A missed tow enquiry has no fixed dollar value. Some callers are outside the service area, some call several companies and some only need an impound answer. Begin with your own call log. The towing answering service workflow can help define which requests are relevant before you assign a value.
Use three inputs you can defend
- Missed calls per week: unique potential tow jobs, after excluding spam, repeat attempts and non-job enquiries.
- Average job value: what comparable completed jobs actually billed, rather than an optimistic recovery quote.
- Close rate: the share you reasonably expect to win when reached in time, allowing for availability and equipment.
The calculator starts at five missed calls per week, a $175 job and a 40% close rate. These are illustrative inputs, not towing industry averages or Wenly customer results. Replace every one with your own figure. The method multiplies missed calls, job value and close rate by 52 divided by 12 for a monthly estimate.
Replace this illustrative towing scenario
The starting numbers are examples, not averages. Change them to match your business.
Lost to missed calls
You could be losing about $1,517 a month.
That is about $18,200 a year, from about 9 jobs a month.
5 calls a week × $175 × 40% × 4.33 weeks a month.
Wenly Starter is $99 a month. At your average job, winning back 1 job a month covers it.
Start free for 7 daysRevenue at risk is not profit
Fuel, driver time, maintenance, insurance, deadhead miles and the work you would otherwise be doing affect the value of an extra job. The calculator does not subtract them. It also assumes each counted call is a separate job and none is recovered later. Both assumptions can overstate the result if you count repeat calls or successful callbacks.
Separate the kinds of towing work
From call log to a defensible estimate
Recognize the request
Review missed enquiries against callbacks and completed jobs.
Record useful context
Separate local tows, club requests and work outside your area.
Choose the approved route
Replace the example inputs with figures you can explain.
Confirm the next step
Track accepted and paid jobs after any coverage change.
| Request or option | Capture or test | Decision that stays with your team |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat call for one pickup | Count the underlying enquiry once | Avoid duplicate potential revenue |
| Job outside service area | Exclude from recoverable work | Do not assume every missed call was bookable |
| Accepted and collected tow | Use collected value and operating costs | Revenue differs from contribution |
A local tow, a motor-club request, a winch-out and a scheduled move can have different collected values and acceptance rates. Run separate scenarios when the mix matters. An impound release enquiry is not automatically a new tow. Avoid multiplying every unanswered ring by the largest invoice in your books.
Count for a normal operating period
Review missed calls against completed work and callbacks. Flag repeat numbers, requests outside your area and hours when no truck could accept a job. Include quiet periods as well as busy weather. If the sample is small, show a lower and upper estimate rather than calling one week typical.
Compare the cost of coverage
Compare your expected contribution from additional accepted jobs with the full cost of answering and follow-up. Read current Wenly plans and minute allowances, then account for the time your team spends returning calls. The after-hours coverage comparison explains when a phone rotation or human call centre might fit better.
Measure what happens after the call
An email is a lead, not a booking. Record whether your team reached the caller, accepted the tow and collected payment. Review why jobs were declined: price, distance, equipment or no available driver. Improving the dispatch handoff or using the intake checklist may help without extending your operating hours.
Open the standalone calculator with towing inputs to try another scenario. No figure in this post promises that answering calls will recover revenue or pay for a plan.
Continue with towing call answering workflow, after-hours answering and fallback setup, what a usable dispatch handoff contains.