Local Voice research

Missed Call Statistics: Every Number That Checks Out, and the 11 That Don't

192 missed-call and phone statistics, each traced to a named study and checked Oct. 10, 2026. Plus 11 popular claims we couldn't trace.

By Adam Brewer, founder of Local Voice. Figures checked October 10, 2026.

192 figures checked out when Local Voice traced each to a named study and reopened its source on October 10, 2026. They cover missed calls, callers, booking rates, AI answering and what answering costs. Quo's is the largest missed-call dataset we found: 69% of 16.7 million got no callback within 48 hours (2026).

11 widely shared figures didn't check out. The 85% who supposedly never call back and the $126,000 a year lost to missed calls lead back to vendor blogs. Table 2 lists all 11 with a verified figure to use instead.

Every figure was checked at its source on October 10, 2026. Each is verified primary unless marked Secondary. The methodology explains the labels and how we checked.

69% of missed business calls got no callback within 48 hours Quo, 2026. 16.7 million missed calls.
11 widely shared missed-call claims we couldn't trace to a study that supports them Local Voice review of sources, October 10, 2026.

Key findings

69% of missed business calls got no callback within 48 hours in Quo's 2026 analysis of 16.7 million missed calls. Only 31% were returned.

42% of U.S. consumers say they leave a voicemail when a business doesn't answer (CallRail, 2025). The earliest source we found for the claim that 80% don't is a 2014 Forbes contributor post that named no study.

Small trade shops booked 9% of calls after 6 p.m., down from a 26% peak, in ServiceTitan's 2022 data from more than 3,000 trade businesses.

The claim that 85% of callers won't call back traces to a 2020 CallRail blog post citing a U.K. virtual assistant firm's web page. We found no study behind it.

The "Forrester" claim that callers convert 30% faster most likely comes from a 2017 Forrester survey of 213 marketers for Marchex. It recorded their estimates, not measured conversions.

None of the 11 widely shared claims we checked traced to a study that measured what the claim says (Local Voice review, October 2026).

Missed calls and when they come in

The studies we verified put unanswered calls at 18% to 62%, and most missed calls get no callback within 48 hours. When calls arrive depends on the trade. Quo's 16.7 million missed calls make the largest missed-call dataset we found.

62% of calls to small businesses went unanswered in 411 Locals' 2016 study of 85 businesses over 30 days. Only 37.8% reached a person. Voicemail took 37.8%, and 24.3% got no response. 70% of the businesses answered fewer than half their calls. A small vendor study from a decade ago. See 62% of calls go unanswered.

18% of calls to home service businesses went unanswered on weekdays and 41% on weekends, in figures ServiceTitan reported in 2023. ServiceTitan didn't name the dataset. See the Saturday problem.

56% of calls to businesses were answered by a person in Invoca's July 2026 benchmarks, from more than 70 million calls across 10 industries. That leaves 44% that weren't (Local Voice calculation). Invoca's 2025 edition put the figure at 61%, with answer rates of 54% to 69% across 9 industries. See 62% of calls go unanswered and home services phone lead conversion.

52% of callers to home services businesses spoke with a person in Invoca's July 2026 benchmarks, so 48% didn't (Local Voice calculation). Sub-industries ranged from 32% to 74%. See home services phone lead conversion and 62% of calls go unanswered.

69% of missed business calls got no callback within 48 hours in Quo's 2026 analysis of 16.7 million missed calls. 31% were returned, nearly all within 24 hours. Figure 1 shows the rate by industry. See what each missed call costs.

78% of U.S. consumers have abandoned a business after an unanswered call, and 82% say they'll call a competitor, in CallRail's 2025 survey of 1,000 consumers. See what callers do when you don't answer.

42% of U.S. consumers say they leave a voicemail when a business doesn't answer (CallRail, 2025). 24% turn to online chat, and 21% call another business right away. CallRail didn't say whether people could pick more than one. See how many callers leave a voicemail.

41% of U.S. consumers hang up after 1 to 2 minutes on hold (CallRail, 2025). 30% wait 3 to 5 minutes, and only 18% wait past 5. 39% call long holds their biggest complaint, and 49% of Gen Z do. See what callers do when you don't answer.

6% of U.K. adults would leave a message rather than wait for an answer, in a June 2026 YouGov survey of 2,046 adults for Answer4u, a U.K. answering service. It asked a different question from CallRail. Quo cites it secondhand. See how many callers leave a voicemail.

