Most owners know they miss some calls. Few know how many, or who those callers were. A large set of Australian call data published this year gives a useful benchmark, and the most important number in it isn't the miss rate. Here's what it found, how far to trust it, and a 15-minute check that gives you your own figure.
In August 2026, Dynamic Business reported on an "Australian SME Lead Response Report" from a Sydney digital marketing agency. The agency analysed more than 207,000 inbound calls to 858 of its client businesses across nine industries.
| Industry (from the report coverage) | Calls not answered |
|---|---|
| Flooring | 17.9% |
| Roofing | 17.6% |
| Average across all nine industries | 9.2% |
| Pest control | 5.1% |
| Solar | 1.8% |
Figures for the other industries weren't in the coverage we could read, so they're not listed here.
Treat it as a benchmark, not a verdict. The calls came from businesses that were already paying a marketing agency, not a random sample of Australian businesses. The agency also sells phone automation and marketing, and Dynamic Business flagged that itself. Your own miss rate could be higher or lower, which is why the check further down matters more than the average.
A regular customer who reaches your voicemail usually tries again or sends a text, because they already know you. A new caller is different. They found you a minute ago, on a search page or a directory, with several other businesses listed beside you. If you don't pick up, the next number is one tap away.
In this data, seven in ten calls came from people who had never rung that business before. For locksmiths it was more than eight in ten. Most missed calls in it were new work, not regulars who would ring back later.
The agency also put a marketing price on it. It said paid search leads typically cost $80 to $150 each, so a business taking 200 calls a month with a 9.2% miss rate loses around 18 callers and between $1,440 and $2,700 of ad spend a month. If you don't pay for ads, you still lose the job itself. Our guide to what a missed call costs an Australian tradie walks through that maths with your own numbers.
The published figures don't single out cleaning businesses or allied health clinics, so we won't guess a number for them. The problem looks the same, though. A cleaner on a job with gloves on can't answer, and neither can a physio in the middle of a session. Run the same two-week count. For clinics, look closely at calls that come in during sessions and after hours, because that's when new patients tend to give up and book somewhere else.
See how KookaDesk works for roofers, locksmiths, pest control, cleaning businesses and physio clinics, or browse all industries.
Ring our demo line on 0495 105 561. It answers as a demo plumbing business, so try it the way a new customer would. Standard call rates to an Australian mobile apply. Prefer not to call? You can talk to the demo in your browser. KookaDesk answers missed calls, emails and website enquiries for businesses anywhere in Australia, and texts you the job.
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