---
id: "claim-missed-calls-percentage"
type: "claim"
source_timestamps: ["00:12:27", "00:12:35"]
tags: ["customer-service", "statistics"]
related: ["concept-missed-call-text-back"]
confidence: "medium"
testable: true
speakers: ["JP Middleton"]
---
# Businesses Miss 62% of Inbound Calls

## Claim

On average, local brick-and-mortar business owners in America **miss 62% of inbound phone calls** from customers wanting to spend money with them.

## Why It Matters

This statistic is the load-bearing argument for the [[concept-missed-call-text-back]] employee in the [[concept-5-employee-ai-system]] bundle.

## Confidence

**Medium** — the underlying phenomenon (many local businesses miss many calls) is well documented by call-tracking vendors, but the precise 62% figure is on the high end of published estimates.

## Nuance (from Enrichment)

- Reported missed-call rates vary widely by **vertical** (healthcare, home services, fitness, etc.), **hours covered** (24/7 vs. business hours), and **definition** of "missed" (no answer vs. routed to voicemail).
- Some industry studies show missed-call rates in the **20–40% range**.
- **60%+ rates appear in worst-case verticals or specific contexts**, not as an all-industry average.
- Practical reading: treat "62%" as marketing shorthand for "a shockingly high number," not a definitive benchmark.

## Testability

Trivially testable per client: install a call-tracking system for 14 days and measure the actual unanswered-call rate.