Frequently asked questions
AI automation ROI — your questions answered
How much revenue do missed calls cost Australian businesses?
Australian service businesses typically miss 20–35% of inbound calls. For a business receiving 300 calls per month at $380 average job value, that's roughly $595,000 in annual revenue at risk. When you factor in customer lifetime value — the revenue lost from not acquiring that customer at all — the true cost is often 3–5× higher than the initial job value. Trades businesses are among the most affected, with electrical and plumbing companies missing 28–32% of calls on average because they're on the job when the phone rings.
What is the ROI of an AI receptionist?
CallSorted customers typically see 40–120× ROI on their monthly subscription. A business paying $499/month that recovers $49,000 in monthly missed-call revenue achieves approximately 98× ROI. Because the AI receptionist answers every call 24/7 — not just during business hours — businesses often see a disproportionately high recovery of after-hours enquiries that would otherwise go to a competitor.
How does this AI automation ROI calculator work?
The calculator uses your monthly call volume, current miss rate, and average job value to compute monthly and annual revenue at risk. It applies your selected booking conversion rate (the percentage of answered calls that convert to a booking or job). When you select an industry, it also shows your customer lifetime value analysis — the long-term revenue at stake from each missed caller becoming a customer of a competitor. All benchmarks are based on peer-reviewed data and CallSorted's own platform analytics from 1.2M+ calls.
Which industries does the ROI calculator cover?
The calculator includes benchmarks for 19 industries across five categories: Trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, solar, building & construction), Healthcare (medical/GP, allied health, dental, psychology), Legal & Finance (legal, accounting, bookkeeping, financial advisory), Property (real estate sales, property management, strata management), and Retail & Hospitality (retail, ecommerce, hospitality). Each industry has its own miss rate, LTV, CAC, and booking conversion benchmark.
Why do trades businesses miss so many calls?
Tradespeople miss calls because they are physically on the job — on a roof, under a sink, or installing electrical circuits. It's impossible to safely take a call while working with live wires or at height. Industry data shows electrical businesses miss 32% and plumbing businesses miss 30% of inbound calls on average. The typical Australian tradie works a 10-hour day with 2–4 hours of calls going unanswered. Each missed call costs not just the immediate job, but potentially years of repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.
How quickly does CallSorted answer calls?
CallSorted answers calls in under 0.8 seconds — faster than any human receptionist can pick up. The AI qualifies the caller, captures their details, books the appointment into your calendar, updates your CRM, and sends an SMS summary to you — all before the caller hangs up. Callers consistently rate the experience as professional and human-like.
Does CallSorted work for businesses outside Australia?
Yes. CallSorted serves businesses in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. All Australian call data is processed on onshore Australian infrastructure — your data never leaves Australian soil unless you explicitly request it. We're compliant with the Australian Privacy Act and GDPR for UK customers.
What does AI automation cost compared to a human receptionist?
A full-time human receptionist in Australia costs $55,000–$75,000 per year in salary, super, leave, and overheads — and only works during business hours. CallSorted starts from $299/month (approximately $3,588/year), answers 24/7/365, and never calls in sick. For most service businesses, the ROI calculation takes less than 60 seconds — use the calculator above to see your numbers.