No AI-generated advice. No generic playbook. I answered enough of these calls myself to know exactly what a missed one costs.
By Oscar Poon · September 20, 2026 · 5 minute read
Every ring nobody answers is a patient deciding what to do next.
A few real numbers to set the scene before we get into the math:
34%
of incoming calls at the average medical practice go unanswered
AgentZap, Medical Practice Phone Statistics: 15 Numbers Every Healthcare Provider Should Know ↗
41%
of patient calls come in outside standard 9-to-5 business hours
AgentZap, Medical Practice Phone Statistics: 15 Numbers Every Healthcare Provider Should Know ↗
58%
of callers hang up without leaving a voicemail when a call goes unanswered
OnCallClerk, Why 90% of Callers Don't Leave Voicemail (And Where They Go Instead) ↗
41%
of the time, a patient whose call goes unanswered just calls a different clinic instead
41% of patient calls come in outside standard business hours: evenings, weekends, the one quiet moment someone finally has time to deal with booking. If calling during the day is the only way in, you're effectively closed for almost half the moments people actually try to reach you.
The average clinic misses 34% of its incoming calls, and 58% of callers hang up the second they hit voicemail instead of leaving a message. Most of the time, you don't even find out someone tried.
41% of the time, a patient whose call goes unanswered doesn't wait around for a callback, they call the next clinic on the list. By the time your front desk gets back to them, they may have already booked somewhere else.
Online booking doesn't take evenings or weekends off. A patient who decides at 9pm that their shoulder needs looking at can pick a time and be done in under a minute, while the urge to actually book is still there.
The moment someone finishes booking, an instant email and text confirmation goes out. That's not just good manners, it's the first small commitment in the chain that keeps them from becoming a no-show later.
Using an $80 average treatment fee as an example (use your own number, the shape of the math doesn't change):
For a patient, being able to book on their own time means they don't have to remember to call back during business hours, or sit on hold. It's one less errand in an already busy day.
No phone tag, no missed calls, no lost patients.
How booking works in MyTCM, start to finish.
You decide whether a booking requires payment or a deposit at the time it's made. That's one more reason a confirmed online booking is worth more than a phone call that might not even show up.
Industry data puts the cost of a single missed call at $125 to $200 in lost practice revenue. Online booking on MyTCM is $10 a month, flat, for unlimited bookings.
Recover the value of just one missed call and MyTCM has already paid for over a year.
Questions? Call 1-888-884-7726
