Most ABA practice owners have a sense that their intake process could be better. They know that some enquiries go cold before they should. They know that some qualification calls don’t feel as confident as they would like. They know that families occasionally disappear between the assessment and the first session without explanation.
What they often don’t have is a clear picture of what the intake process should look like when it’s working well. A benchmark against which to measure.
Here’s what we consider a high-performing ABA intake process, based on working with practices across 18 US states.
The First Five Minutes
The first five minutes after an enquiry are the most important five minutes in the intake process.
A parent submits an intake form. Within two to three minutes, they receive a personalised SMS: “Hi [first name], thanks for reaching out to [Practice Name]. We received your enquiry and will have someone from our team call you within [timeframe]. In the meantime, we accept [relevant insurance] and are currently accepting new clients. If you’d like to call us directly, we’re reachable at [number].”
This message accomplishes four things. It acknowledges the enquiry immediately (preventing the parent from assuming it was lost), provides a key piece of reassurance (insurance acceptance), sets a clear expectation for the human callback, and gives the parent control over timing.
This response arrives whether the parent submitted at 9 AM on a Tuesday or 11 PM on a Saturday. It’s automated, HIPAA-compliant, and personalised. It’s the single most effective conversion improvement most practices can make, and it requires no changes to staffing.
The Qualification Call
The best qualification calls in high-performing intake processes are roughly 70% relationship-building and 30% data collection. Not the reverse.
The first two minutes are about the parent’s situation. Not “what is your child’s date of birth” but “tell me a little about your son, when was he diagnosed?” The parent has been carrying this for weeks or months. The intake coordinator who demonstrates genuine interest and knowledge about the ASD journey earns the trust that makes the rest of the call go smoothly.
The qualification questions (insurance, diagnosis, location, age) are woven in through the conversation rather than delivered as a checklist. By the end of the call, the coordinator has all the information they need, and the parent feels heard rather than processed.
The call ends with a specific, confirmed next step. Not “we’ll be in touch” but “I’ve got you on the calendar for an assessment with Dr Smith on the 14th at 2 PM, I’ll send a confirmation email.” A vague next step creates dropout risk. A specific scheduled commitment closes it.
The Assessment Wait
Between the qualification call and the BCBA assessment, families typically wait two to five weeks (sometimes longer in high-demand markets). This period is where the relationship is either maintained or lost.
High-performing practices use this period actively:
Confirmation email within 24 hours of the call with the assessment date and time, what to expect, what to bring, and a named contact for questions.
Informational follow-up at the 10-day mark. A useful resource about what an ABA assessment involves, what questions to prepare, or what a child’s first month in ABA therapy typically looks like. Not marketing content. Genuinely useful, parent-focused information.
Reminder at the 48-hour mark before the assessment, with logistics, parking or location specifics, and another affirmation of what to expect.
Each of these touches is sent through a HIPAA-compliant system (Lead Center), is brief and useful, and keeps the practice present in the family’s experience during the wait period.
The Assessment and After
The assessment itself is clinical, outside the intake optimisation scope. But what follows it isn’t.
After the BCBA assessment, the family needs to understand:
- What happens next (treatment plan development)
- Approximate timeline to insurance submission and expected authorisation turnaround
- Who their point of contact is for questions during this period
- What the first session will look like when authorisation comes through
A practice that provides this information clearly (verbally at the end of the assessment, confirmed in writing within 24 hours) creates the certainty that keeps families engaged through the authorisation process.
The Authorisation Wait
Insurance authorisation takes time that’s largely outside the practice’s control. What’s within control is communication.
High-performing practices update families at every significant step: “We’ve submitted for authorisation today.” “Authorisation is expected within two to three weeks, we’ll contact you the moment it comes through.” “We’ve received your authorisation and we’re ready to schedule your first sessions.”
Families that receive no communication during the authorisation wait assume one of two things: either the process has stalled, or the practice doesn’t care enough to update them. Both assumptions create dropout risk. Regular, brief updates eliminate both.
The Benchmark Numbers
What does this process produce in measurable terms?
- First-response time: under five minutes, 24/7
- Enquiry-to-qualification-call rate: 80%+ of qualified enquiries proceed to a completed call
- Qualification-to-assessment rate: 70%+ of qualified calls result in a scheduled assessment
- Assessment-to-authorisation submission rate: 90%+ of completed assessments proceed to submission
- Authorisation-to-first-session rate: 85%+ of approved authorisations result in a first session
- Days from first enquiry to first session: 35 to 50 days for commercial insurance
Practices that achieve these benchmarks are in the top tier of ABA intake performance. Most practices are meaningfully below at least one of these thresholds, which is where the improvement opportunity lives.
Reputation Elevation’s intake optimisation programme builds high-performing ABA intake processes: Lead Center automation, intake coordinator training, and process design. Schedule a strategy call.