Calculator · 30-second estimate
See what missed calls cost you.
Two calculators. Lost revenue and reclaimed hours. Move the sliders to your reality and see what an AI receptionist can recover.
Numbers based on UK industry research: average 27% missed-call rate, ~35% inbound-call close rate (warm leads, no cold outreach), average dental patient LTV £3,000, average emergency-trade job lifetime value £2,000. Adjust to fit your business.
The short answer
- 27% of inbound calls to UK service businesses go unanswered — mostly during busy periods, on-site jobs, and lunchtime.
- Warm inbound leads close at 30–35%. A missed call is not a delayed booking — callers ring the next firm on the list.
- Calculator multiplies your missed calls × close rate × customer lifetime value. Adjust each input to your business.
- Two tabs: lost revenue (new bookings never made) and reclaimed hours (admin time Ava replaces). Both matter.
27%
average missed-call rate for UK service businesses
UK telecoms industry research
30–35%
inbound warm-lead close rate when a call is answered
UK service business benchmarks
£2k–£3k
average customer LTV in default calculator settings (trades and dental)
UK industry benchmarks
How does the missed-call revenue calculator work?
Enter your average missed calls per day and your customer lifetime value. The calculator multiplies these by a 30–35% close-rate assumption and projects the monthly and annual revenue those missed calls represent. Each figure reflects what a captured call is worth across a customer relationship, not a single transaction.
The close-rate assumption is conservative. Inbound callers are warm — they have a problem and are actively searching for a solution. But they typically ring two or three firms simultaneously. The 30–35% rate reflects that first-mover advantage matters: whichever firm answers first earns the booking at a meaningfully higher rate than firms answering second or third.
Customer lifetime value is the key variable. A dental patient attending twice per year for a decade is worth materially more than a single appointment. An emergency trades customer who refers two neighbours is worth more than one call-out. The LTV input lets you build in whatever multiplier is realistic for your type of business.
Why is 27% the default missed-call rate — and is it accurate?
27% is the UK average for inbound calls going unanswered across service businesses. For trades and healthcare, peak-period miss rates are higher — 35–45% during busy mornings, on-site jobs, and early evenings when staff are occupied with existing customers. The slider lets you set your actual rate if you track it.
Most service businesses do not actively measure their missed-call rate. If you do not know yours, 27% is a reasonable starting point. If you have voicemail records or a phone system with reporting, use that number — a higher rate does not change the model, it just makes the revenue figure larger.
The problem compounds at peak times. A dental practice missing calls between 9am and 11am — the highest-intent window for new appointment bookings — loses a disproportionate share of new patients during exactly the period that matters most to convert.
What is the reclaimed hours tab measuring?
The hours tab estimates time your staff currently spend on inbound calls that Ava would handle instead — answering, filtering, routing, booking, and logging. For a practice or firm taking 30–50 calls per day, this typically represents 2–4 admin hours daily. The calculator converts that to monthly and annual hours, then to a wage equivalent.
Reclaimed hours are worth more than the wage calculation suggests. Staff time spent on routine call handling is time not spent on clinical work, billable work, or client care that only humans can provide. A dental nurse taking bookings is not doing dental nursing. A solicitor's PA routing calls is not drafting or reviewing documents.
The hourly rate input uses a UK living wage default. Adjust it upward if your admin staff are more senior, or if you factor in employer National Insurance contributions and benefits — the true hourly cost of employment is typically 25–30% above take-home pay.
Which types of business does the calculator cover?
The calculator applies to any UK service business where inbound calls drive a significant share of bookings or revenue — dental and medical practices, emergency trades (HVAC, plumbing, electricians, locksmiths), law firms, MedSpas, physiotherapy, opticians, care homes, and similar. The industry presets load sensible defaults for each niche.
The industry selector sets the default lifetime value to a realistic figure for each niche. Dental defaults to £3,000 (two-year patient relationship with biannual checkups and any treatment). Emergency trades default to £2,000 (initial job plus call-out frequency). Solicitors default to £5,000 (matter value plus repeat instructions). Override any default with your actual numbers.
Common questions about the calculator
- What is customer lifetime value and how do I estimate it for my business?
- Customer lifetime value is the total revenue a typical customer generates over the full course of their relationship with your business. For a dental practice this might be 8–10 years of biannual checkups plus any treatments. For a boiler engineer it could be the initial call-out, one service per year, and a neighbour referral. Multiply your average spend per visit by estimated frequency and duration to get a working LTV figure.
- My missed-call rate is much higher than 27% — is that unusual?
- No. 27% is a UK average across all service businesses. Trades companies with one operative and no dedicated admin regularly miss 40–60% of calls. Small practices where the receptionist also assists clinically can miss 30–50% during peak hours. Use your actual rate if you track it — the model handles higher inputs accurately.
- Should I include the referral value of captured customers?
- The calculator does not include referrals in its default model because referral rates vary significantly by industry. If you know your average referral rate — common for dental practices (25–30% of new patients from existing patient referrals) — manually multiply your LTV input to account for it. It will substantially increase the revenue figure shown.
- What close rate should a trades firm use compared to a dental practice?
- Emergency trades typically close at 45–55% when they answer — urgency is higher and comparison shopping is lower. Dental practices close at 25–35% for new patients. Solicitors and medical practices sit in the 20–30% range where intake involves qualification steps. Adjust the close rate input if your sector differs from the 30–35% default.
- Does the calculator assume I currently have a receptionist?
- No. The lost revenue calculation is independent of how you currently handle calls — it measures the cost of unanswered calls, not the cost of replacing staff. The reclaimed hours tab does assume staff are currently spending time on call handling. If you handle all calls personally, the hours figure reflects your own time.
- Can I use this for a multi-site or group practice?
- Yes — enter the total missed calls per day across all sites combined and keep the LTV constant. This gives a group-level revenue estimate. The reclaimed hours tab should reflect total daily call volume across all sites too.
- Is the calculation based on new customers only?
- The model focuses on new customers and new bookings — calls from existing customers rescheduling or querying are not counted as revenue-generating in the default model, though they contribute to the reclaimed hours figure. If your business relies on existing customer reactivation calls (common in trades, grooming, and maintenance services), factor this in manually.
- How does Ava's subscription cost affect the ROI figure?
- The calculator shows the gross revenue case — it does not deduct Ava's subscription from the figure. To calculate net ROI: subtract the monthly subscription (from £399) from the monthly revenue the calculator shows. At £399/mo, two captured bookings in most niches cover the entire monthly cost. At the Growth tier (£899/mo), four to six bookings cover it.
