of calls were actually answered by home service businesses in one analysis. Owners estimated 97%.
Service Direct, Home Service Call Performance Report (2019), as reported by Abby ConnectIndustry stats
Benchmarks for the trades
Sourced figures for owners who would rather check than guess. Every number names where it came from.
What a paid lead costs
Google Ads cost per lead. Branded and non-branded search behave like two different businesses.
| Campaign type | HVAC | Plumbing |
|---|---|---|
| Branded search | $34 | Not reported |
| Local Services Ads | $51 | $57 |
| Performance Max | $72 | $82 |
| All campaigns, blended | $104 | Not reported |
| Non-branded search | $149 | $183 |
Speed and the phone
of callers who reach voicemail do not leave a message.
Forbes survey, as reported by DestinationCRMof people whose call goes unanswered never call back.
Message Direct research, as reported by Windsor Telecomhigher odds of reaching a web lead called at 5 minutes instead of 30.
Oldroyd and Elkington, Lead Response Management Study (2007)higher odds of qualifying that lead across the same gap.
Oldroyd and Elkington, Lead Response Management Study (2007)average first response to a web lead across 2,241 U.S. companies.
Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, Harvard Business Review (2011)Your existing customers
what it can cost to win a new customer compared with keeping one.
Gallo, Harvard Business Review (2014)potential profit gain from a five-point improvement in retention.
Reichheld, Bain & Companyof consumers would switch to a competitor after one terrible experience.
Verint, The State of Customer Experience 2026AI on the phone
trust AI to resolve an issue when there is a clear path to a human.
Five9, 2026 Business Leaders CX Reporttrust AI to resolve it when there is no path to a human.
Five9, 2026 Business Leaders CX Reportaverage yearly turnover in contact-center jobs.
Nextiva, Key Causes of Call Center Turnover (2026)The workforce
All three trades are projected to grow much faster than average.
| Occupation | Jobs | Median pay | 10-yr growth | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC mechanics and installers | 440,900 | $61,010 | 11% | 40,600 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters | 510,600 | $63,800 | 7% | 42,000 |
| Electricians | 821,000 | $63,190 | 9% | 72,700 |
Your people: pay, turnover, hiring and shortages
What a typical trade business pays, how often people leave, what it costs to replace them, and how tight the market is.
Typical annual pay by role
| Role | Median | Lowest 10% | Highest 10% | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC technician | $61,010 | $40,050 | $95,210 | BLS |
| Plumber | $63,800 | $44,150 | $108,420 | BLS |
| Electrician | $63,190 | $42,640 | $108,510 | BLS |
| Field supervisor (mechanics and installers) | $79,860 | - | - | BLS |
| Sales representative, services | $69,990 | - | - | BLS |
| Dispatcher (non-emergency) | $50,340 | - | - | BLS |
| Bookkeeper | $50,670 | - | - | BLS |
| Customer service representative | $44,770 | - | - | BLS |
| Plumbing helper (mean, not median) | $43,730 | - | - | BLS |
What an employee really costs
In construction-related occupations, employers spent $47.46 an hour in total compensation in June 2026: $32.25 in wages and $15.21 in benefits. That is about 47 cents of benefits for each wage dollar. At that national average, a tech earning the $61,010 median would cost about $89,800 a year, before the truck, tools, training and overhead. Small shops often offer fewer benefits, so use your own numbers.
Technician turnover
| Trade | Turnover | Average tenure | Median tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 21% | 3.44 years | 2.9 years |
| Plumbing | 18% | 3.96 years | 3.47 years |
| HVAC | 16% | 3.54 years | 3.06 years |
Other published figures run higher or lower depending on who is counted. Across all of construction, about 4.3% of jobs turned over in September 2026 (BLS JOLTS, preliminary), a figure that includes project work ending. Measure your own: technicians who left in 12 months ÷ your average number of technicians.
Hiring and replacement costs
| Measure | Figure | Source and quality |
|---|---|---|
| Average cost per hire, non-executive | $5,475 | SHRM 2025 benchmarking, all industries |
| Full cost to replace one HVAC tech, including lost production | $15,000 to $25,000 | Vendor and industry estimates. Not audited, so treat as a starting point. |
| Time for a new hire to reach baseline productivity | 6 to 12 months | Field service software provider, customer data |
| Plumber or electrician apprenticeship | 4 to 5 years, about 2,000 paid hours a year | BLS |
Example: 10 techs × 18% turnover × $20,000 per departure = $36,000 a year. Swap in your own numbers.
The shortage
- Construction needs an estimated 349,000 net new workers in 2026 and about 456,000 in 2027, according to Associated Builders and Contractors. More than half of the 2026 need is to replace retirees, and about 20% of the workforce is over 55.
- 92% of construction firms had trouble filling positions in the AGC and NCCER 2025 survey. 77% of firms that employ electricians said they are hard to find.
- The top reasons: candidates lack skills or qualifications (57%), new hires fail to show up or quit soon after starting (48%), and they lack credentials such as a license or clean background check (41%).
These surveys cover construction broadly, not only home service companies.
How to measure your own
Use the same definitions month to month, or the trend means nothing.
| KPI | Formula | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Answer rate | Answered calls ÷ total inbound calls | Shows how much demand reaches a person |
| Average speed to answer | Total wait time ÷ answered calls | Long waits become hang-ups |
| Abandonment rate | Calls hung up in queue ÷ calls offered | Each one may be a lost job |
| Speed to lead | Time from lead received to first call attempt | Interest fades quickly |
| Connect rate | Live conversations ÷ dials | Shows list quality and calling times |
| Booking rate | Booked appointments ÷ live conversations | Measures the call itself |
| Show rate | Shown visits ÷ booked visits | Measures booking quality |
| Close rate | Sold jobs ÷ shown visits | Measures the in-home visit |
| Average ticket | Sold revenue ÷ sold jobs | Set separately for service and replacement |
| Cost per lead | Marketing spend ÷ leads | Report branded and non-branded separately |
| Cost per shown appointment | Program spend ÷ shown visits | Closer to what you actually buy |
| Board fill | Booked slots ÷ available slots | Use techs actually on the schedule |
| Plan renewal rate | Plans renewed ÷ plans expiring | Shows customer loyalty |
Third-party figures come from the named sources and may change. Lead-cost benchmarks: SearchLight Digital, plumbing and Local Services Ads; HVAC figures as summarized by WebTonic.
Best practices
Best practices for what these numbers mean
Missed calls
Calls ring out at lunch, after 5 and on the first hot or cold day, and most of those callers don't call back.
- Measure your true answer rate by hour of day, not your gut feel. Most owners guess high.
- Cover the gaps on purpose: lunch, the first and last hour of the day, Saturdays and the first big weather day.
- Set an overflow rule: after a set number of rings or calls waiting, calls roll to a second person or an outside team.
Slow response to new leads
Web forms, ad leads and quote requests wait hours for a call back, and by then the homeowner has booked someone else.
- Send every lead source to one place, so nothing sits in an inbox.
- Call first, then text if there is no answer. Leave a short voicemail with a call-back number.
- Make three attempts in the first 48 hours, at different times of day.
Hiring and keeping good techs
Good techs are hard to find and easy to lose, and every departure costs months of production.
- Hire for attitude and teach the trade, with a clear path from helper to lead.
- Plan the first 90 days: ride-alongs, checklists and weekly check-ins.
- Hold stay interviews with your best people before they think about leaving.