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Local Voice research
44% of Buyers Now Prefer to Call a Business for Help, Up From 32% in 2022
Invoca found 44% of buyers prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022. What every verified phone-preference study says, side by side.
By Adam Brewer, founder of Local Voice. Figures checked October 10, 2026.
44% of buyers now prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022, according to Invoca's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers. 67% called a business while shopping.
The 2026 edition kept the phone on top. 41% of U.S. buyers prefer to call when they have a problem, and 52% of Boomers do. Every study here asked a different question, so the share moves with the wording.
Every figure was checked at its source on October 10, 2026. Derived figures are marked as Local Voice calculations, with the math shown in the methodology.
Key findings
44% of consumers who made a high-stakes purchase prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022 (Invoca, 2025).
67% of high-stakes buyers called a business while shopping in Invoca's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers.
41% of U.S. high-stakes buyers prefer calling when they have a problem, and 52% of Boomers do (Invoca, 2026, 693 respondents).
In Hiya's 2022 survey of 12,000 consumers in 6 countries, 32% ranked the phone call their top channel, ahead of email at 20% and text at 12%.
64% of U.S. residential contractors said phone calls are their dominant form of communication in ServiceTitan's 2025 survey of 1,000+ contractors.
For support questions, only 19% of consumers preferred a live call center agent and 5% an AI chatbot (Sinch, 2025, as reported by No Jitter).
Do customers prefer to call a business?
Yes, more than any other single channel. Invoca's 2025 B2C Buyer Experience Report found 44% of consumers prefer calling a business when they need help with a purchase. That's up from 32% in Invoca's 2022 report, a 12-point rise (Local Voice calculation).
Invoca calls the phone the number one preferred channel when buyers need help. 67% of respondents called a business at some point while shopping.
The sample matters. Sago Online Research surveyed 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers who made a high-stakes purchase in the prior 12 months. The purchases spanned home services, automotive, healthcare, financial services, insurance, telecom and travel.
A roof replacement fits that group. A pizza order doesn't. The same survey found 70% would pay more for the best customer service, up from 63% in 2022.
Figure 1. The share of buyers who prefer to call a business for help rose from 32% to 44% in three years
High-stakes buyers, Invoca B2C Buyer Experience surveys, 2022 and 2025.
The 2022 survey covered 500 buyers. The 2025 survey covered 1,000 U.S. and U.K. buyers. They are different people, surveyed three years apart.
Source: Invoca B2C Buyer Experience Report 2025 (July 24, 2025), comparing Invoca's 2022 figures as Invoca reports them.
Calling is still the top choice when something goes wrong
In Invoca's 2026 report, 41% of U.S. buyers said they prefer to call when they have a problem and need help. Among Boomers it was 52%. Invoca says the phone remains the top help channel across every generation.
The 2026 numbers come from a U.S.-only cut of 693 respondents. Invoca surveyed 1,356 U.S. and U.K. consumers through the Trycycle Gather platform from May 8 to May 22, 2026. Invoca worded the two findings differently, and the 2026 figure is U.S.-only, so the 44% and 41% don't make a trend.
Buyers in the same survey also want a person. Invoca's blog reports 98% of buyers say a human connection is important during a high-stakes purchase. Invoca's press release for the same report says 83%, close to the 84% Invoca found in 2025. We couldn't reconcile the 2026 pair, so read it as most buyers.
When AI and human help were equally available, 59% chose the human. Home services was one of the seven industries in the survey.
How the phone ranks against email and text
It ranks first, 12 points ahead of email. In Hiya's 2022 State of the Call report, 12,000 consumers in six countries ranked communication channels. 32% put the phone call first and 20% put email first.
Figure 2. 32% of consumers ranked the phone call their top channel, 1.6 times the share for email
Top communication channel, as ranked by consumers. Hiya State of the Call, 2022.
Hiya also reported 26% as Other or not applicable. The named channels add to 75%. Hiya did not say whether the question was limited to contacting businesses.
Source: Hiya, State of the Call 2022 (March 3, 2022). 12,000 consumers and 2,000 businesses in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Spain and France. The 1.6 times ratio in the title is a Local Voice calculation (32 ÷ 20).
The phone drew 1.6 times the share of email, 2.7 times text and 6.4 times website chatbots (Local Voice calculation). Text, video and chatbots together came to 23%, still short of the phone alone.
Hiya also measured whether people pick up. Consumers answered 7 in 10 calls from identified numbers and 2 in 10 from unidentified ones. Half of the businesses surveyed said they had lost a customer or a deal because they couldn't reach someone by phone.
Two limits apply. Hiya calls itself a call performance management company and sells branded calling and spam protection, so it has a stake in the answer. The survey also covered six countries, and the page doesn't break out the U.S. figure.
