How do you work out what a missed order costs?
You need three numbers: how many calls you miss a week, what share of them was an order, and what an order brings in on average. Multiply them, and turn the week into a month: a month is 52 weeks divided by 12, about 4.33 weeks.
- Count the missed calls for a week. Your mobile shows them; on a landline they are in the list on your handset or with your provider.
- Estimate the share that wanted to order. Whoever calls at peak hours usually calls to order; whoever calls during the day more often has a question.
- Take your average order from your till: a week’s turnover divided by the number of orders.
- Multiply: missed calls × share that wanted to order × average order × 4.33 = missed turnover a month.
What does a worked example look like?
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Missed calls a week | Value: 10 |
| Share that wanted to order | Value: 70% |
| Missed orders a week | Value: 7 |
| Missed orders a month (× 4.33) | Value: 30 |
| Average order | Value: €25 |
| Missed turnover a month | Value: €758 |
| Missed turnover a year | Value: €9,100 |
These are example values, not figures about snack bars in general. They are already filled in in the calculator above; replace them with your own numbers.
What does this sum leave out?
- It is turnover, not profit. Purchasing, staff and energy still come off; for the profit, multiply by your gross margin.
- A customer who calls back later after a missed call is not lost. Leave them out if you know.
- The customer who stops calling after a few busy tones is not in it. A regular who stays away costs more than one order.
How do you stop missing orders?
- Forward on busy or no answer to a second phone or a colleague. That only helps if someone there has time.
- Put someone on the phone alone at peak hours. That costs an hourly wage every evening.
- Have an answering service pick up. It takes a message you still have to call back; the difference is in Joep or a receptionist or answering service.
- Have an AI phone assistant answer. Joep takes several calls at once and puts the order on the receipt out of your printer.
Joep costs €100 a month, with no per-call charges. At an average order of €25 you earn that back with 4 orders a month you would otherwise have missed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know how many calls I miss?
Your mobile keeps the missed calls; on a landline they are in the list on your handset or in your provider’s app. Count an ordinary week, with a quiet Tuesday and a busy Friday in it, and you get a fair average.
Is the outcome turnover or profit?
Turnover. Purchasing, staff and energy still come off. For the missed profit, multiply the outcome by your gross margin, the share of turnover left after purchasing.
What does Joep cost compared with a missed order?
Joep costs €100 a month, with no per-call or per-order charges, and you try him for 7 days for free. At an average order of €25 he has paid for himself with 4 orders a month you would otherwise have missed. How he works is on Joep for orders.
