Missed call tracking for small sales teams

Decide what counts as a missed call

Phone systems count missed calls in different ways, so settle the definition before you compare one week with the next. Most teams count an inbound call as missed when no person answered it. It rang out, went to voicemail, or the caller hung up while waiting in a queue. A call the auto attendant transferred to someone who picked up is an answered call.

Two details change the count a lot:

• Very short hang-ups. Calls that end in the first few seconds are often wrong numbers or misdials. Many teams leave out anything under about five seconds.
• Repeat callers. If one customer calls three times in ten minutes and gets through on the third try, the log shows two missed calls. Count missed callers as well as missed calls, so one persistent customer doesn’t look like a crowd.

Write the definition down and use it every time.

Four numbers worth tracking

1. Missed calls by day, split by line, ring group or rep, depending on how your calls are routed.
2. Same-day callback rate: the share of missed callers who got a call back before the end of the same business day.
3. Wait time: how long each missed caller waited between their call and yours.
4. Missed calls by hour, so you can see when the phones go uncovered.

Of the four, the same-day callback rate is the one to watch from week to week. A small team will always miss some calls, and the callback rate shows how quickly those customers hear back.

Find the hours you miss most

Export two to four weeks of your call log and count missed calls by hour of the day. On small teams the misses often bunch up around opening, lunch and the last hour before close, when people are on other calls, out of the office or wrapping up orders.

Once you know the hours, the fixes are usually simple. Stagger lunches so the main line always has someone on it. Have one person stay on the phones until closing. Add a second ring group that picks up overflow. Set a time each morning when someone works through the callback list before anything else.

See which missed calls cost money

The call log tells you a call was missed. To know what it cost, match each caller’s number to your customer list and look at what happened next: whether they called again, whether an order followed that day or that week, or whether the account went quiet.

A regular account that called, got voicemail and then placed no order that week deserves a call from a manager. A new number that never called back may have bought from the next supplier on their list. Phone system reports can’t show you this part because they don’t have your orders.

Tracking it by hand

Our free sales call report template has a row for each rep with calls taken, calls made, missed calls and missed calls returned. Fill it in from the phone system each morning for two weeks and you’ll know your same-day callback rate and your worst hours.

For the export itself, our guide to call log reporting covers where to find it in the common phone systems.

What Morning Tally does with missed calls

The daily page lists every missed call from yesterday that nobody has returned, in the order they should be called back. Each one shows the caller’s name when the number belongs to a customer, how long they have been waiting, and what they said in the voicemail when your phone system makes transcripts. Missed calls and same-day callbacks by rep are in the totals at the top of the page.

Common questions

Does a call that went to voicemail count as missed?

For most teams, yes. The caller wanted a person and didn’t reach one. If your team returns voicemails quickly, the same-day callback rate will show it.

Should after-hours calls count?

Track them separately. A team that closes at five can’t answer a call at nine at night, but that caller should still be near the top of the next morning’s callback list.

What about calls taken on a cell phone?

Only calls that go through your business phone system appear in its log. Most business phone systems have a mobile app, and calls made or taken in the app are logged like any other.

Which phone systems can export missed calls?

The common business phone systems keep missed calls in the call log, including Aircall, CallRail, Dialpad, JustCall, Nextiva, RingCentral, 8x8 and Zoom Phone. Look for call history, analytics or reports in the admin settings.