The Numbers That Should Scare You

Let's start with the data that most contractors don't want to hear:

62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered
85% of callers who can't reach you won't call back
78% of customers hire the first business that responds

Put these together and you have a formula for losing money every single day.

Doing the Math

Let's calculate what missed calls actually cost a typical contractor:

Your numbers (fill in your own or use these averages):

Calls per month: 150
Average job value: $750
Current answer rate: 60%

The calculation:

Missed calls: 150 × 40% = 60 calls
Callers who don't call back: 60 × 85% = 51 leads lost
Potential conversion rate: 50%
Jobs lost: 51 × 50% = ~25 jobs
Monthly lost revenue: 25 × $750 = $18,750

Annual lost revenue: $225,000

Even if we're conservative and cut this in half, that's still $112,500 per year walking out the door.

Why 62% of Calls Go Unanswered

This isn't because contractors are lazy or don't care. It's structural:

You're working: When you're elbow-deep in a water heater or up on a ladder, you can't answer the phone. That's just reality.

Call timing clusters: Calls don't come evenly throughout the day. You might get 5 calls in 30 minutes while you're with a customer.

After hours: Many customer calls come after 5pm when your "office" is closed. But problems don't wait for business hours.

Weekends: Saturdays and Sundays are when homeowners notice problems. But most contractors don't have anyone answering.

Lunch and breaks: Even short gaps in coverage mean missed calls.

The math works against you. If you're working 8-10 hours a day, and calls come randomly, you'll naturally miss a significant percentage.

The "They'll Leave a Voicemail" Myth

When I talk to contractors about missed calls, many say: "It's fine, they'll leave a voicemail."

The data says otherwise:

85% of callers don't leave voicemails.

Why? Because:

They assume you're too busy or don't care
They've already moved on to calling someone else
They think voicemail is a black hole
They want immediate help, not a callback

Voicemail isn't a safety net—it's a trap door.

Case Study: A Local Plumbing Business

One plumbing business tracked their missed call impact after implementing missed call text back:

20% reduction in missed leads
$15,000/month in additional revenue

That's $180,000/year from just reducing—not eliminating—missed calls.

The "I'm Too Small for This" Objection

Some contractors think: "I'm a small operation. I don't get that many calls."

Here's the reality: small operations are hurt MORE by missed calls.

If you're a 3-person shop, losing 10 jobs a month might be 20% of your revenue. A larger company can absorb losses better. You can't.

Plus, small operations have less redundancy. If the one person who answers phones is on a job, 100% of calls go unanswered.

The True Cost Breakdown

Let's look at ALL the costs of missed calls:

1. Direct Lost Revenue

This is the obvious one. Missed call → lost job → lost money.

2. Marketing Waste

You're paying for marketing that generates calls. If those calls go unanswered, your marketing dollars are wasted.

Example: If you spend $1,000/month on Google Ads and miss 40% of the calls it generates, you just threw away $400.

3. Reputation Damage

Unanswered calls don't just disappear. They become negative impressions of your business. Some become bad reviews: "Tried to call, couldn't get through."

4. Referral Losses

When someone's friend asks "Know a good plumber?", they won't recommend the business that never answered their call—even if you eventually did good work for them.

5. Competitive Advantage Lost

Every call you miss is a lead your competitor might catch. You're not just losing a job—you're giving it to someone else.

What Answering 100% of Calls Looks Like

Contractors who solve the missed call problem see transformational results:

From the Avoca AI customer data:

Booking rates jumping from 40-50% to 80-90%
After-hours jobs increasing by 200-300%
Revenue growth of 50-100% within months

This isn't incremental improvement. It's a different business.

The Solutions (Ranked by Effectiveness)

1. AI Phone Answering (Best)

AI answers every call instantly, 24/7. Books appointments, answers questions, escalates emergencies.

Cost: $100-400/month Result: 100% answer rate

2. Missed Call Text Back (Good)

Automatic text when a call is missed: "Sorry we missed you! How can we help?"

Cost: $50-100/month Result: Recovers 20-30% of missed calls

3. Hire a Receptionist (Expensive)

Full-time person dedicated to answering phones.

Cost: $3,000-4,000/month (salary + benefits) Result: Good during business hours, zero after hours

4. Answering Service (Okay)

Live humans at a call center answer your calls.

Cost: $200-500/month Result: 60-70% answer rate, often poor booking rates

The Bottom Line

If you're running a contracting business and not answering 100% of your calls, you're leaving six figures on the table.

That's not an exaggeration. That's the math.

Get a free AI audit to calculate exactly what missed calls are costing YOUR specific business. The number might surprise you—and the solution is simpler than you think.

The $100K Mistake: How Missed Calls Are Costing Contractors a Fortune