62.4% of callers to car dealerships hung up without a message at 7 p.m. and 65.9% at 8 p.m., in Numa's 2026 call data. Numa sells AI answering to dealers and gave no sample size. See how many callers leave a voicemail.

94% of Google listing calls came Monday to Friday for the typical local business, in BrightLocal's 2019 study of 45,264 listings. Calls peaked from 10 a.m. to noon on Mondays. Data from 2017 and 2018. See the Saturday problem.

34% of locksmiths' Google listing calls came after 5 p.m. and 8% before 9 a.m. (BrightLocal, 2019). Locksmiths got 31% of calls on weekends. Restaurants got 51% after 5 p.m. and 32% on weekends. See the 6 p.m. cliff and the Saturday problem.

14.1% of calls to residential HVAC shops came outside weekday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours, weekends included, in June 2025 (ServiceTitan, 2026). In October it was 9.8%. ServiceTitan says the figures aren't nationally representative. See the 6 p.m. cliff.

Figure 1. Healthcare businesses called back 41% of missed calls within 48 hours. Non-profits called back 21%.

Share of missed calls that got a callback within 48 hours, by industry. Quo customers, 16.7 million missed calls over three months.

  1. Healthcare41%
  2. Professional services33%
  3. All industries31%
  4. Consumer goods22%
  5. Non-profits21%

Quo counted any outbound call to the caller's number within 48 hours as a callback. Home services weren't reported separately.

Source: Quo, "Small business callback statistics in 2026," August 20, 2026.

Response time and booking rates

Leads cool within minutes, and booking rates fall hardest after 6 p.m. The speed-to-lead studies are older and measured web leads, not calls to trades. Angi's job costs in Table 1 show what a booked call is worth.

21-fold: the drop in the odds of qualifying a web lead when the first call came at 30 minutes instead of 5, in the 2007 Lead Response Management Study. The odds fell fourfold from 5 to 10 minutes. It covered more than 15,000 leads at six companies. Web leads, not calls. See the 5-minute rule.

37% of 2,241 U.S. companies answered a web test lead within an hour in Harvard Business Review's 2011 audit. 23% never answered, and those that replied within 30 days averaged 42 hours. In the article's separate analysis of sales leads, firms trying within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to qualify one as firms an hour slower. Against a wait of a day or more, it was over 60 times. See the 5-minute rule.

28% of customers expect an immediate reply and 28% one within an hour, say owners in Jobber's 2026 survey of 1,050 U.S. home service businesses. 15% expect one within 4 hours and 25% within a day. Only 20% of the owners reply to leads within an hour, and 60% the same day. Owners reporting. See response time expectations.

56% of U.S. buyers expect a reply within an hour of a web form, and 36% get one, in Invoca's 2026 survey of 693 buyers. 79% will switch to a competitor that responds faster. 75% have hung up after a long hold, up 26 points in a year. See response time expectations.

42% of inbound calls became booked jobs at the typical trade shop in ServiceTitan's June 2022 data from more than 3,000 businesses. Shops with 25 or more techs booked 59%, and shops with fewer than 5 booked 24%. See booking rates by trade.

43%: plumbing's booking rate in June 2022, the highest of the trades ServiceTitan reported. Electrical booked 41% and HVAC 38%. Garage door and water treatment shops booked 31%. Rates ran 2% to 5% higher each month than in 2021. See booking rates by trade.

$100,000 in added revenue for each 5-point gain in booking rate at shops with 5 to 14 techs, by ServiceTitan's 2022 estimate. That's less than one more booked call per weekday. See booking rates by trade.

42% of phone leads converted on the call in Invoca's July 2026 benchmarks, across 10 industries. The report doesn't define a lead or a conversion. Its 2025 edition put the all-industry rate at 37% and home services at 46%, from more than 60 million calls in 9 industries. See phone lead conversion.

45% of home services phone leads converted on the call in Invoca's July 2026 benchmarks. Invoca counts 38% of answered calls as leads, though the report's highlights describe that 38% as calls from digital marketing. 55% of home services businesses didn't ask leads to book the job. See phone lead conversion and what each missed call costs.

9% of calls after 6 p.m. became jobs at small trade shops, down from a 26% peak, in ServiceTitan's 2022 data. Large shops fell from 61% to 21%. Mornings booked best. See the 6 p.m. cliff.

$350 for an HVAC repair up to $65,909 for an in-ground pool: Angi's 2026 national averages, in Table 1. See what each missed call costs.

$170 an hour: Angi's 2026 national average for an emergency plumber. Most homeowners pay $100 to $500 an hour. No post covers it yet; source: Angi.

