One decision.
375% more booked jobs.
How removing a business-hours call out fee unlocked the hidden revenue already sitting inside SOS Plumbing and Gas’s marketing pipeline.
The short version.
SOS Plumbing and Gas, an Adelaide-based plumbing and gas services business, was generating consistent inbound enquiries through Google Ads and organic search. The leads were coming in. The phone was ringing. But the jobs were not booking at a rate that matched the marketing spend.
AIIMS identified the problem through systematic review of WildJar call tracking data and inbound call recordings. A recurring pattern emerged: callers were enquiring, engaging, then walking away when a call out fee was mentioned.
On 26 February 2026, AIIMS recommended removing the call out fee during business hours. The client agreed. In the 90 days that followed, booked jobs grew by 375%, total calls grew by 170%, qualified leads grew by 260%, and the booking conversion rate rose from 20% to 35.2%.
The improvement came from removing a conversion barrier, not buying more traffic.
Up from 20 bookings in the 90 days before the call out fee decision.
More than one in three inbound calls converted into a booked job.
SOS Plumbing and Gas.
SOS Plumbing and Gas, trading as SOS Trades Pty Ltd, is a plumbing and gas services business operating in the Adelaide metropolitan area and surrounding regions of South Australia.
The business provides residential and commercial services across plumbing, gas fitting, drain clearing, hot water systems, evaporative cooling, and leak detection.
SOS Plumbing and Gas came to AIIMS Group in December 2025 with a clear commercial objective: generate more booked jobs. The client was signed on for Google Ads, SEO, Google Business Profile management, phone tracking, and website development.
Products Engaged
- SEM Management — Google Ads
- SEO
- Google Business Profile Management
- WildJar Phone Call Tracking
- Website Design and Development
Leads were coming in. Jobs were not.
Within the first 90 days of the engagement, marketing activity was producing real inbound enquiries. Google Ads was live, calls were being tracked through WildJar, and the phone was ringing.
But of the 100 inbound calls received in that first period, only 52 were classified as qualified leads. Of those 52 qualified leads, only 20 resulted in a confirmed booking.
“Lead volume is picking up but cost per lead is getting high. Discussed challenges with emergency leads related to call out fee — need to consider in lead management strategy.”
AIIMS account note, 5 February 2026Pre-change 90-day period.
Qualified call opportunities before the change.
Only one in five total calls became booked jobs.
What the call recordings revealed.
WildJar gave AIIMS access to the actual conversations between SOS Plumbing and Gas and its prospective customers. That changed the nature of the analysis.
Call after call showed the same pattern: the caller described their job, showed genuine intent, then stalled or disengaged when a call out fee was introduced.
Caller: “I was wondering if I could organise a plumber to come out today.”
WildJar Note: Price mentioned: $399 plus GST. Booking made: No.
Caller: “I’m pretty unsure about what to do. Do you have any recommendations?”
WildJar Note: Price mentioned: $399 plus GST. Booking made: No.
Caller: “I’m doing a quick ring around to see if there’s anything cheaper that you guys can do.”
WildJar Note: Booking made: No. Caller was trying to find a cheaper option.
The pattern was clear. In a competitive market where other plumbers advertise no call out fee, the fee was not a routine operational detail. It was a reason to call the next provider.
26 February 2026: the decision.
AIIMS Account Manager Rhys Williams held a strategy session with Laurence. The recommendation was specific: remove the call out fee during standard business hours while retaining after-hours fees.
“Decision made to remove call-out fee during business hours and apply it after hours to improve customer conversion.”
AIIMS JustCall AI Summary, 26 February 2026The logic was commercially sound. During business hours, callers had alternatives and were comparison shopping. After hours, urgent demand still justified a premium. The change removed friction without removing the ability to charge appropriately for the work.
What Changed
- Call out fee removed during standard business hours
- After-hours emergency premium retained
- No ad spend increase at the time of decision
- No new campaigns launched at the time of decision
- Website contact form issues were also identified and actioned
Before vs after: 90 days either side.
The comparison below uses WildJar call tracking data for the 90 days before and after the 26 February decision.
| Metric | Pre-Change | Post-Change | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Inbound Calls | 100 | 270 | +170% |
| Answered Calls | 96 | 266 | +177% |
| Missed Calls | 2 | 0 | 100% reduction |
| Qualified Leads | 52 | 187 | +260% |
| Confirmed Bookings | 20 | 95 | +375% |
| Booking Rate | 20.0% | 35.2% | +15.2pp |
| First-Time Callers | 79 | 233 | +195% |
| New Clients | 89 | 254 | +185% |
| Average Call Duration | 95s | 104s | +9.5% |
The most important number is not just the increase in calls. It is the booking conversion rate: from 20.0% to 35.2%. That is the difference between converting one in five callers and more than one in three.
Caller: Looking for a plumber to fix a toilet blockage and agreed to a booking for tomorrow morning.
WildJar Note: Price mentioned: no call out fee. Booking made: Yes.
Caller: Needed an urgent plumber for water pouring out of a pipe and arranged for the plumber to come out within one hour.
WildJar Note: Price mentioned: no call out fee. Booking made: Yes.
What this case demonstrates.
CRO outperformed more ad spend.
The improvement came from eliminating a structural barrier in the sales process, not from buying more traffic.
Call tracking is business intelligence.
WildJar made the actual customer conversations visible. The issue was not hidden once the calls were reviewed.
The problem was not lead quality.
Qualified leads were already arriving. The bottleneck sat inside the booking conversation.
Competitor context matters.
When competitors advertise no call out fee, charging one becomes a customer decision point.
How the insight developed.
Frequently asked questions.
What was the main issue AIIMS found?
The marketing was generating calls, but the business-hours call out fee was causing too many callers to abandon the booking process.
Was the result caused by more advertising spend?
No. The uploaded case study states that no new campaigns were launched and no budget was increased at the time of the change.
Why was WildJar important?
WildJar call tracking gave AIIMS access to the actual call recordings and call notes, making it possible to identify where prospects were dropping out.
What was the final result?
Booked jobs increased from 20 to 95 in the 90-day comparison period, representing a 375% increase.
Marketing should not stop at the lead.
The real win is finding where leads turn into revenue — and fixing the bottleneck before it costs another job.
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