In today’s competitive market, knowing your cost per call isn’t just smart — it’s essential to profitability. Every inbound call represents both an expense and an opportunity. Without accurate data, businesses risk bleeding money on inefficient call handling and missing out on revenue from unanswered enquiries.
Calculating the Real Cost Per Call
Your cost per call is more than just a phone bill. To get the true figure, you need to total all the costs of running your call handling operation and divide by the number of inbound calls received in a set period. Key costs include:
- Staff wages & benefits – Salaries, training, and recruitment.
- Technology & equipment – Headsets, PCs, call handling software, CRM licences.
- Telecoms – Line rental, SIP trunks, call routing charges.
- Premises – Rent, business rates, utilities, insurance.
- Overheads – Heating, electricity, maintenance, cleaning.
If your total monthly call centre running cost is £10,000 and you receive 5,000 inbound calls, your cost per call is £2.00. Suddenly, every unanswered call starts to feel a lot more expensive.
The Hidden Cost of Missed Calls
Missed calls don’t just cost in wasted wages — they often mean lost revenue. For example:
- If your average lead is worth £200 in revenue.
- Your sales conversion rate from inbound calls is 20%.
- Then every qualified call is worth £40 in revenue potential.
Miss 50 calls a month and you’ve potentially lost £2,000 in revenue — before even considering the long-term lifetime value of those customers.
Why 100% Call Answering Matters
Industry research shows that up to 80% of customers will not call back if they don’t get through the first time. That means even missing a small percentage of calls can dramatically reduce your lead flow. If you’re only answering 90% of inbound calls, that could mean losing 10% of your leads every single month.
In a competitive industry, answering 100% of calls is the difference between hitting targets and falling short.
Turning Data into Action
By calculating your cost per call and understanding the value of each enquiry, you can make informed decisions about:
- Whether to invest in more staff or automation.
- The ROI of outsourcing to an AI or hybrid call handling service.
- Identifying peak times and reallocating resources for better coverage.
- Reducing costs without reducing service levels.
The Competitive Advantage
Businesses that know their numbers have the edge. They can budget accurately, invest where it matters, and stop revenue leakage from missed calls. Whether you run your own in-house team or outsource to a specialist, tracking the cost of each call and ensuring no lead is missed is one of the simplest ways to boost profits without spending a penny more on marketing.
Bottom line: Every call has a cost. Every missed call has a price. The businesses that measure both — and act on it — are the ones that grow faster and outpace their competitors.
