Missed Call Statistics for Contractors, With the Original Sources

I'm Tom, an Indianapolis-area founder. I started KeptRing, which answers missed calls for contractors, so I have a stake in this topic. That's why I only used numbers I could check at the source. Everything on this page is third-party data, not KeptRing results. We're new and don't have customer results to share yet.

How many calls go unanswered?

The three best datasets I found measure different things, so their numbers don't match. That's normal. All three come from companies that sell call tracking software, Invoca and CallRail, and each number comes from that company's own customers' calls, not the whole industry. Read the fine print on each.

Why so different? Invoca's 2026 number counts every call that didn't reach a person, including quick hang-ups and misdials, which is why it climbs to 73% once you only count calls over 30 seconds. The customer bases differ too. Each company's numbers come from its own customers.

What I take from it: if you've never checked your own answer rate, you can't know which of these you look like. Your phone carrier or call tracking tool can tell you. Then put your own numbers in the missed call calculator.

When the calls come in

ServiceTitan, which sells software to trades businesses, looked at off-hours calls in a sample of its customer accounts over five fiscal quarters, May 2025 to July 2026 ("Call Trends in the Trades", page undated). ServiceTitan says the data shouldn't be read as representative of the whole trades industry.

• ServiceTitan's customers got 10.7% to 12.1% of their calls outside normal business hours. ServiceTitan puts it as nearly 1 in 8 calls.
• In ServiceTitan's data, its customers' shops with more than 50 technicians booked 58% of calls, and shops with 10 or fewer technicians booked 30%. These are ServiceTitan figures, not KeptRing results.

In a small shop, the person who answers the phone is often the same person on the roof or under the sink.

What callers say they do when nobody answers

CallRail, which sells call tracking and AI call answering tools, surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers (a vendor survey; the blog post doesn't show a date). Here's what respondents said:

• 78% have taken their business elsewhere after failing to reach a company by phone.
• 82% say they'll call a competitor if you don't answer.
• 42% say they leave a voicemail. 21% say they immediately call another business.
• 41% hang up after just 1 to 2 minutes on hold.

Compare that with call data. Invoca's platform data (May 2024) shows less than 3% of callers who get pushed to voicemail leave a message. The two numbers measure different things, one a survey of what people say and the other calls on one vendor's customers' lines, but together they suggest voicemail catches far fewer callers than you'd hope.

Why a callback from your cell might not get picked up

Hiya, which sells caller ID and call protection services, surveyed more than 12,000 consumers in six countries for its State of the Call 2026 report. It found that when people get a call from a number they don't recognize, only 14% answer right away. 41% let it go to voicemail and 28% reject it.

So "I'll just call them back" is harder than it sounds, especially from a number the customer has never seen.

Google LSA now charges for some missed calls

Search Engine Land reported on Aug. 25, 2026 that starting Oct. 1, 2026, Google Local Services Ads can charge for some missed calls.

Google's own "How leads work" page lists this as a valid lead:

"You missed a phone call during your business hours and the customer stays on the line for more than 20 seconds."

Google Local Services Help, "How leads work"

And on voicemail:

"If a call goes to voicemail or an automated greeting during your business hours, it's treated as a connected call and is charged if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds, whether or not they leave a message."

Google Local Services Help, "How leads work"

Google also says the 20-second rule applies only to unanswered calls. An answered call is judged as an answered lead. To be clear about our side of it: KeptRing never lowers what Google charges. If you run LSA, the point is that a missed call can now cost you the lead fee and the job. I wrote up the details in Google LSA missed-call billing, explained.

What a lead costs on LSA

SearchLight, a marketing analytics company, publishes a Home Services LSA Benchmark from the LSA campaigns it tracks (February 2026: 888 contractors, $6.72M in LSA spend, 126,650 leads; page last updated March 2026). Third-party data, not KeptRing results.

When a lead costs $39 to $57 before anyone says hello, a missed call that Google charges as a lead is money already spent.

Why small shops can't just hire their way out

From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (pages last modified Aug. 27, 2026):

BLS also projects about 40,600 openings a year for HVAC technicians over the decade. Every one of those techs is someone in the field, not at a desk answering the phone.

Stats I left out, and why

You'll see these everywhere. Here's what I found when I went looking for where they came from.

• "62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered." This one is real but old. It comes from a 411 Locals post dated Jan. 18, 2016. They monitored calls to 85 businesses in 58 industries for 30 days: 37.8% answered, 37.8% went to voicemail, 24.3% got no response. It isn't contractor data and it's nearly 11 years old, so I don't use it as a current number.
• "85% of callers who don't reach you won't call back." I couldn't find an original study. CallRail's January 2025 press release says "up to 85%" without naming a source, and a 2024 PATLive blog post states it without a citation. Some articles credit it to BIA/Kelsey or "BIA Advisory Services" without linking to a study. So it's not on this page.
• "80% of callers won't leave a voicemail." I couldn't find an original study for it either. The measured number I trust is Invoca's: less than 3% of callers pushed to voicemail leave a message.

