A missed call costs you the value of the job that caller might have booked, and you can work out your own number in five minutes. Count your missed calls, estimate how many would have become jobs, and multiply by what a job is worth to you. That is the cost, and it is worth seeing in dollars.
We are not going to hand you a national statistic. Your phone, your trade and your prices are different from anyone else’s. Use your own.
How do you work out what a missed call costs?
Grab your phone and do this once:
- Look at last week’s call log. Count the calls you missed or sent to voicemail.
- Count how many of those called back, left a message or never tried again. If you do not know, assume the ones who left no message are gone.
- Think of the last 10 callers you did reach. How many became paid jobs? That is your rough booking rate.
- Multiply: missed calls, times your booking rate, times your average job.
- Multiply that by 52 weeks.
Here is the idea in words only: if you miss several calls a week, you book about half the people you do reach, and your average job is a few hundred dollars, the yearly total adds up fast. Do your own math and look at the answer.
Also count repeat business. A new customer who gets a good job often calls again and tells their neighbors. A missed call can mean missing years of work.
Why do home-service businesses miss so many calls?
You are on a roof, in an attic, under a sink or in a crawlspace. You cannot answer. In an Arizona summer, trades like AC, pest control and pool service work in serious heat, and the phone rings while you are on the job.
People with a broken AC in July do not leave a message and wait. They call the next business on the list.
What can you do about it?
You have a few options, and you can mix them.
- Call back fast. If you cannot answer, call back as soon as you are off the job, not at the end of the day. A quick text saying "Sorry I missed you, I'll call in 20 minutes" helps.
- Set your voicemail greeting. Say your business name, what to leave (name, address, problem) and when you call back.
- Block time for call-backs. Ten minutes between jobs beats an hour at night.
- Get someone to answer. A family member, an office person, or an answering service can pick up when you cannot.
- Use an AI receptionist. Jetsy is small-business software built for home-service companies, auto shops and restaurants, and it includes an AI receptionist that answers the phone when you cannot. It also has a CRM with scheduling, quotes and invoices customers can pay by card. Plans start at $25 a month.
Whatever you choose, test it. Call your own number from another phone and see what a customer hears.
Make sure customers can find the right number
If your number is wrong on your listing, the missed call is not your phone’s fault. Check your number on Google and on AZ Business Directory. If you are listed and the number is wrong, tell us and we fix it, and if you want help finding it, use the Ask helper. Our Google Business Profile tune-up covers the rest.
Questions people ask
How do I know how many calls I missed?
Check your phone’s call log for missed and unanswered calls. Count a week or a month, then write the number down so you can compare after you make changes.
Should I call back every missed call?
Yes. Even without a voicemail, a quick call or text back shows you care, because the caller may still need help. If they do not answer, leave one short message and move on.
Will a receptionist or AI answering save me money?
It depends on your numbers. Work out what a missed call costs you using the steps above, then compare it with the monthly price of any option. If the answer is clear, you have your decision.
Own a business in Arizona? Your basic listing on the directory is free — add it in two minutes, or find who to call for the job in front of you.
