Checklist for Auditing Missed Calls in the Sales Department

Do you know how many potential customers your company loses each day due to missed calls? According to statistics, about 85% of potential customers who were unable to get through on their first attempt will not call again. This means, businesses rarely get a second chance. But does the sales manager always see the real picture of missed calls in the department? Unfortunately, most companies lack a system that tracks missed calls and their causes. Therefore, the problem often remains invisible until it begins to significantly impact sales. In this article, we’ll examine seven main causes of missed calls and offer a practical checklist for auditing your communication. Use it to identify “blind spots” and find effective solutions to optimize your sales department’s work.

Inefficient Workload Distribution

Imagine this situation: at the start of the workday, five managers have already arrived at the office, but for at least half an hour, they’re drinking coffee and getting into work mode. The first customers are already calling, but their calls are being lost as employees haven’t started working yet. After lunch, when the managers are at their workstations, the phone is silent.

The problem is that peak customer activity often doesn’t coincide with your team’s work schedule. And this is a typical “blind spot” for many companies. For example:

• potential buyers call early in the morning, before managers start their workday;
• during lunch breaks, no one is in the office, though this is a convenient time for many customers to call;
• many calls come in on Saturday and Sunday when nobody is working;
• the peak of calls occurs on a specific day of the week when part of the team takes time off.

How to conduct an audit?

• Analyze when exactly the most calls come in (hours, days of the week).
• Determine if peaks in customer activity coincide with the team’s work schedule.
• Check if calls that come in during non-working hours are recorded so that employees can contact the customer later.
• Assess how many calls are missed due to work schedule misalignments.

For example, one of Ringostat’s reports clearly shows how calls are distributed by hour and day of the week.

How to solve the problem?

Plan your team’s work schedule based on real statistical data about calls.

1. Analyze the Ringostat report on call distribution by days and hours. Determine what time of day and week customer activity is highest. Adjust the team’s work schedule according to peak loads.
2. Implement a rotating schedule to ensure there’s always enough managers available during peak hours.
3. Use Ringostat functionality that allows you to set up call queues. Then even during peak hours, the load will be distributed among available managers.

The key to success is having access to analytical data and being willing to adapt your work processes to meet real customer needs.

Lack of a Transparent Control System

Have you ever asked yourself: how many customers couldn’t reach your sales department today? What about yesterday? Or over the last week? If you don’t have a clear answer to this question, your company is losing money right now.

A typical situation: the manager thinks everything is under control and says, “I can see how my people are working”. However, the reality is that you can’t physically monitor every call of every manager, and some missed calls remain “in the shadows”.

How to conduct an audit?

• Check if you have accurate data on all missed calls with numbers and the time when the call came in.
• Determine if you know which managers didn’t pick up the phone.
• Assess if you have an understanding of which missed calls have already been returned.
• Check if you can see which employees are online and which are not.

One client who used different communication methods before connecting to Ringostat’s virtual telephony described the problem: “If one call came in on number A and a second on number B, then a call from a third client would simply be dropped. These missed calls weren’t recorded anywhere, so we didn’t even know we needed to call the client back”.

How to solve the problem?

The basic functionality of Ringostat telephony, which records and stores data about all calls, including missed ones, in reports, will help.

1. Report on missed calls. Such reports are your tool for tracking all calls that didn’t reach managers. A good system should show not only the fact of a missed call but also the reason: the client reached the voice menu and disconnected, the call came in during non-working hours, the line was busy, etc.
2. Report on unprocessed missed calls. A valuable report that shows “hot” issues ― calls to which clients have not yet been called back. It automatically updates when a manager contacts a client, keeping only those contacts that need attention in focus. The best result is achieved when the report on unprocessed missed calls is empty at the end of the day. This means the team has worked through every potential client.
3. Real-time team monitoring. The report allows you to see which employees are currently:

• talking with a client;
• free and ready to take a call;
• in “do not disturb” status;
• completely offline.

Implementing such monitoring gives impressive results. The manager can quickly identify problems, and managers can quickly recover clients who couldn’t get through. As a result — significantly fewer lost sales.

Outdated Telephony

Have you ever lost an important call due to connection issues? Imagine a client calling to place a large order or solve a problem, but hearing only short beeps or receiving no answer at all. Such a client is more likely to turn to competitors than to keep trying again and again. How many important calls like these do you miss each week?

Both mobile services and outdated analog phone systems have significant drawbacks and no longer meet the needs of modern businesses.

How to conduct an audit?

• Determine how many simultaneous calls your phone system can handle.
• Assess if customers complain about busy signals or inability to get through, especially during peak hours.
• Ask employees if they often have to tell callers: “Sorry, the connection was poor”?
• Check if you lose connection due to technical problems or power outages.
• Analyze if you can quickly scale your system during advertising campaigns or seasonal demand increases.

