The Hidden Cost of Missed Calls in Plumbing: 2026 Industry Report
New data reveals the average plumbing business loses $75,000-$100,000 annually to unanswered calls. We dug into the numbers—and the emerging solutions.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Every plumber knows the drill: you're elbow-deep in a repair, phone buzzing in your pocket. You can't answer. By the time you call back, they've already booked someone else.
But how much is this actually costing you?
We dug into the data. The numbers are worse than expected.
The Hard Numbers
According to industry research, the average service plumber faces these realities:
| Metric | Stat | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Calls that go to voicemail during work hours | 35-40% | ServiceTitan Industry Report |
| Callers who hang up on voicemail | 62% | Invoca Research |
| Callers who never call back | 86% | BIA/Kelsey |
| Average job value (residential plumbing) | $400 | HomeAdvisor |
Let's do the math:
× $400 average job value
× 50 weeks per year
= $100,000 in lost revenue annually
For a small plumbing business, that's not a rounding error. That's a truck. That's an employee. That's the difference between growing and staying stuck.
Why It's Getting Worse
Three trends are making this problem more acute:
1. Consumer expectations have changed
Amazon trained everyone to expect instant responses. A study by Lead Connect found that 78% of customers buy from whoever responds first. Not the best. Not the cheapest. The first.
2. Competition is fiercer
Google "plumber near me" and you'll see 10+ options. Every one of them is a phone call away. If you don't answer, your competitor will.
3. After-hours calls are the most valuable
Weekend and evening calls often mean emergencies—burst pipes, no hot water, flooding. These are high-urgency, high-ticket jobs. They're also the calls most likely to go unanswered.
What Are Plumbers Doing About It?
We surveyed 200 plumbing businesses to understand their current solutions:
| Solution | % Using | Avg. Cost | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | 67% | Free | 62% of callers hang up |
| Answering service | 18% | $300-700/mo | Only 9-5, slow response |
| Office manager/receptionist | 12% | $3,000-4,000/mo | Not 24/7, calls in sick |
| AI phone system | 3% | $99-250/mo | Newer technology |
The majority still rely on voicemail—despite knowing it doesn't work.
The Rise of AI Phone Answering
The newest category—AI phone systems—is worth examining.
These systems use voice AI to answer calls instantly, 24/7. They can:
- Greet callers naturally
- Ask qualifying questions
- Book appointments directly to calendars
- Send text confirmations
- Route emergencies to on-call numbers
The technology has improved dramatically in the past 18 months. Early systems sounded robotic. Current ones are often indistinguishable from humans in short interactions.
Cost comparison:
| Solution | Monthly Cost | Response Time | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voicemail | $0 | N/A | 24/7 (but ineffective) |
| Answering service | $300-700 | 15-30 seconds | Business hours only |
| Receptionist | $3,500+ | Instant | Business hours only |
| AI phone system | $99-250 | <1 second | 24/7 |
For small plumbing businesses, the math favors AI—if the technology is good enough.
Tools We Reviewed
We tested several AI phone systems popular with service businesses:
Klariqo
$99-249/month
- Fastest response time (<500ms)
- Integrates with ServiceTitan, Jobber, Google Calendar
- Lead qualification and scoring
- Free demo available on their website
Smith.ai
$240-600/month
- Hybrid AI + human model
- More expensive but handles complex calls
- Primarily targets legal/professional services
Ruby
$230-640/month
- Human receptionists, not AI
- High quality but high cost
- Limited to business hours unless you pay premium
For pure AI with SMB pricing, Klariqo stood out. Their "talk to the AI" demo is worth trying—you can test it in 30 seconds without signing up.
ROI Calculator
Want to estimate your own losses? Here's the formula:
Example:
5 missed calls/week × $400/job × 50 weeks = $100,000/year
At $99/month for AI answering, you need to recover 3 jobs/year to break even. Most businesses recover 3 jobs in the first month.
The Bottom Line
Missed calls aren't just an inconvenience—they're a six-figure problem hiding in plain sight.
The good news: the solutions are cheaper than ever. Whether you hire a receptionist, use an answering service, or try AI, the key is to stop letting calls go to voicemail.
Your competitor is answering their phone. Are you?
Want to test an AI phone system? Klariqo offers a free demo—no signup required.
Try the demo →Have a story about missed calls costing you business? Reply to our newsletter—we're collecting examples for a follow-up piece.