What does a missed call cost? Work it out with your own numbers.

You often see one particular figure for what a missed call costs. That figure doesn't exist. A carpenter who misses a quote for a new roof and a hairdresser who misses a haircut lose very different amounts. So instead of a number, here's a way to find your own.

01Count the unanswered calls for two weeks

Start with what you can measure. Most phone companies and phone systems show a call log with missed calls – on the phone itself or in the provider's self-service. Count over two ordinary weeks:

• How many calls went unanswered?
• How many of those numbers called again the same day?
• How many did you call back – and how many of them picked up?

What's left are the calls that were genuinely lost: you never got to talk. That's the number to work with – not every unanswered call.

02Put a value on a call

Not every call is a sale. Some are questions about opening hours, some are suppliers, some are wrong numbers. So look at a week of answered calls and split them in two: those that could turn into a job or a sale, and the rest. That gives you a share.

For the calls that could turn into something, you need two more numbers: how many usually end up as a job, and what a job is worth to you on average in gross margin (not revenue).

03The formula

Lost calls per month × share that could turn into something × share that usually becomes a job × gross margin per job.

The calculation is deliberately cautious: it only counts calls that never became a conversation. On the other hand, it doesn't count customers who call once, don't get through and never try again – you can't see them in the log.

04What the calculation leaves out

• The time spent calling back. Every callback takes a few minutes and interrupts what you were doing – even when nobody picks up.
• The interruptions. The phone rings in the middle of a customer meeting, up a ladder or at the chair. If you take it, the customer in front of you pays for it.
• The impression. A customer who can't get through often calls the next name on the list. It can't be counted, but it happens.

05What can you do about it?

If the number is small, calling back is fine. If it's large, there are three routes: more hands on the phone, an answering service or an AI phone assistant. Always compare the price with the number you just worked out – not with an average.

The checklist

• Two weeks of call log with missed calls
• Minus the ones who called again or were called back
• Share of calls that could become a job
• Your own share of inquiries that become a job
• Gross margin – not revenue – per job
• The result compared with the price of a solution