Why missed calls are the most expensive line item nobody tracks
The average small Israeli business loses 30–40% of its inbound phone calls. Lunch breaks, after-hours, simultaneous rings, sick days, holidays. Each missed call isn't a missed conversation — it's a customer who Googled the next number and called your competitor. The cost is invisible because there's no line item in QuickBooks called "revenue we didn't book".
A clinic in Ra'anana with 60 calls per day at a 40% miss rate is losing roughly 8,800 calls per year. If 12% of answered calls book an appointment worth NIS 800, that's NIS 845,000 walking out the door — annually. The receptionist saving the business NIS 12,000 a month is costing it 6× that in foregone revenue.
This calculator does the arithmetic out loud. You input five numbers; it computes nine outputs in real time. No email gate, no sales call. Share the result with your accountant or your partner — the share button generates a URL that reproduces the exact same calculation.
How to use this calculator
Start with the daily call volume from your phone provider's dashboard (Bezeq, Hot Mobile, Cellcom, or whoever routes your line). For the "currently answered" slider, be honest — most businesses overestimate. If you don't have hard data, 60% is a defensible median for SMBs without a dedicated after-hours line.
Human receptionist cost should be the fully-loaded monthly number: salary, employer taxes (Bituach Leumi, pension), and benefits. NIS 12,000 is the Tel Aviv median in 2026; adjust for periphery (lower) or specialised roles (higher).
For revenue per converted call, use the average value of a booked appointment, signed contract, or completed transaction that traces back to a phone call. If you don't track this, use your average customer lifetime value divided by your typical buying-cycle length.
Toggle between NIS and USD at the top. Use the Print button to save a PDF for your business plan. Use Share to send the calculation to a partner.
What this calculator assumes
- 12% conversion rate on answered calls. This is a conservative SMB blended rate. Specialised services (medical, legal) tend to be higher; general retail lower.
- ~3 minutes average call length. Used to estimate Link Voice cost. Adjust mentally if your calls are longer (e.g. consultations).
- $0.10–$0.20 per minute for Link Voice. The range reflects simple vs. complex call types. We show the range, not a fake single number.
- 312 business days per year (6 days/week minus 1.5 weeks of holidays). Common Israeli SMB cadence.
- NIS ⇄ USD at 1 NIS = $0.27. Updated when the bank rate drifts materially.
For deeper background on what an AI receptionist actually does — and where the technology fits between IVR menus and a human — read about Link Voice. There's a working demo on that page.