Full comparison

Every way to handle a missed call
compared honestly.

Voicemail, answering service, virtual receptionist, or TextBack Pro. Here is what each option actually costs you, in money and in lost leads.

Start free trial → See pricing

Doing nothing is the most expensive option.

It feels free to let a call ring out. But 91% of callers won't leave a voicemail, and most ring a competitor within 5 minutes. Every one of those is a job handed to someone else.

Use the calculator to see what missed calls are actually costing your business each month.

Missed calls per week 10

Average job value £200

£7,774

in potential monthly revenue lost to missed calls

Your five options, at a glance

TextBack Pro

£47/mo

Flat, no per-call fees

Best value

Instant auto-SMS, AI conversation, Google Calendar booking. 24/7, no human needed. 10-minute setup.

Voicemail

Free

But costly in lost leads

High hidden cost

91% of callers hang up. No reply, no record, no reason for the caller to wait. You lose the lead before you know about it.

Answering service

£100–£500/mo

Plus per-call charges

Expensive

Human answers in your name. Good for complex calls but slow, pricey, and the caller still gets no written reply.

Virtual receptionist

£200–£1,500/mo

Contract required

High cost

Dedicated receptionist, best-in-class service, but pricing is out of reach for most trades businesses. Long contracts.

In-house receptionist

£1,800+/mo

Salary, NI, holiday, sick

Not practical

Gold standard for large businesses. Not a realistic option for sole traders or small teams.

Full feature comparison

Every important dimension, side by side.

Feature	TextBack ProBest	Voicemail	Answering service	Virtual receptionist	In-house receptionist
Cost
Typical monthly cost	£47	Free	£100–£500	£200–£1,500	£1,800+
Per-call fees	✓ None	✓ None	× Yes	× Yes	× Salary
Contract required	✓ No	✓ No	× Yes	× Yes	× Employment
Free trial	✓ 14 days	×	×	×	×
Speed and availability
Reply speed when missed	Under 30s	× No reply	2 to 5 min	2 to 5 min	Next day
Available 24/7	✓	✓	Depends	Depends	×
Works while you're on a job	✓	✓	✓	✓	Sort of
Setup time	10 minutes	Instant	1 to 3 days	Days to weeks	Weeks
What the caller gets
Caller gets immediate reply	✓ SMS	×	Voice only	Voice only	Voice only
Written record caller can refer to	✓	×	×	×	×
Caller can reply in their own time	✓	×	×	×	×
Caller's enquiry captured in full	✓	×	Basic message	✓	✓
Automation and intelligence
AI two-way conversation	✓	×	×	Limited	×
Google Calendar booking	✓ Pro+	×	×	Some	Manual
Follow-up SMS sequence	✓ Pro+	×	×	×	Manual
Dashboard and lead history	✓	×	Some	Some	Manual
UK GDPR compliant	✓	Your setup	Varies	Varies	Your setup

Our honest verdict on each option

For UK sole traders and small trades teams specifically.

Voicemail

A free tool that costs you leads.

Voicemail has no direct cost, which is why most businesses keep it. But the indirect cost is significant: 91% of callers hang up when they hear the beep, and most will ring a competitor before you've even noticed the missed call. If your business runs on inbound enquiries, voicemail is working against you.

Skip it as a primary strategy

Phone answering service

Good cover, difficult economics.

A human answering service (Moneypenny, alldayPA, AnswerConnect) does a good job for businesses with complex inbound calls. The problem is cost: most UK services charge £100 to £500 per month plus per-call fees, and contracts make it hard to leave. For a sole trader who mostly needs missed calls captured, it's overkill.

Worth it only for high-complexity calls

Virtual receptionist

The gold standard, at a gold standard price.

A dedicated virtual receptionist is the closest you can get to an in-house person without hiring one. They know your business, they can handle nuance, and they give callers a great experience. At £200 to £1,500 per month with a contract, this is out of reach for most small trades businesses. Worth revisiting when you're bigger.

Consider when you grow beyond £500k/year

In-house receptionist

Perfect. If you can afford it.

An in-house receptionist who knows your business, your regular customers, and your schedule is the best possible solution for call handling. The cost is £1,800 to £2,500 per month including employer NI, holiday pay, and sick cover. Most trades businesses with one to five people cannot justify this expense at this stage.

Not realistic for most small trades businesses

The most cost-effective option is also the fastest.

TextBack Pro replies to every missed caller in under 30 seconds, for £47 a month flat. Start free for 14 days.

Start free trial → See all plans

No credit card required

Every way to handle a missed callcompared honestly.