Short answer
A missed call costs a trades business roughly (missed calls) × (share that are new jobs) × (share you’d win) × (average job value). For a shop missing 10 calls a week with a $600 average job, that can be $5,196 a month in lost work, before counting repeat business and referrals.
The formula
- Missed calls per week. Count unanswered calls in your phone or carrier call log, including ones that went to voicemail.
- Share that are new work. Leave out spam, suppliers and existing customers checking in.
- Share you’d win. Your normal close rate when you do pick up.
- Average job value. Your typical invoice for this kind of call.
Multiply them, then multiply by about 4.33 to get a monthly figure.
Worked example
These numbers are illustrative; put in your own.
- 10 missed calls a week
- 40% are new jobs
- You win 50% of jobs you quote
- $600 average job
10 × 0.4 × 0.5 = 2 lost jobs a week. 2 × $600 × 4.33 ≈ $5,196 a month.
Typical job values by trade
Rough starting points from our trade pages. Use your own numbers where you have them.
- HVAC: $2,000+
- Plumbing: $800+
- Electrical: $1,200+
- Roofing: $8,000+
- Painting: $3,500+
- Flooring: $4,500+
- Cleaning: $250+
- Landscaping: $1,500+
- Handyman: $400+
- Pest control: $350+
Why the real cost is higher
- Lifetime value. A first service call often leads to maintenance plans, repeat work and referrals.
- Emergency calls pay more. After-hours and urgent jobs are high-intent and often higher-margin, and they’re the calls you’re least likely to answer.
- Marketing spend. If you paid for the ad or listing that made the phone ring, a missed call wastes that spend too.
How to stop losing them
Answer more calls (hard on a job site), return calls faster, or have something answer for you. An AI receptionist answers the calls you miss, books the job, and texts you a summary. At $300/month, Front&Center’s Growth plan is covered by one recovered $600 job a month. Try the numbers for your shop on the pricing calculator, or hear it answer a call.