How Much Does a Telephone Answering Service Cost?
What is the cost of an Answering Service in 2014? Depending on your goals hiring a live answering service can cost as little as $50 a month to as much as $800 but in most every case this type of service more than pays for itself. In this article we’ll help you to understand what defines how much you will pay for a telephone answering service provider. Some answering service companies offer flat rate packages that deliver a predetermined number of minutes at a fixed rate, however most of them will raise your rate if your minutes increase. Generally speaking you will either pay on a per call basis or a per minute basis and thus you’re only paying for what you actually use.
Pay Per Call Answering Service Prices: On a pay per call answering service you’ll pay between $0.79 – $1.50 per call. Most providers will require that limited message details are taken, such as the callers name, number, and the callers message. Some companies will allow for more information to be taken/given but in such cases the per call rate may be increased, possibly by a lot. The reason for this is that you are still buying a remote receptionist's time and longer calls cost the provider more money.
Pay Per Minute Answering Service Cost: A typical pay-per-minute program will run between $.89 – $1.12 per minute of receptionist time. Some companies will offer discounts on packages that lock into more usage. The driving factor between how much you will pay per call will be determined on how many questions are asked. So a call that simply asks for the name, number and message from the caller may run about $0.70 per call (assuming calls are billed in 15 second increments) while a call that asks an array of questions such as one that would complete an online line form, take reservations, or process sales orders would take much longer and thus might cost upwards of $3.00 to $5.00 per call.
Out of Country Outsourcing: Some business looking to cut costs will look to a virtual answering service that is located in the Philippines, India or somewhere outside of the US. While this may save you a few bucks the downside is you may be looking at language barriers problems and you’ll need to decide if that impacts the way your customers first impression is of your business. It’s possible to get these type of rates down as low $0.60 per minute or per call.
Need more specific pricing on answering services and want to compare suppliers? Please see our reviews on the top 10 answering service companies or request free prices from top vendors. These companies answer calls for attorneys, doctors, contractors, and small businesses.
Author: Hudson Piccini
Hudson Cynar, a Harvard University alumna and the owner of three prosperous enterprises, is a distinguished business consultant, author, and writer. Her expertise spans multiple business sectors, with a particular emphasis on storage containers, commercial copiers, payroll services, and medical billing software. Dedicatedly investing thousands of hours into product and service research, Hudson crafts insightful reviews to guide entrepreneurs in making informed decisions for their businesses.
