How much does a missed call cost a local business?
A call nobody answers, neither your team nor a receptionist, costs whatever comes out of four numbers that only you have. They are the calls you miss each month, the share who don't call back, the share who would have booked or bought, and your average spend. Multiply them and you'll have your figure in euros a month, with the formula, where each number comes from and an example further down.
David Zafra · · 9 min read ·
- Another business's figure is no use for yours: yours comes from your phone and your calendar.
- The formula multiplies four numbers, and you can measure all four in two weeks.
- The example in this article uses made-up, round numbers: it's there to show the sum, not for you to copy the result.
- The result is revenue, not profit, and it's an estimate.
What is the formula for working out what a missed call costs?
You multiply four numbers, and the result is the revenue that slips away from you each month.
Missed calls a month × share who don't call back × share who would have booked or bought × average spend = revenue lost a month
| Number | What it is | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Missed calls a month | The ones that ring and nobody answers | calls |
| Share who don't call back | Of those, the ones that end without an appointment, booking or sale, because nobody speaks to that person | % |
| Share who would have booked or bought | Out of every 100 calls, the ones that end in an appointment, booking or sale when you do answer them | % |
| Average spend | What someone who books or buys spends on average | € |
For the year, multiply by 12.
Where do you get each number?
From your own phone and your calendar. With two weeks of notes you have all four.
| Number | Where to look | How |
|---|---|---|
| Missed calls a month | The call log on your mobile, your switchboard or your landline, under the “missed” tab. If your provider gives you an itemised bill, they show up there too | Count two normal weeks and multiply by two. Leave out suppliers' and staff numbers |
| Share who don't call back | The list of those same calls | Take 20 missed numbers. Two days later, note how many ended in an appointment, booking or sale (because they called back or because you called them). The rest are the ones who don't come back. Divide by 20 |
| Share who would have booked or bought | Your answered calls | Go through the last 20 calls you did pick up and count how many ended in an appointment, booking or sale. Divide by 20. Calls that only asked about opening hours count too: it's the same with the missed ones |
| Average spend | Your calendar or your till | The month's revenue divided by the number of appointments, bookings or sales that month. To be safe, use the first-visit figure and don't count on the customer coming back |
One detail so you don't count twice: if you already return missed calls and those people end up booking, they aren't a loss. That's why the second number is measured with the numbers that ended up with nothing.
What does the sum look like in an example?
With these made-up numbers, €280 a month. It's an example to show the sum, not any business's figure.
Suppose a business with these numbers:
- 40 missed calls a month.
- 50% don't call back.
- 40% of calls end in an appointment, booking or sale.
- €35 average spend.
The sum, step by step:
- 40 calls × 50% = 20 calls that don't come back.
- 20 calls × 40% = 8 appointments, bookings or sales that never happen.
- 8 × €35 = €280 a month.
- €280 × 12 = €3,360 a year.
Change one number at a time and see how much it moves the result:
| What changes (everything else as above) | Revenue lost a month |
|---|---|
| Nothing: the base example | €280 |
| Average spend of €50 instead of €35 | €400 |
| 60 missed calls instead of 40 | €420 |
| 80% don't call back instead of 50% | €448 |
None of these rows is a measurement: they are sums with numbers picked for the example.
What does published data say about unanswered calls?
Very little, and none of it is your figure: it tells you that timing matters, but it can't replace your four numbers.
| Data | Scope | What it doesn't say |
|---|---|---|
| In 2011, Harvard Business Review published an audit of 2,241 US companies: 37% replied within an hour to an enquiry that came in through the web. In another study, of 1.25 million enquiries at 42 companies, those that tried to speak to the prospect within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to get a conversation with the decision-maker as those that tried an hour later (Harvard Business Review, 2011 (opens in a new tab)) | Web enquiries to US companies, not calls to local businesses | It doesn't measure how many end up not buying, and it isn't about calls or about service businesses in Spain |
| Across the 46 restaurants using digafood, more than 4 in 10 calls come in right in the middle of service, from 13:00 to 16:00 and from 20:00 to 23:00 (6,171 calls, from 16 September to 15 October 2026, heydiga's own data) | Restaurants with heydiga's AI receptionist | It says when calls come in, not how many are missed. Other sectors may differ |
Neither says what share of the people who can't reach you stop calling. Only you know that share, from the second number in the formula.