How to solve the problem?

It’s worth switching to a virtual PBX with reliable infrastructure. It’s like upgrading from a broken path to a modern multi-lane highway.

1. Multichannel numbers. A modern virtual PBX allows you to receive an unlimited number of simultaneous calls to one number. Every client can get through, even if all operators are busy — they’ll enter a queue and wait for a manager’s response.

2. Reliable infrastructure. Professional solutions have backup communication channels. If one communication operator becomes unavailable, the system automatically switches to another, and the client doesn’t even notice the difference.

3. Ability to set up thoughtful call forwarding schemes. A modern virtual PBX allows you to set up various complex call handling scenarios:

• distribution of calls among managers according to a certain algorithm;
• call forwarding to mobile phones during non-working hours;
• an answering machine with information about working hours on weekends;
• directing calls to duty managers.

According to Ringostat’s client data, after implementing a virtual PBX, the number of processed calls increases by an average of 33%, while the speed of call processing improves by up to 110%.

Lack of a Unified Communication Channel

Today’s clients use a multitude of communication methods: they call, write on WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger, leave messages on the website, and even send regular SMS. Can your managers really keep track of every inquiry?

When communications are scattered across different channels, a manager simply physically cannot monitor 5-7 different applications simultaneously, and the history of communication with the client is “torn” between different platforms. If managers constantly complain about lack of time but are juggling a dozen windows — the problem is obvious.

How to conduct an audit?

• Count how many different applications and programs are open on your manager’s computer.
• Ask employees if they have to respond to messages that have been “hanging” for an hour or two.
• Check if your managers can quickly find the entire history of communication with a specific client.
• Assess how much working time is spent switching between different communication channels.

How to solve the problem?

1. A single window for all communications. There are solutions that allow you to combine incoming and outgoing calls, messages from messengers (such as WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook), SMS, and chats from the website in one application.
   
2. Intelligent features during interaction. Professional communication applications show who is calling even before you pick up the phone, display the context of the inquiry, and allow you to click through to the client card in the CRM with one click.
   
3. Complete communication history. The entire history of communication with the client is stored in one place, regardless of which channels they used previously.
   

According to feedback from Ringostat clients, implementing a convenient communication application allowed them to increase the number of processed inquiries by 25-30% without expanding their staff. “It’s much easier to work with headphones and manage communication using the keyboard and mouse than to ‘fight’ with a dozen different applications”, noted one of Ringostat’s clients.

Insufficient Manager Motivation

Paradoxically, managers may consciously skip calls if the company hasn’t created a system that motivates them to take every call. Focusing on current tasks, working with current “warm” clients, employees often ignore new incoming inquiries, considering them less of a priority.

How to conduct an audit?

• Check if your KPI system includes metrics related to processing incoming inquiries.
• Compare the number of missed calls among different managers. If it differs significantly, this may indicate problems with the motivation of certain employees.
• Note when exactly the number of missed calls increases, for example, if this happens at the end of the month when managers are trying to close current deals.
• Assess whether the motivation system provides incentives for quality work with incoming inquiries.

How to solve the problem?

1. Include in KPIs such achievements as the percentage of answered calls, response speed, quality of inquiry processing according to company standards.
2. Introduce additional bonuses for the absence of missed calls during the month, and incentives for managers who effectively convert new incoming calls into deals.
3. Ensure transparency through visualization of data on missed calls in reports or dashboards.
4. Regularly discuss the performance indicators of work with incoming calls.

It’s important to create a motivation system that encourages managers to view each incoming call as a valuable opportunity for both the business and themselves, rather than an annoying distraction from their “main” work.

Low Awareness About the Client During a Call

Imagine: a client calls for the third time, and the manager doesn’t answer. Why? Perhaps because they only see an unknown number and don’t realize that this is an essential client with whom negotiations have already been conducted. Without contextual information, managers often miss calls that seem insignificant to them. Or calls they plan to return later.

When a manager receives an incoming call “blindly”, without any information about the client, it’s impossible to determine the priority of the call and there’s no understanding of how urgent it is to answer.

How to conduct an audit?

• Review the reports on missed calls. How many were follow-up attempts from existing customers?
• Ask managers if they understand who exactly is calling before picking up the phone.
• Check if your communication system automatically directs calls from existing clients to the managers responsible for them.
• Find out if the history of interaction with the client is available to managers right during the conversation.

How to solve the problem?

Set up telephony integration with CRM, which will provide instant identification of the client during each call and access to all data about them at the moment of the call. Such integration, in particular, allows directing calls from existing clients directly to managers responsible for their deals. This not only reduces the risk of missed calls but also ensures that clients are instantly connected with specialists who are familiar with their needs and history.

