The Hidden Cost of Missed Calls: Why HVAC Companies Lose $180 Per Unanswered Ring
The phone rings. Nobody picks up. That customer calls your competitor.
According to Invoca's home services study, HVAC contractors miss about 27% of inbound calls. One in four potential jobs walking out the door before you know they existed.
85% of those callers won't call you back. No voicemails. No second chances. They move on to the next company in their search results.
The Math
Average HVAC service call: $150-450 depending on market. We'll use $180.
If your shop takes 100 calls a week and misses 27:
That's service calls. Miss an installation inquiry worth $8,000-15,000? Different story.
When Calls Get Missed
Peak hours (10am-2pm)
CSRs are slammed. Calls stack up. Hold times increase. Customers hang up.
After hours (5pm-8am)
Emergencies hit. Compressor dies at 9pm in July. Homeowner calls three companies. First one to answer gets the job.
Lunch breaks
Small shops with one or two office staff have coverage gaps every day.
The Compounding Effect
Missed calls don't just cost you the immediate job:
- Lost referrals — Customer you never spoke to can't recommend you to their neighbor
- Lost maintenance agreements — Service calls lead to membership signups. Miss the call, miss the recurring revenue
- Lost replacement sales — Half of service calls uncover equipment near end-of-life
What Top Shops Do
Contractors capturing 95%+ of calls:
- Staff for peak, not average — Call volume spikes 40% between 10am-2pm? Coverage should too
- Answer after hours live — Service, AI, or rotating on-call. Someone picks up. Every time
- Track it — Know your answer rate, hold time, and abandonment rate
The Fix
Not always hiring another CSR. Sometimes it's better routing. Sometimes it's overflow coverage. Sometimes it's AI for the 2am emergencies.
First step: pull your phone reports. Count the missed calls. Do the math.
Then decide if you're okay with it.
Ready to stop missing calls?
See how June handles calls for HVAC contractors like you—with your FSM software, your pricing, your voice.
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