Every verified phone-preference figure, side by side
The share who prefer the phone runs from 19% to 60%, depending on who was asked and what about. Each study below measured different people at different times. Read each figure with its own question.
Figure 3. Phone preference ranges from 19% to 60% across six surveys, depending on the question
Share choosing the phone in each survey. Each dot comes from a different survey.
- Prefer to call a local business after finding it onlineBrightLocal 2019, 500 U.S. consumers, as reported by Search Engine Land60%
- Prefer calling a business for help with a purchaseInvoca 2025, 1,000 U.S. and U.K. high-stakes buyers44%
- Prefer calling when they have a problemInvoca 2026, 693 U.S. high-stakes buyers41%
- Rank the phone call as their top channelHiya 2022, 12,000 consumers in 6 countries32%
- Prefer calling for help with a purchase, 2022Invoca 2022, 500 high-stakes buyers32%
- Prefer a live call center agent for support questionsSinch 2025, 2,800 consumers in 12 countries, as reported by No Jitter19%
Source: BrightLocal 2019 via Search Engine Land; Invoca 2022, 2025 and 2026; Hiya 2022; Sinch 2025 via No Jitter.
The highest figure is also the most local. BrightLocal's 2019 survey of 500 U.S. consumers asked how they prefer to contact a local business after finding it online. 60% said by phone, as reported by Search Engine Land. BrightLocal's page text ranks the phone first but doesn't give the percentages.
The lowest figure asked about support. Sinch's 2025 survey asked about pre- and post-purchase support questions. 31% preferred email and 19% a live call center agent, as reported by No Jitter. That's a different job from booking a plumber.
This figure circulates on vendor blogs, credited to "HomeAdvisor research." The pages we found name no report, date or sample and link to no study. We left it out. Use BrightLocal's 60% for local businesses or Invoca's 44% for high-stakes buyers instead.
What home service contractors say about the phone
Most say it's still their main channel. ServiceTitan's March 2025 survey of more than 1,000 U.S. residential contractors found 64% rely on phone calls as their dominant form of communication. Thrive Analytics ran the survey across HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing and other trades.
On the customer side, Invoca's 2022 report found 62% of home services customers called while shopping, as Invoca's stats page reports it. The two surveys asked different people three years apart, so read them as two separate findings.
The phone also carries the cost of a miss. CallRail's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found 78% have abandoned a business after an unanswered call. See what callers do when you don't answer.
What to do this week
Put the number where people look. Make it tap-to-call at the top of every page and on your Google Business Profile. 44% of high-stakes buyers prefer to call, per Invoca's 2025 survey.
Keep text and email open too. Hiya's 2022 survey put email at 20% and text at 12%. Offer both, so a customer who won't call can still reach you.
Call back from a number people recognize. Hiya found consumers answer 7 in 10 calls from identified numbers and 2 in 10 from unidentified ones. Call back from the number they dialed. Ask your phone provider to show your business name on outgoing caller ID.
Check who picks up when something breaks. 41% of buyers prefer calling when they have a problem (Invoca, 2026). Decide who answers after hours and on weekends.
Decide who answers when you can't. Callers who prefer the phone still want a real answer, so call your own number after hours and hear what they hear. Local Voice sells AI phone agents; factor that in. See how buyers feel about AI with a human backup.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of customers prefer to call a business?
It depends on the question. Invoca's 2025 survey found 44% of high-stakes buyers prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022. BrightLocal's 2019 survey put it at 60% for contacting a local business found online, as reported by Search Engine Land. Hiya's 2022 survey found 32% rank the phone first.
Is phone or text more popular with customers?
The phone, in the surveys we could verify. Hiya's 2022 State of the Call report found 32% of 12,000 consumers ranked the phone call their top channel, against 12% for text messaging. Invoca's 2026 report says the phone remains the top help channel across every generation. Offer text as a backup to the phone.
Do younger customers still call businesses?
Many do. Invoca's 2026 report says the phone is the number one help channel across every generation. It reported that 41% of all U.S. buyers and 52% of Boomers prefer calling when they have a problem. Invoca didn't publish the Gen Z or Millennial shares, so we can't give a figure for them.
Do homeowners prefer to call contractors?
The best verified figure is indirect. ServiceTitan's 2025 survey of 1,000+ U.S. residential contractors found 64% rely on phone calls as their dominant form of communication. Invoca reported 62% of home services customers called during their purchase in 2022. The "83% of homeowners prefer to call" claim on vendor blogs has no traceable study.
Why do customers prefer to call?
The surveys point to wanting a person. Invoca's 2026 report found 59% of U.S. buyers choose a human when AI and human help are equally available. In Invoca's 2025 survey, 84% said human connection is important during a high-stakes purchase. None of these surveys asked callers directly why they chose the phone.
