Work out your own number

You need three figures:

1. Missed calls a week. Check your call log for the last fortnight and count the calls you didn’t answer or return within an hour.

2. How many would have become work. Not every missed call is a job. Some are suppliers and some are spam. We start with 1 in 4 and adjust it for the trade.

3. Your average job value. Use revenue per job, not profit.

Then multiply: missed calls a week × 1 in 4 × average job value × 52 weeks.

At 3 missed calls a week, 1 in 4 becoming work and a $500 average job, that’s about $19,500 of work a year going to someone else. Your numbers will differ. The point is to see yours written down.

What missed calls cost in a year

Source: CBD calculation using the assumptions above: 1 in 4 missed calls becomes a job, a $500 average job and 52 weeks. Illustrative, not survey data.

Three ways to stop losing them

1. Answer every call yourself

It costs nothing, but it means stopping work, and you’ll still miss calls when you’re on a roof or driving.

2. A human answering service

A person answers in your business name and passes on the message. It suits low volumes. Most services charge per call, which adds up in a busy month.

3. An AI receptionist

Software answers every call, day or night, takes the job details and sends you the summary. It costs the same in a busy month as a quiet one, and it can answer several calls at once.

What a good phone setup looks like

• Calls divert to the answering service only when you’re busy or after hours, so regular customers still reach you.

• Every message has the caller’s name, number, suburb, the job and how urgent it is.

• Urgent jobs are flagged so you call those back first.

• Messages land where you already work: your inbox, a text or your job system.

What it looks like on a real job

C2C Crane Trucks, a crane hire business in Yatala, uses our AI receptionist to answer calls while the crew is on site. Each call is logged in their portal with the job details, and urgent jobs are flagged for a fast callback.

Hear it for yourself

Ring our AI receptionist on 07 5690 5300. It’s $199 a month including 300 minutes of calls. If you want it answering your number, talk to us.