Missed-call cost calculator
What does a ringing phone actually cost?
Honest maths only: published UK research where it exists, labelled assumptions where it doesn't, and every step of the working shown. No signup, no email gate.
Left on the table
£1,040
a month
That's £12,480 a year, from about 3.5 lost jobs a month.
Sayora answers every one of them for £49 flat: 21× less than what missed calls cost.
Honestly? At these numbers voicemail might do. Sayora earns its keep when the phone rings more than you can answer.
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The maths, step by step.
The formula is: missed calls a week × share that were new enquiries × share never recovered × average job value, then multiplied out to a month (×52 ÷ 12) and a year (×52).
At the defaults: 8 missed calls a week. One in five of those is a genuine new enquiry, and you win half back by ringing back, leaving 0.8 lost enquiries a week. At £300 a job, that's £240 a week: about £1,040 a month, or £12,480 a year.
You estimate your own missed calls (the published UK research sits under the slider as a hint). The £300 job value is a round example, and the two shares are our assumptions, labelled as such behind "tune the assumptions". We deliberately do not use the figures that circulate in this industry's marketing (62% of calls missed, £24,000 lost a year, 85% of voicemails never left): none of them traces back to published methodology, so they don't belong in your maths.
Sources
- Moneypenny Small Business Call Report 2016 (survey of 300 UK micro-businesses plus call data from 10,000 businesses): roughly 1 in 3 calls unanswered. Coverage: hpmmag.com, phamnews.co.uk
- Current plumber-rate context: Checkatrade lists £50 an hour and £350 a day, plus prices for specific jobs. checkatrade.com plumber cost guide
- Job value (£300), enquiry share (1 in 5) and ring-back recovery (half): Sayora examples and assumptions, stated as such and adjustable above.
The calculator, explained.
How does this calculator work out what missed calls cost?
Missed calls a week × the share that were genuine new enquiries × the share you never win back, multiplied by your average job value. You tell us the missed calls directly (the hint under the slider helps you estimate if you're not sure), the two shares are labelled assumptions you can tune, and every step is shown on the page.
Where does the "1 in 3 calls" hint come from?
Moneypenny's Small Business Call Report (2016), a survey of 300 UK micro-businesses combined with call data from 10,000 businesses. It found roughly 1 in 3 calls to UK micro-businesses went unanswered. It's old, and Moneypenny sells answering services, but it remains the cleanest UK figure published, which is why it's a hint for estimating your own missed calls rather than a number baked into the maths.
Are the other defaults research or assumptions?
Assumptions, and the page says so. The £300 job value is a round example. "1 in 5 missed calls is a real new enquiry" and "you recover half by ringing back" are our estimates, set deliberately conservative. Slide them to match your reality; the maths updates honestly either way.
Why doesn't this show the scary numbers other sites use?
Because most of them don't survive scrutiny. The widely recycled claims that 62% of trade calls go unanswered and that trades lose £24,000 a year trace back to vendor press releases with no published methodology, so we don't use them, even though they'd make our product look better.
What would Sayora actually change?
Sayora answers the calls you currently miss: 24/7, in your business name, capturing the details and texting you the lead in seconds. It costs £49 a month flat, so the calculator's monthly figure is the number to compare it against.
Now make the number £0.
Sayora answers every call you can't: 24/7, trained on your business, lead texted to you in seconds. Set up a demo receptionist and hear it work.
£49/mo. Unlimited minutes. Cancel anytime.