Reference

What missed calls actually cost a home service business

Everyone selling in this category quotes the same handful of numbers, usually without saying where they came from. Here they are with their sources, so you can check them or cite them yourself.

Read these as industry estimates, not research.

They come from trade publications and vendors — several of whom, like us, sell something that benefits if you believe them. None is a peer-reviewed study. They are consistent with each other and with what contractors report, which is the most that can honestly be claimed. Gathered September 2026; check the sources before you put any of them in a quote.

28%

of calls to plumbers go unanswered The figure most often quoted for the trade. A plumber taking 50 calls a week misses about 14 of them. Alliance Virtual Offices — source

62%

for HVAC crews when they are on site The highest miss rate of any trade, and the reason the first cold night of the year decides the season. Contractor in Charge — source

$100

of expected revenue per missed call Average ticket of roughly $340–450 for plumbing or HVAC repair, multiplied by the roughly 30% odds the caller would have booked. CallNeo — source

$120,000

a year lost by a small contracting business The upper end of published estimates for calls nobody answered. A worked example: 250 calls a month, a 22% miss rate and a $400 ticket is about $22,000 a month. Contractor in Charge — source

$45–79

to buy a single lead, depending on the trade About $45 in HVAC, $52 in plumbing, $79 in roofing. This is what makes a missed call expensive — you already paid to make the phone ring. CallNeo — source

21×

more likely to qualify if you answer within five minutes Against waiting thirty. This is the entire argument for texting a missed caller back within seconds rather than ringing them at teatime. Pipeline On — source

$200–1,500

a month for a traditional answering service Plus $1–3 per call on most plans. Worth knowing before you conclude that answering the phone is expensive. Alliance Virtual Offices — source

The sum, on your own numbers

Averages are only useful until you have your own figures. Three sliders, no form, nothing sent anywhere: work out what your own missed calls are worth.

Using these

Quote them freely. If you are writing about this and want to cite the page rather than chase every source, a link back is welcome and entirely optional. If one of these figures has moved or you have a better source for it, email support@phonepick.ai and we will update the page and say who told us.

Do the sum on your numbers See it for your trade