$428,215: the average cost to build a new single-family home in NAHB's 2024 survey of 41 builders. The average sale price was $665,298. A small sample. No post covers it yet; source: NAHB.

Table 1. Average job costs, Angi 2026 national averages

Job Average ($) Typical range ($) Angi page updated
Job In-ground pool installation
Average ($) 65,909
Typical range ($) 44,499 to 87,349
Angi page updated Aug. 5, 2026
Job Kitchen remodel
Average ($) 26,990
Typical range ($) 14,591 to 41,617
Angi page updated Sept. 4, 2026
Job Bathroom remodel
Average ($) 12,152
Typical range ($) 2,500 to 30,000
Angi page updated July 9, 2026
Job Roof replacement
Average ($) 9,609
Typical range ($) 5,902 to 46,000
Angi page updated March 5, 2026
Job HVAC system replacement
Average ($) 7,500
Typical range ($) 5,000 to 12,500
Angi page updated Aug. 3, 2026
Job Water heater replacement
Average ($) 1,348
Typical range ($) 882 to 1,826
Angi page updated July 20, 2026
Job HVAC repair
Average ($) 350
Typical range ($) 100 to 3,000
Angi page updated Aug. 4, 2026

Angi cost guides, each checked October 10, 2026. Ranges as Angi publishes them. HVAC repair range is Angi's low-to-high span.

Phone preference and Google search

Calling is still the top channel for many buyers. Most of these surveys cover buyers across industries, so read them as context for trades. The Google figures are older, and two come only through republications.

44% of high-stakes buyers prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022, in Invoca's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers. 67% called a business while buying. See 44% prefer to call.

41% of U.S. high-stakes buyers prefer calling when they have a problem, and 52% of Boomers do (Invoca, 2026, 693 buyers). Invoca's blog puts those who value human connection in a big purchase at 98%. Its press release says 83%. See 44% prefer to call.

32% of consumers ranked the phone call their top channel in Hiya's 2022 survey of 12,000 consumers in 6 countries. Email got 20%, text 12%, video 6% and website chatbots 5%. See 44% prefer to call.

71% of Gen Z respondents were likely to contact customer care by live phone after trying self-service, in McKinsey's May 2023 survey. 94% of Baby Boomers were. No post covers it yet; source: McKinsey.

60% of U.S. consumers prefer to call a local business, from BrightLocal's 2019 survey of 500, as reported by Small Business Trends and Search Engine Land. BrightLocal's own page says "the vast majority." Secondary. See 44% prefer to call.

64% of residential contractors rely mainly on phone calls to reach customers, in ServiceTitan's 2025 survey of over 1,000 contractors. ServiceTitan says thriving businesses prioritize online booking forms (10%) and texting (7%). See 44% prefer to call; source: ServiceTitan.

62% of home services customers called during their purchase in 2022, in Invoca's own survey. See 44% prefer to call.

5% of consumers chose an AI chatbot as their top channel for support questions, in Sinch's 2025 State of Customer Communications report. About 31% chose email. Live chat with a person got 22%, and a call center 19%. No Jitter reports the sample as 2,800 consumers in 12 countries. See 44% prefer to call and AI comfort on the phone.

90% of searches that surfaced a plumbing and HVAC Google listing were for a service or category, in BrightLocal's 2019 study of 45,264 listings. Locksmiths ranked first of 36 industries at 97%. See 9 in 10 searches.

38% of actions on plumbing and HVAC Google listings were calls (BrightLocal, 2019). Calls from listings grew 22% from late 2017 to late 2018. 16% of businesses got more than 100 a month. See 9 in 10 searches.

70% of U.S. mobile searchers had used click to call, in a 2013 Ipsos survey of 3,000 smartphone users for Google. 61% called it most important when ready to buy, and 47% would try other brands if they couldn't find a number fast. Secondary, as reported by Search Engine Land. See 9 in 10 searches.

60% of smartphone users have contacted a business straight from search results, in a 2019 Google study. Google's page is gone. Secondary, as reported by On The Map Marketing. No post covers it yet; source: On The Map Marketing.

76% of people who searched on a phone for something nearby visited a business within a day, in Google's May 2016 research. 28% of those searches led to a purchase. From a Google PDF. No post covers it yet; source: Google.

8.6%: the drop in Google Business Profile call clicks for service businesses, Q1 2025 against Q1 2024, in Rio SEO data. Listing views fell more than 30%. Secondary, as reported by Basar Optimization. See 9 in 10 searches.

