Exploring the diverse billing methods of call center services
So, you’ve made the decision to partner with an answering service. You will now enjoy time away from managing your business to spend with your family and get a little sleep in the evenings and weekends.
But when the bill comes, how will you be charged by the service tasked with taking care of your callers while you’re away? Nobody wants to pay more than they should, and the call center needs to balance cost of service with covering the salaries of the operators and other necessary expenses of running a business.
Here are some different ways a call center may potentially bill you, and the pros and cons of each:
Per Call Pricing
This type of billing system is not as widely used in the industry as it once was. As the name suggests, you are billed once for every “call.” (There’s a reason we put this in quotation marks, and we will get to that in just a minute) For example, you may purchase a package that includes 100 “calls” per month.
Pros of Per Call Pricing: The length of the call does not matter. You are billed once for the call no matter how long the call is connected.
Cons of Per Call Pricing: The length of the call does not matter. You are billed once for the call no matter how long the call is connected. I know…We just said this was a pro. But, if you are anticipating short calls, you could easily get overcharged by per-call pricing. And when the call center is unsure how long the calls will be, they will likely aim a little higher than average on the cost. Plus, the call center determines the definition of the word, “call” (told you we’d get back to that). When a call hits the switch, that’s one call. After the message is taken and delivered to the recipient, that’s a second call. Did your provider not respond in time, causing the call center to resend the message? That’s a third call. Did they eventually have to escalate to someone else on the on-call list? That’s a fourth call. Did that provider call in to get clarification of something on the message? Guess what…that’s a fifth call. The point is that one actual call could result in five (or more) calls on your billing, which can be extremely frustrating.
Time-Based (Per Minute) Pricing
Time-based billing is how 99% of modern call centers will set up billing on your account. This type of billing is very similar to the way that cell phone companies once did their billing. You will purchase a package of minutes with overages (should you go over the package amount). But you can switch to a higher or lower plan at any time based on your actual usage.
Pros of Time-Based Pricing: You’re more likely to pay for what you actually use. It’s also the best method for the call center as they are able to pinpoint how many agents will be needed throughout the day with a higher degree of accuracy, making them more efficient and allowing them to keep their costs down. It’s a win-win for the call center and the client.
Cons of Time-Based Pricing: If you are anticipating longer calls for your business, it’s easy to go over your package limit. Plus, you may not have a handle on how much time to anticipate for your business when choosing a plan. Your sales representative can help with this. But ultimately, you’ll need to do some guesswork on how many calls you are anticipating multiplied by the average length of call. However, if you misjudge the amount of time your account actually uses, you can switch to a higher or lower plan at any time without penalty.
Dedicated Agents
If your business is anticipating an extremely high volume of calls and/or you need a specialized service that is unique to your business and requires a highly involved process, dedicated agents will be your best option. Rather than a “pool” of agents who process calls for all accounts, these agents would only answer for you, and you alone. The pricing is much different as well. Rather than paying for the time the agent is on a live call, you are paying by the hour, per agent.
Pros of Dedicated Agents: Simply from the repetition of answering calls for one account over and over, these agents will quickly become experts in your account, and your business. The margin for error is vastly smaller than per-call or per-minute “pooled” agents who take calls from multiple accounts with different scripts and processes.
Cons of Dedicated Agents: It can be expensive! If you aren’t experiencing a large enough amount of call volume to justify having dedicated agents, it won’t make financial sense to go this route.
Additional Fees
Be aware of fees that some services will tack on in addition to the per-call or per-minute estimate you are given. It’s very difficult to compare apples to apples when some services add arbitrary fees in addition to the base price. One service may quote a price that seems much lower than the others. But when you add up all the fees that are added to the invoice, it becomes a wash, or maybe even more expensive. Be sure and ask about additional fees when doing your research!
To sum up, it’s important to make sure that the call center you choose understands your business and can match your needs with the option that works best for you. This way you are getting the best “bang-for-your-buck” and working with a call center that will best represent your business to your callers.
