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A call center is a crucial component of any business that needs to engage with customers. It’s where customers often turn when they need immediate assistance and can serve as an important outbound sales channel. However, setting up and running a call center requires a lot of resources, the cost of which can quickly add up.
You may be wondering whether it’s more cost-effective to run your call center in-house or outsource it. This post will provide an overview of the cost of outsourcing your call center, plus a competitively priced alternative that allows you to set up a flexible contact center in-house that includes engaging customers via calls.
Why outsource your call center?
Cost is the number one reason many businesses outsource call centers—a call center requires facilities, equipment, staff, training, and more. Outsourcing to a professional call center can be more cost-effective because multiple clients share these costs, so your business isn’t solely responsible.
Another major consideration is staffing. How many people do you need to run an effective contact center? And how long will agents’ shifts be? Will you offer 24/7 service? When you want round-the-clock coverage, outsourcing your call center can help you ensure you have the appropriate staffing without hiring lots of new employees.
Lastly, most outsourced call centers have quality assurance processes in place, which helps ensure that your customers have a positive experience. Rather than training your employees in handling customer calls, you can rely on an experienced team. Plus, call centers typically monitor calls to ensure all the agents follow procedures and provide excellent service.
What is the price breakdown of outsourcing a call center?
Before we dive into pricing, you probably want an idea of what you’d get for your money. Each call center will have a breakdown of what you pay for, but in general, it’ll look something like this:
- Upfront set-up costs: There are typically initial costs that cover new hardware or software the agency needs to acquire to serve your business and customers. Plus, there could also be costs associated with hiring and training new employees to handle the volume of calls for your business.
- Fixed or usage-based rates: Some call centers set a fixed monthly rate, while others charge based on the time agents spend speaking with your customers. The rate typically covers:
- Staff
- Equipment
- Operations
- Reporting
- Monitoring
- Support for your customers on multiple platforms
If you decide to outsource your call center, carefully review the pricing structure so you understand what your money buys and where you might incur additional costs.
Average pricing for outsourced call center services
The pricing for an outsourced call center will vary depending on whether it’s inbound vs. outbound or both. For example, an inbound call center that handles technical support will require the agents to have specific knowledge. On the other hand, an outbound call center that handles sales calls will require the agents to have sales experience. In both cases, the agents’ expertise will impact the price. Let’s look at the average price ranges for each type of call center.
Inbound call center cost
Depending on the country where the call center operates and the type of service you require (e.g., customer service, technical support, order processing, healthcare advice, etc.), you can find rates from $0.50–$1.75 per minute.
Many call center companies offer flat-rate packages based on expected usage, such as 1,000 minutes for $1,100 (which comes out to $1.10 per minute). Typically, the more minutes included in the plan, the lower the cost per minute.
Outbound call center cost
The costs for outbound call centers will similarly depend on the company’s location and the services you require. As we discussed above, outbound call centers often charge by the minute or the hour, ranging widely from $10–$50 per hour.
Pricing also varies quite a bit from country to country. For example, a call center based in the Philippines will generally have lower prices because wages for agents are lower than what you’ll find in the United States. This is due to the cost of living and market rates for call center agents in each country. Consider your language needs for your call center and whether you want to support your local economy when deciding where to outsource.
Learn more about Twilio Flex pricing
Outsourcing a contact center works well for some businesses. But if your business requires agents to have highly specialized knowledge of your products or services, you may prefer to create a contact center in-house.
With Twilio Flex, you can deploy a contact center in a matter of days and tailor it to your specific business needs and existing processes. Twilio Flex allows you to add new channels, like email and SMS, as you grow. Plus, it easily integrates with applications like Salesforce and Zendesk, creating a seamless experience for your agents and customers alike.
A free trial of Twilio Flex includes 5,000 hours of usage. After that, you can choose to pay hourly or monthly. Hourly pricing ($1 per active user hour) allows you to flexibly scale up or down based on seasonality. On the other hand, monthly pricing ($150 flat rate per named user, such as an agent, supervisor, or administrator) gives you a predictable spend, regardless of call volume or agent activity. With these flexible pricing models, you get all the benefits of an in-house contact center at competitive prices.
Learn more about Twilio’s pricing, or request a free demo of Twilio Flex.
