She didn't deny the enquiry. She denied the moment.
Why women who filled a fertility clinic's form said "I never contacted you" when we called, and the one form question that turned 6 of the next 15 enquiries into appointments.
In shortFertility is the toughest segment in healthcare marketing. Running ads for a fertility clinic in Trichy, we kept calling women who had just filled our form, only to hear that they had never contacted the clinic. They weren't fake leads. Family was often around, and it was not a moment they could talk. We added one question to the form: when is a convenient time for us to call you? Within a week, 6 of the 15 enquiries received became appointments.
"I didn't fill any form."
The ads were working. Women were filling in the enquiry form. But when the clinic called back soon after, many of them said they had never contacted the clinic, and the call ended there.
On paper these looked like junk leads. The cost per lead in fertility is already high, so every lost enquiry hurt.
The lead was real. The timing was wrong.
Fertility is not a decision a couple makes alone. Parents, in-laws and relatives are involved, and the decision takes time. For most couples, fertility treatment comes after a long road of trying, and it is often the last option they turn to.
Through that journey a woman carries a lot: emotions, stigma, and questions from the people around her. She may fill a form in a private moment. When the phone rings an hour later, she may be at the dinner table with her family. Saying "I didn't contact you" is the only safe answer.
This is also why the cost per lead is high in fertility. The audience is small, the decision is slow, and each enquiry takes courage to send.
Same enquiry, two different calls
What changedBefore · we call when it suits us
- She fills the form in a private moment
- Clinic calls back soon after
- Family is around her
- "I didn't fill any form."
After · she chooses the time
- She fills the form and picks a time
- Clinic calls at that time
- She can talk freely
- Questions answered, visit booked
Name. Phone number. Submit.
The clinic decides when to call.
"When is a convenient time for us to call you?"
She decides when to talk.
One question, and a team that respects it.
- 01
Listen to the "no"
We stopped treating denials as junk and looked for the pattern. The same answer kept coming back, and it pointed at timing, not intent.
- 02
Add the question
The lead form now asks when it is convenient to call. It costs the patient one tap and gives the clinic the most useful piece of information on the form.
- 03
Call in her window
The clinic's team calls only in the slot she chose, and opens by checking it is still a good time to talk.
IntakeLeakage
Form layout and time options shown as an example.
6 appointments from 15 enquiries, in the first week.
First week after adding the question
Drawn to scaleShe was trusted to choose when to talk. On a journey where she has little control over many things, that small choice told her the clinic understood her situation.
In fertility, when you call matters as much as what you say.
Questions this case answers
- Why do fertility leads say they never filled the form?
- Often because someone is around when you call. Treat it as a timing problem before you treat it as a junk lead.
- Shouldn't we call every lead immediately?
- For most specialties, speed wins. In fertility, privacy wins. Call in the window the patient chose.
- Why is cost per lead so high in fertility?
- The audience is small, the decision involves the family and takes months, and each enquiry is an emotional step. Judge fertility campaigns on appointments, not on lead cost alone.
- Can our Meta ads ask "Struggling to conceive?"
- No. Meta does not allow ads that assert or imply a viewer's personal attributes, including medical conditions, and that includes asking about them. Talk about the clinic's care instead. See Meta's personal attributes policy.
Try this at your clinic
- Add "When is a convenient time to call you?" to every fertility lead form.
- Open each call with "Is this a good time to talk?"
- Never leave a voicemail or SMS that mentions fertility or IVF.
- Mark "said they didn't enquire" leads separately and review them weekly.