Most small business owners know they miss calls. What they typically do not know is how many, and what those missed calls are worth. The gap between a rough awareness that some calls go unanswered and the actual financial impact of missed calls is usually very large - and understanding that gap is the starting point for deciding whether to do something about it.
How Many Calls Does a Small Business Miss?
Research consistently shows that the average small business misses around 62 percent of inbound calls during working hours. This seems surprisingly high until you think about the reality of running a small business: you are working, in meetings, on another call, driving, or simply away from your phone for significant portions of the day. Add evenings and weekends - when studies show around 40 percent of small business enquiries arrive - and the proportion of unanswered calls for an average sole trader is closer to 75 to 80 percent of total call volume.
What Is Each Missed Call Worth?
The answer depends entirely on your business type. For a plumber, a missed emergency call is worth £200 to £400. For an electrician, a missed commercial rewire enquiry might be worth thousands. For a solicitor, a missed new client instruction represents a file worth £1,000 to £5,000 or more. Even for lower-value businesses, the recurring nature of customer relationships means the lifetime value of a missed first call is significantly higher than the first job alone.
62%
of UK small business calls go unanswered during working hours
47%
of callers who reach voicemail do not leave a message - they call a competitor instead
£40,000+
estimated annual revenue loss from missed calls for an average UK trades business
from £49 p/m
Bizwings AI Receptionist - eliminate the missed call problem from £49 per month
The Solution: AI Call Answering
The Bizwings AI Receptionist eliminates the missed call problem by answering every call you cannot take, in your business name, at any hour. No call goes to voicemail. No enquiry is lost because you were on a job. No emergency is missed because it arrived at 8pm. Every call is captured, every caller receives a professional response, and every enquiry is delivered to you as a complete summary for prompt follow-up.
Hear the Solution to Your Missed Call Problem
Listen to the Bizwings AI Receptionist handle a call - from £49 p/m.
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