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Open the calculatorMethodology
Invoca 2025
B2C Buyer Experience Report 2025, released July 24, 2025. Sago Online Research surveyed 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers who researched and made a high-stakes purchase in the prior 12 months. The industries were automotive, healthcare, financial services, home services, insurance, telecom and travel. Invoca compares the 44% with 32% in 2022. Field dates were not published.
Invoca 2022
Invoca Buyer Experience Benchmark Report, 2022 edition: 500 consumers who completed a high-stakes purchase between March 2021 and March 2022. The report shows 32% prefer to call when they need help with a high-stakes purchase. Countries and fielding firm were not stated. The 62% home services figure comes from Invoca's March 4, 2025 stats page, which credits this report.
Invoca 2026
B2C Buyer Experience Report 2026. Invoca surveyed 1,356 U.S. and U.K. consumers through the Trycycle Gather platform, May 8 to 22, 2026. The published figures are a U.S.-only cut of 693 respondents. The 41%, 52% Boomer and 98% figures come from Invoca's June 9, 2026 blog post by Owen Ray. Invoca's press release for the same report gives 83% for human connection. We report both.
Hiya 2022
State of the Call 2022, released March 3, 2022. 12,000 consumers and 2,000 businesses in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Germany, Spain and France. The 1.6 times ratio in the title is a Local Voice calculation (32 ÷ 20). Figures are "top communication channels, ranked by consumers." Hiya listed 26% as Other or not applicable. The rows add to 101% because of rounding. We show the named channels as separate bars.
Other surveys
BrightLocal 2019: 500 U.S. consumers asked how they prefer to contact a local business after finding it online. The 60% phone share appears in Search Engine Land's report. BrightLocal's page ranks the options without percentages. Sinch 2025: 2,800 consumers in 12 countries, as reported by No Jitter on June 17, 2025. Sinch's own chapter page confirms the 31%, 22%, 19% and 5% shares. ServiceTitan 2025: 1,000+ U.S. residential contractors, surveyed by Thrive Analytics, released March 25, 2025.
Formulas
Rise: 44% minus 32% is 12 points. Boomer gap: 52% minus 41% is 11 points. Phone lead over email: 32% minus 20% is 12 points. Phone versus email: 32 ÷ 20 = 1.6. Phone versus text: 32 ÷ 12 = 2.67, shown as 2.7. Phone versus chatbots: 32 ÷ 5 = 6.4. Text, video and chatbots combined: 12% + 6% + 5% = 23%. Ratios are rounded half up to one decimal.
Limits
Every study asked a different question of different people at different times, so the figures don't form a trend line. Only the Invoca 2022 to 2025 comparison uses the same question, as Invoca reports it, and even those were different samples. The Invoca surveys cover high-stakes buyers only. Invoca and Hiya both sell phone-related products.
When we checked
Invoca's 2025 release, 2026 blog post and 2026 press release (via Customer Experience Dive) were checked on October 10, 2026. So were Invoca's 2022 report page and stats page, Hiya's release on Business Wire and Hiya's site, and ServiceTitan's release. BrightLocal, Search Engine Land, Sinch, No Jitter and CallRail were checked the same day.
Sources
Invoca. Invoca Study Reveals Consumers Embrace AI, but Reject Replacing Humans, in the Buying Experience. Press release, July 24, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Invoca. 2026 Report: Consumers Embrace AI, Demand for Fast Responses from Brands Increases. Owen Ray, June 9, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Invoca. New Invoca Study Finds Consumers Won't Wait. AI Gives Brands the Speed to Win the Sale.. Press release via Customer Experience Dive, June 9, 2026. Methodology source. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Invoca. Invoca Buyer Experience Benchmark Report (2022). 500 high-stakes buyers, purchases March 2021 to March 2022. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Invoca. 40+ Statistics Home Services Marketers Need to Know in 2025. Owen Ray, March 4, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Hiya. Should You Call, Text, Email, or Video Call? New Research Reveals Consumers and Businesses Prefer Voice. Press release via Business Wire, March 3, 2022. Also on hiya.com. Accessed October 10, 2026.
ServiceTitan. New ServiceTitan Research: 63% of Residential Services Businesses Are Experiencing Consistent Growth. Press release, March 25, 2025. Research by Thrive Analytics. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Search Engine Land. Survey: More consumers trust accuracy of SMB websites over Google My Business. Greg Sterling, reporting BrightLocal's 2019 survey of 500 U.S. consumers. Accessed October 10, 2026.
BrightLocal. Local Business Websites and Google My Business Comparison. Rosie Murphy, May 2, 2019. Accessed October 10, 2026.
No Jitter. End Users Prefer People to AI Agents, Unless They're in a Hurry. Matt Vartabedian, June 17, 2025, reporting Sinch's State of Customer Communications. Accessed October 10, 2026.
Sinch. The state of customer communications, Chapter 05. Sinch, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.
CallRail. Why businesses can't afford to miss calls. Danielle Wood, September 25, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.
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