Free tool
What are missed calls costing you?
Two sliders. The customer value going to voicemail each month.
Missed-call value calculator
At these numbers, missed calls cost about $5,196 a month in customer lifetime value, about $2,598 of it profit.
Total revenue a customer brings over the years, not one job.
Counting profit, not revenue, keeps the figure honest.
Each month
- 35missed calls
- 17genuine enquiries
- 5.2customers lost
- $5,196lifetime revenue
- $2,598profit never kept
An illustration built from your own numbers, not a forecast. Lifetime value is earned over months or years, not received in the month a call is missed. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
How it works.
Every unanswered call is a possible customer. With the example inputs below, that is about $5,196 a month in customer lifetime value, of which about $2,598 is profit you never keep. The figures are made up. Yours will differ. The cost of the service is not counted here.
| Step | Assumption | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Calls you miss | 8 a week × 4.33 weeks | 34.6 a month |
| Genuine new enquiries | × 50% | 17.3 |
| Customers you would win | × 30% | 5.2 |
| Lifetime revenue lost | × $1,000 customer lifetime value | $5,196 |
| Profit never kept | × 50% margin | $2,598 |
| Lost each month | $5,196 in value | $5,196 |
When it is not worth acting on.
If you miss only a few calls a week, if customers are worth little over their lifetime, or if most missed calls are spam or existing customers, the value at stake is small and simpler fixes are usually enough. Start with the missed-call cost calculator and steps such as call forwarding. If the number is large, see AI receptionist pricing and the cost guide, or the versions for tradies and medical practices.
FAQ
Questions.
Is an AI receptionist worth it for a small business?
Start with what the missed calls cost you. If the value going to voicemail each month is small, simpler fixes such as call forwarding or voicemail-to-text are usually enough. If it is large, weigh it against the cost of a plan, which is shown on the AI receptionist pricing section and in the cost guide. This calculator deliberately leaves the cost of the service out, so the figure you see is only what the missed calls cost you.
How do you calculate the cost of missed calls?
Multiply the calls you miss each month by the share that are genuine enquiries and the share you would win. That gives the customers you never get. Multiply by the lifetime value of a customer, and then by your profit margin for the profit you never keep. Doing this for a month of missed calls shows the value at stake.
What is customer lifetime value and how do I estimate it?
Customer lifetime value (LTV) is the total revenue a typical new customer brings you over the whole relationship, including repeat work and referrals, not just the first job. A simple estimate is the average spend per job, times jobs per year, times the years they stay. If you are unsure, use the value of a first job: it understates lifetime value and keeps the result cautious. Enter revenue here; the calculator applies your profit margin separately.
How much does an AI voice agent or AI receptionist cost?
Self-serve software is commonly advertised from under A$100 a month. Excelsior AI's managed AI receptionist starts at A$390 a month for trades and service businesses and A$590 for healthcare, and plans that book jobs directly cost more. See the AI receptionist pricing section and the cost guide for the plan levels and the charges to ask any provider about.
What does the calculator leave out?
The cost of the service itself, which depends on the plan you choose; callers who ring back later; seasonality; and the weeks it takes to tune a new call flow. Lifetime value is also earned over months or years, so the monthly figure is the lifetime value of each month's lost customers, not cash lost in that month.
Is my information stored?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent. If you choose to talk through your numbers, four figures (missed calls, genuine share, win rate and customer lifetime value) travel in the link to the contact form, where you can read and edit them before you send anything.
By Alban de Vaucorbeil, Geelong. Updated . An estimate tool, not a guarantee.
Want these numbers checked against your real calls?
A free 30-minute conversation with Alban. If missed calls are not worth fixing, he will say so.
For established, multi-employee businesses.