How many customers do you lose when you miss a call?

You're helping a customer, your hands are full, or you've already closed for the day. The phone rings and you can't pick up. It seems small, but that call almost never comes back.

People who call a business usually need something right now: an appointment, a quote, an emergency. If nobody answers, the easiest thing for them is to look up the next business on Google and call there. You never find out you lost that customer.

The calls that get missed most

• During your busiest hours: right when you're serving someone in person.
• After hours: nights, early mornings and weekends, when many people finally have time to call.
• When you're out: driving, on a job site or at a customer's home.
• When voicemail picks up: many people hang up without leaving a message.

Do the math for your business

You don't need to be an accountant. Answer three questions:

1. How many calls do you think you miss in a week?
2. Out of every 10 people who call, how many become customers?
3. On average, how much does a new customer bring you?

Example: if you miss 5 calls a week, half of them would have become customers, and each customer brings you $100, you're leaving about $250 a week on the table. That's over $1,000 a month. These are example numbers: run the math with yours.

What you can do

1. Hire someone to answer the phone

It works, but a salary is expensive for a small business, and that person won't work nights or Sundays.

2. Rely on voicemail

It's free, but many people don't leave a message, and when they do, you have to call back in time.

3. A virtual receptionist that always answers

That's what RingCatcher does: it answers every call 24/7 in a friendly American English voice, takes the caller's details and sends you a summary so you can call back knowing what they need. You keep your same number.

The bottom line

Every call to your business is money. It's not about working harder, it's about not letting go of the customers who are already looking for you.