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The cost of after-hours calls you miss

It is worth it when the revenue it saves is more than it costs.

Results are free and run in your browser. An email adds the full plan.

After-hours revenue estimator

firmkit.co/tools/after-hours-revenue-estimator/ · Oct 19, 2026

Example numbers, not yours.

    Fields start with round example numbers. Replace them with yours.

    Changes example wording only. Your numbers and the arithmetic do not change.

    Your calls

    From your carrier or phone system report.

    Evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Count from the report.

    20%

    Include calls an on-call tech picks up.

    What a call is worth
    40%

    The bill for one emergency call, such as a burst pipe, a power loss or a no-heat call.

    50%

    The share of answered callers who book a job.

    What you assume
    50%

    We start at 50 so the sliders have a place to begin. No one knows your number. Track a month and replace it.

    100%

    100 means it catches every one. A text-back or answering service may catch fewer.

    The price of the option you are weighing.

    Your calculation, step by step
    1. 30 x 80%after-hours calls times the share you do not answer now = 24 calls
    2. x 50%lost for good = 12 calls
    3. x 50%who would have booked = 6.0 jobs
    4. x $330average ticket, 40% emergency at $450, the rest at $250
    5. = $1,980a month, total
    6. x 100% - $150share coverage catches, less its monthly cost
    7. = $1,830net a month

    Get the full plan by email

    Opens on this page the moment you press the button. Print it, save it, or mail a copy to yourself from there.

    Your revenue at risk, the net after coverage and the break-even stay free above.

    • Three coverage options side by side: own on-call, answering service, text-back
    • A verdict on each option from your own cost and catch rate
    • A printable copy for your partner

    We keep your email and these numbers. Tips come only if you tick the box. We never text you. What we store.

    Enter your own numbers first.

    The table and plan need JavaScript, because they are built in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere without it.

    Made with firmkit.co/tools/after-hours-revenue-estimator/. A planning aid, not accounting or legal advice.

    Details

    How the numbers are worked out

    The formula, in words

    Missed after-hours calls = after-hours calls x (1 - the share you answer now)

    Lost jobs = missed calls x the share lost for good x your booking rate

    Revenue at risk = lost jobs x average ticket. Average ticket = emergency share x emergency ticket + the rest x routine ticket

    Net = revenue at risk x the share coverage catches - coverage cost. Break-even = coverage cost / (never-retry share x booking x ticket x catch share)

    If coverage costs more than it brings in, the result says so. That is a real answer. Some businesses do better with an on-call phone or a text-back than with a paid service.

    What the tool cannot know

    • Whether callers leave voicemail or try a competitor. Your own tracking tells you.
    • Repeat business and referrals from a saved customer, which would raise the value.
    • Quality of the service you buy, which changes the catch share.
    • Seasonality. A storm weekend can change a month.

    Every assumption, and who set it

    AssumptionValueSet by
    Call countsYour numbersYou
    Share lost for good50% to startYou. Track it for a month
    Share coverage would catch100% to startYou
    Booking rate and ticketsYour numbersYou
    Coverage costYour quoteYou or the provider

    Sources

    • No outside statistic is used. The share who never call back is a guess you set, because no one can know it for your market. A planning aid, not accounting or legal advice.

    Source check

    • Outside statistics. None used on this page

    Questions people ask

    Is an answering service worth it?

    It is worth it when the revenue it saves is more than it costs. Estimate missed after-hours calls, the share who never call back, your booking rate and ticket. If the net is negative, coverage costs more than the calls it saves, and a cheaper option such as a text-back may fit better.

    What counts as after hours?

    Any call that arrives when nobody on your team can answer: evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Use your own schedule, not a standard one. If your office closes at five and emergencies come in at nine, those are after hours. Your phone report can split calls by time.

    How do I count after-hours calls?

    Pull a full month from your carrier or phone system report and count calls outside your answering hours. Include calls that rang out and calls that went to voicemail. Do not guess from memory, because quiet and busy months differ. If you cannot get a report, log calls for two weeks.

    What is the difference between an emergency and a routine call?

    An emergency needs a fast response: a burst pipe, no heat in winter, a sparking panel. A routine call can wait until morning. Emergency tickets are often larger, and callers are less likely to wait. The tool lets you set the share and the average ticket for each.

    What does a text-back change?

    A text-back replies to a missed call within seconds and asks what the caller needs. It does not answer the phone, but it keeps the conversation alive so the caller may wait for you. How many it keeps is your own guess to test. Set the catch share for it low at first.

    Missed call cost

    What missed calls cost you, from your own numbers. Miss none and it says zero.

    Open the tool

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    Fix the free things first

    The 60‑second audit looks at your site, your Google profile and your follow-up. Your score shows without an email.

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