Source checked 19 September 2026. Benchmarks describe a dataset, not a forecast of your results.
Start with a dataset, not a headline
Invoca’s 2026 Lead Conversion Benchmarks Report analyses more than 70 million calls and 600 million minutes of conversations across ten industries. It is a useful research starting point, but its customer population is not the same as a sample of UK sole traders.
Read the original Invoca report ↗
Unanswered does not always mean lost
A caller may try again, leave a message or complete their task through another channel. Count recovered enquiries and completed jobs separately. An industry average cannot tell you which missed calls would have become work.
Measure the gap in your own business
- Count incoming calls over a representative month.
- Separate answered calls, missed calls and messages left.
- Track which missed callers you reached and which were genuine enquiries.
- Record the jobs you actually won and their contribution after costs.
A transparent worked example
Suppose 20 missed calls include 10 genuine enquiries, and two become completed jobs after you call back. At £150 contribution per job, those two jobs contribute £300. Subtract a £49 plan and the illustrative balance is £251 before other costs. These are example inputs, not measured results or promised returns.
Choose a useful next step
Compare what you capture today with the details you need for a callback. Our answering-service comparison explains the options without assuming one is right for every business.