20% of U.S. consumers contact a business after reading positive reviews, and 20% book an appointment (BrightLocal, 2026, 1,002 consumers). 54% visit the website. 66% do more research, while 34% are ready to buy. See 9 in 10 searches; source: BrightLocal.

AI on the phone and the cost of answering

Consumers are more open to AI when a person stays within reach, and most want AI use disclosed. Business use of AI is rising fast.

77% of buyers accept AI when human support remains available, in Invoca's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers. 67% prefer a person when both are equally available, while 74% prefer AI when it's faster. 84% say human connection matters in a big purchase. See 77% accept AI.

18% of buyers said AI made buying worse in Invoca's 2026 survey, down from 29% in 2025. 46% said it made it better. When AI failed, 38% blamed the brand alone and 14% the technology. See 77% accept AI.

49% of buyers prefer AI for simple tasks in Invoca's 2026 survey of 693 buyers. 43% prefer it for fast answers and 35% to skip the hold queue. They rated AI worst at context and nuance (43%) and complex problems (42%). Empathy came next, at 36%. The answers add to more than 100%, so buyers likely picked several. See what customers will let AI do.

52% of U.S. consumers believe companies using AI assistants after hours provide superior service (CallRail, 2025, 1,000 consumers). 42% report favorable AI interactions and 26% negative ones. See AI comfort on the phone and what customers will let AI do.

50% of U.S. consumers would use AI to book an appointment, and 91% of Gen Z would (CallRail, 2025). 66% would use it to check hours or location. Only 13% wouldn't use AI for any task. See what customers will let AI do.

33% of U.S. adults who recently used AI support feel comfortable with AI on voice calls (Vonage, 2024, 1,000 adults). 87% are comfortable with it in website chat and 72% in mobile apps. 85% call easy access to a live person very important, and 91% want AI use disclosed. 70% say AI improved self-service. See AI comfort on the phone; source: Vonage.

55% of small businesses used AI in 2025, up from 39% in 2024, in Thryv's survey of 540 decision-makers. Thryv calls it a 41% increase. Among AI users, 46% use customer engagement tools like chatbots and 63% use AI daily. See small business AI adoption.

52% of U.S. home service owners use AI, in Jobber's December 2025 survey of 1,050. 64% of pros under 30 do. So do 88% of high-confidence businesses, against 27% of low-confidence ones. See small business AI adoption.

85% of customer service leaders planned to explore or pilot customer-facing generative AI in 2025, in Gartner's survey of 187 leaders. 44% were exploring a voicebot and 11% piloting one. 5% had one deployed. See small business AI adoption.

0% of Fortune 500 companies will have fully eliminated human customer service by 2028, Gartner predicted in 2025. It expects 50% of organizations planning big AI-driven service cuts to drop them by 2027. See small business AI adoption.

63% of business leaders plan to adopt AI voice assistants, in Sinch's 2025 survey of 1,600 U.S. leaders. Secondary, as reported by No Jitter. See small business AI adoption.

One gap remains. No primary survey we found reports how many small businesses use AI to answer the phone. Thryv's chatbot figure comes closest. Jobber's list of AI tasks has no line for phone answering.

What it costs to answer every call. These are published list prices for monthly billing, checked on each vendor's own page on October 10, 2026. Local Voice sells AI phone agents and isn't listed.

$250 a month for 50 minutes up to $1,725 for 500 minutes: Ruby's published live receptionist plans in October 2026. Its most popular plan is $720 for 200 minutes. See what it costs to answer every call.

$300 a month for 30 calls up to $2,100 for 300 calls: Smith.ai's human receptionist plans in October 2026. Extra calls cost $8.50 to $11.50, and booking an appointment adds $1.50 a call. See what it costs to answer every call.

$29 to $349 a month: self-serve AI answering plans from four vendors in October 2026. Dialzara runs $29 to $349 for 60 to 1,000 minutes, and Rosie $49 to $299 for 250 to 2,000. Goodcall bills $79 to $299 by unique caller. My AI Front Desk's plan is $99 for 200 minutes. See what it costs to answer every call.

$38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour: the median receptionist's pay in May 2025, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's before benefits and payroll taxes. See what it costs to answer every call.

Which missed-call statistics don't check out?

11 widely shared figures didn't trace to a study that measured what they claim. For each one we looked for the original. Then we opened pages that repeat it on October 10, 2026, and chose a verified figure to use instead.

