What to measure on incoming calls: eight metrics, formulas and a weekly routine
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
On incoming calls, track eight metrics, not just the count: answer rate, call-backs to missed calls, answer speed, queue abandonment, call-to-request rate, repeat calls, source and cost per request. The two that matter most are answer rate and call-to-request rate. Keep unwanted calls separate, look at the numbers by hour, and compare once a week on the same day. Fix one thing every week.
Why “number of calls” isn’t enough
“300 calls a day” sounds good. But if 60 went unanswered, 20 were wrong numbers and only 40 became requests, the picture is very different. These numbers are only an example. The count shows how busy the phone is; the other metrics show how much money it brings in.
Eight key metrics
| Metric | How to calculate | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Answer rate | Answered ÷ all calls | How “open” your phone is |
| Call-backs to missed calls | Called back within 15 minutes ÷ missed | How fast you win back customers who are slipping away |
| Answer speed | Answered within 15 seconds ÷ answered | How long callers wait |
| Queue abandonment | Hung up while waiting ÷ calls that queued | Whether you have enough lines and staff |
| Call-to-request rate | Requests (bookings, orders) ÷ answered customer calls | Whether calls turn into money |
| Repeat calls | Numbers that called twice or more in 7 days ÷ all numbers | Whether questions are solved the first time |
| Source | Answers to “How did you find us?” | Which ads work |
| Cost per request | Cost of running the phone ÷ number of requests | What each request costs you |
Worked example: one week
- All calls: 700. Answered: 630. Answer rate: 630 ÷ 700 = 90%.
- Missed: 70, of which 50 were called back within 15 minutes: 50 ÷ 70 ≈ 71%.
- Of the answered calls, 20 were unwanted (wrong numbers, sales pitches). Customer calls: 630 − 20 = 610.
- Requests: 180. Call-to-request rate: 180 ÷ 610 ≈ 30%.
- Cost per request: monthly phone costs (salaries and telephony) of 12 million so‘m and 720 requests a month: 12,000,000 ÷ 720 ≈ 16,700 so‘m.
All of this is only an example. This week’s weak spot is that almost a third of missed calls weren’t called back in time. That’s exactly what to fix next week.
The weekly routine: Monday, 20 minutes
- Export last week’s calls to Excel: number, date, time, duration, answered or not, outcome.
- Mark the unwanted calls separately.
- Work out four numbers: answer rate, call-backs to missed calls, call-to-request rate, repeat calls.
- Compare with the previous week, and look by hour: lunchtime, evenings, ad days.
- Choose one thing to fix, and check the result next Monday.
Common mistakes
- Counting only the total and not seeing the missed calls.
- Not separating unwanted calls, so the call-to-request rate looks too low.
- Looking only at averages: 90% for the day can hide 60% at lunchtime.
- Not asking “How did you find us?”, so the ad budget is spent blind.
- Changing several things in one week, so you can’t tell what worked.
What you see in Sado’s portal
An AI operator for incoming calls answers every call in about a second, so answer rate and answer speed stop being a problem. In the portal every call has its recording, transcript, the caller’s answers (need, timing, source), a short summary and next step, bookings and cost. You can download the list to Excel and ask the portal assistant, Yordamchi, about your calls in plain words, such as “How many requests came in yesterday?”.
Each call’s cost is shown next to it: only talked minutes, 800 so‘m a minute. More: pricing. If you use Bitrix24, calls and leads also appear in your CRM reports: Bitrix24 integration. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Which inbound call metric matters most?
Two: answer rate and call-to-request rate. The first shows whether your phone is open; the second shows whether calls turn into money.
How often should you check the metrics?
Once a week, on the same day. During an ad campaign, check daily: call numbers change hour by hour.
How do you calculate the cost per request?
Divide a month’s phone costs (salaries, telephony, services) by the number of requests that month. In Sado each call’s cost is shown next to it: 800 so‘m a minute.