When someone calls your business, they have something important to say, which warrants your attention. In a world of live chat widgets and bots, a well-handled call with a genuine human interaction is the gold standard. It can also be the breakaway from “we’ll get back to you in 2-3 business days” to giving your brand authenticity.  

The problem?  

Businesses unintentionally sell themselves short by delivering the opposite experience: endless ringtones… voicemail… “please send an email”. That’s not just a missed call – it’s a missed opportunity to connect meaningfully with your clients and consumers to build trust. And for those dealing with your business for the first time, it may be their last. 

In this blog, we explore how you can stop missing calls this year and turn this into your greatest CX secret weapon. 

Answering incoming calls is a crucial part of your CX strategy 

CX isn’t only your website design or how quickly you reply to emails; it’s the sum of every interaction a customer has with your business. When people call, it is often their first means of contact with you, and first impressions count! 

Think about the different journeys when people pick up the phone: 

  • They’re ready to buy and need a final answer. 
  • They have a problem and want it solved now. 
  • They’re anxious about an order, booking, payment, or deadline. 
  • They’ve tried other channels and still don’t have what they need. 

A missed call at any of these moments can leave customers facing practical, logistical, and financial inconveniences, creating uncertainty and frustration. Customers start filling in the gaps themselves: Are they open? Are they reliable? Will they respond? If they can’t answer now, what happens when I actually need help? 

Even a simple call answering service can ensure that your phone is answered promptly and professionally in your business name, showing people that your business is present and relevant. When calls fall by the wayside, even the best marketing in the world can’t compensate for poor responsiveness or customer service. 

What missed calls really cost 

It’s tempting to treat missed calls as “just one of those things”, especially when you’re busy in meetings, or running a lean team. But the impact of this is tangible, and it can stack up quickly in 3 areas: 

1. Lost leads (the silent revenue leak) 

    Missed calls often come from people who are already motivated. They’ve gone beyond browsing. They’re reaching out. But if they don’t get through, many won’t try again – they’ll just call the next option on the list. 

    2. Churn (because support is part of the product) 

      Existing customers don’t judge you only on the quality of your goods or services rendered. They also buy into your offering based on how easy it is to reach you when something goes wrong. If they can’t get hold of you, they feel unsupported, and unsupported customers leave. 

      3. Reputation (word-of-mouth spreads fastest) 

        People talk. They leave reviews. They tell colleagues. “Couldn’t get hold of them” reads as “unreliable”, even if your service is excellent when you do answer. 

        So yes – missing calls costs money. But it also costs confidence, loyalty, and goodwill. The good news is that the fix isn’t overly complicated or costly. 

        Practical fixes to stop missing calls 

        Fix #1: Add call overflow support so that busy doesn’t mean unreachable 

        Your team can’t be everywhere at once. Flexible call overflow cover as call volumes increase solves this without you having to recruit, train, or stretch people thinner. 

        When call answering companies like The Answering Service provide call overflow support, your calls are answered when you need it most – during peak periods, back-to-back meetings, after-hours, or as full-time coverage. Messages can be captured accurately and sent on immediately via your preferred channel (email, SMS, or WhatsApp), so you stay in the loop without being chained to the phone. 

        Beyond being an admin add-on, this is exactly where a professional call answering service can slot into your CX toolbox. You protect the customer experience while your team protects their focus. 

        Fix #2: Patch urgent calls through when a message isn’t enough 

        Some calls shouldn’t be taken and logged – they should be connected immediately. 

        Call patching is ideal for urgent queries, on-call teams, field service businesses, IT support, healthcare providers, property management, and any organisation where it matters to reach the right people in real-time. Instead of a caller leaving a message and waiting, the call is screened and transferred straight through to the correct person or department. 

        Done well, this sparks an immediate CX upgrade: 

        • Customers feel heard and prioritised. 
        • Issues are resolved faster. 
        • Your team gets fewer repeat calls and escalations. 
        • You look organised – even if your day is chaos behind the scenes! 

        If you don’t want to miss calls, but also can’t take every call, patching is the middle ground: the right calls get through, while the rest are handled professionally. 

        Fix #3: Book appointments instead of saying “call back later” 

        “Can you call back?” sounds harmless, but to a customer, that’s more effort, time, and uncertainty. It’s also one more task on a list already full of to-dos. 

        Appointment scheduling flips the experience. Instead of hoping the customer calls back at a better time, you offer a clean next step: “Let’s book you in.” 

        A call answering service with appointment scheduling means bookings and meetings can be made in your diary in real-time. This ensures customers leave the call with something confirmed, not pending. 

        It is one of the simplest ways to reduce friction and improve CX in a way customers instantly notice. It also creates operational calm: fewer missed connections, fewer voicemail games of ‘tag’, and a steadier pipeline of confirmed conversations. 

        The bottom line: be reachable, reliably 

        This year, customers don’t just want speed – they want certainty. The easiest way to achieve that is to make sure someone answers when they call, and that every call leads somewhere useful: a message delivered instantly, an urgent call patched through, or an appointment booked. 

        If you want the quickest CX win you’ll make all year, stop missing calls, and make your phone line work like a customer experience channel it truly is. 

        Click here to start your free trial and experience what our professional call answering service can do for your business, or call us on 0333 5555 247.