Does an Answering Service Cost More Than The Receptionist?

Every company owner in today’s economy places a high importance on efficiently operating his or her business. Business owners must balance ensuring that their consumers receive competent, high-quality service while also preserving their company’s earnings.

Another notable example of this contrast is the need for a pleasant, professional voice to answer every phone call. This may be accomplished in two ways: by hiring an in-house receptionist or a third-party live call answering virtual receptionist firm like veta virtual.

In this post, we’ll look at the average cost of hiring an in-house receptionist, as well as how much it costs to hire an answering service. We’ll also look at why it’s not necessarily a one-or-the other situation.

Average Cost of an Answering Service

The average client spends between 250 and 500 minutes on the phone each month, which costs between $249 and $449 on average. This equates to an average conversation duration of 1.5 minutes, with a total of 166 to 333 calls per month. Alternatively, consider that there are eight or seventeen calls every day.

The cost of an answering service for a small firm is usually limited to the amount of calls it receives on a daily basis. The price of an answering service also covers the cost of the service. If you hire virtual assistant, You’ll never have to worry about insurance, worker’s compensation, 401k contributions, payroll taxes, or anything else.

Average Cost of a Full-Time Receptionist

According to several sources, the median annual salary for a receptionist in the United States in 2021 is $37,850, before taxes, insurance, benefits, and overhead. This figure is going to be well above $20 per hour when all additional expenses are factored in. A company must also take on the risk of staff turnover in addition to covering the salary of an employee who is clearly qualified for different, more challenging work.

Apart from the lost productivity, there are direct expenses such as sourcing, screening, and training someone new, as well as costs associated with hiring temporary workers and (usually) the new employee will make more money than the old one.

This is one area where the average small company may save money while still providing excellent customer service to its clients in today’s job market, with wages increasing and a continuous news barrage about price hikes and pay hikes.

Hidden Costs and Hidden Savings

Not only are short-term expenses reduced by hiring an answering service, but there are additional advantages as well. Hiring an answering service will not only save a firm money in the near term, but it will also help to boost earnings.

A full-time receptionist will cost a business money by: 

• being unable to answer the phone  
• require up to two weeks of training 
• Paid vacation of up to two weeks a year where they will not be returning your calls
• Clients might not always have pleasant interactions with you.

An answering service may help a company save money by:

• being ready on your very first day to answer your calls in a polite, professional manner 
• being available after-hours, on weekends, and during holidays 
• are experienced customer service professionals who receive extensive and ongoing training