What’s the cost of a callback?
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Most contractors know callbacks are eating away at their bottom line, but too few know the extent of the damage. Why? Is it fear of discovering that the problem might be even bigger than they thought?
Here’s the reality: callbacks destroy profitability. And if you’re not ready to face that truth, your business will continue bleeding money in plain sight.
To fix the problem, you’ve got to be willing to think about callbacks in a different way. In today’s blog, we’re going to reframe your thinking around callbacks, showing how they’re an even bigger deal than you might have thought.
The hidden costs of a callback
When a callback happens, it’s not just about sending a tech back out. The true cost comes from the ripple effect it has across your business. Think about it:
- Direct labor costs — You’re paying their hourly rate, plus benefits, vehicle use, and more.
- Lost revenue — Every hour your team spends redoing a job is an hour they’re not working on a new installation or service call that could bring in revenue.
- Overhead load — Your fixed business expenses don’t disappear during callbacks. Instead of being spread across profitable jobs, they get dragged down by unprofitable rework.
Multiply that across dozens (or even hundreds) of callbacks each year, and you’re looking at a massive drain on profitability, one that’s often hidden until you start connecting the dots.
Putting callbacks in perspective
The cost of a callback can be as low as $400 for a quick “drive-by” fix, but the typical average cost of a callback is around $2,500.
A 5% callback rate can cost a business over $100,000 in losses every year.
That’s money that could have gone toward hiring a new install tech and growing revenue. It also could have bought more trucks, more training, better tools, or even marketing that helps you grow your business instead of chasing your tail on rework.
Callbacks aren’t just an inconvenience — they’re a profit killer. They:
- Reduce your ability to handle new jobs
- Frustrate customers and damage your reputation
- Burn out your technicians
Once you start viewing callbacks not just as a truck roll, but as a drain on revenue, overhead, and team morale, you’ll see why ignoring them is no longer an option. The good news? There’s a proven way to drive them down dramatically.
How QI Certificates change the game
ACCA Quality Installation (QI) certificates use real performance data (powered by the measureQuick® app) to confirm that every system is installed and commissioned the right way, before your team leaves the jobsite.
That means:
- Performance issues are caught on the spot, not after a customer complaint
- Systems operate at peak efficiency from day one
- Installation callback rates plummet, and so do their costs
Contractors like Air Control Home Services in Arizona and Ray O. Cook in California are already seeing the results. By committing to the QI process, they’ve reduced callbacks, improved customer satisfaction, and used certificates as a powerful sales differentiator.
Ready to stop losing profit to callbacks?
In an upcoming post, we’ll walk you step‑by‑step through calculating the actual cost of callbacks for your business.
Until then, you can prove your quality, protect your bottom line, and turn installs into a powerful sales advantage by issuing Quality Installation certificates.
Get started today and learn how to issue QI certificates for your installations by visiting acca.org/qa/prove-it.
Posted In: QA, Quality Standards, Workforce
