Where the leak comes from
Homeowners still call. According to Invoca's analysis of the 2022 home-services buyer journey, 62% of home-services customers called a business during their purchase. But according to Invoca's home-services call data, 18% of those calls go unanswered on weekdays and 41% go unanswered on weekends. The reason is banal: the owner is in an attic, on a ladder, or driving between jobs. Google doesn't tell you this happened. Your CRM doesn't either.
How the number gets big so fast
Two levers do most of the work: your weekly call volume and your average job value. A single HVAC install cleared, per HomeAdvisor's 2026 cost guide, runs $5,000 to $22,000. Miss one of those a quarter and you're already past the annual cost of most website+receptionist tools. And speed of answer compounds the leak — HBR's 2011 lead-response study found the odds of qualifying a lead drop roughly 10× when you respond after 5 minutes vs. 1 minute.
What actually recovers it
- A website that captures leads in-page. Half your traffic is on a phone with poor cell service. If the site doesn't have a one-thumb form above the fold, you lose the lead before the call even happens.
- An AI receptionist for the calls you can't take. Answers on the first ring, captures the address and problem, routes emergencies to you, and drops the lead in your inbox.
- Missed-call auto-text-back. If a call rings through to voicemail, the homeowner gets a text within seconds so the lead doesn't walk to the next result. Fast response matters — see HBR's 5-minute rule.
Relay ships all three at flat pricing. No per-seat, no per-minute. Compare us to ServiceTitan, Rosie, or Goodcall.