Missed Calls in Home Services: How Much Revenue Are You Losing?

You already know missed calls are bad.

What you might not know is how bad.

Let's do the math that nobody wants to do. The math that separates contractors who stay stuck from contractors who grow.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what I've learned talking to hundreds of home service pros:

Most don't track missed calls.

They see the notification. Feel a twinge of guilt. Call back when they can. Move on.

But they never add it up. Never calculate the real cost.

(Want to know your number? Try our Missed Call Calculator.)

Because if they did, they'd have to do something about it.

Let's Do The Math

I'm going to walk you through this calculation. It might sting. That's the point.

Step 1: How Many Calls Are You Missing?

Most solo operators and small teams miss 20-40% of incoming calls.

Think about your typical day:

• Morning drive to first job: 30 minutes


• On job #1: 2-3 hours (can't answer)


• Lunch: 30 minutes (might answer, might not)


• On job #2: 2-3 hours (can't answer)


• Afternoon drive: 30 minutes


• After 5pm: Done for the day

That's maybe 4-5 hours where you might answer. And 10+ hours where you probably won't.

If you get 10 calls a day, you're missing 3-4 of them.

Step 2: What's Each Call Worth?

Not every call is a job. Some are:

• Existing customers with questions


• Solicitors


• Wrong numbers


• Price shoppers who were never going to book

But a good chunk are real opportunities.

Industry data suggests 50-70% of incoming calls to home service businesses are potential new jobs.

If your average job is $400, and 60% of calls would have booked...

Each missed call costs you roughly $240.

Step 3: The Monthly Damage

Let's be conservative:

• 10 calls per day


• 30% missed (3 calls)


• 60% would have booked (1.8 jobs)


• $400 average job value

Daily lost revenue: $720

Over a month (22 working days): $15,840

Over a year: $190,000

Even if I'm off by half, that's still $95,000/year.

That's not noise. That's a second income.

Why The Real Number Is Probably Worse

That calculation assumes you're only missing calls during work hours.

But what about:

• After 5pm calls? (High urgency, emergency work)


• Weekend calls? (Premium pricing opportunities)


• Calls during your "off" time? (Early mornings, late nights)

After-hours calls convert at higher rates because customers are desperate. They'll pay premium. They'll book immediately.

And you're missing all of them.

The Hidden Costs You're Not Counting

Lost revenue is just the obvious cost. There's more:

Wasted Ad Spend

You paid for that lead. Whether it's Google Ads, LSA, or Yelp—someone paid for that phone to ring.

If you miss the call, that money evaporated. The lead went to your competitor.

You literally paid for them to get the job.

Lost Lifetime Value

A new customer isn't just one job.

A happy plumbing customer might need you for:

• The initial clog ($300)


• Water heater replacement next year ($1,500)


• Bathroom remodel referral ($3,000)


• Their neighbor's recommendation (another $1,500)

Miss that first call? You didn't lose $300. You lost $6,000+ in lifetime value.

Reputation Damage

No answer = no job = no review.

Your competitors who answer get the job and the review.

Over time, they build a moat of 5-star ratings while you're stuck wondering why leads are drying up.

Stress and Burnout

The constant game of phone tag. The guilt of missed calls. The anxiety of not knowing what you're losing.

It compounds.

Many pros work longer hours trying to compensate. They sacrifice family time. Sleep. Health.

All because they're trying to do two impossible things at once: work on jobs and answer every call.

What About Callbacks?

"I'll just call them back."

Good luck.

85% of callers who don't reach someone on the first try never call back.

And when you do call back, they've often already booked someone else.

Here's a typical callback scenario:

• Customer calls at 2pm


• You're on a job, miss it


• You call back at 5pm


• No answer (they're busy with life now)


• You try again next morning


• They answer: "Oh, we already got someone. Thanks though."

Three hours. That's all it took.

The window for capturing a new customer is measured in minutes, not hours.

The Competitive Reality

You're not operating in a vacuum.

When a customer searches "plumber near me," they see 3-10 options.

They call the first one. No answer.
They call the second one. Someone picks up.
Job booked.

They never call the third one.

Your competitor didn't win because they're better. They won because they answered.

This is the brutal truth of local service businesses:

Speed beats skill. Availability beats expertise.

At least for getting the initial call.

What Top Performers Do Differently

The contractors making $300K+ per year aren't necessarily better at the work.

They're better at not missing calls.

Here's what they do:

Dedicated phone person — Spouse, office manager, or call service

Instant callback systems — Miss a call, text fires immediately

After-hours coverage — Someone answers 24/7

AI voice agents — Modern solution that books directly into calendar

The common thread? They treat every incoming call as a potential $400-$800 opportunity. Because it is.

Free tools: Calculate your missed call cost →

Calculating Your Number

Let me help you figure out your actual cost.

Use our free calculator: Missed Call Calculator — enter your numbers and see exactly what missed calls are costing you.

Or do it manually:

Step 1: Check your call logs for the last month. Count the missed calls.

Step 2: Multiply by 0.6 (assuming 60% were real opportunities)

Step 3: Multiply by your average job value

That's your monthly loss.

Example:

• 45 missed calls last month


• × 0.6 = 27 lost opportunities


• × $450 average job = $12,150 lost

Do this exercise. Write down the number. Tape it to your dashboard.

That's the cost of the status quo.

What Can You Actually Do?

You have a few options:

Option 1: Answer Every Call Yourself

Pros: Free, personal touch
Cons: Impossible when you're working

Option 2: Hire Someone

Pros: Human touch, can handle complex situations
Cons: Expensive ($3-5K/month), hard to find, still can't book without your calendar

Option 3: Traditional Call Center

Pros: 24/7 coverage
Cons: Impersonal, scripts, no calendar access, expensive

Option 4: AI Voice Agent

Pros: Answers 24/7, books into your calendar, sounds natural
Cons: New technology, some customers prefer humans

Fixly is in that last category. It's an AI that answers calls, books jobs into Google Calendar, and sends follow-ups. You only pay when it does something useful ($1 per booking).

No monthly fees. No contracts. If it doesn't work, you've lost nothing.

The Question You Need to Answer

At some point, you have to decide:

Is my time worth more on the tools or on the phone?

Because you can't do both at once.

The contractors who figure this out early build bigger businesses. The ones who don't stay stuck at the same revenue for years.

This isn't about working harder. You're already working hard.

It's about not leaving money on the table while you work.

Final Thought

Every ring of your phone is someone saying: "I have a problem and money to solve it."

What happens next determines whether that money is yours or your competitor's.

Miss enough of those calls, and it doesn't matter how good you are at the work.

You'll always be busy. But you'll never grow.

The math doesn't lie.