What a missed call costs a contractor

Step 1: count missed calls

Check your phone log for a typical week. Count calls that went to voicemail or were never returned the same day.

Step 2: estimate your close rate

Of the new-customer calls you do answer, what share becomes a booked job? Use your own history.

Step 3: use your average job value

Take total revenue from new customers divided by the number of those jobs.

Step 4: multiply

Missed calls per month times close rate times average job value. That is a rough ceiling on what unanswered calls could cost you each month. Not every caller would have booked.

Step 5: choose a fix

Options include a dedicated person on the phones, an answering service, or software that helps you respond faster. Compare cost against the number you just calculated.

How do I estimate the cost of missed calls?

Multiply missed new-customer calls by your close rate and your average job value, then treat the result as an upper bound.

Do all missed calls become lost jobs?

No. Some callers are wrong numbers, vendors or will call back. Use a conservative close rate.