Plumbers are potentially losing in the region of £500 worth of business every week due to missed phone calls, according to research conducted on behalf of everreach, which surveyed over 250 small business owners and senior employees across various trades.

everreach, a new phone service to help busy small business owners take full control of their business calls, has conducted a survey to explore the challenges that small businesses in general, and tradesmen in particular, face when trying to manage their business calls

The Running Your Small Business Better survey looked at issues such as what missed calls cost in terms of lost revenue, as well as more personal elements, for example to what extent out of hours work calls might impact on time with the family.

The survey results showed 87% of respondents use a mobile as their main business number and over half also said they bring their own phones to work rather than being supplied with a company handset.

Over a quarter of all calls to these phones are new business related, with figures showing plumbers receive the highest number of calls for new work at around 38%. So how much do plumbers stand to lose when these calls are missed?

The survey revealed that plumbers charge on average nearly £1,000 per job. This figure, combined with the rate at which they miss new business calls, means they are potentially losing in the region of £500 worth of business every week due to missed phone calls. That’s £26,000per year in lost revenue.

The vast majority of respondents worry about missing calls and losing business as a result, and nearly half of plumbers said having a way to ensure calls are answered would improve their business.

Over a quarter of tradesmen surveyed said they can't switch off at home as they frequently have to take work calls. Significantly, 60% said either their partner or kids have accidentally answered their work calls in the past, while 21% admitted to accidentally deleting a voicemail themselves before listening to it or taking the number down.

“Missed calls mean missed revenue opportunities,” said Nick Mullen, chief executive officer of everreach. “The figures equate to hundreds of thousands of pounds in potentially lost revenue just in relation to the plumbers covered by our survey. The results illustrate the hidden communication challenges faced by small businesses such as these, but also show that addressing them can be financially rewarding and have a positive impact on the way they run their business.”