is already producing the highest-intent leads businesses receive, with calls referred by ChatGPT posting a 49% lead rate, the highest of any marketing channel, and roughly 10 points above the cross-channel average.

Calls referred by ChatGPT have the highest lead rate of any channel at 49%, as more consumers turn to AI to research major purchases. Source: Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026.

Consumers rely more on generative AI for researching brands

The finding reflects a shift in how high-consideration purchases begin. Consumers now use AI to compare and narrow their options, with 41% researching major purchases with generative AI, according to Invoca research. The buyers who call arrive more informed and closer to a decision. Across all industries, 38% of answered calls were qualified leads and 42% of those converted on the call, where informed buyers become customers.

"AI is transforming how consumers research and buy products. Marketing teams that are truly focused on measuring outcomes need to make sure they are ready to engage with these buyers who are more informed than ever when they reach out to a business," said Peter Isaacson, CMO at Invoca. "The brands that win respond immediately to consumers when they are ready to engage, using AI agents across voice and text to qualify and route every high-intent lead, turning demand they already pay for into revenue."

The report benchmarks lead and conversion rates across all seven channels it measures, which also include paid search, Google Business Profiles, paid social, display, TV and video, and organic search. ChatGPT still accounts for a small share of overall call volume today, but as consumers lean on AI for more of their research, that volume is likely to grow.

The Benchmarks Behind the Behavior

The report benchmarks how well businesses answer, qualify, and convert the calls they receive:

44% of callers to businesses never reach a person. Answer rates vary by industry, and tracking the rate is how a business knows whether the leads marketing pays to drive are actually being engaged.
38% of answered calls from digital marketing are qualified leads. These conversions often go uncounted in campaign reporting and optimizations, leading marketing teams to miscalculate cost per lead and misallocate spend on underperforming channels.
42% of qualified leads convert during the call. The phone conversation is where a business's highest-intent buyers decide, and the right or wrong experience determines if that demand becomes revenue.
36% of calls include a request for the sale or an appointment. The single biggest action an agent or rep can take to convert a call is to ask the caller to book or buy, and data shows that isn't happening on many calls.
49% of ChatGPT-referred calls are qualified leads, the highest of any channel. However, lead volume from generative AI is still low compared to other sources.

The Revenue Hiding in the Handoff

The biggest opportunities the data surfaces live in the handoff between marketing and the contact center, when a digital journey becomes a live conversation. Connecting the two is where revenue that others leave on the table gets captured.

Bringing digital, conversation, and transaction data into a single view lets a business see which ad drove which call, which call became a customer, and why, so every decision runs on evidence instead of guesswork. AI extends that advantage, with voice and messaging agents that answer, qualify, route, and convert high-intent callers around the clock, and conversation scoring that shows exactly which behaviors turn a call into a customer.

Companies that treat the phone call as a revenue moment capture what the rest let slip away.

Industry-Specific Performance Benchmarks

Lead and conversion rates vary widely across industries, which is why a single cross-industry average is a starting point rather than a verdict. The report breaks out performance for each of the 10 industries it measures, so revenue teams can benchmark against direct peers rather than the all-industry average.

Individual reports are available for each:

Methodology

The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026 is based on an analysis of anonymized data from over 70 million phone calls and 600 million minutes of conversation tracked and analyzed by the Invoca platform. The data spans 10 industries and 7 marketing channels. All figures are averages across the Invoca customer base.

More Information:

Discover more insights from the Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026: https://www.invoca.com/blog/5-insights-60-million-phone-conversations
Learn more about how Invoca's AI-powered platform maximizes ROAS, engages and converts leads, and drives revenue growth: https://www.invoca.com/platform/invoca

About Invoca

Invoca is an AI-powered revenue execution platform that connects marketing, commerce, and contact center teams to orchestrate seamless buyer journeys and turn every interaction into measurable, profitable growth. The Invoca platform features deep integrations with leading technology partners, enabling revenue teams to connect paid media investments to business outcomes, improve digital engagement, and convert more leads into sales.

Invoca's AI vision centers on using trustworthy, first-party data to deliver AI that is intelligent, authentic, and empathetic – connecting digital and human experiences to build lasting customer relationships. Top consumer brands, including Mayo Clinic, Mutual of Omaha, and Verizon, rely on Invoca to power profitable growth. Invoca has raised $184M from leading investors, including Upfront Ventures, Accel, Silver Lake Waterman, H.I.G. Growth Partners, and Salesforce Ventures. For more information, visit www.invoca.com.

SOURCE Invoca