Here's the sum: missed job calls, times the share you'd have booked, times your average job. In the worked example below, that's $6,000 a month. That's an illustration, not a real client. Here's how to work out your own number in about five minutes.
You need your call log for one normal week. You also need a rough idea of what a typical job is worth.
The short version
- Count your missed calls for one normal week.
- Take out spam, suppliers, and calls you returned and booked.
- Estimate how many of the rest would have booked. Be cautious.
- Multiply by your average job, then by four for a month.
- Then decide what plugging even part of it is worth to you.
The worksheet
Grab a pen, or copy this into a note on your phone. Fill in the "Yours" column as you go.
| Line | What to put | Example | Yours |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Missed calls in a normal week | 10 | ___ |
| B | Of those, real inquiries about new work | 5 | ___ |
| C | Share you'd book if you'd answered | 1 in 2 | ___ |
| D | Jobs lost per week (B × C) | 2.5 | ___ |
| E | Average job value | $600 | ___ |
| F | Lost per week (D × E) | $1,500 | ___ |
| G | Lost per month (F × 4) | $6,000 | ___ |
Illustration only. The example uses assumed numbers to show the math. It isn't a real client or a typical result. We use four weeks to a month to keep it simple.
Now let's fill in each line.
Step 1: Count your missed calls (line A)
Pick a normal week. Not a holiday week, and not your busiest week of the year.
Your missed calls are usually easy to find. Check your phone's recent calls list or your carrier's call log. If you use a phone system, check its dashboard. Count every call you didn't pick up.
Can't find a log? Start counting from tomorrow. A tally on a sticky note for one week is enough.
Step 2: Take out the calls that were never jobs (line B)
Not every missed call is lost work. Cross off:
- Spam and sales calls.
- Suppliers and other businesses.
- Existing customers checking on a job that's already booked.
- Anyone you called back who then booked.
What's left are real inquiries about new work. If you can't tell what a call was about, count it. Plenty of callers won't leave a voicemail. They just try the next number.
Step 3: Estimate how many would have booked (line C)
Think about the new callers you do get to speak to. Out of every ten, how many end up booking? Use that.
If you're not sure, track the next 20 new callers you speak to and count the bookings. Until then, pick a cautious guess. A lower number keeps the result honest.
Step 4: Put a value on a job (line E)
Use the value of a typical first job, not a lifetime value. Take last month's revenue from new jobs and divide it by the number of new jobs.
Repeat work and referrals make a lost customer worth more than one job. Leave them out for now. If the number is worth fixing without them, it's definitely worth fixing with them.
Step 5: Do the sum (lines D, F and G)
Multiply down the column. Lost jobs per week, times job value, times four.
In the example, that's 2.5 jobs a week at $600, or $1,500 a week. Over a month, $6,000. Over a year, about $72,000 of work that went to someone else.
Your number might be much smaller. It might be bigger. Either way, you now know what the leak is worth.
What plugging it is worth
No system wins back every missed call. Some callers book someone else within minutes. So don't plan on recovering the whole number.
Try a cautious version instead. If a fast reply recovered a third of those jobs, the example business would get back about $2,000 a month. A third is an assumption for the example, not a promise.
The fix doesn't have to be fancy. A fast text that answers the caller's question is often enough. Here are our missed call text templates to start with.
When your calls get missed
While you're in the call log, note the time of each missed call. The pattern tells you which fix to try first.
| When most calls are missed | Likely cause | First fix to try |
|---|---|---|
| Weekday mornings and afternoons | You're on jobs | An instant text back with a booking link |
| Lunch and travel times | Driving between jobs | The same, plus a call-back window you can keep |
| Evenings and weekends | You're closed | An after-hours text that offers the first slot |
| All day, every day | More calls than one person can take | Help on the phones, as well as a text back |
Example scenario
This is an illustrative example, not a real client.
A two-person electrical company thinks it misses a call or two a day. The owner checks a week of the call log and counts 11. Four were spam or suppliers, which leaves seven real inquiries.
Most of them came in between 10am and 2pm, while both electricians were on jobs. That points straight at the fix: a text that goes out the moment a call isn't picked up.
Fair questions
What counts as a missed call?
Any call from a possible customer that you didn't answer, and didn't return before they booked someone else. If you're not sure, count it.
I call everyone back. Does it still count?
Calling back helps. But some people book someone else before your call comes. Count the ones who didn't answer your call back, or told you they'd sorted it.
Should I use lifetime value instead of one job?
You can, but start with one job. It keeps the number believable. If one job makes the case, lifetime value only makes it stronger.
Is there a normal missed-call rate?
We don't publish a benchmark. It depends on your trade, your team and your hours. The useful number is yours, and whether it goes down after you fix it.
Run it on last week
Open your call log now and fill in line A. The rest takes five minutes.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes, book a 15-minute call and we'll run the numbers with you. If the leak is real, we'll show you what plugging it looks like. Questions first? Email info@futureflexdigital.com.
Keep reading
- Missed Call Text Templates That Get a Reply: Copy-paste texts for every kind of missed call.
- Win Back Past Customers Without Sounding Desperate: Message examples that give past customers a reason to book again.