Also, thanks to integration, the entire history of communication, including conversation recordings and notes from Ringostat AI, is stored in the system. During the next conversation, the manager can easily recall what was discussed previously.

The call application can also help reduce the number of important missed calls. First, during an incoming call, the manager immediately sees the client’s name and can click through from the application to the deal card in the CRM with one click.

Also, in the Insider section of the Ringostat application, you can view valuable information about the client:

Learn more about the capabilities of the Ringostat application — “5 Tasks Solved by the Ringostat Application for Calls and Work in CRM”.

Lack of Automation for Routine Processes

When a manager is forced to spend time after each call filling in data, entering information into the CRM, creating tasks, they become tempted to occasionally “cut corners” and skip some calls. This is especially felt during periods of high workload, when each additional call and subsequent actions take up valuable time.

With a high call volume, routine actions can consume up to 3% of working time. With 30 calls per day, that’s already 45 minutes of routine daily, or 15 hours per month per employee. And for a department of 5 people, that’s 75 lost hours monthly. It’s not surprising that under such conditions, managers begin to evaluate which calls are “worth” answering and which can be skipped.

How to conduct an audit?

• Calculate the average amount of time a manager spends filling out a CRM after each conversation.
• Determine if call records in the CRM are created automatically.
• Check if managers need to manually create new client cards.
• Determine if the process of creating tasks after missed calls is automated.
• Pay attention to the number of missed calls during peak hours and at the end of the workday when routine tasks accumulate the most. If you notice a pattern — managers avoid answering calls precisely during these periods — the cause is likely an excessive amount of manual work.

How to solve the problem?

Integration of telephony with the CRM system allows automating up to 90% of routine operations:

• automatic recording of the call fact in the CRM;
• automatic creation of deals, contacts, tasks after calls — exactly in the right funnel and with the appropriate status;
• attaching audio recordings of conversations to the client card;
• automatic creation of “Callback” type tasks after missed calls;
• identifying and transferring to the CRM the advertising source from which the call came — thanks to integration with call tracking.

Thanks to automation, the sales department has the opportunity to focus on the main thing — quality communication with clients and closing deals, not fighting with paperwork.

Learn more about the benefits of such integration — “6 Advantages of Ringostat and CRM Integration to Streamline Sales”.

Examples of Solving the Missed Call Problem: Ringostat Client Case Studies

To demonstrate the effectiveness of different approaches to solving the missed call problem, let’s consider several cases of companies that connected and set up virtual telephony.

Polish rubber products manufacturer Power Rubber faced a typical problem: an ordinary mobile phone used for receiving calls couldn’t meet the company’s needs. Due to single-channel numbers, clients often heard busy signals if someone was already talking to a manager. After implementing virtual multichannel telephony and setting up sequential call forwarding between employees, the number of answered calls increased from 22 to 43 per day — nearly doubling.

Another example is the Polish company Regeneruj, which sells auto parts. Previously, their call forwarding scheme was quite simple: if the first manager didn’t pick up, the call went to the second; if the second didn’t answer either — the call was simply dropped. Information about the lost client wasn’t recorded anywhere. Implementing Ringostat telephony, configuring flexible forwarding schemes with a voice menu, and using the call application allowed them to increase the number of answered calls by 25-33% per year. Now three managers process about 100 calls daily without increasing staff.

Logistics operator GANEX faced inconsistency problems between different systems. After connecting Ringostat telephony and setting up integration, “smart” call routing was implemented: when an existing client calls, the system checks which manager is responsible for their deal and immediately directs the call to the right employee. This minimized the number of missed calls from important clients and significantly reduced the time needed to process each inquiry.

Final Checklist for Auditing Missed Calls

A lost call is more than just a technical issue — it’s a missed opportunity for profit and a potential client who might turn to competitors. Analyze how many calls you lose each day, calculate the potential revenue losses, and assess how answering 30-50% more calls would impact your business.

Use this checklist to identify the key issues causing your company to lose potential clients:

1. Team Workload Distribution. Analyze whether the managers’ work schedule aligns with peaks in customer activity.
2. Control System. Check if you have complete and accurate information about all missed calls.
3. Technical Infrastructure. Assess if your telephony functionality meets both the needs of your business and the call volume.
4. Communication Channels. Determine whether communications with clients are distributed across different platforms.
5. Manager Motivation. Check if your motivation system encourages employees to promptly process all incoming inquiries.
6. CRM Integration. Check if managers have access to client information during calls.
7. Process Automation. Measure the time spent on manual data entry after each customer interaction.

Taking a systematic approach to solving the missed call problem will not only increase your answer rate, but also significantly improve your sales department’s efficiency. It will enhance customer experience and boost conversion rates from incoming inquiries to closed sales.