Research
The library on what your phone is leaking.
Original frameworks and re-analysis of public data on the one thing every business we serve has in common. Each piece is primary-sourced, dated, and free to cite with attribution — because being the source is how a question gets answered with our name on it.
No paywall. No gating. No vendor-funded surveys. Re-use with attribution.
Published research
- 01 The Front-Desk Leak Framework
- 02 Front-desk cost by vertical Data study
- 03 Answering services & UPL Legal explainer
- 04 AI vs live receptionist Cost study
In progress · Missed-Call Cost Report (flagship survey)
Read in full
The pieces, with their data.
- Framework The Front-Desk Leak Our named framework for the valuable calls a business loses to no-answer, after-hours gaps, and voicemail — plus the Front-Desk Leak Rate formula and how to measure your own. Read in full
- Data study The cost of front-desk coverage, by vertical A re-analysis of public BLS wage data and Census firm counts: what a full-time front desk actually costs to staff, by industry — and how that compares to the calls a desk still cannot cover. Read in full
- Legal explainer Do answering services commit UPL? An evidence-based breakdown of where call intake ends and the unauthorized practice of law begins, grounded in ABA Model Rules 5.5 and 5.3, ABA Formal Opinion 512, and their NC equivalents. Read in full
- Cost study AI vs live virtual receptionist: a 2026 cost and outcome comparison An honest, sourced comparison of AI and live virtual receptionist services — the fully-loaded cost stack of live coverage from BLS data, flat vs per-minute AI pricing, the answer-rate gap, and where each model genuinely wins. Read in full
More in progress — including the Missed-Call Cost Report, our flagship survey of how much unanswered calls cost small businesses by industry. Journalists, analysts, and operators: cite freely; link is appreciated, not required.