Tools / Calculator
AI receptionist ROI calculator
Last updated · By Jacob Campos
Short answer: Take the revenue at risk from missed calls, multiply by the share the tool realistically recovers and by your gross margin, then compare that to the tool's monthly cost. The recovery rate is the number to test before you trust the result.
The defaults are placeholders, not benchmarks. The recovery rate matters most: test the tool for a few weeks and use the number you actually see.
How it's calculated
- Revenue at risk per month: the same formula as the missed-call calculator.
- Recovered revenue = revenue at risk × recovery %.
- Recovered gross profit = recovered revenue × gross margin.
- Net = recovered gross profit − tool cost. Monthly ROI = net ÷ tool cost.
- Payback in days = tool cost ÷ (recovered gross profit ÷ 30).
Assumptions
- The recovery rate is your estimate. We don't publish a typical rate because we haven't measured one. Run a trial and use your own result.
- Tool cost should include per-minute or per-call overages, phone numbers, and setup fees from the vendor's pricing page.
- It ignores staff time saved, which may be real but is harder to measure.
- Results are estimates, not a promise of any outcome.
FAQ
What should I put for tool cost?
The total monthly bill at your call volume: plan price plus any per-call or per-minute charges. See our tools comparison for prices checked against vendor pricing pages.
Why include gross margin?
Recovered revenue isn't profit. Using gross margin gives a fairer comparison against the tool's cost.
How do I measure the recovery rate?
During a trial, count missed or after-hours calls the tool handled and how many became booked jobs you wouldn't otherwise have had. Compare to a baseline period.