How much does unanswered WhatsApp cost you each month?
The calculator estimates how much money walks out the door when a customer's message goes unanswered. You enter five numbers: messages per day, the share that arrives after hours, the share that turns into an order, the share you lose and the sale value. With the starting values (30 messages a day and a US$ 150 sale), the result is US$ 4,415 a month.
What does the calculator show?
It returns four numbers per month:
- Messages not answered right away: the ones that arrive when you are not serving customers.
- Sales that walk away: the share of those messages that was a purchase and went somewhere else.
- Money on the table: those sales times your average sale value.
- How many sales pay for the plan: how many recovered sales cover CertuAI's Start and Pro.
It's a calculation for business owners who serve customers on WhatsApp and want to know the size of the problem before spending money on it.
How is the math done?
There are four multiplications, in this order:
- Messages per day × 30 days × share that arrives outside business hours.
- The result × share that turns into an order or quote request.
- The result × share you lose when no one replies right away.
- The result × average sale value.
For the plan, the calculator divides the plan price by the sale value and rounds up. Start costs US$ 75 a month and Pro, US$ 120.
Three things the math assumes, and that you should know:
- A month has 30 calendar days.
- Only messages that arrive outside business hours count. The math assumes the ones during business hours are answered.
- Nothing is rounded in the middle of the calculation. The screen rounds only what it shows.
Where does each number come from?
Only one of the five numbers comes from CertuAI. The after-hours share starts at 32.7%. It's CertuAI's measurement across 88,892 messages from 61 businesses, from 07/30 to 09/21/2026. You can replace it with yours.
The other four are yours. You count messages per day in your own WhatsApp. The share that turns into an order and the share you lose are your estimates, and the screen says so next to each field. The sale value is what one of your customers spends, on average, per purchase.
A worked example
These are the values the calculator opens with: 30 messages a day, 20% turn into orders, 50% are lost without a reply and the average sale is US$ 150. The after-hours share is 32.7%.
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Messages not answered right away | 30 × 30 × 32.7% | 294.3 (the screen shows 294) |
| Turn into orders | 294.3 × 20% | 58.86 |
| Sales that walk away | 58.86 × 50% | 29.43 (the screen shows 29) |
| Money on the table | 29.43 × US$ 150 | US$ 4,415 a month |
| Sales that pay for Start | US$ 75 ÷ US$ 150, rounded up | 1 |
| Sales that pay for Pro | US$ 120 ÷ US$ 150, rounded up | 1 |
In this example, 29 sales a month walk out the door because the message arrived at the wrong time. Recovering 1 of them already pays for the entry plan.
If your math came out similar, see the agent answering with your business's information. Build your agent for free, no sign-up and no card.
How should I use the result?
The number is an estimate of what's at stake. It isn't a promise of how much you'll recover.
- Replace the starting values with yours. Count a full week's messages and divide by seven. It's more accurate than a guess.
- Look at when messages arrive. WhatsApp shows the time of each one. See how many came in before you open, after you close and on the weekend.
- Adjust the lost share. It's your biggest uncertainty. See the result with a low value and a high one. If even the low one is above the plan price, the decision is easy.
- Compare with what replying costs. Replying after hours costs your evening or someone's salary. The cost of a receptionist calculator does that math.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the 32.7% apply to my business?
- It's the average measured by CertuAI: CertuAI's measurement across 88,892 messages from 61 businesses, from 07/30 to 09/21/2026. Your business may have more or less. That's why the field is editable.
- Why does the math use 30 days?
- The calculator uses a 30-calendar-day month. If your WhatsApp only gets messages on business days, lower the messages per day in the same proportion.
- Does the calculator assume I lose every message that arrives after hours?
- No. It uses the lost share you enter. Some people who message at night wait for the reply in the morning, and the math accounts for that.
- Is the result how much CertuAI promises to recover?
- No. It's an estimate made with your numbers. CertuAI doesn't promise to recover any amount.
- Do I need to sign up to use it?
- No. The math runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent.
