ROI Calculator: What's Your Receptionist Actually Costing You?

The hidden cost of a human receptionist

A full-time receptionist in Australia costs roughly $55,000–$75,000 in base salary. Add super, payroll tax, workers compensation, leave loading, sick days, and recruitment, and the real cost climbs to $75,000–$100,000 per year. And they still go home at 5pm.

The missed-call cost nobody counts

Even with a receptionist, calls still slip through. Lunch breaks, sick days, busy periods, and after-hours all create gaps. Each missed call is a lost job worth hundreds of dollars. Over a year, missed calls often cost more than the receptionist's salary.

How to calculate your real number

Use this simple framework to find what unanswered calls are costing you right now.

• Calls per week × missed-call rate × 4.33 weeks = missed calls per month
• Missed calls per month × average job value = lost revenue per month
• Add human receptionist total cost, divided by 12, for monthly admin cost
• Compare against a flat monthly phone-answering service fee

A real example

A plumbing business receiving 60 calls per week with a 25% miss rate, averaging $500 per job, is losing roughly $28,000 per month in missed revenue. A human receptionist costs $7,000 per month and still leaves nights and weekends uncovered. Revafone answers every call for a fraction of that.

When to hire, when to automate

Hire a human receptionist when you need complex dispatch, relationship management, and in-office coordination. Automate first when your biggest problem is missed calls, after-hours enquiries, and inconsistent qualification. Most growing businesses need both over time — but automation should come first.