How Much Are Missed Calls Costing Your Business? (Calculator Inside)

You know missed calls are a problem. But do you know the actual dollar amount they are costing you? Most business owners dramatically underestimate this number.

Let us fix that. By the end of this article, you will know exactly how much money is walking out your door every month because of unanswered calls.

The Missed Call Calculator Formula

Here is the formula to calculate your monthly lost revenue from missed calls:

Let us break down each variable and how to find it for your business.

Step 1: Count Your Missed Calls

Most businesses undercount missed calls. Here is where to look:

Check Your Phone Records

• Voicemail count (but remember, 67% never leave voicemails)
• Missed call logs from your phone system
• Abandoned calls (caller hung up while ringing)

Estimate After-Hours Calls

If you are only checking business hours calls, you are missing the picture. Industry data shows 67% of business calls happen outside 9-5. Estimate your after-hours call volume:

• Check voicemails left after hours
• Look at your Google Business Profile insights for when people call
• If you have call tracking, review all-hours data

The Real Number Is Higher Than You Think

Most businesses discover they miss 35-50% of incoming calls when they actually measure. If you are guessing, assume 40% as a starting point.

Step 2: Apply the 85% Factor

Research consistently shows that 85% of people whose calls go unanswered will not call back. They call a competitor instead.

This is not speculation. This comes from multiple studies including Aircall, Lead Response Management, and industry-specific research.

Multiply your missed calls by 0.85 to get the number of truly lost opportunities.

Step 3: Determine Your Conversion Rate

What percentage of leads become paying customers? Be honest here. Use your actual data if you have it.

Typical Conversion Rates by Industry

If you do not know your conversion rate, use 25-30% as a reasonable estimate for most service businesses.

Step 4: Calculate Your Average Job Value

What does the average customer pay you? This should be straightforward from your accounting:

• Review your last 20-50 invoices
• Calculate the average
• Or use your typical job price range

Sample Average Job Values

Step 5: Do the Math

Now let us run some real examples:

Calculate Your Number

Now it is your turn. Fill in your numbers:

The Annual Impact

Whatever number you calculated, multiply it by 12. That is your annual revenue loss from missed calls.

For the examples above:

• Plumbing Company: $6,270/month = $75,240/year
• Dental Practice: $18,000/month = $216,000/year
• Roofing Contractor: $78,200/month = $938,400/year

These are not small numbers. And they compound year after year while you operate without a solution.

What These Calls Are Worth to Competitors

Here is the uncomfortable truth: every call you miss, a competitor answers. The revenue you are calculating is not disappearing, it is going to the business that picked up the phone.

When a customer calls 3 businesses and only one answers, that one gets the job 78% of the time. Your missed calls are literally funding your competition.

The Voice AI Solution

Voice AI solves this problem directly:

• Answers every call, 24/7/365
• Converts missed calls to answered calls
• Books appointments in real-time
• Qualifies leads while you work

At $297-$497/month, Voice AI typically costs less than 5% of the revenue it recovers.

ROI Calculation

Using the plumbing company example:

• Currently losing: $6,270/month
• Voice AI captures 90% of missed calls
• Revenue recovered: $5,643/month
• Voice AI cost: $397/month
• Net gain: $5,246/month
• ROI: 1,322%

Stop the Bleeding

Every day you wait, more calls go unanswered. More revenue walks out the door. More customers hire competitors.

You now know the exact cost. The question is: how long will you accept paying it?