Cost per booked job divides a defined set of acquisition or handling costs by the confirmed bookings attributable to those costs. A home service operator can use it to compare lead sources or intake workflows. The metric needs a consistent cost scope and booking definition; it should not be confused with profit per job or the cost of completing the field work.
How do you calculate cost per booked job?
Divide included costs by attributable confirmed bookings for the same cohort or reporting window. For example, $600 in included acquisition costs and 20 confirmed bookings gives $30 per booked job. If there are no bookings, report the result as undefined rather than zero.
Which costs belong in the calculation?
State whether the metric includes advertising only or also purchased leads, answering coverage, messaging, and intake labor. Use the same scope across the options being compared. A channel with more costs excluded can appear cheaper without producing better economics.
How is cost per booked job different from cost per lead?
Cost per lead stops at generating or capturing an opportunity. Cost per booked job follows it through a confirmed scheduling outcome. A low-cost source can still have a high booking cost if many leads are unsuitable or never reach a completed booking step.
Should cancelled jobs remain in the denominator?
Decide whether the metric measures initial bookings or retained bookings, and label it accordingly. Track cancellations separately or recalculate a retained-booking measure. Do not change the denominator quietly after reporting, especially when comparing channels with different cancellation patterns.
Can cost per booked job show profitability?
It shows a scoped cost of acquiring or handling a booking, not full job profit. Profitability also depends on job revenue, field labor, materials, travel, overhead, and cancellations. Pair the metric with completed-job outcomes when making operating decisions.
Related terms: HVAC Lead Generation, Lead-to-Job Conversion Rate, Lead Source Attribution