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Wirepilot AI

Free tool

Missed-call cost calculator

Enter four numbers about your business to see how much revenue missed calls put at risk each month and each year, and which plan would pay for itself. The maths is shown, and nothing is saved.

Calculate your missed-call cost

All incoming calls to your business in a typical week.

Calls that ring out, hit voicemail or get a busy signal. Check your phone's call log.

%

Of the people who call you, the share who usually end up booking or buying.

%

What a new customer typically spends with you. Use a year's value if they come back.

$

Used only to suggest a plan. Most business calls take 2 to 4 minutes.

min

Revenue at risk from missed calls

$7,800

per month

$93,600

per year

About 65 missed calls and 19.5 lost customers a month.

Which plan pays for itself?

Answering your 65 missed calls a month at 3 minutes each needs about 195 minutes. We'd recommend Growth, which includes 500.

Growth costs $249 a month. It pays for itself if it wins back 1 new customer a month.

Your revenue at risk ($7,800 a month) is higher than the plan's cost.

Show the maths
  1. Missed calls per week = 60 calls × 25% = 15
  2. Missed calls per month = 15 × 4.33 weeks (52 ÷ 12) = 65
  3. Lost customers per month = 65 × 30% = 19.5
  4. Revenue at risk per month = 19.5 × $400 = $7,800
  5. Revenue at risk per year = $7,800 × 12 = $93,600
  6. Minutes needed = 65 calls × 3 min = 195; the plan we recommend for that volume is Growth
  7. Break-even customers = $249 ÷ $400, rounded up = 1

How the calculation works

The calculator multiplies four numbers you know about your own business. There are no hidden assumptions or industry averages.

  1. Missed calls per month = calls per week × percentage missed × 4.33 (there are 52 ÷ 12 ≈ 4.33 weeks in a month).
  2. Lost customers per month = missed calls per month × the share of callers who usually become customers.
  3. Revenue at risk per month = lost customers per month × the average value of a new customer.
  4. Revenue at risk per year = the monthly figure × 12.

Worked example (the calculator's starting values): a business gets 60 calls a week and misses 25% of them. That's 15 missed calls a week, or about 65 a month. If 30% of callers usually become customers, that's 19.5 customers a month. At $400 per new customer, the revenue at risk is $7,800 a month, or $93,600 a year.

Where to find your numbers

  • Calls per week and missed calls: your phone carrier's online portal or your VoIP system's call log shows answered, missed and voicemail calls. Look at a normal week, not a holiday.
  • Share of callers who become customers: think about the last 20 new callers you spoke to. How many booked or bought? If you don't know, a conservative guess is fine, and you can change it to see how much it matters.
  • Value of a new customer: for one-off services, use the average job or ticket. For repeat businesses (salons, clinics, gyms), use what a customer typically spends with you in a year.

Why "revenue at risk" and not "revenue lost"

Not every missed caller is lost. Some leave a message, and some call back. That's why the calculator uses the share of callers who become customers, and why we call the result revenue at risk. It's the money that depends on those calls being answered. If you already call back every missed call within minutes, your real loss is lower; if callers usually try a competitor instead, it's closer to the full figure.

What to do with the result

If the revenue at risk is well above the cost of a plan, answering every call is likely worth it. You can forward only the calls you miss, so nothing changes for the calls you already answer. If the figure is small, you may only need after-hours coverage, or none at all. Read more in how much missed calls really cost a small business.

Calculator questions

Is the calculator free?

Yes. No sign-up, and nothing you enter is saved or sent to us.

What's a good missed-call rate?

There's no universal benchmark, and it varies a lot by business. The most useful number is your own, from your call log. Any missed call from a ready-to-buy customer is worth answering if it's affordable to do so.

How accurate is the result?

It's exactly as accurate as the numbers you enter. The maths is shown step by step so you can check it.

Which plan should I choose?

The calculator recommends Growth or Pro, whichever costs less for the minutes you'd need once extra-minute charges are counted. Both add two-way texting, AI call transfers and 30+ languages on top of 24/7 answering, which is what most businesses with missed calls end up wanting. Starter is there too if you only need the basics. Compare plans.

Stop sending callers to voicemail.

We set up your receptionist for you, free. Try it for 7 days, or book 20 minutes and we'll show it to you using calls from your own business.

Your plan starts after 7 days unless you cancel. Cancel anytime from your dashboard.

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