Blog · Home Services
Home Service Companies Lose $50K+/Year
to Missed Calls—Here's the Fix
February 25, 2026 · 5 min read
You're on a roof. Your phone rings. You can't answer it. That caller—a homeowner who needs storm damage repair and is calling three roofers—goes to your voicemail. They don't leave a message. They call the next company. You paid $85 for that Google Ads click and never even knew they called.
This is the daily reality for every home service trade: roofers, landscapers, house cleaners, handymen, painters, fencing contractors, and pressure washers. You're in the field doing the work. The phone is ringing. Nobody's there to answer it.
The Cost by Trade
The financial impact varies by trade, but the pattern is universal—missed calls mean missed revenue:
- Roofing: Average job value $8,000–$15,000. Cost per Google Ads lead: $75–$150. One missed call = one $10K+ job potentially lost.
- Landscaping: Average new client value $2,500–$5,000/year (recurring). Miss the first call, lose the entire annual contract.
- House Cleaning: Average recurring client value $3,600–$7,200/year ($150–$300 biweekly). First-call response wins the client.
- Handyman: Average job $200–$500. Volume-dependent—missing 10 calls/week costs $2,000–$5,000/month.
- Painting: Average job $3,000–$8,000. Homeowners typically call 3 painters; first to answer gets the estimate appointment.
- Pressure Washing: Average job $300–$600. Seasonal surge—spring and fall calls spike, and you're on a job site when they do.
The Google Ads Problem
Home service companies spend $1,500–$10,000/month on Google Ads and Local Service Ads. That spend generates calls. But here's what the data shows:
- 47% of home service calls arrive outside business hours (ServiceTitan, 2025)
- 30–40% of daytime calls go unanswered when crews are in the field
- 62% of unanswered callers won't leave a voicemail (BrightLocal, 2025)
- Average Google Ads cost per click for home services: $15–$85 depending on trade
- Net result: 25–40% of your ad spend generates calls that nobody answers
If you're spending $5,000/month on Google Ads and 30% of the resulting calls go to voicemail, you're lighting $1,500/month on fire. That's $18,000/year in wasted ad spend before you even count the lost job revenue.
Why the Owner-Operator Model Breaks Down
Most home service companies under $2M in revenue don't have a dedicated receptionist. The typical setup:
Owner Answers the Phone
Works until the owner is on a ladder, under a sink, or running a mower. Then it goes to voicemail. The owner tries to return calls during lunch or after 6 PM—by which time the homeowner has already booked someone else.
Spouse / Office Manager
Common in small operations. Works until they're busy, sick, on vacation, or handling three calls at once during a spring rush. No coverage on evenings or weekends.
Answering Service
Costs $500–$2,000/month for a busy home service company. Takes a message. Can't check your schedule, verify your service area, or provide a quote range. Adds a callback delay that kills conversion rates.
How AI Answers Every Call—While You're on the Job
Vox for Home Services operates like a dispatcher who never takes a break:
Service Area Verification: Checks the caller's zip code or city against your coverage area. No more driving 45 minutes to a job outside your zone because the answering service didn't know your territory.
Job Intake: Captures what they need—roof repair, lawn maintenance, deep clean, fence installation—plus property details, preferred schedule, and urgency level.
Estimate Scheduling: Books estimate appointments directly on your calendar. The homeowner gets a confirmed time. You get a complete job ticket before you arrive.
Emergency Routing: A burst pipe or storm damage call at 2 AM gets routed immediately to your on-call number with full details. Routine calls queue for normal business hours.
The Math: A Landscaping Company Example
- Monthly inbound calls: 120
- Missed calls (35%): 42
- Callers who don't leave voicemail (62%): 26 lost leads
- Conversion rate on answered calls: 30%
- Jobs lost per month: ~8
- Average job value: $400 (one-time) or $3,600/year (recurring)
- Lost revenue: $3,200/month minimum—or $28,800/year in recurring contracts
Add Google Ads waste ($1,500–$3,000/year in clicks that produce unanswered calls) and the total hidden cost for a small landscaping company easily exceeds $50,000/year.
The Seasonal Surge Problem
Home service businesses are seasonal. When the phone rings most, you're least available to answer it:
- Spring (March–May): Landscaping, pressure washing, painting, and roofing calls spike 200–300%. Every crew is in the field.
- After storms: Roofing and tree service calls surge. You're already working 12-hour days on existing jobs.
- Holiday season: House cleaning demand peaks. Your regular crew is maxed out.
AI doesn't have a busy season. Vox answers 10 simultaneous calls as easily as one. No hold queues. No dropped calls. No overtime.
What to Do Next
If you're running Google Ads or paying for leads but missing calls from the field, you're paying to generate business and then handing it to your competitors. See how Vox works for home service companies →
Stop Losing Jobs to Voicemail
Every call answered, every job captured—even when you're on a roof.