If you have the original for either of the last two, send it to me and I'll add it.

What to do with these numbers

1. Find your own answer rate. Pull last month's call log and count missed calls, especially during business hours if you run LSA.
2. Run the math with the missed call calculator. It's simple arithmetic on your own numbers.
3. Price out coverage. See what an answering service costs.
4. See how KeptRing works. KeptRing answers the calls you can't get to, tells the caller it's an automated assistant, takes the job details and emails the lead to you. It doesn't book jobs and it doesn't text your callers. How it works and pricing.

Cite this page

You're welcome to use any number here. Please cite the original source linked below, and if this page helped you find it, a link back is appreciated:

KeptRing, "Missed Call Statistics for Contractors, With the Original Sources," https://keptring.com/missed-call-statistics/ (sources checked Oct. 21, 2026).

Questions contractors ask

What percentage of calls do contractors miss?

It depends on the data. Invoca's July 2026 report found 52% of callers to home services businesses speak with a person, 65% for calls over 15 seconds. Invoca's 2024 data put unanswered calls at 27%. CallRail's January 2025 report found a 14% missed call rate for home services. Your own call log is the only number that's yours.

Is it true that 85% of callers won't call back?

I couldn't find an original study for that number. In CallRail's survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 78% said they have taken their business elsewhere after failing to reach a company by phone, and 82% said they'd call a competitor.

How many callers leave a voicemail?

In CallRail's survey, 42% said they leave a voicemail. Invoca's platform data shows less than 3% of callers pushed to voicemail actually leave a message.

Does Google charge for missed calls on Local Services Ads?

Since Oct. 1, 2026 (reported by Search Engine Land), a call you miss during business hours can be charged if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. A call that goes to voicemail or an automated greeting during business hours is treated as connected and charged after 20 seconds. Google's "How leads work" page has the full rules.

How many contractor calls come in after hours?

In ServiceTitan's data from a sample of its customer accounts, 10.7% to 12.1% of calls came in outside normal business hours, nearly 1 in 8.

Sources

All checked Oct. 21, 2026.

1. Invoca, "The Invoca Home Services Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report" (published July 2026). https://www.invoca.com/reports/the-invoca-home-services-lead-conversion-benchmarks-report-2026
2. Invoca, "See How Much Missed Sales Calls Cost Home Services Businesses," Owen Ray, May 23, 2024. https://www.invoca.com/blog/how-much-missed-sales-calls-cost-home-services-businesses
3. CallRail, "CallRail Releases Report Benchmarking Marketing Efforts for Small Businesses," Business Wire, Jan. 14, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250114793850/en/CallRail-Releases-Report-Benchmarking-Marketing-Efforts-for-Small-Businesses
4. CallRail, "Why businesses can't afford to miss incoming calls" (survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers). https://www.callrail.com/blog/missed-calls-cost-businesses-more-than-ever
5. ServiceTitan, "Call Trends in the Trades." https://www.servicetitan.com/guides/call-trends-in-the-trades
6. Hiya, "Eroding trust is crippling the voice channel," Stephanie Boulanger, Apr. 14, 2026 (State of the Call 2026). https://blog.hiya.com/eroding-trust-is-crippling-the-voice-channel
7. Search Engine Land, "Google Local Services Ads will charge for some missed calls starting Oct. 1," Anu Adegbola, Aug. 25, 2026. https://searchengineland.com/google-local-services-ads-will-charge-for-some-missed-calls-starting-oct-1-485798
8. Google Local Services Help, "How leads work." https://support.google.com/localservices/answer/7195435
9. SearchLight, "What Is a Good Cost Per Lead for Google Local Service Ads? (2026 Benchmarks)," last updated March 2026. https://searchlightdigital.io/google-local-service-ads-cost-per-lead/
10. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: HVAC mechanics and installers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/heating-air-conditioning-and-refrigeration-mechanics-and-installers.htm
11. BLS OOH: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/plumbers-pipefitters-and-steamfitters.htm
12. BLS OOH: Electricians. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/electricians.htm
13. 411 Locals, "Small Business Owners Don't Answer 62% Of Phone Calls," Jan. 18, 2016. https://411locals.us/small-business-owners-dont-answer-62-of-phone-calls/
14. PATLive blog, "Seamless Customer Interactions with Virtual Receptionists" (2024; states the 85% figure without a source). https://www.patlive.com/blog/seamless-interactions-virtual-receptionists/

KeptRing isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any company, publication or agency named on this page, including Google, Invoca, CallRail, ServiceTitan, Hiya, SearchLight, Search Engine Land, Business Wire, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 411 Locals, PATLive, BIA/Kelsey and BIA Advisory Services. Their names are trademarks of their owners, and the figures belong to their publishers. This page is general information.