Table 2. 11 missed-call statistics we couldn't trace, and what to use instead

Claim Where it circulates What we found Use this instead
Claim "85% of callers who can't reach you won't call back"
Where it circulates NextPhone (updated Sept. 22, 2026), Dialzara's blog and AIRA. CallRail's Jan. 2025 release says "up to 85%."
What we found CallRail's release links to a 2020 CallRail post, which cites a U.K. virtual assistant firm's page. That page now redirects to the firm's homepage. Dialzara and AIRA credit PATLive, whose page doesn't show it.
Use this instead 78% have abandoned a business after an unanswered call (CallRail, 2025, 1,000 U.S. consumers)
Claim "78% of customers buy from the first business that responds"
Where it circulates Regie.ai (July 2026), with no source. AgentZap (updated May 2026), credited to HomeAdvisor with no link.
What we found No report or sample on any page we opened.
Use this instead 79% say they'll switch to a competitor that responds faster (Invoca, 2026, 693 U.S. buyers)
Claim "$126,000 a year" or "$126 billion" lost to missed calls
Where it circulates Davinci Virtual (Feb. 2026) links it to another vendor's blog. Dialzara's blog gives no source. AIRA credits an answering service's estimate.
What we found No study or method on any page we opened. We found no source for the $126 billion version.
Use this instead Your own math: missed calls Ă— 69% unreturned (Quo, 2026) Ă— booking rate Ă— job value
Claim "79% of callers can't tell AI from a human" (Stanford HAI)
Where it circulates AInora's statistics page in September 2026. On Oct. 10, that page listed 79% among figures it had removed.
What we found We found no Stanford HAI study by that name.
Use this instead 91% want companies to disclose AI use, and 33% are comfortable with AI on voice calls (Vonage, 2024)
Claim "Gartner: 60% of small service businesses will use AI phone handling by 2028"
Where it circulates AInora's statistics page in September 2026. On Oct. 10 we found it on none of the pages we opened.
What we found No Gartner report or press release says it. Gartner's 2028 prediction is that no Fortune 500 company will fully drop human service.
Use this instead 55% of small businesses used AI in 2025, up from 39% (Thryv, 540 decision-makers)
Claim "Calls convert 10 to 15 times more than web leads" (BIA/Kelsey)
Where it circulates matelso (updated Sept. 2025). MediaPost ran it in May 2017.
What we found MediaPost credited a dialogTech report that cited several firms. BIA/Kelsey's 2014 release on phone leads has no such multiple.
Use this instead 42% of phone leads convert on the call, 45% in home services (Invoca, July 2026, 70M+ calls)
Claim "Callers convert 30% faster than web leads" (Forrester)
Where it circulates Invoca's home services statistics page (March 2025), credited to Forrester with no study named.
What we found The closest match we found: a 2017 Forrester survey of 213 marketers, paid for by Marchex. 60% said callers convert 30% faster than their other customers. Those are estimates, not measured conversions.
Use this instead 45% of home services phone leads convert on the call (Invoca, July 2026)
Claim "80% (or 85%) of callers don't leave a voicemail"
Where it circulates Davinci Virtual (Feb. 2026), Dialzara's blog and AIRA (March 2026). PATLive's page says 86%, credited to "industry data."
What we found The earliest source we found is a July 2014 Forbes contributor post citing "recent statistics." It named no study.
Use this instead 42% leave a voicemail, so 58% don't (CallRail, 2025, 1,000 U.S. consumers)
Claim "27% of leads call outside 9 to 5"
Where it circulates Smith.ai's after-hours answering page, as an image caption and in its FAQ.
What we found No study or sample on the page.
Use this instead 9.8% to 14.1% of calls to residential HVAC shops came outside weekday 8-to-5 hours, weekends included, in 2025 (ServiceTitan, 2026)
Claim "47% of home service calls come after hours"
Where it circulates AgentZap (updated May 2026), as a section heading with no source.
What we found We found it only on vendor pages, with no study named.
Use this instead 34% of locksmiths' Google listing calls came after 5 p.m. (BrightLocal, 2019)
Claim "83% of homeowners prefer to call a contractor"
Where it circulates AgentZap (updated May 2026), credited to "HomeAdvisor research" with no link.
What we found No report or sample on the page.
Use this instead 44% of high-stakes buyers prefer calling a business for help (Invoca, 2025)

Local Voice review. Every page named here was opened on October 10, 2026, except AInora's September 2026 version, which comes from our research notes. "Use this instead" figures were checked at their sources the same day.

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Two of the 11 have faded. In September 2026 we found the "Stanford HAI" and "Gartner 60%" claims on AInora's statistics page. By October 10 that page listed the 79% figure as removed, and the Gartner line was gone.

