How to keep surrogate applicants from dropping off
Most agencies lose more qualified surrogates to silence than to screening. An applicant who hears nothing for a few days has usually applied somewhere else. This is where applicants drop off, and the follow-up timing that keeps them.
Short answer: Surrogate applicants drop off at four points: before finishing the application, waiting for a first reply, waiting for the intake call, and during records and screening, when weeks pass with nothing to do. Agencies keep them by replying within minutes to hours, sending a reminder link for unfinished applications, letting applicants book their own intake call, setting expectations for every wait, and checking in on a fixed rhythm. Measure the drop-off at each step so you fix the one that loses the most.
Where applicants drop off
1. Partway through the application
Long applications on a phone, interrupted by a child or a shift, are the first leak. Applicants who started but did not finish are your warmest leads: they have already told you a lot about themselves.
2. Waiting for the first reply
Research published in Harvard Business Review on online sales leads found that most companies respond far too slowly, and response time strongly affects whether a lead is reached at all. Surrogate applicants often apply to more than one agency in the same week. The first one to reply, warmly and with a clear next step, usually keeps her.
3. Waiting for the intake call
A call scheduled a week out gives her a week to have a better conversation elsewhere. So does a call that has to be arranged by six messages back and forth.
4. Records, background checks and screening
This is the longest, quietest stretch: waiting on a hospital records department, a background check or a psychological evaluation. If she does not hear from you, she assumes nothing is happening, or that you have lost interest.
5. Waiting to match
A cleared surrogate who waits months for a match without updates may accept an offer from another agency. Tell her where things stand, even when the news is “still looking”.
A follow-up timing plan
Adapt the timing to your agency; the principle is that every step has a next touch, and none depends on someone remembering.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Application started, not finished | A friendly reminder with a link back to where she stopped, after a few hours; another the next day; a last one a few days later. |
| Application submitted | A welcome message within minutes (automated is fine), with a booking link for the intake call. A personal message from a coordinator the same day. |
| Call not booked | A reminder the next day, then a call or text from a coordinator within two to three days. |
| Call booked | A reminder the day before and the day of. |
| After the intake call | A recap the same day with the next step and when she will hear from you. |
| Records and screening | A short update at least weekly, even if nothing has changed, and a call if anything stalls. |
| Approved, waiting to match | A check-in every week or two; share what kinds of families are looking. |
| No answer after several tries | A last, kind message that the door is open, then close her file so your pipeline stays accurate. |
Texting: the channel they answer, with consent
Most applicants answer a text faster than an email. But automated marketing texts in the United States need prior consent, and carriers now require registered business numbers (A2P 10DLC) for application-to-person texting. Ask for text consent clearly on the application, keep the box unticked by default, honour opt-outs immediately, and keep service messages she asked for (an appointment reminder) separate from marketing ones. Get advice on the rules for your situation; the FCC's guidance on telemarketing and robocalls is a starting point.
Managing the long waits
- Say how long, up front. “Hospitals usually take two to three weeks to send records” turns silence into an expected wait.
- Give her something to see. A portal where she can see her own checklist, what is done and what is pending, answers “any update?” before she asks.
- Chase on her behalf. A reminder to follow up with the records office or the background check company keeps the wait from doubling.
- Make it personal. One real message from her coordinator is worth five automated ones.
Measure drop-off by step
Count how many applicants reach each step: started, submitted, qualified, intake call booked, call held, records received, approved, matched. Look at the biggest drop and fix that first. Compare by source too: a channel that sends many applicants who never book a call may be bringing the wrong people, not suffering from bad follow-up. See agency KPIs and reporting.
How SurroHub helps
SurroHub was built by people who run an agency, around exactly this problem: nothing should depend on someone remembering to follow up.
- Instant replies, 24/7. Surro, the built-in AI assistant, answers new applicant texts the moment they arrive, in your tone and within the guardrails you set, and hands off to your team whenever you prefer.
- Scheduled campaigns. Welcome and follow-up emails and texts go out on their own; every one scheduled to a person is listed on her profile to edit or reschedule.
- Booking links. Applicants book their own intake call, with reminders the day before and the day of.
- Workflows that flag late steps. Every step has an owner and a due date; when one runs late, the coordinator hears about it and a to-do lands on their list.
- Text consent respected. Automated outreach texts skip anyone whose application says no to text messages; service texts such as booking confirmations still go.
- A portal for every surrogate. She sees her own checklist, documents and messages, so the answer to “any update?” is already there.
- Closing a file properly. Marking someone as no answer archives her through one path that also stops her automated messages.
Want the facts in one place? SurroHub by the numbers: what it is, who built it, and what agencies run on it today.
Sources: Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (2011); FCC, Telemarketing and robocalls; CTIA, Messaging principles and best practices.
See SurroHub for yourself
The surrogacy and egg donor agency platform: one place for surrogates, intended parents, egg donors and matches, with branded portals, workflows, e-sign contracts and a built-in AI assistant.
Frequently asked questions
Why do surrogate applicants stop responding?
Usually because they waited too long for a reply, applied to several agencies and chose the one that answered first, or went weeks during screening without hearing anything.
How fast should a surrogacy agency respond to a new applicant?
Within minutes to hours. An automated welcome with a booking link can go out instantly, followed by a personal message from a coordinator the same day.
How often should agencies follow up during screening?
At least weekly, even when nothing has changed, plus an immediate call if a step stalls. A portal where she can see her checklist helps between updates.
Can agencies text surrogate applicants automatically?
Generally only with her consent. Ask for it clearly on the application, honour opt-outs, use a registered business number, and get advice on the rules that apply to you.