How much does a missed call cost a tradie?

Q: Is the average job value you used real?

No, the A$650, A$2,500 and A$450 figures are labelled examples to show the method. Replace them with your own average invoice.

Updated 31 Oct 2026 · By Ibrahim Choubassi, founder of Leadman

A missed call costs you the whole job behind it — not the call. If you miss 5 calls a week, answer-rate and average job value decide whether that is a few thousand dollars a year or tens of thousands, and the calculator below puts your own numbers to it.

Work out what missed calls cost you

Pick your trade to load example figures, then change every field to your real numbers.

Calls you miss per week (unanswered / voicemail)

Close rate % of answered calls that become a job

Average job value (A$) example only — change it

A$0

estimated revenue lost per year · A$0/month · 0 jobs/year

Formula: calls missed/week × 52 weeks × close rate × average job value. It assumes a missed call that would have closed is a lost job — see the limits below.

The maths, per trade

The calculation is deliberately simple: calls missed per week × 52 × your close rate × your average job value. The only honest inputs are your own, so the trade presets above are labelled examples — starting points to replace, not figures we are claiming for your business.

Air-conditioning installers

Air-con demand spikes in heatwaves, and in a heatwave a homeowner with a dead system rings the next installer the moment they hit voicemail. Say you miss 5 calls a week and close half of the ones you answer: that is 130 missed conversations and about 65 lost jobs a year. At a worked example job value of A$650, that is roughly A$42,000 a year — change the A$650 to your real average install or service figure to get your number.

Roofing

Roofing jobs are larger and less frequent, so each missed call is worth more but you field fewer of them. If you miss 3 a week and close 45% of answered calls, that is around 70 missed conversations and 32 lost jobs a year. At a worked example job value of A$2,500 that is about A$80,000 a year. Roof replacements run far higher and leak repairs far lower, so your real average is the number that matters.

Plumbing

Plumbing is high-volume and urgent — a blocked drain or burst pipe is an emergency that will not wait for a callback. Miss 8 calls a week and close 55% and you lose roughly 230 jobs a year. At a worked example job value of A$450 that is about A$103,000 a year. Emergency and after-hours jobs skew the average up; quote callbacks skew it down.

Where these example numbers come from: the job values and close rates above are illustrative placeholders, not researched benchmarks — that is why every one is labelled "example". Use figures from your own invoicing and phone records. We publish no averaged "industry" dollar figure here because it would vary too much by trade, job type and area to be honest.

What the calculator does not account for

It is a back-of-envelope estimate, and it rounds in a few places:

Call-backs. Some missed callers leave a message and you win the job anyway. The calculator assumes a missed call that would have closed is lost, so treat the output as an upper bound unless you reliably return every voicemail fast.
Repeat and referral value. A first job often leads to repeat work and referrals, so the lifetime cost of a lost customer can be higher than one job value.
Which calls you miss. After-hours and peak-season calls are both the most valuable and the easiest to miss.

How to stop losing them

You can cut missed-call loss without hiring: answer more calls, and catch the ones you still miss. A 24/7 AI front desk answers every call, takes the job details and texts the caller straight back so the lead does not ring your competitor — that is exactly what Leadman's AI Front Desk for air-con installers does (A$290/mo, excl. GST, per our pricing). The same approach works for roofing and plumbing.

See your real missed-call number

We will pull your answer rate and show what it is costing you — free, no lock-in.

Get a free lead audit

FAQ

How do I know how many calls I actually miss?

Your phone bill, mobile call log, or your call-tracking provider all show unanswered and missed calls. If you run Google Ads, call reporting shows missed call-ad calls specifically. Start with a real week rather than a guess.

Is the average job value you used real?

No — the A$650, A$2,500 and A$450 figures are labelled examples to show the method. Replace them with your own average invoice. We deliberately do not publish an 'industry average' dollar figure because it varies too much to state honestly.

Does answering more calls really pay for itself?

Compare the annual figure in the calculator to the cost of answering those calls. A 24/7 answering or AI front-desk service typically costs a small fraction of even a few recovered jobs a year, but run your own numbers before deciding.

What counts as a 'missed call' for Google Ads?

A call-ad or call-extension call that rang out or hit voicemail. Those are paid clicks you have already spent on, which makes missing them more expensive than an organic missed call.