How to spot a statistic you can't trace

Look for the organization and the year next to the number, plus a sample size. Then open the link. If it leads to another vendor's blog, or to nothing, leave the number out.

What to do this week

Check before you repeat. Every number on your site or in an ad should name the organization and the year. Look for a sample size too.

Swap in a verified figure. The last column of Table 2 gives one for each claim that didn't check out.

Measure your own. Pull 30 days of missed calls from your phone system. Count how many you returned within 48 hours and compare it with Quo's 69%.

Price the fix. See what it costs to answer every call, from voicemail to a live service. Local Voice sells AI phone agents, and that post prices every option, including the ones we don't sell.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of missed calls never get a callback?

69%, in Quo's 2026 analysis of 16.7 million missed calls from its customers. Only 31% got a callback within 48 hours, nearly all within 24. Callback rates ran from 41% for healthcare businesses down to 21% for non-profits. Quo didn't report home services separately.

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

We couldn't find a study behind it. CallRail's January 2025 release says "up to 85%" and links to a 2020 CallRail blog post. That post cites a U.K. virtual assistant firm's page, which now redirects to its homepage. CallRail's 2025 survey is the better figure: 78% have abandoned a business after an unanswered call.

Do 80% of callers hang up without leaving a voicemail?

No study shows it. The earliest source we found is a July 2014 Forbes contributor post that cited "recent statistics" and named none. CallRail's 2025 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found 42% leave a voicemail, so 58% don't. A 2026 YouGov survey asked U.K. adults a different question: 6% would leave a voicemail rather than wait for an answer.

How do I know if a missed-call statistic is real?

Look for the organization and year next to the number, plus a sample size. Quo's 69% passes: 16.7 million missed calls, published August 2026. Then open the source. If it links only to another vendor's blog, or to nothing, leave the number out. 11 popular claims failed that test.

How many calls come in after hours?

It depends on the trade, and few figures have a study behind them. ServiceTitan's 2026 data put 9.8% to 14.1% of calls to residential HVAC shops outside weekday 8-to-5 hours, weekends included, in 2025. BrightLocal's 2019 study found locksmiths got 34% of Google listing calls after 5 p.m. The popular "47%" figure has no traceable source.

Do customers still prefer to call a business?

Many do. Invoca's 2025 survey found 44% of high-stakes buyers prefer calling a business for help, up from 32% in 2022. In Hiya's 2022 survey of 12,000 consumers, 32% ranked phone calls first, ahead of email at 20%. ServiceTitan's 2025 survey found 64% of residential contractors rely mainly on calls.

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Methodology

How we checked

We started from Local Voice's September 2026 research file. On October 10, 2026, we reopened the source page for every figure here and compared each number with the page. Where a Local Voice post now uses a newer study, we added that study and checked it the same day.

Confidence labels

Verified primary: we read the figure on the page of the organization that produced it, including its own press release or PDF. Secondary: the original is gone or gated, so we confirmed it on a credible republication and name who reported it. Unverified: widely repeated, but we couldn't trace it to a study. Unverified claims appear only in Table 2.

When we checked

Every source was opened on October 10, 2026. That includes the figure that opens each group: 411 Locals' 62%, the Lead Response Management Study's 21-fold drop, Invoca's 44%, Invoca's 77% and Ruby's prices. Five sources reach us through republications. BrightLocal's 60% comes via Small Business Trends and Search Engine Land, and Sinch's 63% for business leaders via No Jitter. Google's 2013 and 2019 figures come via Search Engine Land and On The Map Marketing, and Rio SEO via Basar Optimization. HBR is paywalled, so we read a PDF copy. The Lead Response Management page carries no date; InsideSales.com's October 2007 release dates the study.

Counting

We count each published figure in the verified groups and Table 1 once: 192 in all, 184 verified primary and 8 secondary. A range counts as one. Sample sizes and dates aren't counted, and neither are Local Voice calculations.

Local Voice calculations

Three numbers here are our arithmetic. 44% of calls not answered by a person is 100% minus 56%, and 48% in home services is 100% minus 52% (Invoca, July 2026). 58% don't leave a voicemail is 100% minus 42% (CallRail, 2025).

Debunk checks

For each claim in Table 2 we searched the web on October 10, 2026, opened pages that repeat it and followed every link back. We confirmed 9 of the 11 still circulate that day. We couldn't find the "Stanford HAI" or "Gartner 60%" claims on any page we opened, so we describe where they ran in September 2026.

