Most owners know missed calls cost them something. Few have put a number on it, because a missed call doesn't show up anywhere. There's no invoice for the job you never heard about.
You can estimate it with four numbers you probably already know roughly. The examples below are illustrations, not industry averages. Swap in your own.
The four numbers you need
- Missed calls per week. Check your phone's call log for calls you didn't answer and didn't get a voicemail from. If you can't check, guess low.
- Share that were real work. Some calls are spam, suppliers or customers who'll call back. What fraction would have become paid work?
- Share of those callers who don't come back. Some try again. Many call the next company on the list.
- Average job value. What a typical first job is worth to you.
Missed calls × share that were real work × share that don't come back × average job value = lost revenue
Worked example 1: A one-truck plumber
5 missed calls a week, 2 in 5 are real jobs, half of those callers go elsewhere, and the average job is $300.
5 × 0.4 × 0.5 × $300 = $300 a week, or about $15,600 a year.
That's one modest job a week. It's easy to miss, which is the point.
Worked example 2: An HVAC shop in peak season
15 missed calls a week across 12 peak weeks, 1 in 3 are real jobs, 60% of those callers go elsewhere because a no-heat caller won't wait, and the average job is $400.
15 × (1/3) × 0.6 × $400 = $1,200 a week, or $14,400 across the season. That leaves out the replacement quotes that sometimes start as a repair call.
Worked example 3: A vending operator
Most vending calls are refund requests. But a few are location leads, and a missed one goes to another operator. Say you miss 1 location request a month, 1 in 4 would have become a placement, and a placement earns $150 a month in profit. That's one lost placement every four months, and each one is $1,800 a year in profit you don't see.
What the formula leaves out
The formula only counts the first job. It leaves out repeat work, referrals, the occasional public review from someone who couldn't reach you, and the hours you spend returning "hi, call me back" voicemails. Treat your number as the floor, not the ceiling.
The usual fixes
You can answer more yourself, which is free but limited by your hands and your sleep. You can improve your voicemail greeting and call back faster, which helps, but not with callers who never leave a message. A family member or office helper is great when they're available. A live answering service covers more hours; compare what they'll ask, how urgent calls reach you and how pricing scales in busy months.
What answering every call with an AI receptionist looks like
This is what we build, so take that into account. I started Sayra because of my own vending business, where I was the one missing the calls. We use AI heavily across the company, and Sayra is the result of putting it on the phone.
Sayra answers 24/7 in your business name and tells callers the call is recorded. She takes messages and booking requests, answers common questions from what you give her, and emails you a summary after every call.
A sample call
It's 6:30pm on a Tuesday. You're at dinner, and a new customer calls.
Sayra: Thanks for calling Reyes Plumbing, this is Sayra. This call is recorded. How can I help?
Caller: Hi, my kitchen sink is backing up and the dishwasher won't drain. Can someone come out?
Sayra: I can take a booking request for you. Is water leaking anywhere right now?
Caller: No, it's just sitting in the sink.
Sayra: Okay. What's your name and the address?
Caller: Dana Whitfield, 418 Maple Court.
Sayra: And the best number to reach you?
Caller: 555-0187. Tomorrow morning would be best.
Sayra: Thanks, Dana. I've sent this to the team with your request for tomorrow morning. They'll call you to confirm a time.
Your summary arrives a minute later:
New call: booking request (new customer)
Caller: Dana Whitfield, 555-0187
Address: 418 Maple Court
Issue: Kitchen sink backing up, dishwasher not draining. No active leak.
Wants: Tomorrow morning
Recording and transcript: in your dashboard
You call Dana back at 7:30am with the job already understood. Without an answer, she'd likely have called the next plumber on the list that evening.
How urgent calls work
You decide what counts as urgent. For a plumber that might be an active leak or no water at all. For HVAC, no heat in winter.
When an urgent call comes in, Sayra transfers it live to your cell. If nobody answers, she takes the details and emails you at once, so it doesn't wait in a pile. Everything else arrives as a summary you can deal with in order.
Setup takes about 2 minutes
You keep your number, the one on your truck, your website and your invoices. You forward calls to Sayra and choose how: all calls, only the ones you miss, or after hours only. We email you a page and you switch it on with one tap.
If you're not sure, start with missed calls only. You keep answering when you can, and Sayra catches the rest.
What it costs, tied back to the examples
Starter is $49 a month with 250 minutes. Growth is $99 a month with 400 minutes. Extra minutes are $0.30 on Starter and $0.25 on Growth. Most calls run 1 to 2 minutes.
The plumber. 5 missed calls a week is about 22 a month, or 22 to 44 minutes. Starter covers that with plenty to spare, even with other forwarded calls. The example estimated $300 a week in lost jobs. Recovering just one $300 job a month covers Starter about six times over.
The HVAC shop. In peak season, 15 missed calls a week is about 65 a month, or 65 to 130 minutes. If you forward all calls during the rush, volume will be higher, and Growth's 400 minutes gives you room. One $400 job a month covers Growth four times. Against the $1,200 a week estimate, the gap is wide.
The vending operator. One location request a month barely touches Starter's minutes. Starter costs $588 a year. One placement you'd otherwise have lost is worth $1,800 a year in profit.
These are assumptions, not promises. The point isn't that Sayra wins you a fixed number of jobs. It's that the break-even is low: one recovered job, or one location, a month.
Straight answers to common questions
Will callers hate talking to AI? Sayra has a natural voice, and most callers just want to be heard and told what happens next. She never pretends to be human. If someone asks, she says she's an AI, and she tells every caller the call is recorded.
What if she gets something wrong? She doesn't guess. If she doesn't know the answer, she takes a message. Every call has a recording and transcript in your dashboard, kept for 90 days. When a new question comes up, you add the answer and she knows it next time.
What about Spanish-speaking callers? If the caller speaks Spanish, she switches to Spanish. Your summary stays in English.
What about spam calls? She screens likely spam calls, so your summaries stay focused on real customers.
Run your numbers, then hear it
Start with our missed call calculator. Enter your calls, how many go unanswered, how many would have become customers and your average job value, and put the result next to the plans on our pricing page.
Then hear Sayra answer as your business. You can see how it works for your trade on our industries page.
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial. A card is required, and you're charged on day 15 unless you cancel. Your first paid month has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Questions first? Call our sales line at 1-844-SAYRA-AI.
Putting a number on missed calls is what made me stop treating them as a fact of life. I hope it does the same for you.
Hear Sayra answer as your business See how Sayra works for your trade