Missed messages calculator

Enter how many customers message you a day, how many arrive when nobody can answer, your average order value and your own guess at how many buy. The calculator shows how many enquiries wait each month and the revenue riding on them, using only your figures.

Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.

What this calculator does

Customers message when it suits them: late in the evening, at weekends, in the middle of a busy shift. Some of those messages sit unanswered until the next morning. This calculator turns your own numbers into a simple picture of how many enquiries wait, for how long, and how much of your revenue depends on them.

Every figure below starts as an example so the calculator shows something straight away. They are not industry averages and they are not about your business. Replace each one with your own before you read the result.

Every starting figure is an example. Change each one to your own.

New customer messages a dayCount the conversations customers start on a typical day, across every channel. Example: 20.Share that arrive when nobody can answer (%)Evenings, nights, weekends and busy hours with the phone face down. Example: 30.Average wait before they get an answer (hours)For those messages only, in hours. Overnight is often 8 to 14. Example: 10.Average order or booking valueIn your own currency. Use what a typical customer spends. Example: 60.Share of enquiries that become a sale (%)Your own guess. Check it against last month if you can. Example: 10.Share of waiting enquiries that go elsewhere (%)Your own guess at how many buy from someone who answered first. Example: 25.

Under your assumptions

Enquiries that wait, a day	6
Enquiries that wait, a week	42
Enquiries that wait, a month	180
Customer-hours spent waiting, a day	60
Sales value riding on those enquiries, a month	1,080
Of which you expect to lose, a month	270
Of which you expect to lose, a year	3,285

Money is in the currency you used for order value. Monthly figures use a 30-day month. These are estimates from your own guesses, not a forecast.

How the sums work

The calculator multiplies your daily messages by the share that arrive out of hours to get the enquiries that wait each day. It multiplies those by the average wait to show how many customer-hours are spent waiting. Then it applies your conversion guess and order value to show the sales value riding on those enquiries, and your guess at how many go elsewhere to show the part at risk. Monthly figures use a 30-day month.

There are no hidden figures. If you think fewer customers go elsewhere, lower that number and the result falls with it. The point is to see your own assumptions laid out, not to be told what they should be.

Where to find your own numbers

A week of honest counting gives a far better answer than any rule of thumb. Here is where each figure comes from:

Messages a day: scroll back through a normal week on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email, count the new conversations and divide by seven.
Out of hours: note the time of each one and count those that arrived when nobody was free to answer.
Average wait: for those messages, how long passed before your first reply.
Order value and conversion: from your till, booking system or shop, for customers who first got in touch by message.

Reading the result honestly

The two money figures answer different questions. The sales value riding on waiting enquiries is what those customers would spend if they all bought as often as your other customers. The part you expect to lose is the slice of that you think goes to a business that answered first. Neither is a forecast, and both move with every guess you change.

Try a low and a high version of each guess. If even the cautious version is a figure you would notice, waiting messages are worth fixing. If it is small, your time may be better spent elsewhere, and that is a useful answer too.

What you can do about waiting messages

An away message tells people you have seen their message, but it cannot answer the question. An AI agent connected to your own accounts through Spaces can reply the moment a message arrives, at any hour: opening times, prices, availability, bookings and order updates. Anything that needs you, such as a complaint or a refund, it acknowledges and leaves for the morning.

Replies to people who message you are not held back by warm-up, so this works from the first day on a newly connected account. Every account still stays inside its sending limits, and you can pause all sending at any time.

FAQ

Are the default numbers typical for my industry?

No. They are examples so the calculator shows a result straight away. Replace every one with your own figure.

Is the result money I am definitely losing?

No. It shows the value riding on enquiries that wait, and the part you think goes elsewhere. It is only as accurate as the guesses you put in.

What counts as out of hours?

Any time nobody is free to answer: evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and busy hours when the phone stays in a pocket.

How would an AI agent answer messages at night?

Spaces connects your own WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Messenger, X and email accounts to the AI agent you use, such as Claude or ChatGPT, so it can read and reply to customers at any hour inside safe sending limits.

Will the agent answer everything on its own?

Only what you tell it to. Most owners let it answer simple questions and hand complaints, refunds and anything sensitive to a person.

Does the calculator store what I type?

No. It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to Spaces or saved.