Picture someone with a leak under the kitchen sink, or someone who wants a haircut before the weekend. They search on Google and call the first business in the list. If nobody answers, the next business is one line further down, with its own call button. For you, it becomes a line in the call log, if it shows up at all.

Here we cover how to see how many calls you miss, three ways to catch them without answering the phone all day, and the rules in Sweden when a text message or an AI answers on your behalf.

As of 21 October 2026. The iPhone and Android menus, Google’s rules and the legal texts were checked on 21 October 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. Menu names are given as they appear in English, and in Swedish where that helps. The legal points are a summary, not legal advice.

What does a missed call cost?

It is rarely possible to put a figure in kronor on it, and the numbers usually quoted are hard to back up.

  • We have not found a Swedish survey with a published method on how many callers phone another business when the first one does not answer, or how many leave a message. We have seen percentages for how many people never call back, but have not been able to trace any of them to a survey that says who asked, when, how many people and in which country. So we do not use them.
  • The closest we found is American and comes from a vendor. In Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 survey (Hiya works with caller ID and spam call protection), 84 per cent of 2,003 Americans asked said they reject or ignore calls from numbers they don’t recognise. 90 per cent felt businesses should identify themselves in caller ID. The survey was carried out in December 2025. It says nothing about how many people call the next business, but something about why it can be hard to reach a customer when you call back.

In our assessment, a missed call costs the most when the customer is in a hurry, as with a burst pipe or an appointment the same week, and the least when the customer wants you in particular anyway. You cannot tell afterwards which it was, so it makes sense for every call to get some kind of answer. In our assessment, the person calling has also often already compared and chosen. How that choice is made before the call is covered in Trust before contact and The customer’s path from Google search to contact.

How many calls do you miss? Count first

Start with a number. It takes a few minutes and shows whether you miss ten calls a week or one a month.

On your phone

On an iPhone (iOS 27), open Phone, tap the filter button and choose Missed. Then check two settings under Settings, Apps and Phone, because they decide what new customers hear:

  • The Unknown Callers filter moves calls from unknown numbers to a separate list with the same name. A new customer is rarely in your contacts, so check that list too.
  • Call Screening has three settings. With Ask Reason for Calling, Siri answers and asks the caller for their name and reason before your iPhone rings, in the phone’s default language. With Silence, calls from unsaved numbers go straight to voicemail. With Never, the phone rings as normal.

On a phone that customers call, our assessment is that you should choose Never, or at least know what callers hear. If your iPhone is set to English, Siri will screen Swedish-speaking customers in English.

On Android, in the Phone by Google app, missed calls have their own icon on the Home tab. If your phone uses the manufacturer’s own phone app, the menus may look different. On Pixel phones, the Take a Message feature can answer missed calls. Google says such calls are treated as answered by your carrier, so they do not show as missed in your operator’s statistics.

In your business phone system

If you have a business phone system (a växel, as it is called in Swedish), the statistics are there. In one of the systems we read about, you can see the answer rate, the number of answered calls and queue length per day, week and month. Look at which hours and weekdays calls go unanswered, and you will see whether the gap is lunchtime, afternoons out on jobs or evenings.

In your Google Business Profile

Go to your Business Profile, choose Performance (Resultat in Swedish) and a period, and look at the Calls metric. Google defines it as the number of times a customer clicked the call button on your Business Profile, and the metric requires your phone number to be in the profile. So it counts clicks, not answered calls. Compare it with your call log for the same period to get a rough idea of how many calls come through Google. More about the profile in Google Business for local businesses.

Count for two weeks

Write down every missed call for two weeks: when it came, whether the caller left a message, whether and when you called back, whether you reached them and whether it led to a booking. The last few digits of the number are enough, and do not note down more about the caller than you need. After two weeks you know how many calls you miss and when, and that decides which of the three approaches below is enough.

Three ways to catch missed calls, from simplest to most advanced

A voicemail greeting that actually says something, an automatic text to the caller and an AI receptionist that answers for you. They can be combined, and for many local businesses the first two are enough, in our assessment.

Voicemail greetingAutomatic textAI receptionist
What it doesSays when you answer, when you call back and where to bookSends the same message as a text, with a linkAnswers, books, handles common questions and transfers calls
What you needVoicemail on your phone or phone systemA phone system or text service with the featureA service from an operator or vendor, and time to train it
Keep in mindOnly promise what you can keepA reply, not advertising. The number is personal dataThe EU AI Act, GDPR and responsibility for what the AI says

The further right in the table, the more the service can do, and the more you need to check before it is allowed to answer for you.

