Free tool
Missed-call cost calculator
This free cost of missed calls calculator estimates what unanswered calls cost your business each month and year, from your daily call volume, the share that go unanswered, how many of those are new business, your average ticket and your close rate. Estimates are for orientation, not an AssistBPO price. Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage.
· Reviewed by Nimra Khalid
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Missed-call cost calculator
Change a number and the result updates as you type. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Missed calls a month
132 calls
Estimated lost revenue a month
$3,465
Estimated lost revenue a year
$41,580
Answer rate80% answered today; a staffed desk targets 95% or more
How does the calculator work?
Missed calls a month equal calls per day times the unanswered share times working days. Lost revenue equals missed calls times the share that are new business times your close rate times the average value of a new job or customer. The calculator does not assume every missed caller is lost forever; you set the new-business share and close rate, so a conservative pair of inputs gives a conservative answer.
What is it based on?
- Defaults are illustrative, not industry averages; enter your own call log figures for a real estimate.
- A missed call is one that goes unanswered or to voicemail; callers who leave a message and are called back within minutes are partly recovered, which the close rate field can reflect.
- In-house receptionist median pay is $38,010 a year (BLS Occupational Outlook, May 2025 data), the usual alternative to a missed-call problem.
- Human answering plans start around $235 a month for 50 minutes and reach $1,095 for 500 minutes with $2.95 to $4.70 a minute overage (OnceHub, September 2026), the other usual alternative.
- No allowance for referral value, reviews or repeat business from callers who were answered.
What should you do with your result?
Compare the yearly figure with the cost of a staffed front desk. If the lost revenue is a multiple of an answering plan, the case for a receptionist is already made; the question becomes per-minute versus dedicated, which the answering service pricing calculator works through. Then request a demo call and hear the difference a person makes.
Frequently asked questions
How much would a receptionist cost to stop the losses?
Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. For orientation, an in-house receptionist earns a median $38,010 a year before benefits (BLS, May 2025 data) and per-minute answering plans run from about $235 to $1,095 a month (OnceHub, September 2026).
Is 20 percent missed calls realistic?
It is a placeholder. Pull the numbers from your phone system: RingCentral, Dialpad, Aircall and Zoom Phone all report answered, missed and voicemail counts. Trades, clinics and law firms often find the real figure higher during lunch, after 5pm and on Mondays.
What counts as new business?
A caller you have not served before who is asking about a job, an appointment, a consult or a quote. Existing customers calling about an order or a bill are not counted in the lost revenue line, though missing them has its own cost.
Does the calculator include after-hours calls?
Only if you include them in calls per day and the missed share. Many businesses miss most of their after-hours calls; enter a separate estimate for evenings and weekends if you want to size an after-hours desk.
Why does the answer rate output say 95 percent?
Because that is the target a staffed front desk reports against in the weekly review: calls answered by a person within the agreed seconds. Your current answer rate is 100 minus the missed share you entered.
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