The Real Cost of a Missed Call: A $100k Problem for Local Contractors

"It was just a $99 tune-up call. No big deal."

I hear this from contractors all the time. They shrug off a missed call because they think they only lost a few bucks.

They are dead wrong.

The Iceberg Principle

A missed call isn’t just a lost job. It’s a lost relationship. And in home services, relationships are where the real money is.

Let’s look at the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a single new customer you just sent to voicemail:

1. The Initial Job ($450)

Maybe it’s a repair, a clean-out, or a diagnostic. Small potatoes.

2. The Annual Maintenance ($2,000)

If you impressed them, they sign up for your service plan. $200/year for 10 years. That’s guaranteed recurring revenue.

3. The "Big Ticket" ($12,000)

Eventually, that water heater bursts. That furnace dies. That roof leaks. Who do they call? The company that’s been servicing it for 5 years. You.

4. The Referrals ($5,000)

A happy homeowner tells their neighbor. They post on Nextdoor. They are your best marketing channel. Let’s conservatively say they bring you 2-3 jobs over a lifetime.

Total Value Lost: ~$19,450

That one missed call didn’t cost you $99. It cost you nearly $20,000.

The 5-Call-a-Week Bleed

Now, multiply that.

If you miss just 5 calls a week (one a day):

• 5 calls x $20k LTV potential = $100,000 in potential pipeline lost every single week.

Even if you only close 20% of those, you are lighting $1,000,000 of future revenue on fire every year simply because nobody picked up the phone.

Stop the Bleeding

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be present.

• Route calls to a cell phone after 3 rings.
• Hire an answering service for nights/weekends.
• Use AI voice assistants to capture info when you’re tied up.

Every time that phone rings, it’s not a noise. It’s an asset trying to walk through your front door. Open it.

Plug your own numbers into our Missed Revenue Calculator to see exactly how much your voicemail is costing you.