Four-step diagram for catching missed calls, from simplest to most advanced: count missed calls on your phone, in your phone system's statistics and with the Calls metric in your Google profile for two weeks, a voicemail greeting with the business name, phone hours, when you call back and where to book, an automatic text with the same message and a link via your phone system or a text service, and an AI receptionist that says it is an AI, answers only from the business's own material and hands urgent jobs to a person.
Four steps, from counting to an AI receptionist. A text to someone who has just called should be a reply, not advertising, and since 2 August 2026 the EU AI Act requires an AI receptionist to be built so that callers are told it is an AI. As of 21 October 2026.

Business voicemail: what should the greeting say?

A good greeting answers what the caller is wondering: have I called the right place, when will I hear back and can I sort it out myself now? Include the business name, when you answer the phone, when you call back, where the customer can book and what to say in the message. If you offer emergency call-outs, say what applies to urgent jobs. Promise a callback time you can keep, for example “today before 4 pm”.

Most of your customers in Sweden probably speak Swedish, so record the greeting in Swedish, or in Swedish first and then English. That is our assessment. Here are the scripts in English, to adapt:

Script for a tradesperson “Hi, you’ve reached [Business]. We’re out on a job and can’t answer right now. Leave your name, number and what it’s about, and we’ll call you back today, by [time] at the latest. If it’s a water leak, say so first in your message. You can also send an enquiry at [short web address]. Thanks for calling!”

Script for a salon “Hi, you’ve reached [Salon]. We’re with clients right now. Book directly at [short web address], where you can see all available times. If you’d rather talk to us, leave your name and number and we’ll call you back between clients, by [time] at the latest.”

How to record the greeting:

  • iPhone: In the Unified layout, tap Calls, Edit and Edit Voicemail Greeting. In the Classic layout, tap Voicemail and Greeting. Then choose Custom and Record. Apple says this is not supported by all carriers or in all countries and regions, in which case you record the greeting by calling your operator’s voicemail.
  • Pixel: Take a Message lets you record custom greetings of up to 60 seconds.
  • Phone system: In one of the systems we read about, you can schedule messages for public holidays and holiday periods, so the right greeting starts by itself.

Record a new greeting when your hours, holidays or booking method change. A message that gives the wrong time does more harm than one that gives no time at all, in our assessment. What you can answer on your website, so that fewer people need to call, is covered in How to write website FAQs that customers and AI understand.

Replying to missed calls with an automatic text

An automatic text goes to the caller when the call is not answered. The customer gets a reply straight away, with a link, instead of waiting for a call that may come three hours later.

  • In your business phone system. Some systems have a feature that sends a text to the caller before, during or after the call. You write the text yourself and can choose the sender name.
  • With a text messaging and telephony service. Services with an API for texts and calls can pass details of every completed call on to another system, which then sends the text. Someone has to build the connection.
  • The cost. In one of the price lists we read, a text to the customer cost SEK 1 excluding VAT.

We have not been through every operator, so ask yours whether the system you already have can do it.

Example text “Hi! You called [Business] but we couldn’t answer. We’ll call you back today before [time]. To book straight away: [link]. Feel free to reply to this text with what it’s about.”

If the sender is a name rather than a number, the customer usually cannot reply, so the text should say which number they can reach you on. Nothing can be sent to a withheld number. Send no more than one text per number per day, so someone who calls three times does not get three texts. That is our assessment. And the text does not replace the call, it buys you time. Call back when you said you would, ideally from the number the customer called, since many people do not answer unknown numbers according to the survey above.

What does Swedish law say about the text?

The Swedish Marketing Act (marknadsföringslagen) requires prior consent for marketing by text message to private individuals. Under section 19, a business marketing to a natural person may use electronic mail “bara om den fysiska personen har samtyckt till det på förhand”, that is, only if the person has consented in advance. The definition of electronic mail in section 3 covers text messages sent over a public electronic communications network that can be stored until the recipient collects them, which in our reading includes texts. There is an exception for customers who gave their address in connection with a purchase, for similar products and with an easy way to opt out.

Our assessment, which has not been reviewed by a lawyer, is that a short text that only replies to someone who has just called, saying when you will call back and where they can book, is a reply to the customer’s own contact and not advertising. If you add offers or send more texts later, it may count as marketing, and then the consent requirement applies. The Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverket) writes that customer service handling is also covered by the Marketing Act, and we have not found any guidance on texts to someone who has just called. So keep the text factual, and have a lawyer read it if you are unsure.

