## Put a real number on it Most tradespeople know missed calls cost them work but never actually put a number on it. Let's do it properly. This isn't guesswork — it's the maths of average job value, industry-standard close rates on inbound calls, and observed missed-call rates from UK trades running on-the-tools businesses without a phone-answering system. ## Electricians Average job value for a residential UK electrician sits around £180–£350 for a fault or a small install, with landlord EICRs around £150–£250 and consumer unit replacements at £550–£900. Close rate on an answered inbound call is typically 55–70% because the caller has already qualified themselves by ringing you. If you miss 8 calls a week and each has a 60% chance of becoming a £250 job, that's 8 × 0.60 × £250 = £1,200 a week — £62,400 a year — in lost revenue from a silent phone. ## Plumbers Emergency plumbing calls (leak, no hot water, blocked drain) average £150–£380 for the visit plus parts, with boiler repairs £180–£450 and full boiler installations £2,200–£3,500. Because emergency plumbing has the tightest 'hire the first one who answers' behaviour of any trade, close rate on answered calls climbs to 65–75%. Eight missed calls a week at £280 average and 70% close is 8 × 0.70 × £280 = £1,568 a week — £81,536 a year. ## Gas engineers and boiler installers Boiler installation is the highest-value scenario in the missed-call maths. Even at 3 missed calls a week with a 30% close rate to a £2,600 installation, you're at 3 × 0.30 × £2,600 = £2,340 a week — £121,680 a year. It's the reason boiler-focused installers see the fastest payback on call-answering automation of any trade we work with. ## Roofers, decorators, general builders Slightly different profile — longer sales cycles, more competitive quoting — but the miss maths still stings. Average close rate on answered inbound is lower (25–40% because homeowners are collecting quotes), and average job values are higher (£800–£8,000+), so miss cost per week lands in a similar £800–£2,000 range for a solo operator. ## What answering it actually costs The alternative isn't hiring a receptionist. It's an AI voice line + missed-call text-back package that costs £197/month for the Starter tier — the equivalent of a single small job per month. Our [AI for Trades and Home Services](/trades) covers voice answer, text-back, calendar booking, review requests and invoice reminders in a single system. ## The hidden second cost — reputation drift The missed-call maths above only captures the direct revenue loss. There's a compounding second cost: homeowners who don't get a reply describe you as 'unreliable' when their neighbour asks who to hire, even if you're excellent on the job. Reliability perception is built in the first minute, not in the workmanship. ## Where to start Look at your call log for the last four weeks and count the incoming numbers you didn't dial back. Multiply by the maths above. Then look at the £197/month Starter on our [pricing](/pricing) page. ## Book a free 30-minute AI audit We'll audit your actual missed-call rate from your phone data and quantify the recoverable revenue. [Book a Free AI Audit](/contact).