Avoid misleading missed-call statistics with these 3 source checks.
Published by Penny · Updated · Sources and corrections
Before you use a missed-call percentage to justify a purchase, check what it measures. A survey about screening unknown numbers is different from a count of unanswered business calls. Neither tells you how many jobs your office lost.
This review covers the claims in Penny’s June 2026 research notes, with linked sources checked again in September. Some lack a verifiable study in our review; others are estimates or measure a different question. Pew provides useful evidence about call screening, with limits worth keeping alongside the number.
Three checks before you use a missed-call statistic.
A vendor quoting another vendor does not establish a result. Follow the links until you find the survey or call records, the people studied, and the method used to count the result.
A vendor’s customers may be useful to study, but their calls do not represent every small business. Check the industry, time period, sample, and whether reaching voicemail counts as an unanswered call.
Call screening, missed calls, and lost revenue are different measures. A large number about one does not supply the missing evidence for another.
What the source supports, claim by claim.
These verdicts distinguish unsupported claims, estimates, and findings that need their original context. A missing source is a reason to withhold a number, not proof that no study exists.
| The claim vendors quote | Verdict | What it traces to |
|---|---|---|
| The “85%-never-call-back” claim about callers who reach voicemail | Don’t cite | Our review did not locate original research that supports this as a general callback rate. Repetition on vendor pages does not supply the missing sample or method. Ask for those before using it. |
| The “skip-voicemail” claim about most callers leaving no message | Don’t cite | A 2014 CRM magazine article attributes a figure to Forbes magazine without identifying a study or its method. The article does not establish a general rate for your customers.CRM magazine, November 2014 |
| The “62%-unanswered” claim about calls to small businesses | Don’t cite as-is | Penny’s earlier research notes traced this to a vendor survey. We have not verified a study that supports it as a rate for all small businesses. Check the sample and definition of “unanswered,” including how voicemail is counted. |
| The “trillion-dollar” claim presented as revenue lost to missed calls | Don’t cite | Marchex’s linked research announcement estimates purchases influenced by click-to-call advertising. Purchases influenced by calls are not revenue lost when calls go unanswered. The source does not support that substitution.Marchex research announcement, July 2015 |
| The “voicemail-abandonment” range repeated as a measured rate | Don’t cite as-is | The 2014 CRM article attributes this range to the CEO of LiveAnswer. It does not give a sample or method for that estimate. Attribute it as his estimate if discussing the article; do not use it as a measured rate.CRM magazine, November 2014 |
| Pew’s 2020 finding on declining unknown cellphone calls and checking voicemail | Cite — within scope | 67% of U.S. adults said they generally do not answer unknown cellphone calls but check voicemail if one is left. This describes call screening. It does not measure unanswered business calls or lost sales.Pew Research Center — Americans and unknown calls (2020) |
Source review updated 2026-09-07. Rows with no verified study are marked above. These findings apply to the claims reviewed here, not every study of business calls.
Pew measured call screening, including voicemail checking.
Pew’s result helps explain why some people screen a callback. Keep the voicemail finding attached to it.
In a 2020 Pew survey, 67% of U.S. adults said they generally decline cellphone calls from unknown numbers but check voicemail if one is left. A callback from an unfamiliar number may be screened; the survey also shows why leaving a clear message matters.
That is not a forecast for your business. To estimate your own missed-call problem, review unanswered inquiries, successful callbacks, and resulting appointments in your records. Keep those counts separate from spam and existing-customer calls.
- Population. U.S. adults answering a survey about their cellphone habits.
- Survey dates. July 13–19, 2020. Keep the year with the finding.
- Scope. Unknown incoming numbers and voicemail behavior, rather than business conversion or revenue.
Use your own call records to estimate the opportunity.
Count the inquiries your office could not answer and record what happened next. How many left a message, reached you on a callback, or booked a job? Compare the same time period before and after a change in coverage.
Penny does not have a verified customer conversion figure to publish here. Any future performance claim needs its period, method, and limits beside it. The demonstrations on this site show call handling; they are not measured customer outcomes.
Judge Penny by the calls your business needs handled. Read the examples on the AI answering service page, see the rules she follows in your trade on the industry pages, or read sourced, dated pricing in the answering service cost guide.
Questions about the numbers vendors quote.
Check the source, the people studied, and the result the number measures.
Our review did not find original research that supports it as a general rate. Ask the publisher for the study, sample, period, and definition of a repeat call before using the number in a business decision.
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