Combining studies

These figures come from different studies that measured different people at different times. Some survey consumers or owners. Others count calls on one company's platform. Don't add or average them across studies.

Where sources disagree

Invoca's 2026 blog says nearly 60% expect a reply within an hour and nearly 80% will switch. Its press release gives 56% and 79%, which we use. The blog says hold hang-ups rose from 50% to 75%, and the release calls it a 26-point rise; we use the release. The blog puts human connection at 98% and the release at 83%, so we show both. McKinsey's blog describes its 71% Gen Z figure differently from its chart; we use the chart's wording.

What we left out

Job values for veterinary, dental, real estate and wealth advisory work, which don't fit home service owners. NewVoiceMedia's $75 billion figure, which covers all poor customer service. PCN's 2026 missed-call revenue ranges, which PCN calls scenario modeling. Telnyx's 64.2% figure, from 109 respondents. Per-listing call medians from our September notes, which BrightLocal's page doesn't state. 2014 click-to-call figures whose country Econsultancy doesn't state.

Gaps

We found no primary survey on how many consumers expect a business to answer after hours. We also found none on how many small businesses use AI to answer calls.

Changes since our September research

Sinch's consumer channel figures are now confirmed on Sinch's own report page. Thryv's figures are now confirmed on Thryv's investor site, and ServiceTitan's 64% on ServiceTitan's press page. McKinsey's 71% is confirmed on McKinsey's own chart. Google's 2016 figures are confirmed in a Google PDF. Invoca's July 2026 benchmarks now lead the answer-rate and conversion lines, with the 2025 edition kept as a dated comparison. Quo's 6% now traces to the original YouGov survey of U.K. adults for Answer4u. The 2014 Forbes post does contain the 80% voicemail claim. We traced the Forrester claim to a 2017 survey of marketers, and the 85% claim to a 2020 CallRail post.

Sources

1.

411 Locals. Small Business Owners Don't Answer 62% of Phone Calls. January 18, 2016; updated 2022. Accessed October 10, 2026.

2.

ServiceTitan. Webinar recap: Mastering 24/7 customer service with Scheduling Pro's Live Services. August 18, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2026.

3.

Invoca. The Invoca Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026. July 2026. 70 million+ calls, 10 industries. Accessed October 10, 2026.

4.

Invoca. The Invoca Home Services Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report 2026. July 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

5.

Invoca. Invoca Releases Definitive Cross-Channel and Cross-Industry Buyer Conversion Benchmark Report. Press release via PR Newswire, June 10, 2025. Previous edition, cited for comparison. Accessed October 10, 2026.

6.

Quo. Small business callback statistics in 2026: Data from 16M+ calls. Rachel Bicha, August 20, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

7.

CallRail. Why businesses can't afford to miss calls. Danielle Wood, September 25, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

8.

Answer4u. How Long Will Customers Wait on the Phone Before Calling a Competitor?. YouGov survey of 2,046 U.K. adults, June 5 to 8, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

9.

Numa. The Calls You're Missing After 6PM Are Your Best Leads. Alex Schirmer, May 22, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

10.

Lead Response Management. The Lead Response Management Study. InsideSales.com data with James Oldroyd, presented 2007. Accessed October 10, 2026.

11.

InsideSales.com. XANT Research Stuns 2007 Marketing Sherpa B2B Summit. Dated October 17, 2007. Source for the study's year. Accessed October 10, 2026.

12.

Harvard Business Review. The Short Life of Online Sales Leads. James B. Oldroyd, Kristina McElheran and David Elkington, March 2011. Paywalled. Accessed October 10, 2026.

13.

Harvard Business Review (PDF copy). The Short Life of Online Sales Leads. Full text used to verify the figures. Accessed October 10, 2026.

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Jobber. 2026 Home Service Trends Report. Survey of 1,050 U.S. home service owners, December 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

15.

Invoca. 2026 Report: Consumers Embrace AI, Demand for Fast Responses from Brands Increases. Owen Ray, June 9, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

16.

Invoca. New Invoca Study Finds Consumers Won't Wait. Press release via Customer Experience Dive, June 9, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

17.

ServiceTitan. Typical call-booking rate for ServiceTitan users? The number might shock you into action. Pat McManamon, October 25, 2022. Accessed October 10, 2026.

18.

ServiceTitan. When Summer HVAC Demand Spikes, After-Hours Calls Do Too. State of the Trades, June 3, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

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29.

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30.

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. Accessed October 10, 2026.

31.

