What a missed call really costs a contractor (and 5 ways to stop losing them)

You're on a roof, under a sink or in a crawl space. Your phone rings and you can't pick up. That's normal. What happens in the next few minutes is where the money goes.

Most callers don't wait

Someone with no heat or a leaking water heater isn't comparing shops for fun. They want the first person who answers. If that isn't you, they call the next name on Google, and you never find out the job existed.

Speed counts more than most owners think. A Harvard Business Review study of 2,241 U.S. companies (2011) found that businesses that tried to reach a new lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to have a real conversation with the decision-maker as those that waited even one hour longer. That study looked at web leads, not phone calls, but the lesson carries over: the first one to respond usually gets the job.

Do the math with your own numbers

You need three numbers. First, your missed calls per week: open your call log and count last week's missed calls from numbers you don't know. Second, how many were real jobs: be careful here, say one in four. Third, what an average job is worth to you.

Here is an example, not a promise: 6 missed calls a week, one in four a real job, $400 a job. That's 1.5 jobs a week, or about $600. Over a month, about $2,400.

Your numbers will be different. Use yours. If the total is small, good: you don't have this problem. If it isn't, keep reading.

Five ways to stop losing those calls

1. Call back within five minutes when you can. It costs nothing. It's also hard to do with your hands full, which is why the next four exist.

2. Change your voicemail greeting. Say your name, your trade, and that they can text this number and you'll answer between jobs. Some people who won't leave a message will send a text.

3. Put a quote form and a one-tap call button on your website. Some customers would rather write than call. Give them a way to do it at 10 PM.

4. Block two callback times a day. Noon and 4:30, for example. Say so in your voicemail, so people know when they'll hear from you.

5. Send an automatic text the moment you miss a call. Something simple: "Sorry we missed your call. How can we help?" The customer answers by text, the conversation stays open, and you call back already knowing what the job is.

Where we come in

Number 5 is what ServiGrowth sets up on your line, along with your website and your Google review requests.

You can try it right now. Call our demo line at 438-806-9336. A short message plays, and a few seconds after you hang up you get the kind of text your customers would get.

If you want it on your own number, your first month is free and there's no contract.