The phone number is also personal data. GDPR (dataskyddsförordningen in Swedish) requires a legal basis and that you inform people about the processing (Articles 6 and 13). Mention the text replies in your privacy policy, do not keep the numbers longer than you need and make sure you have a data processing agreement with the text service, as the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) describes.

Callback: when the customer would rather be called

Some phone systems let a caller in a queue leave their number and be called back when it is their turn, instead of waiting on the line. That works when several people call at once. When nobody can take the call at all, it is the greeting and the text that catch the customer, in our assessment.

AI receptionists: what they do and what applies

An AI receptionist answers the phone with a synthetic voice, understands what the caller says and can answer common questions, book appointments and transfer calls. It can take a lot off your hands, but your business is responsible for what it says, and there are more rules than for a text.

What is available in Sweden?

This is what we found in a sample of offers on 21 October 2026. We have not compared them and do not rank them.

  • AI receptionist from a business phone operator, linked to the business number and with ready-made connections to booking systems and calendars. With the operator that published prices, it cost from SEK 999 a month plus SEK 2.50 per call minute, or SEK 3,999 a month with 2,000 minutes, excluding VAT.
  • Voice agent from a phone system vendor, on quote, in several roles, from a receptionist that takes messages and transfers calls to an agent that uses the whole knowledge base.
  • Build your own. Services with an API for texts and calls can connect an AI model to real phone calls. This needs a developer and can give your business greater responsibility under the EU AI Act, see below.
  • People instead. With a telephone answering service, a person answers in your business’s name and takes messages. We have not compared prices.

Ask the vendor what the AI is allowed to answer and what happens when it does not know, whether it only offers times that are free in your booking system, where calls and transcripts are stored and for how long, and whether they are used to train AI models. One of the vendors we read said it stores data in Europe, does not train language models on customer data and lets customers set how long transcripts and recordings are kept.

Does an AI receptionist have to say it is an AI?

Yes. The transparency rules in the EU AI Act (AI-förordningen in Swedish) have applied since 2 August 2026. Article 50(1) reads:

“Providers shall ensure that AI systems intended to interact directly with natural persons are designed and developed in such a way that the natural persons concerned are informed that they are interacting with an AI system, unless this is obvious from the point of view of a natural person who is reasonably well-informed, observant and circumspect, taking into account the circumstances and the context of use.”

Under Article 50(5), the information must be given in a clear and distinguishable manner at the latest at the time of the first interaction. The European Commission says the transparency obligations apply from 2 August 2026. On 18 June 2026, a decision was made to postpone several other parts of the regulation through the so-called Digital Omnibus, according to IMY. Article 50(1) was not changed, according to the Commission’s consolidated text.

Who is responsible? The obligation lies with the provider, the business that develops the system. If you use a ready-made service, your business is a deployer under the regulation. If you build your own AI receptionist, your business may instead count as a provider, because the definition covers anyone who puts an AI system into service under its own name, including for its own use. That is a question for a lawyer.

Whoever has the obligation, the simplest approach is for the greeting to say so straight away:

“Hi, you’ve reached [Business]. I’m the business’s AI assistant and I can book appointments and answer common questions. This call is transcribed. If you’d like to speak to a person, just say so, and I’ll take a message or put you through.”

One of the vendors we read markets its voice as natural and human-sounding. In our assessment, that makes it less obvious that it is an AI, and so more important to say so.

Recording, transcripts and GDPR

An AI receptionist listens to the call and often transcribes and stores it. Your business is then processing personal data, and IMY writes that the AI Act and GDPR apply in parallel.

  • Say so at the start of the call, as in the greeting above. Article 13 requires information when the data is collected, and in our assessment the short message can refer to your privacy policy for the rest.
  • A legal basis is required under Article 6. Our assessment is that it can often be steps taken at the customer’s request before entering into a contract, or legitimate interests, but a lawyer should assess it.
  • Data processing agreement. The service processes data on your behalf, and under Article 28(3) that must be governed by a contract.
  • The USA. If the data ends up there, it may be transferred if the recipient is covered by the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and otherwise other safeguards are needed, according to IMY.
  • Retention. Decide how long recordings and transcripts are kept, and choose a short period if you do not need them.
  • Health data is a special category of personal data with stricter rules (Article 9). If you get questions about health, as a clinic does, let the AI book but not ask about symptoms. That is our assessment.