McKinsey & Company. Are the chatbots taking over?. Chart, April 12, 2024. McKinsey Customer Service Survey, May 2023. Accessed October 10, 2026.

32.

BrightLocal. Local Business Websites and Google My Business Comparison. Rosie Murphy, May 2, 2019. Survey of 500 U.S. consumers; the page describes phone preference without a percentage. Accessed October 10, 2026.

33.

Search Engine Land. Survey: More consumers trust accuracy of SMB websites over Google My Business. Greg Sterling, 2019, reporting BrightLocal's survey of 500 U.S. consumers. Accessed October 10, 2026.

34.

Small Business Trends. Customer contact statistics. May 24, 2019, reporting BrightLocal's survey of 500 U.S. consumers. Accessed October 10, 2026.

35.

ServiceTitan. New ServiceTitan Research: 63% of Residential Services Businesses Are Experiencing Consistent Growth. Press release, March 25, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

36.

Invoca. 40+ Statistics Home Services Marketers Need to Know in 2025. Owen Ray, March 4, 2025. Also cited for the Forrester claim. Accessed October 10, 2026.

37.

Sinch. The state of customer communications, Chapter 05. State of Customer Communications 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

38.

No Jitter. End Users Prefer People to AI Agents, Unless They're in a Hurry. Matt Vartabedian, June 17, 2025, reporting Sinch's survey and its sample. Accessed October 10, 2026.

39.

Search Engine Land. Google/Ipsos click-to-call study. Greg Sterling, September 24, 2013. Accessed October 10, 2026.

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41.

Google. Mobile search trends: consumers to stores. Google PDF citing Purchased Digital Diary, May 2016. Accessed October 10, 2026.

42.

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43.

BrightLocal. Local Consumer Review Survey 2026. February 11, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

44.

Vonage. Vonage Survey Reveals Increased Acceptance of AI in Customer Support. Press release via PR Newswire, November 21, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2026.

46.

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47.

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48.

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49.

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50.

Rosie. Pricing. Accessed October 10, 2026.

51.

Goodcall. Pricing. Billed by unique caller. Accessed October 10, 2026.

52.

My AI Front Desk. Pricing. Business-in-a-Box plan. Accessed October 10, 2026.

53.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists. Median pay, May 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

54.

Thryv. AI Adoption Among Small Businesses Surges 41% in 2025. Investor relations release, July 17, 2025. Accessed October 10, 2026.

55.

CallRail. CallRail Releases Report Benchmarking Marketing Efforts for Small Businesses. Press release via Business Wire, January 14, 2025. Cited for the 85% trail. Accessed October 10, 2026.

56.

CallRail. Google Call History: The Verdict. Laura Lawrie, November 13, 2020. Cited for the 85% trail. Accessed October 10, 2026.

57.

NextPhone. Phone Answering Best Practices for Business. Updated September 22, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

58.

Regie.ai. 10 Speed to Lead Statistics That Boost Sales Performance. July 13, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

59.

AgentZap. Home services phone statistics. Fatima Noor, updated May 20, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

60.

Davinci Virtual. Cost of a Missed Call and the Impact on Business Revenue. Robyn Roste, February 20, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

61.

Dialzara. Missed Calls: Hidden Costs and AI Solutions. Updated December 19, 2025. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

62.

AIRA. How Many Business Calls Go Unanswered? The Cost of Missed Calls. Updated March 29, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

63.

PATLive. The True Cost of Missed Calls. Emily Abellera, modified October 6, 2026. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

64.

AInora. AI receptionist statistics 2026. Updated September 5, 2026. Accessed October 10, 2026.

65.

matelso. Inbound Calls: 5 surprising facts. William Wells, June 3, 2023, modified September 25, 2025. Cited only to show where claims circulate. Accessed October 10, 2026.

66.

MediaPost. Ringing Phone Highly Valued By Business. May 2, 2017. Accessed October 10, 2026.

67.

BIA/Kelsey. Phone Calls Are The New Click. Press release, April 8, 2014. Accessed October 10, 2026.

68.

Forrester Consulting for Marchex. Pick Up The Phone: Your Best Customer Is On The Line. July 2017. Survey of 213 U.S. marketing decision makers. Accessed October 10, 2026.

69.

Forbes. New, Sexy World Of Call Centers Helps Small Businesses Increase Sales Significantly. Adriana Lopez, contributor, July 31, 2014. Accessed October 10, 2026.

70.

Smith.ai. After-hours answering service. Undated. Cited only to show where the 27% claim circulates. Accessed October 10, 2026.

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