Operations
What Missed Calls Actually Cost a Generator Dealer
By Andrew Brockenbush · Published · 5 min read
Marketing reports measure what arrives. They almost never measure what got dropped on the floor. For generator dealers, the floor is the phone.
The arithmetic
Take your average install ticket. Take your close rate on an in-home assessment. Now estimate the calls you miss in a month: after hours, during surges, and while your office manager is already on another line. Multiply.
Most single-location dealers we audit land somewhere between two and five lost installs per month in normal weather, and far more during an outage event. That is not a rounding error. It is usually larger than the entire marketing budget.
Why voicemail does not work in this category
A homeowner without power is not in a patient mood. They are calling from a list. If you do not pick up, the next dealer does, and that homeowner was ready to buy at full price with no shopping around.
What changes with 24/7 answering
- Every call answered, including nights, weekends and holidays.
- Unlimited simultaneous calls, so a surge does not put anyone on hold.
- Qualification and booking straight into the calendar.
- Faster response times, which also lifts your Local Services Ads ranking.
Fix your phone before you buy more leads
Spending more on ads while the phone goes unanswered is pouring water into a bucket with a hole in it. Fix the phone first. Then increase the spend and watch the cost per booked estimate drop.