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The $1,200 Phone Call: What Every Missed Call Really Costs Your Contracting Business

Every time your phone rings and nobody answers, money walks out the door. But exactly how much? The numbers are bigger than most contractors realize — and they compound fast.

$1,200 average value of a missed call for contractors

Breaking Down the Math

Let's calculate what a missed call really costs your business. We'll use conservative numbers based on industry averages.

Cost Per Missed Call Calculator

Average job value $800
Calls that are real leads (not spam) 60%
Leads that would convert if answered 25%
Cost per missed call $120

$800 × 0.60 × 0.25 = $120 per missed call

"Wait," you might say, "$120 isn't $1,200." You're right. But here's where it gets worse:

The Multiplier Effect

That $120 is just the immediate loss. The true cost includes:

Immediate Lost Job
$120
Lifetime Customer Value Lost
$400

Repeat business over 5 years

Referral Revenue Lost
$600

Average customer refers 3 people

Review Impact
$80

Lost positive reviews affect future leads

Total Cost Per Missed Call $1,200

Weekly Impact: The Numbers That Hurt

Now let's see how this scales over time:

Monthly Lost Revenue by Missed Calls

5 missed calls/week
$6,000/mo
10 missed calls/week
$12,000/mo
15 missed calls/week
$18,000/mo
20 missed calls/week
$24,000/mo

Missing just 10 calls per week costs the average contractor $144,000 per year in lost revenue and opportunities.

The Hidden Competitor Advantage

Here's the part that really stings: when you miss a call, you're not just losing that customer — you're giving them to your competitor.

Research shows that 75% of customers who can't reach their first choice will call a competitor within 5 minutes. Your missed call is literally their answered call.

Your Business

  • Missed call goes to voicemail
  • Customer doesn't leave message
  • You never know they called
  • $0 revenue
VS

Your Competitor

  • Answers or uses AI assistant
  • Books the job immediately
  • Gets paid this week
  • $800+ revenue

The ROI of Answering Every Call

The math on call handling solutions is straightforward:

Cost of AI assistant $39-129/month
Calls captured per month 40-160
Additional jobs booked (25%) 10-40
Additional monthly revenue $8,000-32,000
ROI 200-800x

Even using conservative estimates, the return on investment for proper call handling is massive. A $39/month solution that captures just one extra job per month pays for itself 20 times over.

Stop Losing $1,200 Per Missed Call

RingAssist captures every call, so every lead has a chance to become a customer.

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