Guide · updated 2026-09-28
How contractors stop losing jobs to missed calls
The five ways a home service shop leaks work through the phone, and the fix for each one, in order of cheapest first.
Where the calls go
On a job. After 5. Weekends. Two calls at once. The office person at lunch. Every one of those is a customer with a problem today who calls the next name on Google when you do not pick up.
Fix 1: know the number (free)
Pull your phone's call log for one week and count the missed calls. Then run them through the missed-call calculator with your real average job. Most owners have never done this and are surprised.
Fix 2: answer more yourself (free, does not scale)
Works until you are on a ladder. It also trains customers that you answer at 9pm, which is its own problem.
Fix 3: a text-back on missed calls ($)
An automatic "sorry we missed you, what do you need?" text catches some. It does not catch the caller who is already dialing the next company.
Fix 4: a live answering service ($$)
A person takes a message. Better than voicemail, slower than booking the job, and billed by the minute. See AI receptionist vs answering service.
Fix 5: an AI receptionist on the calls you miss ($)
Forward your phone so Sofia answers only when you do not. She books it or holds the details and texts you. $39 a month, free for 30 days, and you keep your number. See what it costs.
What to look at after 30 days
Your dashboard shows every call she took, when, and what came of it. Count the ones that came in while you were on a job or after hours. That is the work you used to lose.
Common questions
How many calls does a contractor miss?
It varies by trade and season, which is why the calculator uses your own numbers. Emergency trades in a freeze or a heat wave miss the most, and those are the highest-value calls.
Will an AI receptionist annoy my customers?
Callers want their problem handled. Sofia answers on the first ring, gets the details, and tells them when to expect you. That beats voicemail every time.
Can I try it on just after-hours calls?
Yes. Forwarding on no-answer means she only takes the calls you do not, whenever that is.
What does it cost?
$39 a month after a free 30 days. No card to start, no contract, keep your number.
Hear her before you decide
Call (833) 349-0911 and pretend you are a customer. Then start the free 30 days with your own company name on the line. $39 a month after, keep your number.