When the AI gets it wrong

Then your business has said it. We have not found a Swedish ruling on AI answers on the phone, but a Canadian case from February 2024 is clear. An airline’s chatbot had wrongly told a customer they could apply for a bereavement fare retroactively. The airline argued that it was not responsible for the chatbot’s answers. The Civil Resolution Tribunal in British Columbia called this “a remarkable submission”, held that the company is responsible for all the information on its website, whether it comes from a static page or a chatbot, and ordered the airline to pay a total of CAD 812.02. That is Canadian law, but the principle is easy to recognise.

In Sweden, Konsumentverket writes that actions others carry out on your business’s behalf count as your marketing, and that you may not mislead about, for example, price, the customer service the business offers or consumers’ legal rights. In our reading, that also covers an AI service answering in your name. To reduce the risk, in our assessment:

  • Let it answer only from your own material: price list, opening hours, services and common questions.
  • Do not let it promise prices outside that material, times that are not in the booking system, or anything about guarantees and complaints.
  • Urgent jobs and advice on health, law or safety go to a person or an emergency number.
  • Test before launch with the 20 most common questions, including the odd ones, and read the transcripts every week at first. Fix the source material, not just individual answers.

The right number everywhere

A missed call can also be a call that never arrived because the customer found an old number. Have one number that you answer, and the same number everywhere. Google’s guidelines for Business Profiles say, among other things, that you should provide a phone number that leads to the individual business location, preferably a local number rather than a central customer service number. Numbers that redirect customers to numbers that do not belong to the business are not allowed, and neither are premium-rate numbers.

Google also says the profile may be updated if sources report that its information is incorrect or out of date. In our assessment, an old number in a directory can therefore lead to a suggested change to your profile. How to keep an eye on such suggestions is covered in Opening hours, holidays and exceptions in your Google profile.

Go through your website header, contact page and footer, your Google profile, Apple Maps via Apple Business, Swedish directories and directory enquiry services, Facebook, Instagram, your booking page, your email signature and your van, on the same day. How to claim and correct the listings outside Google is covered in Get your business on Apple Maps, Bing, Hitta and Eniro.

A clickable number on mobile

Make the number clickable with a tel link, so one tap is enough. Write the number in international format, with +46 and without the first zero. Our own number looks like this in the code: <a href="tel:+46722009909">072-200 99 09</a>. The standard for tel links, RFC 3966, allows hyphens but not spaces in the link itself. More about mobile in Mobile adaptation that actually works.

Opening hours that match when someone answers

Google asks you to enter your business’s regular hours, and hours for specific services can be added as More hours, which should generally fall within your main hours. We have not found a separate field for phone hours in Google’s guidelines. If you do not answer the phone during all your opening hours, because you are in the workshop or with a client, put your phone hours on the website and in your greeting.

Checklist: catching missed calls

Want booking and follow-up to run by themselves? We build booking, forms and automatic messages by email and text, connected to your website, so customers can book or send an enquiry even when you cannot answer. System builds are quoted, with smaller automations from SEK 15,000 excluding VAT, and you own the solution. More on our services page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I see my missed calls?

On an iPhone, open Phone, tap the filter button and choose Missed. If you have turned on the Unknown Callers filter, calls from unsaved numbers go to a separate list, so check that too. In the Phone by Google app on Android, missed calls have their own icon on the Home tab. If you have a business phone system, its statistics show the answer rate and answered calls.

Can you send a text automatically after a missed call?

Yes. Some business phone systems have a feature that sends a text to the caller, and text messaging and telephony services with an API can send a text when a call is not answered. Nothing can be sent to a withheld number. Ask your operator whether the system you already have can do it.

Do I need consent to text someone who has just called me?

The Swedish Marketing Act requires prior consent for marketing by text message to private individuals. Our assessment is that a short text that only replies to someone who has just called, saying when you will call back and where they can book, is a reply rather than advertising, but this has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Do not add offers to the text.

Does an AI receptionist have to say it is an AI?

Yes. Since 2 August 2026, Article 50 of the EU AI Act requires AI systems that talk directly to people to be designed so that the person is told they are dealing with an AI, unless it is obvious. The information must be given at the latest at the first interaction. Let the greeting say so straight away.

Can I record calls with customers?

A business that records or transcribes calls is processing personal data, so GDPR applies: a legal basis, information to the caller, a retention period and a data processing agreement with the service that handles the recordings. Tell callers at the start that the call is recorded or transcribed. This is not legal advice.

How many people don’t call back after a missed call?

We have not found a Swedish survey with a published method that answers this (as of 21 October 2026). In an American survey by the vendor Hiya, carried out in December 2025, 84 per cent of respondents said they reject or ignore calls from numbers they don’t recognise.

Sources

All web pages read on 21 October 2026 unless stated otherwise. Menus, prices and rules may change.