What doesn't the formula measure?
It measures revenue from the first purchase, and leaves the rest out.
- Profit. The result is revenue. What you keep depends on your costs.
- Repeat customers. Someone who books once and comes back is worth more than their first spend. The formula doesn't count that.
- The effect of interruptions. Answering a call in the middle of service has a cost too, and it isn't measured here.
- Calls that aren't from customers. Sales reps, suppliers and wrong numbers. That's why it's worth leaving them out when you count.
What can you do with your figure?
Compare it with what it would cost to answer those calls, and decide where to start.
- Return missed calls sooner. It's free and you can try it this week. Note how many callbacks end in an appointment.
- Divert the calls you don't pick up. A service that answers for you when you're busy. See how to stop missing customer calls and how to divert your calls without changing your number.
- Compare it with the price. Keep your monthly figure to hand. Then look at how much an AI receptionist costs in Spain.
Where heydiga fits
heydiga is an AI receptionist that answers your business's calls and WhatsApp in a natural voice, checks real free slots, books, changes and cancels appointments, and works 24/7. When it doesn't know something, it says so and passes the call to a person. It doesn't improvise: it never makes up a price, opening hours or an appointment.
- You decide which calls you divert: all of them, the out-of-hours ones or only the ones you can't get to. The details are in after-hours calls.
- Nothing to install, no change of software and no change to your phone number.
- It introduces itself as a virtual assistant from the very start. The most common questions are in the FAQ.
heydiga doesn't recover every call you miss: only the ones you divert, and not all of them end in an appointment. To see whether it pays off, put your monthly lost-revenue figure next to the price. Diga Lite costs €49 a month excl. VAT, with 200 minutes. Diga Start, €99 a month excl. VAT, with 500 minutes. No lock-in. The plans are on the pricing page.
Book a demo of the AI receptionist
Frequently asked questions
How many calls does a local business miss?
As many as you miss, and there's no figure that holds for everyone: it depends on the team, the opening hours and when people call. Count them for two weeks in the call log and multiply by two. Look above all at your busiest hours. Across the 46 restaurants using digafood, more than 4 in 10 calls came in right in the middle of service. The data runs from 16 September to 15 October 2026.
Is a missed call always a lost customer?
No. Some people call back or pick up when you call them. That's why the formula multiplies by the share who don't come back, which you measure with your own numbers. There's no general figure: it depends on the business and on whether you return calls.
Which average spend should I use?
The one for the first visit or the first purchase. Divide the month's revenue by the month's appointments, bookings or sales. If you use the value of the whole relationship with the customer, the figure goes up, but it's harder to defend.
Does the formula work for any service business?
Yes: hair salon, restaurant, garage or clinic, as long as calls end in an appointment, a booking or a sale. What changes is what you count as the spend: the service, the meal or the repair.
Does heydiga answer the calls I don't pick up?
Yes, if you divert them. You choose whether to divert all of them, the out-of-hours ones or only the ones you can't get to. If it can't answer something, it says so and passes the call to a person.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. heydiga's FAQ says there is a trial period before you pay. On the pricing page, Diga Lite has a “Start free” button. The website doesn't say how long the trial lasts.
Sources
- Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads”, Harvard Business Review, March 2011, hbr.org (opens in a new tab).
- Calls to digafood restaurants: heydiga's own data, 6,171 calls from 46 restaurants, from 16 September to 15 October 2026, Madrid time.
- Features, call diverting and prices: heydiga.com, after-hours calls, FAQ and pricing, checked on 3 November 2026.
How it was written: written with the help of AI tools; reviewed and verified by the heydiga team.
